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HomeAway quadruples PR budget in UK
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010HomeAway in Hitwise Top 10 Travel Websites
Saturday, January 30th, 2010According to HomeAway, this January, its two UK sites; HomeAway Holiday-Rentals and Owners Direct leap in to the top 10 travel websites in the Hitwise ‘Destination and Accommodations’ category, joining well-established travel giants such as TripAdvisor and Travelodge.
Petra Friedmann, President of HomeAway Europe comments, “We’re delighted to be included in the Hitwise top 10. Our internal forecasts indicate our two UK sites, homeaway.co.uk and ownersdirect.co.uk have experienced record traffic and we expect almost 5 million visits by the end of January. Despite the struggling economy, demand for online holiday rentals is going from strength to strength as travellers realise they can find a whole home for less per head than a similar standard hotel and stretch their budget even further by taking advantage of self-catering facilities.”
Both companies remain confident this growth will continue throughout the year, as forecasts indicate demand will stay strong. According to industry analyst Mintel, around one in five people currently stay in holiday homes and self-catering holidays are rising every year. In 2009, self-catering holidays were forecast to represent over 60% of all overseas holidays and Mintel expects the self catering market to continue to outstrip general holiday growth and exceed 34.3 million breaks by 2011.
Throughout the world, HomeAway is kicking off ambitious marketing plans to communicate the benefit of rentals and strengthen the brand. In the US, the company will air its first ever national advertisement during the CBS television network broadcast of the Super Bowl on February 7, 2010. Locally, HomeAway.co.uk is targeting the social media as it sends two writers ‘around the world’ in holiday homes to chronicle their experiences via a blog and Twitter at http://www.grantourismotravels.com and http://twitter.com/gran_tourismo.
HomeAway about to Launch U.S. Marketing Campaign
Thursday, January 28th, 2010Edited Press Release
As it marks its fifth anniversary, HomeAway today announced the details of its first national integrated marketing campaign launching on Super Bowl Sunday.
Beginning with a movie trailer style commercial and extending to a microsite with a new short film featuring actors Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo reprising their roles from the popular 1980s movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” the campaign represents a comprehensive approach to reach and engage consumers across a full spectrum of media platforms. The key message throughout the campaign highlights the significant value that travelers get from a vacation home – “rent a house for half the cost of a hotel.”
Chevy & Beverly
“In just five years, HomeAway has become the largest international company in the industry, yet most consumers are still unfamiliar with vacation rentals,” says Brian Sharples, founder and chief executive officer of HomeAway. “Now is the right time to catapult our successful online marketing efforts with a major national brand and awareness-building campaign that will not only showcase vacation rentals as a better alternative to hotels, but also reinforce HomeAway as the vacation rental leader.”
The multi-faceted, integrated campaign developed and produced in conjunction with HomeAway’s agency of record, Publicis in the West, includes:
- National Television Advertising – The campaign kicks off with the airing of a 30-second commercial during the third quarter of Super Bowl XLIV on Feb. 7. The spot, which reunites actors Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo in their roles as Clark and Ellen Griswold from the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” movie, is a mock movie trailer giving a sneak peek of a short film based on the original movie. In the Hotel Hell Vacation film, Clark surprises Ellen with a romantic second honeymoon before meeting up with their son Rusty and his family for an extended vacation. In classic Griswold family tradition, they run into plenty of travel mishaps along the way. The spot, directed by award-winning director Bryan Buckley, drives consumers to HomeAway.com to view a 15-minute movie. Additional airings of the commercial will appear during programming on media partners secured by media agency Optimedia, including the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, HGTV, TBS, USA Network, and Food Network.
- Online Advertising – A complementary digital advertising plan will reach consumers in HomeAway’s targeted demographic. Online advertising will appear on general interest and travel-focused web sites, including About.com, Condé Nast Traveler’s concierge.com, iExplore, Yahoo!, and Google, among others.
- Social Media – HomeAway is also leveraging social media to spread the word about the campaign. The company has established Facebook and Twitter accounts for consumers to follow and interact with Clark Griswold at http://www.facebook.com/griswoldclark and http://twitter.com/CkGriswold.
In addition to broadcast and online advertising, HomeAway created a Hotel Hell Vacation-branded microsite for the campaign, which features:
- Exclusive Video Content – Consumers will be able to view the mock movie trailer commercial, full Hotel Hell Vacation film, and special scenes from the original “National Lampoon’s Vacation.”
- User-Generated Content Contest with $40,000 in Prizes – As part of a contest on the microsite, consumers can share their stories of hotel horrors in the form of a text, photo or video entry for the chance to win one of four $10,000 family vacations at a HomeAway vacation rental. Participants may enter any of four themed categories, including “Outrageous Hotel Bills,” “Cramped Hotel Quarters,” “Wish I Had a Kitchen,” and “Other Hotel Woes,” beginning Feb. 7. The public will be invited to vote between March 2-9 for the best stories, and winners will be announced in mid-March.
- Interactive ‘Griswolds Getaway’ Online Game – A proprietary, free video game invites players to try their hand at stacking luggage on top of the Griswold’s Wagon Queen Family Truckster. As luggage falls from the sky, players have to grab and stack the different items while avoiding flying obstacles that can knock the luggage off the top of the car. Players, and the Truckster, journey through five tricky levels (including a stop at Cousin Eddie’s house) to the final pay-off at a spacious vacation rental. Players may share the game with friends through e-mail and Facebook on the microsite.
Finally, beginning in late spring, HomeAway plans to take its exact replica of the Family Truckster on the road to visit popular vacation destinations to further spread the word about the benefits and value of vacation rentals.
“Vacation rentals offer so many benefits compared to hotels – they give travelers more room to relax, more privacy, and kitchens so you don’t always have to eat out,” says Sharples. “This campaign will highlight all of these benefits to convey the unique value that travelers can find at HomeAway.com.”
Through a promotional licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the company has use of the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” property.
HomeAway appoints Former Opodo France Chairman of the Board
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Edited 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.
HomeAway partners with the New York Times
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Edited 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
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.”
HomeAway releases quarterly industry report
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009Edited Press Release
Vacation rental homes and condominiums are becoming even more attractive to consumers looking for greater value from their travel dollar, according to HomeAway which today released the first edition of its new quarterly “HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report.”
According to the report, approximately 66 percent of vacation rental property owners are offering or have offered special deals or incentives at some point this year in response to the current economic climate.
- 27% discount rental rates by a specific dollar amount
- 24% offer a set percent off the normal rental rate
- 16% offer a free night with the purchase of a specific number of nights�
- 15% offer free cleaning services
- 11% do not require a minimum stay
- 7% offer a complimentary product or service, such as tickets to a local attraction
While travelers may come across some unique deals this summer including pre-arrival grocery shopping services and complimentary meals or gift baskets upon arrival, 34 percent of owners surveyed did not offer special deals or incentives. By way of explanation, one of those owners said, “I didn’t offer anything but a great house, in a great location, at a very reasonable price.”
“With or without deals or special offers, there is an underlying value to vacation rentals,” said Mike Butler, chief commercial officer of HomeAway. “Vacation rental homes enable you to rent a whole home for less than the cost of a hotel room and then even stretch your travel budget further by taking advantage of the full kitchens and extra amenities.”
More Value means longer, more upscale vacations
While vacation rentals are often considered for and associated with week-long trips, the HomeAway report found that travelers are using vacation rentals for everything from weekend getaways (38 percent) to multi-week vacations (21 percent). Family and group vacations continue to account for the most popular use of vacation rentals, but travelers are also considering staying in vacation properties for a range of travel, including trips typically associated with shorter stays, such as festivals, sporting events and business trips.
The report found that one in five (20 percent) property owners surveyed said over the past 12 months they have rented out their home more frequently for shorter stays lasting two to four days.
In addition to flexible lengths of stays, travelers agree that the use of vacation rentals instead of hotels allows them to enjoy a range of value-related benefits. In fact, nearly 74 percent said they are able to travel with more friends and family. Fifty percent said vacation rentals allow them to take longer vacations; 49 percent said they can take more upscale vacations; and 35 percent said vacation rentals allow them to travel more frequently.
Seeking Sunshine in warm weather destinations
During the first quarter of 2009, Americans were seeking vacation rentals in primarily warm-weather destinations, according to the HomeAway report. Six out of the top 10 destinations that received the most inquiries by travelers were located in Florida. However, HomeAway found that New York was the second most-popular destination during that time period.
During the first quarter of 2009, Americans were seeking vacation rentals in primarily warm-weather destinations, according to the HomeAway report. Six out of the top 10 destinations that received the most inquiries by travelers were located in Florida. However, HomeAway found that New York was the second most-popular destination during that time period.
“While New York has not typically been associated with vacation rental homes, its ranking does reflect a strong trend we’re seeing in travelers seeking out vacation rentals as a value alternative to hotels in large cities,” Butler said.
Fastest Growing Travel Destinations
Travelers also sought out vacation rental homes in ski, city and other destinations between January and March 2009, according to the report. Washington, D.C., which played host to the presidential inauguration in January, and the Arlington, Va., area – just outside Washington – saw property inquiries jump 140 percent and nearly 470 percent, respectively, compared to the same time last year.
With the increased value of the dollar and a more favorable exchange rate, American travelers were also looking abroad during the first quarter of the year. According to the HomeAway report, the number of inquiries for European vacation rentals originating from the United States increased by 58 percent, compared to the same time period last year. Paris, London, Rome, Amsterdam and Barcelona were the most-searched European cities on HomeAway.com.
Where to get more bang from your buck
Whether traveling as a couple or with multiple families, vacation rentals provide extra room to relax and unwind for less money when compared with traditional hotel accommodations. Of the cities analyzed in the HomeAway report, Phoenix vacation rentals offered the greatest bargain, with travelers paying, on average, four times less the daily rate per square foot than at a hotel.
Some of the best values can be found in the following markets:
Looking to a vacation home for extra income
While a vacation rental affords travelers many benefits, it can also provide a steady stream of revenue for the owners. In fact, Butler said more and more owners are renting out their properties to generate extra income. The HomeAway report found that the economy played an important role among owners who began to rent their vacation homes to travelers in the past 12 months.
One in five owners (21 percent) new to the vacation rental market cited economic conditions, including the need to generate additional income, a recent job loss, the inability to sell the home or the risk of foreclosure, as the reason why they started renting out their vacation home. In addition to citing economic conditions as a factor, many owners new to renting their vacation homes are entering the market to generate a profit.
“The research suggests that in the past, many second home owners entered the rental market with a desire to cover all their expenses, but now listing their properties to cover expenses is an economic necessity,” said Butler.
Why vacation property owners originally began renting out their home to travelers:
Best Bets for renting out a Vacation Home
For people who may be looking at vacation homes as a source of income, the HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace Report identified the top markets where consumer demand significantly exceeds current inventory levels. The top 10 underserved markets during the first quarter of 2009:
1. South Miami Beach, Fla.
2. Seaside Heights, N.J.
3. Dauphin Island, Ala.
4. Mount Pocono, Pa.
5. New York, N.Y.
6. Hampton Beach, N.H.
7. Ocean City, Md.
8. Hollywood Beach, Fla.
9. Holmes Beach, Fla.
10. Sunny Isle, Fla.
Click here to view the complete HomeAway Vacation Rental Market Report
About the HomeAway Vacation Rental Market Report:
Data for the HomeAway Vacation Rental Marketplace report was collected via surveys that poll travelers and homeowners on vacation rental-related issues. Based on HomeAway, Inc. internal customer satisfaction research, traveler results are based on 2,133 responses collected between April 30 and May 7, 2009. Owner results are based on 257 responses between April 28 and May 10, 2009. Market trends were based on a combination of in-depth research of supplier and consumer markets from the HomeAway, Inc. database. Smith Travel Research was also utilized for hotel data about specific markets. Average daily rates for HomeAway vacation rentals were measured on a random sampling of properties for each respective city.
Escapia announces partnership with HomeAway
Sunday, April 12th, 2009Edited Press Release
HomeAway and Escapia a leading provider of web-based management and marketing solutions for vacation rental managers today announced a partnership giving Escapia customers the ability to market their properties on HomeAway.com.
Escapia Logo
Now vacation rental managers running their business on the EscapiaONE web software platform can automatically showcase their listings and process reservations for their properties directly on HomeAway.com, the HomeAway flagship site.
“Escapia is committed to providing vacation rental managers with the most effective software solution in the industry and the most compelling opportunities to market their vacation homes online. We’re excited that our partnership with HomeAway gives vacation rental managers the opportunity to list their homes and generate bookings from the leading online site in the vacation rental business,” said Bill Furlong, CEO of Escapia.
Participating EscapiaONE property managers will experience integration on HomeAway.com including instantaneous updates of property information, rates and availability information. Travelers on HomeAway.com will also be able to book vacation homes online from managers using EscapiaONE.
“We’re pleased to partner with Escapia to make it easier than ever for their customers to reach the traveler audience on HomeAway.com,” says Brian Sharples, CEO of HomeAway. “Our mission is to provide the broadest choice possible to travelers. Our research has shown that better overall choice always leads to better inquiry performance for owners and managers using our marketplace, so we welcome the addition of the properties represented by Escapia customers, which adds depth to our product offering.”