HomeAway Gets Closer to Airbnb-Style Rentals With Control of Asia-Pacific Site
Skift Take
It looks like that supposed great divide between vacation rentals and Airbnb-style apartment rentals and shares isn't so immense. Or at least HomeAway will find out if it is cut out for the sharing economy.
HomeAway accelerated its expansion by taking a majority stake in travelmob, an Asia-Pacific vacation rental site that features some Airbnb-style apartment rentals and shares.
In an all-cash transaction, HomeAway takes a 63% stake in Singapore-headquartered travelmob, which will continue to operate as an independent brand. Travelmob management keeps a 37% investment in the company, although the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The transaction is notable for a variety of reasons.
HomeAway has long argued that its consumer base and Airbnb's customers are two separate audiences. That may be true to a large extent in North America, but travelmob's 14,000 short-term rental offerings throughout Asia-Pacific include mostly vacation rentals, but also plenty of apartment rentals and apartmen
