To use the Firefly OTA Channel Manager for VRBO you must have the units you want to connect with this feature already set up and available on your VRBO account

Set up your VRBO Account—Below is a direct link to VRBO's help article on getting set up. You should set up your VRBO account before proceeding.

Set up your VRBO Account

Check VRBO Requirements - VRBO has some local laws and requirements for parks to meet and to be in accordance with. Before being able to utilize our integration, please check to make sure that you meet them.

VRBO Policies

Set up Currency - Your currency needs to be properly configured in Firefly first before connecting any units through the OTA Channel Manager.

This can be found by navigating to Settings > Property > General (Tab) > Currency

Pricing – For up-to-date pricing for this feature CLICK HERE

Enable the add-on

To enable the Firefly OTA Channel Manager add-on, navigate to the Account Manager.

Select your name in the top right corner of your Firefly account then select ‘Account’ from the dropdown menu.

From the Account Manager select the ‘Addons’ tab.

Check the box for the OTA Channel Addon option from the available add-ons and select ‘Save’ at the bottom of your screen to save your changes.

After this add-on is enabled and saved you will see the OTA Channel Manager in the Integrations screen.

To find your Integrations page navigate to Settings>Integrations

Syncing available units

Navigate to Settings > Integrations

Click Connect to the right of the OTA Channel Manager.

If you have already connected to the OTA channel manager, you will see a manage option instead.

Once connected, select Connect Property.

Select the units you would like to sync from the list.

Click Save and then select Channel Setup.

The maximum number of units that can be synced using the Channel Manager is 200.

If you are syncing a large number of units, it may take a couple of minutes to load. You will see the screen below; it will automatically reload every 10 seconds. If you need to continue working in a new tab, this process will still run in the background.

After this step is completed, select “Channel Setup”.

Setting up your VRBO Rates

After your VRBO account is linked to your Firefly account using the Channel Manager rates for VRBO will be managed in the Firefly OTA Channel Manager, not in VRBO. It is recommended to set up your rates before moving on to the next steps, your units in VRBO will show unavailable unless rates are available.

Your Firefly rates that are set up in your Unit Settings will still apply to any reservations made through Firefly.

Select the ‘Actions’ dropdown on the ‘Inventory’ tab and select ‘Bulk Update’ from the dropdown.

Then select a date range you want to update. You can also choose to only affect specific days of the week of this date range using the checkboxes below.

Select the setting you want to update – in this case, check the ‘Rate’ box and enter the daily rate in the box to the right. Then select the unit to apply the rate below in the ‘affected rooms’ section.

When you are done, click the ‘Save’ button at the bottom of the page.

You will see the rate reflected under the dates that you updated.

To make sure you do not miss any dates start with a larger time frame, for example, a year or your season, then add the special rates for specific date ranges like weekends or holidays.

After establishing your connection to your VRBO account, you will have limited access to pricing and availability settings from the VRBO side. However additional fees for VRBO (Housekeeping, pet fees, etc.) will still be managed in your VRBO account.

Setting Min/ Max Night Rules

Go to Settings > Channel Management > Manage.

Select ‘Channel Setup’.

Select the ‘Actions’ dropdown then select ‘Bulk Update’.

Enter the date range the minimum setting will be valid for. Then select ‘Min Stay Arrival’ OR ‘Min Stay Through’, then enter your nightly minimum (explanations below).

The option you choose to set up your minimum nightly rules in the bulk update MUST match the setting in your channel.

Once you enter your minimum stay, select the units this minimum applies. If it applies to all units then check ‘Select All Rates’ and select ‘Save’.

Understanding VRBO Terms Related to Firefly Reservations:

Min Stay Arrival: This setting requires the minimum stay to be based on the guest’s check-in date only.
Min Stay Through: This setting requires the guest to meet the minimum stay for the entire booking period, regardless of their check-in date.

Let’s say you have the following settings:

Sunday to Friday: 1-night minimum stay
Saturday: 3-night minimum stay

Here’s how each setting would apply:

Min Stay Arrival: If a guest is arriving on Friday (with a 1-night minimum), they can stay just 1 night. The 3-night minimum for Saturday only applies if the guest arrives on Saturday.
Min Stay Through: If a guest is booking from Thursday to Saturday, they must book a minimum of 3 nights, since Saturday requires a 3-night stay.

Viewing Other Settings and Date Ranges in the Inventory Tab

You can view any other settings to this view by selecting it from the drop-down menu

To view a different date range, you can select the arrow or click on the date to select a new date range.

Creating your Channel

Navigate to the Channels tab and select Create.

Select ‘VRBO’ from the dropdown and create a Title name for your channel.

This channel name will only show for you in your Channel Manager it is not customer-facing. We recommend your park name and VRBO.

Here you can also select the ‘Min Stay Type’.

The Min Stay Type must match in your Inventory Settings AND your Channel Setup to apply. – Definitions for these can be found in the Setting up Min/Max night section above.

Once these settings are updated you can enter your VRBO Username and Password at the bottom of the page then select “Authenticate”

This will navigate to another webpage outside of Firefly to establish your connection.

You will need to log into your VRBO host account if you are not already and accept the Terms and Conditions to establish your connection.

Once connected you can select ‘Next’ at the bottom of the page.

You will then see your channel created under the Channel tab.

Note: The status will show as disabled until you are ready to activate your connection (We will do this in a later step)

Mapping Your Units

From the actions dropdown select ‘Edit’.

Then select the ‘Mapping’ tab along the top of the page. Here you will map each connected unit in the Channel Manager with a listing in VRBO. This will be a 1:1 relationship. This view will also show the one or multiple properties you connected to the channel.

Click on the red ‘Not mapped’ option and connect the unit to the unit in your Firefly Park that matches the listing.

Once this is selected click ‘Save’.

Once this is connected you can then see the mapped unit in your ‘Mapping’ tab linking the two units.

Activating your Channel

After you have mapped your units and are ready to activate your connection, select the Actions dropdown on the channel tab and select ‘Activate’.

You can then see the status has been updated to ‘Active’.

Full Sync

After activating your channel, you will also need to use the ‘Full Sync’ option to sync both platforms to show existing reservations.

Select the ‘Actions’ dropdown and ‘Full Sync’ option.

Viewing and Managing VRBO Reservations in Firefly

VRBO reservations will show the VRBO logo on the grid as shown below.

Charges and payments are handled by VRBO much like reservation dates, so any unit charges created in Firefly for reservations made in VRBO are not editable. You cannot make payments or edit the charge in Firefly - this must be done on VRBO.
Via Settings > Units > (Unit Selected) > “Allow external booking channel reservations only” (checkbox)

This option allows for a specific unit to only be booked via VRBO or other external booking platforms, but not through Firefly. If a reservation is attempted anywhere through Firefly for a unit with this enabled, an error will appear stating that the “Unit only allows bookings from external booking channels”.

Conflicts

Through the main Firefly dashboard, you'll now be able to view any reservation conflicts. While this is very unlikely, it may occur if a block or reservation is made in Firefly for the same dates that are being requested on VRBO, at the same time.
From the dashboard, you can select the conflict, which will direct you to the conflicting VRBO reservation. From there, you can access the related Firefly reservation or block and make any required adjustments. Once the changes are made and the conflict is resolved, simply click the “Conflict has been resolved” button.

Disconnecting VRBO

To disconnect your property from the OTA Channel Manager go to Settings> Channel Management> Select ‘Manage’ next to the connection.

Select ‘Channel Setup’ from the management screen.

From the ‘Channels’ tab select the actions dropdown to the right of your channel and select either ‘deactivate’ or ‘remove’ from the dropdown.

After this has been removed select ‘back to Channel’.

From here you can select the ‘Disconnect Property’ button.