Tourist tax in Villars-sur-Ollon: the owner's guide

A municipal tax, set by the regulation of the municipality of Ollon

The first Vaud peculiarity, and one that surprises owners coming from Valais: in the canton of Vaud, the tourist tax is a municipal matter. There is no single cantonal scale, no "Vaud" rate applicable everywhere. Two neighbouring municipalities may apply different amounts, categories and exemptions. As Villars-sur-Ollon belongs to the municipality of Ollon, it is the Ollon municipal regulation on the levying of a tourist tax, together with its implementing provisions, that governs - both are published by the municipality.

The practical consequence: do not rely on what you have read about another resort, nor on an amount found on a third-party site. The applicable amount, the age brackets, any exemptions and reductions are set by the municipal regulation in force, and that regulation can be revised. The tourist tax office is based in the tourist office premises in Villars-sur-Ollon, and it is the contact point for obtaining the rate applicable to your exact situation - passing guest, group, boarding-school pupil, or owner not domiciled in the municipality.

The underlying principle does not change: the tax is owed by the guest, but it is the host who collects it, declares it and remits it - and who is liable in case of failure. Over a well-booked season, collection quickly amounts to several thousand francs to track to the franc: one of the heaviest administrative burdens of self-management.

Declaring nights: the office and the resort's platform

Villars has an advantage over many resorts: the process is centralised and properly equipped. The municipality of Ollon provides a form for declaring rental nights, and the resort has a dedicated online declaration platform, run by the tourist tax office. That is where stays are declared, for seasonal lets as well as short-term rentals.

Two things follow. First, "I didn't know where to declare" is not a defence: the channel exists and is clearly identified. Second, a declaration tool implies collecting data from guests - number of people, ages, exact dates - which many self-managing owners do not request at the time of booking, and which is then painful to chase after the fact. This is exactly the kind of task we automate: the information is requested as soon as the stay is confirmed, then feeds directly into the declaration.

The "Bienvenue" card: a tax that brings your guests real benefits

Like other Alpine destinations, Villars does not merely levy: the tax opens up entitlements. The municipality of Ollon and the resort offer a "Bienvenue" card, giving access to reductions on various facilities and services in the destination, as well as a "Fidélité" card for those who stay regularly in the municipality. For an owner, this is a free and largely under-used commercial argument.

The difference between a listing that shows a bare "tourist tax" line and one that explains what the card brings guests is far from trivial - especially for family guests and the international-school clientele, who compare stays on total cost. We systematically build the handover of the card into the arrival journey, alongside the detailed access instructions described on our page about remote check-in in Villars.

Platforms: the Vaud agreement with Airbnb does not settle everything

Many Vaud owners assume that Airbnb or Booking.com automatically take care of the tax. The reality is more nuanced. The Union of Vaud Municipalities has concluded an agreement with Airbnb to facilitate collection of the tourist tax in the canton - a genuine step forward, but one that covers neither every channel nor every configuration. Depending on the platform, the booking channel and your listing settings, the tax may be collected by the platform, invoiced separately to the guest, or left entirely to you.

As soon as a booking comes in directly, by email, through a parent's recommendation or via a channel that does not handle the tax, you remain liable towards the municipality of Ollon. The classic mistake is to assume "the platform takes care of it", then to discover arrears to settle during a control or on an annual invoice. For every listing we manage, we document what is actually collected channel by channel, charge the difference where needed, and keep the statement up to date.

Do not confuse the tourist tax with the municipal second-home tax

Another Ollon specificity, and a recurring source of confusion: in addition to the tourist tax, the municipality levies a tax on second homes, feeding among other things a municipal tourist infrastructure fund. These two levies fall under separate municipal regulations, have different calculation bases and do not target the same taxpayer - one covers your guests' nights, the other the status of your property.

An owner receiving two municipal invoices without understanding the logic may quickly assume a duplicate, or conversely overlook one of them. Good practice is to treat the "nights" side and the "second home" side separately, keeping a distinct trail for each. This is one of the points we systematically clarify when taking over management, along with the property's regulatory status detailed in our guide to short-term rental regulations in Villars.

What our concierge service automates for you

For the properties we manage in Villars-sur-Ollon, the tourist tax leaves your mind entirely: we collect guest data from the moment of booking, declare the nights, check the invoices and ensure remittance on time. We also pass on to your guests their access to the "Bienvenue" card, so that the tax becomes a perceived benefit rather than a fee line. Every monthly report details the nights declared and the tax remitted - you have full traceability in case of a control. And if your situation mixes personal use and paid rental, we help you cleanly separate what belongs to each regime.

Further reading