Pricing tactics and hidden fees should be a main focus of discussion, especially for non-US rentals. There are many profound differences between Airbnb and VRBO, in particular depending on which country you are booking in. On my travels through South America, Europe and Asia I have seen so many "fake" rentals (ie the property you are looking at is suddenly unavailable, but 'fortunately' the person listing it knows of other properties available -- some on Airbnb and some not) as well as multiple-listings by the same user that are essentially deceptive and/or fraudulent. So I've become cautious when using Airbnb. Usually I send an inquiry prior to booking, because that gets a sense of what sort of operator the person behind the listing might be. Reviews on Airbnb are generally overinflated, and plenty of sites such as Reddit cover how ungenuine most reviews tend to be and why. That said, I found VRBO for rentals in the Hawaiian islands to be ridiculous and ultimately didn't go with any of the dozen properties I scouted out. Mailing a check to a property owner seems so antiquated in 2016, and the dozens of listings I reviewed were almost 100% deceptive as to the total cost. For example, a $200-$300 cleaning fee for for a three-night rental. Really? I talked with a woman in her 60's in Kauai who cleans homes; it's essentially a way to make more money off a renter and scam them. Sure, some people do throw wild parties and trash homes -- that's why you take a deposit rather than demanding an inflated cleaning fee.
I am certain expert flyers who know everything about airline pricing tactics have plenty to contribute on this subject
