Archive for July, 2009

BlogCatalog.com’s owners acquire Vacation Rentals Unlimited

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

Edited Press Release

Vacation Rentals Unlimited, a vacation rental listing marketplace, that connects renters with vacation rental owners, was recently purchased by entrepreneurs Tony Berkman and Angelica Alaniz. According to Vacation Rentals Unlimited, the site lists thousands of vacation rentals across the United States and the world and reaches hundreds of thousands of people every year.

Vacation Rentals Unlimited Website

Vacation Rentals Unlimited Website

For Berkman and Alaniz, best known for developing BlogCatalog.com into the leading social network for bloggers, this is the second time they have partnered to develop a vacation rental listing site. Prior to purchasing BlogCatalog.com in February 2007, Berkman and Alaniz founded, developed, and sold one of the first online vacation rental sites on the Internet.

“Today, the vacation rental online space is clearly one of the most competitive on the Internet,” said Berkman. “However, we’re convinced that our experience in social media and online community development will provide the industry a badly needed lift in what has become a static experience. Vacation Rentals Unlimited is a perfect site to be redesigned and turned around.”

According to Berkman, major changes will be made to Vacation Rentals Unlimited within the next six weeks, including the addition of network features that will allow renters or property management companies to communicate with potential customers, rate and review locations and properties, and develop relationships long after the initial vacation for repeat business.

“This was one of the hardest hit travel and tourism sectors in the recession, but we believe it will be one of the first industries to bounce back as people who put off their vacations will be looking for a better value than hotel chains can offer,” said Berkman. “Once the social media components are added into the site, we’re certain that this will be an ideal space for renters and property management companies to generate a large volume of repeat visitors and renters who want something more out of their vacation.”

Vacation rentals are currently being offered by as much as 60 percent off in highly sought-after vacation markets such as Myrtle Beach, Orlando and the Poconos. Some renters are even offering free tickets to area attractions, discounted boat tours, and free rounds of golf. Berkman said social media features will make such offerings easier for property owners and management companies to offer such incentives during off weeks.

Vacation Rentals Unlimited was originally launched in 2003. Berkman and Alaniz closed on the sale of the site in June.

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HomeAway appoints Former Opodo France Chairman of the Board

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Edited Press Release

HomeAway, Inc., which operates the world’s largest network of vacation rental websites, today announced the appointment of Petra Friedmann to the position of President of HomeAway Europe. A longtime veteran of the travel industry, Friedmann brings invaluable online consumer experience to her new role managing the company’s European presence. She replaces Alexis de Belloy, who transitions to a similar position overseeing the HomeAway brands in the U.S.

“We’re pleased to have a proven leader to oversee our rapidly growinG European business,” says Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway. “Her expertise in online consumer travel will benefit our operations throughout the world.”

From Paris, Friedmann will manage teams based in the U.K., Germany and France and oversee the business operations of Europe’s leading vacation rental sites, including Holiday-Rentals.co.uk, OwnersDirect.co.uk, FeWo-direkt.de, Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com.

She joins HomeAway from one of Europe’s top online travel agencies, Opodo, where she most-recently served as chairman of the board of its French operations. During her seven-year tenure at Opodo, Friedmann managed the Pan-European sales and marketing efforts and oversaw the
product strategy for the $1.3 billion business. Prior to Opodo, she was Managing Director of QXL, France, a leading online auction brand.

Friedmann began her career in Germany creating a travel agency specializing in discount flights and launching Mosaic Travel, a tour operator, before settling in France and joining Marmara, part of the TUI group in 1992. She earned her doctorate in Politics and Economy from The University of Bremen in Germany.

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Staycation data and Domegos BETA launch

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Edited Press Release

The credit crunch busting staycation is not a passing fad – that’s the evidence from one of the UK’s leading holiday home search websites.

Domegos.co.uk, the global holiday home website, says the number of enquiries from holidaymakers who are shunning foreign shores to take a summer break in their own country has proportionally increased by 21% in the past six months.

Domegos' new look

Domegos' new look

Dennis Klett, co-founder and director of Domegos.co.uk, says: “Consumer fear of the recession and reluctance to spend has pushed a lot of holidaymakers towards the staycation – not just in the UK, but throughout Europe and beyond.”

In turn, this trend has resulted in an increased number of people looking to jump on the staycation bandwagon by renting out their second homes for the first time.

Dennis Klett comments: “We have seen a 157% jump in new properties listed on the site, largely from owners who are new to the holiday home market. Many have owned a second property for years but have been content to hand the keys to family and friends or let it sit empty – now they are realising that they can put it to good use and earn some extra money while times are tight.

”The new and improved recession-friendly website charges neither a yearly subscription fee nor a commission, providing a cost-free way for homeowners to market their property around the world. One page is assigned per property, comprising 17+ photos, an interactive Google map and more, making the website an essential part of any homeowner’s online marketing mix. All properties are promoted in the UK and nine other countries in five different languages.

Domegos.co.uk also offers a market-leading website creation service, enabling homeowners to create their own personal and stand-alone website for their holiday home with just one click of the mouse - for just £3 a month. The service is the cheapest, quickest and easiest way to set up a professional website and offers an unrivalled level of customisation tools.

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HomeAway partners with the New York Times

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Edited Press Release

HomeAway the leading online vacation rental marketplace,  announced a week ago a strategic relationship with The New York Times, which operates the No. 1 newspaper site in the United States. As a result of this agreement, millions of monthly visitors to NYTimes.com can now easily find and compare properties in their favorite global destinations found on HomeAway.com through NYTimes.com Real Estate (www.nytimes.com/realestate) and Great Homes and Destinations (www.greathomesanddestinations.com).

Great Homes and Destinations from the New York Times

Great Homes and Destinations from the New York Times

Visitors to NYTimes.com now have access to a wide selection of global vacation rental listings, complete with reviews and the protection of the free HomeAway Rental Guarantee.

“We’re proud to join forces with one of the most-recognized news sources in the country,” says Brian Sharples, HomeAway chief executive officer. “With access to the millions of visitors who frequent NYTimes.com each month, the owners and managers who trust and list their property with HomeAway will benefit from the additional exposure their properties will receive.”

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Zonder Launches New Site

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Edited Press Release

Zonder announces a new site designed to meet the growing needs of consumers and property managers in the vacation rental market. According to Zonder.com it is the first vacation rental site to show exact nightly rates and exclusive last-minute deals directly within the search results. Zonder offers customers the ability to search through tens of thousands of vacation rentals using an enhanced search engine or detailed regional maps. Zonder has worked extensively with its network of professional property managers to bring customers exclusive access to thousands of last-minute specials that can only be found on zonder.com. Additionally, Zonder has added over 120,000 enhanced property photos and descriptions giving consumers the ability to quickly and accurately evaluate properties to find the vacation rental of their dreams.

“Introducing exact rates and last-minute deals directly within the search results are two firsts in the vacation rental market and two innovations we’re very proud of,” said Zonder CEO, Bob Barnes. “We’re also excited to make these innovations available to other websites through our robust partner platform,” Barnes continued.

Zonder's new design

Zonder's new design

According to Zonder, it has solved the historic problem of not being able to book last minute vacation rentals. By leveraging its relationships with hundreds of property managers, Zonder has made last-minute bookings available on over half of its inventory. To further attract last-minute travelers, Zonder now offers nearly 10,000 properties with last-minute discounts of up to 30%. Customers can even filter search results to only show deals, making Zonder the fastest and easiest way for consumers to save big on vacation rentals.

Zonder also unveils its new search engine with the ability to quickly and easily filter results using a variety of criteria such as price, sleeping capacity, proximity to a beach and a number of amenities like a pool or hot tub. Customers can also save properties to their favorites list, remove unwanted properties from their search results, browse through properties directly on an interactive map and email them to their friends. Zonder even offers relevant suggestions of destinations and vacation rentals just outside of a user’s search criteria that they may also want to consider. On zonder.com, customers can book vacation rentals instantly with a simple, one-step booking process. Zonder’s professionally managed properties are backed by the Zonder Guarantee and rental experts are available 24×7 to help travelers find and book the perfect rental.

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Escapia Raises $1.6 million For Expansion

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

Edited Press Release

Escapia, a provider of web-based management and marketing solutions for vacation rental managers, announced on June 22 the completion of a $1.6 million round of funding. The new funding allows the company to extend its position in web hosted software for vacation rental managers and to capitalize on the breakneck growth in its consumer bookings business. The round, which exceeded the company’s goals for the amount of new capital raised, is being led by existing investors including Steven D. Murch, Buerk Dale Victor, and Atlas Accelerator.

Escapia’s web-based vacation rental software platform simplifies how professional vacation rental managers market and manage their vacation homes. Escapia streamlines reservations, accounting and property management, enables online reservations, provides fully integrated distribution reaching tens of millions of online travelers each month, delivers agencies world-class website solutions, enhances security and provides unparalleled flexibility in running vacation rental businesses. Today Escapia powers the back office and websites for hundreds of vacation rental agencies, providing them with online availability, booking and direct integration with their reservation desks. The Escapia web-hosted software platform has powered over half a billion dollars worth of vacation rental bookings.

The new funding allows the company to build on an impressive track record of growth. Over the past year Escapia has expanded its consumer business, added to its client base, and expanded its suite of services. Consumer bookings driven by the Escapia platform to vacation rental managers has increased by over 400% compared to a year ago. The number of vacation rental agencies using the leading Escapia web-hosted vacation rental software platform has increased by 25%, even in the midst of a sharp recession. And the company has released innovative technology including the first integrated yield management system available to vacation rental managers.

The company’s CEO Bill Furlong said, “We’re thrilled to have closed additional funding to accelerate development of our software platform and expand the breadth and sophistication of our online distribution. Our investors see the opportunity to dramatically improve the ability of vacation rental managers to serve travelers looking online for vacation homes. We’re focused on expanding what is already the most advanced property management and online distribution capability available to vacation rental managers.”

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