AirBnb vs VRBO: What drives more traffic in Berkshire County ?
What drives more traffic, Airbnb or VRBO? The answer to this question is highly dependent on the market. We were updating some of our market dashboards the other day and found the data below pretty interesting. This market report comprises most of Berkshire County along the route 7 corridor from Cheshire, MA down to the Connecticut state border. Keep scrolling for a few of our takeaways.
| Metric | AirBnb | VRBO |
|---|---|---|
| Active Listings | 1,950 | 728 |
| Estimated Revenue | $40,000 | $50,000 |
| Estimated Occupancy | 47% | 37% |
| Average Daily Rate | $296 | $437 |
| RevPAR | $140 | $163 |
| Bookings | 57,000 | 16,000 |
| Booking Window | 26 days | 44 days |
| Length of Stay | 2 nights | 3 nights |
Ok so this data has some pretty interesting takeaways. At a glance . . .
Airbnb dominates the market share in terms of listings. Great for guests, but hard to stand out as a host
VRBO, even at a lower average occupancy number, outperforms AirBnb from a revenue standpoint
VRBO dominates Airbnb from a price per night standpoint
VRBO bookings are coming in earlier and for longer stays
If you want to really play the game, you have to be listed on both Airbnb and VRBO and ideally a direct booking site of some sort to save on OTA (online travel agency) fee’s. Our strategy is to book the longest highest revenue stays direct whenever possible. Those make or break your season. From there snag some VRBO bookings a few months out, and then fill in the gaps on Airbnb. Not easy to do but certainly possible. To do this you need to either use your own professional hosting software or work with a management company (LIKE US!) to help you list multi channel.
That’s another BnB Bulletin for ya ! If you’re interested in our services for your own Short Term Rental, we’re taking on new clients through April 1, 2026. Hit the link below to set up an intro call.
Happy hosting,
- Jaryn