---
title: "What is Vacation rental? | Benefit Systems"
description: "A vacation rental is an apartment or house let out short-term by a private or commercial host and booked through a platform rather than a hotel desk."
source: "aus dem gebauten HTML abgeleitet"
---
# What is Vacation rental?

A vacation rental is an apartment or house let out short-term by a private or commercial host and booked through a platform rather than a hotel desk.

Also called: Short-term rental, Holiday let.

## How it works #

The booking follows different rules from a hotel stay: the host sets cancellation terms, cleaning and service fees surface only at the final step, and loyalty programmes usually credit nothing. When something goes wrong the platform sits between the parties, and package travel law only applies if the stay was sold as part of a package.

## Not to be confused with #

A vacation rental is not the same as an aparthotel: an aparthotel is a licensed lodging business with a front desk, a classification and programme earning.

## In German #

The German term is Ferienunterkunft. [German version of this term](/de/glossar/ferienunterkunft)

## Related terms #

- [City tax](/en/glossary/city-tax): City tax is a municipal levy per overnight stay that the hotel collects and passes on to the local authority.
- [Hotel star rating](/en/glossary/hotel-star-rating): A hotel star rating is the classification of a property in stars, describing facilities and service by the criteria of the country concerned.
- [Resort fee](/en/glossary/resort-fee): A resort fee is a mandatory daily hotel charge for bundled amenities, added on top of the room rate that was displayed.

## Articles that use this term #

- [Why your hotel bill is higher than the rate you booked](/en/knowledge/resort-fees)
- [How do hotel award categories work?](/en/knowledge/hotel-award-categories)
- [Can you cancel a booking for free?](/en/knowledge/free-cancellation)