Skift Take
HomeAway Co-founder Carl Shepherd thinks the vacation rental industry isn’t doing enough for individual hosts.
Carl Shepherd is an investor and the co-founder of HomeAway, now part of Vrbo. He isn’t loyal to rental-booking platforms, though. It comes down to the fees and who they advantage with search.
“I've pretty much quit using both Vrbo and Airbnb personally,” he said. “I found it humbling. I don't use it because I'm not going to pay that fee. I'm just going to book directly with the property manager.”
At Skift’s Short-Term Rental Summit on Wednesday, Shepherd also spoke on the challenges property managers encounter and whether booking platforms will uplift