Professional: Holiday Home Rentals Going Online

As travellers attempt to stretch their holiday pounds further during these tough economic times, an increasing number are turning to holiday home rentals for everything from family holidays to reunions and festivals. Not surprising when you consider that per square foot, the cost of a rental can work out up to four times cheaper than a hotel, according to market leader HomeAway UK. Online holiday rentals move in to the mainstream Courtney Wylie, General Manager for HomeAway Holiday-Rentals c...

It is the vacation rental industry's dirty four-letter word: SNAD. It stands for "significantly not as described" and refers to a seemingly widely held perception that, all too often, travelers arrive at a home or condo they rented for their vacation to find it is, well, significantly not as it was advertised to them. But despite the consumer travel media coverage of those negative experiences with vacation rentals, PhoCusWright research clearly indicates that such occurrences are outliers. I...

Renters are back in force after the New Year to book vacations. Here are ten tips to close bookings quickly and ensure repeat business next year. Respond – Remember this old saying? – The early bird gets the worm. Respond, the faster the better! And, follow up – Many renters are shopping around and a single reply may get lost in the shuffle. Social Skills – Being polite and courteous goes a long way! Renters don’t care if you are in hurry or having a bad day,...

With the vacation rental market estimated at $24B, the growing and popular lodging sector motivated PhocusWright – a leading travel research firm – to conduct the industry’s first ever dedicated market study. Co-sponsored by 14 industry players including FlipKey.com – a leading vacation rental site featuring the industry’s largest collection of verified guest reviews – the study estimates 1.26M second homes are available for rent in the U.S. for families loo...