Brandwave

Hotels.com vs Vrbo:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Vrbo had more branded searches than Hotels.com among online travel agencies worldwide. Vrbo had about 2.7 million branded searches, while Hotels.com had 550,000. Vrbo made up 1.7% of all online travel agency searches we track, and Hotels.com accounted for 0.35%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about online travel agencies, Hotels.com appeared in two of the five answers and Vrbo in one. Hotels.com was mentioned before Vrbo in every answer that named either.

Among online travel agencies worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Vrbo, about 5 searches for every 1 for Hotels.com

Vrbo 2.7M searchesHotels.com 550K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Hotels.com, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, Vrbo in 1

Hotels.com in 2 of 5Vrbo in 1 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Hotels.com, named ahead of Vrbo in 2 of 2 answers

Hotels.com first in 2Vrbo never first

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Top online travel agencies in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hotels.com was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Vrbo was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Hotels.com was listed before Vrbo in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Expedia1st
  2. Booking.com2nd
  3. Priceline3rd
  4. Hotels.com4th
  5. Google Flights5th
  6. Kayak6th
  7. Agoda7th
  8. Vrbo8th
  9. Trip.com9th
  10. Skyscanner10th
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Expedia5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Booking.com5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Google Flights3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Priceline3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Agoda2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hotels.com2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kayak2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Skyscanner1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vrbo1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Trip.com1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about online travel agencies

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Hotels.com or Vrbo more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Hotels.com and Vrbo by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 online travel agencies we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Hotels.com and Vrbo among online travel agencies worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Vrbo, Hotels.com. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle FlightsSkyscannerAirbnbExpediaBooking.comAgodaPricelineVrboTrip.comHotels.comKayak
Oct 202530%30%24.5%4.9%2.7%3.3%1.8%1.8%0.54%0.3%<0.01%
Nov 202530.1%30.1%24.6%4.9%2.8%3.3%1.8%1.8%0.44%0.24%<0.01%
Dec 202531.8%26%26%5.2%2.9%3.5%1.9%1.9%0.47%0.26%<0.01%
Jan 202630%30%24.6%4.9%2.7%3.3%1.5%2.2%0.44%0.24%<0.01%
Feb 202629.3%29.3%23.9%5.9%3.3%3.2%1.8%2.6%0.43%0.29%<0.01%
Mar 202631.7%26%26%5.2%3.5%2.9%1.6%2.3%0.57%0.26%<0.01%
Apr 202627.7%27.7%27.7%5.6%3.8%3%1.7%2%0.5%0.27%<0.01%
May 202627.5%27.5%27.5%5.5%3.7%3.7%1.7%2%0.5%0.33%<0.01%
Jun 202627.6%27.6%27.6%5.5%3.8%3%1.7%2.5%0.5%0.33%<0.01%
Jul 202625.7%25.7%31.4%5.2%4.3%2.8%1.5%2.3%0.57%0.38%<0.01%
Aug 202626.9%26.9%26.9%5.4%5.5%3.6%1.6%2%0.72%0.4%<0.01%
Sep 202628.7%28.7%23.5%5.8%4.7%3.9%1.7%1.7%0.95%0.35%<0.01%

How has the Hotels.com and Vrbo comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Vrbo was ahead of Hotels.com in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Hotels.com’s share of searches among online travel agencies worldwide moved from 0.3% to 0.35%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 450K to 550K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vrbo’s share of searches among online travel agencies worldwide moved from 1.8% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 2.7M.

How did search popularity change for online travel agencies worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Vrbo’s share of searches among online travel agencies worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.5% to 1.7% in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Hotels.com worldwide rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 450K to 550K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hotels.com’s and Vrbo’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Hotels.com

1 branded search term

  • hotels com

Vrbo

1 branded search term

  • vrbo

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among online travel agencies

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