Articles tagged “homeaway”

VacationRoost with LeisureLink could be a distribution alternative for vacation rental owners -- if the combined company has the resources to get the word out, and the volumes to prove it.

This sounds like it was a very nice exit for Glad To Have You, an app that debuted in 2012. And the acquisition helps HomeAway provide a nice mobile service for owners and property managers.

2014 will be an interesting year to watch from traffic perspective. While Priceline Group has a huge lead, Expedia and Tripadvisor family will continue to duke it out.

This current version of the Expedia-HomeAway vacation rental beta functions more like an advertising relationship would than a tightly integrated booking process. These are very early days for the partnership, and what you see undoubtedly won't be the finished product.

Google organic search traffic to the entire vacation rental sector has slowed of late, according to HomeAway CEO Brian Sharples. That may be one reason HomeAway is testing search engine marketing and may ramp up its spend in the latter half of 2014. The other factor is HomeAway needs to start delivering better performance to its new pay-per booking customers.

HomeAway's DNA is growth through acquisition. The acquisition of Stayz led to a fourth quarter loss, but that doesn't mean much as these things can be expensive at times, and it puts HomeAway into a better strategic position in Asia-Pacific.

Pay per booking is the next big thing, as far as HomeAway is concerned, and it is phasing it the new optional business model to its fiefdom around the world.

HomeAway's new communications' system was a year-and-a half in the making, and likely was very costly, but it was necessary not only to corral wayward owners, but to restore confidence in light of a phishing epidemic. HomeAway customers will be happy to know the company assembled a war room to deal with their backlash, but battle averted, for now.

The HomeAway suit against Airbnb ended with no attorneys' fees being paid to the other side, a withdrawn advertising campaign, and perhaps some hurt feelings. All's well that end's well, but the two companies are on a collision course that won't be resolved in a courtroom.

We like it when these people make headlines.