The vacation rental market’s luxury segment has a long history to look back on. And now, it’s going through a renaissance thanks to the rising popularity of luxury travel and the appearance of new players who are matching supply and demand.
Furthermore, luxury travel has led the post-pandemic recovery. Luxury operators noticed an unprecedented surge in bookings throughout 2021, as high-income guests began to seek out personalised travel experiences following prolonged periods of self-isolation.
This boom has been fuelled by two major factors:
- New travel behaviours. Wealthy guests who were already frequent travellers before the pandemic now travel even more as work-from-home policies allow them to combine work with pleasure, stay longer and travel all-year-round.
- Extra savings. A recent analysis by Oxford Economics found that Americans had saved an extra $4 trillion during the pandemic—with high-income households piling up the most extra cash—and estimated that they would spend roughly $360 billion of that throughout 2022.
As demand for luxury vacation rentals continues to soar, property managers need to be more strategic about their distribution than ever. While mainstream OTAs may not be the right platform for luxury listings, there are niche OTAs specialised in high-end properties that could be the perfect match for your portfolio.
Below, we’ve curated a list of 11 luxury vacation rental websites that excel at marketing luxury properties. These channels understand the unique needs of both homeowners and guests in the luxury segment—as such, they have the potential to become your most trusted distribution partners, bringing you valuable bookings. And Rentals United can fast-track your application for most of them!
The top 11 luxury vacation rental websites that drive bookings
1. Plum Guide
Plum Guide is “the official selection of the world’s best vacation homes – the answer to ‘what home should I book?’”.
They may not be for everyone (they only accept the best homes at each price point), but if you have high-quality homes, they can help you grow your business by connecting you with discerning travellers who do not use mainstream OTAs to search for accommodation.
Thanks to their high standards, rigorous curation process and discerning audience, occupancy and bookings from Plum Guide are incremental.
It’s not easy to get listed on Plum Guide – homes need to pass the 150-point Plum Test. But those that do get access to a new customer base and an increase in high-value bookings.
Rentals United can help you fast track through the application process.
Top destinations: Europe, North America
Get listed on Plum Guide with the Rentals United Channel Manager
2. Homes & Villas by Marriott International
Homes & Villas by Marriott International is a curated offering of vacation rentals by one of the world’s oldest hotel chains. It brings together Marriott International’s 92 years of hospitality experience and the local expertise of select property management companies.
They guarantee that their vacation homes are serviced at the same standard that is expected from Marriott hotel rooms. Properties listed on the website are rigorously vetted before being accepted into the program.
By listing your property on Homes & Villas by Marriott International, you can get access to discerning travellers including 133+ million Marriott Bonvoy travel loyalty programme members.
Rentals United is the first European channel manager to connect to
Homes & Villas by Marriott International
– with us, you can list your properties quickly and effortlessly.
Top destinations: Europe, North America, South America, Caribbean
Get listed on Homes & Villas by Marriott International with the Rentals United Channel Manager
3. Top Villas
Top Villas is a global leader in luxury villa rentals. With more than 4,000 luxury villas in over 50 popular travel destinations and 20 years of experience in the luxury villa rental market, Top Villas is known as one of the best villa rental agents in the world.
The listing site offers handpicked luxury vacation homes, townhouses, condos and private properties both in urban destinations and remote leisure locations. Its most popular destinations include Orlando, Miami, St Tropez, the Caribbean, Asia and beyond.
Guests come to Top Villas for the best service and rates, and property managers for the visibility and increased returns.
Top destinations: North America, Caribbean, Europe
Get listed on Top Villas with the Rentals United Channel Manager
4. Villa Finder
Villa Finder is the market leader in luxury villa rentals in the Asia-Pacific region. Its portfolio consists of more than 2,000 handpicked villas in 14 countries.
The luxury vacation rental site’s top destinations include Bali, Phuket, Koh Samui, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, and Niseko, as well as European destinations like Italy and France.
Villa finder stands out for its competitive prices and top-of-the-line concierge services. It helps property managers increase their profits through a seamless distribution solution.
Top destinations: Europe, Asia
Get listed on Villa Finder with the Rentals United Channel Manager
5. Oliver’s Travels
Oliver’s Travels is a listing site that “does not do ordinary”. They offer a selection of luxury villas and extraordinary homes bursting with character.
The company only lists the top 2% of vacation rentals after they’ve been reviewed by their team of experts.
What’s more, they are currently working with TreememberMe to help guests offset their carbon emissions by planting trees in their name. Get listed with them to reach discerning luxury travellers who value sustainability and responsible travel.
Top destinations: UK, France, Italy and more
Coming soon: Oliver’s Travels will soon be connected to the Rentals United Channel Manager. Stay tuned!
6. Villaway
Villaway is a luxury vacation rental company that selects and inspects luxury homes and private villas around the world.
Some of their most popular destinations are Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Maui, Riviera Maya, Cabo and Tulum.
They offer a complimentary concierge service with a variety of options, such as a private chef and catering service, a welcome tour of your villa, private jet and yacht charters and more.
Top destinations: North America, Caribbean, Europe
7. Airbnb Luxe
Airbnb Luxe is the industry giant’s luxury brand. They offer a selection of expertly designed home rentals with premium amenities.
These fully-equipped, statement-making homes have been carefully vetted to provide luxury travellers with a one-of-a-kind experience.
When guests book through Airbnb Luxe, they are connected with a dedicated trip designer to make the experience even more personalised and special.
Top destinations: North America, Europe, Caribbean
8. Kid & Coe
Kid & Coe makes travel with children easy by combining luxury with kid-friendly amenities.
Kid & Coe handpicks every one of its 1,000+ rentals in over 50 destinations around the world. They work with carefully-chosen partners who provide family-focused services, such as baby equipment rental and itineraries, to help families make the best of their stay.
Properties in the Kid & Coe Select programme are even visited and checked by the company’s team to guarantee their suitability for families travelling with kids.
For property managers, Kid & Coe offers a great chance to market to travelling families and expand their rentals’ visibility.
9. Smiling House
Smiling House boasts a network of luxury properties, located in the most breathtaking destinations of the world.
From chalets, villas, mansions and palatial castles, the brand’s property portfolio serves travellers who are looking for extraordinary experiences.
With just one click on Smiling House’s main booking website, affluent travellers could be viewing get-aways in the snowy Alps of Switzerland, to the white sands of Greece. As such, Smiling House is the only platform of its kind to match travellers with vacations that are led by ‘experience’ – and are immersed in unparalleled luxury.
Thanks to years of experience in the luxury property landscape, Smiling House has also established an innovative B2B division within the company. Here, property owners are invited to list their accommodation with Smiling House and are connected to a community of luxury travellers, concierge companies, travel agents and travel designers.
10. Quintess Collection
Quintess Collection is a luxury destination club offering a curated collection of the world’s best ultra-luxury homes. They specialise in catering to guests who don’t use mainstream platforms to book vacation rentals.
The Quintess Collection offers over 200 luxurious properties in over 70 sought-after destinations. Each vacation rental is handpicked and vetted to make sure it meets the quality standards and overall value Quintess Collection members expect.
The luxury vacation club’s clientele are wealthy individuals who earn more, spend more and travel more than the average guest. The Quintess Collection provides them with personalised experiences, personal service and attention to detail that’s second to none.
The Quintess Collection’s most-booked destinations include beach locations and mountain resorts as well as US and European cities with an average daily rate of $4,000 USD.
Related: The Top 10 Inclusive Vacation Rental Sites to List Your Properties On
Related: The Top 5 Camping & Glamping Websites to List Your Outdoor Properties
11. onefinestay
Market: Worldwide
onefinestay is one of the leading luxury channels and was recently acquired by Accor (a french multinational hospitality company), they are committed to building a truly curated hospitality experience for its guests across its 4,500 homes, villas and chalets around the world.
As a property manager getting list on onefinestay, you will have access to a community of vetted, high-net-worth guests from the US, UK and Europe, including access to 85 million Accor ALL loyalty members.
Exceptional service is the onefinestays speciality, meaning the process of selecting the properties is vigorous. Each property must pass through a detailed personal inspection to ensure the best possible tailored experience for clients.
Top destinations: Caribbean, US Mountains, South of France, Tuscany
Are you ready to build a tech-based distribution strategy? Discover how our enterprise-level Channel Manager can get you more bookings.
Editor’s note: This blog post was published in june 2022 and has since been updated for depth and accuracy.