Vrbo calculates and provides responsiveness metrics to help you improve your traveler experience and increase your bookings. Travelers are more likely to book and less likely to cancel reservations at properties where the owner responds quickly to their inquiries.

Responsiveness metrics are for informational purposes only and don’t affect your listing's ranking or visibility.

You can view your responsiveness metrics in the Vrbo inbox.

Note: Partners using connected software don't have response metrics shown in their Vrbo dashboard or property details page at this time.

 

Responsiveness metrics

Responding to travelers

A quick first response can improve the guest experience, build trust, and lead to more positive reviews.

  • Response rate is the percentage of eligible messages, such as a first message or request from travelers that you responded to within 24 hours in the past 30 or 90 days (see how Vrbo calculates responsiveness below). Responses that take longer than 24 hours negatively impact your response rate.
    • We recommend you aim for an 85% response rate or higher.
  • Response time is the average time it took for you to respond to messages from travelers in the last 30 days or 90 days (see how Vrbo calculates responsiveness below).
    • For the best traveler experience, please respond within 12 hours. Responses after 24 hours are considered "no response" and booking requests will be automatically declined.

Accepting bookings

Accepting booking requests quickly and often helps travelers secure their travel plans.

  • Acceptance rate is the percentage of booking requests you accepted in the last 30 days.
    • We recommend you aim for an 85% or higher booking request acceptance rate.

Note: Your booking request acceptance rate appears on the Vrbo Inbox, Ranking Metrics, Premier Host pages, and on your listing's property details page. Each page calculates this metric based on a different period of time, so the numbers may not match each other.

 

How Vrbo calculates responsiveness

We calculate response rate and time after the property has had at least 10 unique interactions with a traveler (a unique interaction may include inquiries, booking requests, or confirmed bookings). If the property does not have at least 10 unique interactions in the past 30 days, we look at the most recent 10 interactions in the past 90 days.

The following instances will not negatively impact response metrics:

  • Any messages that are not a first message, inquiry, or booking request from a traveler.
  • Blocked traveler message content based on Vrbo fraud and phishing detection policies.
  • Traveler messages manually marked as spam by hosts.
  • Bookings where traveler cancels the reservation. 

 

Go above and beyond to stand out

Top-performing hosts consistently provide quick, helpful communication. Here are some best practices to help you enhance the guest experience with above average responsiveness:

  • Respond to booking requests within 12 hours. This shows guests that you’re reliable and increases your chances of securing bookings.
  • Reply to all guest messages within 12 hours. Whether the message is from a potential, current, or past guest, quick replies help build trust and maintain strong engagement.
  • Use message timers to track response times. These timers help you stay aware of how long messages have gone unanswered. (Note: These timers are for your reference only and don’t impact your metrics.)
  • Download the Vrbo Owner mobile app. The app lets you respond quickly, even when you're on the go.
  • Enable Instant Book to streamline the booking process. This feature attracts more travelers looking for fast, hassle-free reservations.