VacationRoost Acquires LeisureLink

March 6, 2014

VacationRoost Group Inc. (“VR”) today announced a substantial expansion of their Vacation Home Reservation Network with the acquisition of LeisureLink Inc. (www.Leisurelink.com). The combined company will offer travel sellers the largest collection of bookable and commissionable vacation rentals and will offer suppliers of vacation rentals the largest distribution network in the vacation rental industry.

The vacation rental market has been growing rapidly and has attracted many new entrants who are helping grow awareness for this category of lodging. As more consumers recognize the benefits of staying in a vacation rental, traditional travel distributors and online travel agents have grown more interested in offering vacation rentals to their consumers but have been deterred by the difficulty of aggregating supply. Unlike other travel categories that are easily consolidated and contracted through the Global Distribution Systems, vacation rentals remain hugely fragmented and largely offline. LeisureLink and VacationRoost have been working to consolidate vacation rental inventory, standardize the offering and bring it online since 2001. Today, the combined company offers travel distributors over 200,000 bookable, commissionable vacation rental units that can be contracted and accessed through one single supplier.

Vacation Home Reservation Network

The combined company’s Vacation Home Reservation Network is currently generating over $130M in annual vacation rental bookings through its owned and operated travel brands and through its channel partners that include leading online travel agencies: Booking.com, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Travelocity as well as leading GDS players: Sabre, Worldspan, Amadeus, Pegasus and over 30 other channel partners. VacationRoost supplier partners will now be able to gain access to the millions of customers who shop on these well-known travel brands through their existing partnership with VacationRoost, and be able to manage their inventory, availability and specials through a single point of distribution.

“Today is a very exciting day for VacationRoost and LeisureLink, said Julian Castelli, chief executive officer (CEO) of VacationRoost. Both of our companies have been working hard to help make booking vacation rentals easier for the consumer. LeisureLink has focused on making vacation rentals available to traditional travel sellers and VacationRoost has focused on perfecting the reservations process on its own brands. The combined company will have the benefit of both areas of expertise and will have one of the largest collections of bookable vacation rentals in the industry.”

“Joining with VacationRoost makes a lot of sense for LeisureLink” explained Tom Lamb, chief executive officer (CEO) of LeisureLink, “As a specialty Online Travel Agent focusing on the Vacation Rental sector, VacationRoost knows what our channel and supplier partners need to effectively market vacation rentals. We look forward to the combined company building on the strong foundation we have created in the world of vacation rental distribution.”

The combined company will be led from VacationRoost’s Salt Lake City headquarters and consist of two divisions: The VacationRoost family of travel brands and The LeisureLink Partner Services Group.

The VacationRoost travel brands are driving the charge to make booking vacation rentals as easy as booking a hotel room. Through travel brands like VacationRoost.com, MountainReservations.com, Hawaiianbeachrentals.com and Mexicandestinations.com, VacationRoost’s platform allows customers to shop for and book vacation rentals online with all the comfort and security that they are used to having when shopping for a hotel through a traditional online travel agent (OTA). In addition to booking vacation rentals online, customers can also package vacation homes with cars, airline tickets, ground transportation, and local activities. This premium online experience is supplemented with VacationRoost’s Destination Experts, who are available to help customers find the perfect vacation rental for their vacation and to offer local expertise on the best activities, restaurants, and places to visit in each destination.

The LeisureLink Partner Services Group will offer vacation rental suppliers everything they need to maximize the booking of their units, including:

Marketspan Distribution Services: Marketspan allows vacation rental suppliers to reach all points of distribution, including online travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com and offline travel agencies via the GDS, through one consolidated channel management dashboard. Suppliers are able to allocate inventory to one system and have it distributed to all points of distribution. Marketspan also includes sophisticated yield management and competitive pricing tools to help suppliers maximize their overall revenue across the entire distribution landscape.

Reservation Services: LeisureLink Reservation Services provides resorts, resort destinations and vacation rental suppliers with world class reservations capability that allows them to staff appropriately to maximize their bookings at a more efficient cost than they could do internally.

Technology Services: LeisureLink Technology Services provides resorts, resort destinations and vacation rental suppliers with online booking and travel packaging engines that allow them to seamlessly offer their vacation rentals online alongside other travel products like air, car and destination services that their customers are looking for. By offering all travel products conveniently together, partners are able to provide their customers with a one stop shop, improving conversion and earning valuable commission dollars on third party travel products.

The acquisition represents a major step towards VacationRoost’s goal of being the leading vacation rental reservation company. Following major investments to optimize its technology and service delivery platform and perfecting it in its core ski and mountain markets, the company has recently made investments to expand its presence in warm-weather destinations such as Hawaii, Florida and Mexico. With the acquisition of LeisureLink,

VacationRoost is now one of the top booking generators for vacation rentals across North America and represents the largest consolidated supply of bookable and commissionable vacation rental properties to the traditional travel industry.

The combined company will be led from the VacationRoost headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT. Former LeisureLink board members Rishi Nigam, SVP of Wyndham Vacation Exchange and Rentals and Jim Armstrong, Managing Director of Clearstone Ventures will join the VacationRoost board of directors that currently includes Michael Sands, former COO-Orbitz, Elan Blutinger, founder of one of North America’s largest vacation rental management companies-ResortQuest, Rob Michalik and Corwynne Carruthers, Kinderhook Industries, and Julian Castelli, VacationRoost.

About LeisureLink
LeisureLink provides integrated distribution, revenue management and competitive intelligence solutions that simplify processes and drive more bookings, all from one platform. Over 1,000 vacation rental properties, timeshare resorts, condo hotels and boutique resorts throughout North America, Asia and Europe trust LeisureLink to maximize profitability and increase efficiency of their online performance. Headquartered in Pasadena, California, LeisureLink is funded by leading Southern California venture capital firms Clearstone Venture Partners and Mission Ventures, with a strategic investment from Wyndham Worldwide. For more information, visit www.leisurelink.com.

About VacationRoost
With more than 150,000 vacation rentals in 150 beach and ski destinations across North and South America, VacationRoost offers the largest selection of professionally managed vacation homes and condos throughout its network of websites and affiliate partners. Travelers can search, compare, and book their vacation rental online or work with an experienced Destination Expert to find the perfect spot for their vacation. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, VacationRoost’s team of experienced travel professionals is committed to making booking a vacation rental as easy as booking a hotel room online. For more information, visit www.vacationroost.com.

4 Easy, Inexpensive Marketing Tactics to Help Gain a Competitive Advantage in 2014

VRM Intel Staff

March 5, 2014

Get more vacation rental guests and owners

It’s a game of inches. It’s an industry of pennies. These are two comments often made by professional vacation rental managers, who recognize that many times the best solutions to gain a competitive advantage in the market are inexpensive or -in some cases- free. Here are 4 inexpensive (or free), not-so-widely-adopted tactics which can help vacation rental managers increase revenue, jump the competition and stay within their budget.

1. Add analytics to your homepage search widget.

Through Google Premium (free tool), vacation rental managers can monitor and measure what/how many searches are being performed on their website and identify which searches are providing “No Results” messages for their vacation rental guests. This provides visibility into exactly when visitors to their website are not finding what they are searching for. With this information, property managers can:

Offer prospective guests an alternative (different location, larger home, different property type).
Make rate adjustments on properties which have high demand or low demand.
Identify ways the properties can display in search results better.
Show prospective owners how in-demand their property type is and how many searches the company is getting for similar properties.
Take a lesson from the eCommerce market and create an online strategy to remarket to prospective guests with relevant messaging.

2. Use “not-booked” data.

Like monitoring the searches on your site, professional property managers can gain a competitive advantage by monitoring, measuring and analyzing information from calls and inquiries which did not result in bookings.

Vacation rental managers who have implemented a process to follow up and reach out to customers who have inquired through a call, a distribution site or the company website and have not yet booked have reaped enormous rewards in direct revenue and have seen conversion rates skyrocket.

Another lesson from eCommerce is to have a strategy to market to the customer who abandons the shopping cart, or in this case, leaves the site during the booking process.

There may be legitimate reasons a prospect did not book, but vacation rental managers can find actionable data there, as well. For example, if a booking is lost due to a lack of inventory, the VRM knows to adjust rates and proactively market to owners of similar properties to increase inventory. If the reason is price, the VRM can promote off-season inventory, alternative locations (e.g. beach view instead of beach front), or last minute offers to the prospect.

3. Use interactive floor plans.

The ultimate goal of eCommerce is to get the customer to the cash register as quickly as possible, and interactive floor plans help to accomplish this goal for vacation rentals.

According to Brian Sharples, CEO for HomeAway, “Many families and groups prefer the value, space and comfort of vacation rentals. Our research indicates vacation rental travelers, predominantly families and groups, are seeking togetherness with the ones they love, and having a kitchen and living room to return to after the day’s activities is often preferred over retiring to separate hotel rooms.”

With interactive floor plans, guests can quickly envision how their family/group will “fit” and interact in the space. This eliminates many questions and reduces the time spent in the search process.

An added bonus is that floor plans help reservation agents talk about properties they may not be familiar with. They can easily tell a guest where the laundry room is, where the bunk beds are, which rooms have a balcony, etc.

4. Try Airbnb (Especially if feeder markets include a major U.S. city or international visitors.)

There is false perception in the marketplace that Airbnb only provides “couch” rentals. Airbnb actually sells a large amount of inventory in the luxury rental space and has a significant amount of name recognition and traffic from large cities in the U.S. and international markets. However, the professionally managed vacation rental industry has been slow to try out this mammoth traffic generator.

Try it out. In most cases, your competitors are not there yet.

By Amy Hinote

HomeAway Acquires Glad to Have You

VRM Intel Staff

March 5, 2014

HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY), the world’s leading online marketplace for vacation rentals, today announced that, through an all cash transaction, it has acquired Glad to Have You, Inc., the creator of the vacation rental industry’s leading mobile guest management solution designed specifically for property managers and homeowners to improve the way they manage and communicate with guests during their stay.

HomeAway(R) plans to make Glad to Have You(TM) mobile applications available to its property managers and owners, enabling travelers to have detailed property information at their fingertips, while helping to maximize the enjoyment of their vacations.

Glad to Have You( comes in two versions: GladOwners(TM)and GladProfessional(TM). Both versions provide travelers with crucial information about the vacation rental and its amenities in the palm of their hands, including:

— Detailed Rental Logistics: Prior to their trip, guests receive all of the details they need for their stay, such as check-in/out instructions, important phone numbers, property access information, Wi-Fi passwords, and instructions for using AV equipment and other electronics.

— Nearby Activities: Guests receive customized recommendations for nearby restaurants and attractions as well as a map of the area.

— Digital Guestbook: Guests have the opportunity to leave reviews and include photos of their stay through the application — which is expected to lead to a significant increase in both number and relevance of property reviews on HomeAway sites.

The existing GladOwners(TM) product is available to HomeAway customers for free by clicking here. Any owner that is not a HomeAway customer may purchase GladOwners(TM) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

Users of GladProfessional(TM) (for property managers) receive the same benefits as GladOwners(TM) but with additional scale to help manage a large inventory of properties. They also enjoy additional features such as:

— Guest Communication: Guests can receive push notifications before and throughout their stay, such as a notification about early check-in opportunities, and have instant communications with the property manager 24/7.

— Service Requests: Guests can submit cleaning and maintenance requests with a push of a button.

— Guest Analytics: Property managers can capture and learn guests’ dining or activity preferences and send special offers.

— Software Integration: Integrates easily with the most widely used property management software products in the industry.

— Property Manager Branding: The application allows property management companies to brand the mobile interface.

Given the added features of the GladProfessional(TM) product, it is not offered free of charge — pricing for existing customers will not change. Currently, it is in use by more than 300 property management companies in the United States, with travelers using the application more than 15 times during an average stay.

“We believe the Glad to Have You( solution is by far the best example we’ve seen of utilizing mobile technology to significantly enhance the experience of staying in vacation rentals,” says Brian Sharples, CEO and cofounder of HomeAway. “The Glad to Have You( team has created a hit product that has received rave reviews from both suppliers and travelers, and we expect it to have a meaningful impact on HomeAway’s customer experience by bringing an even higher level of hospitality and professionalism to our existing mobile product suite.”

Founded in 2012 by co-CEOs, Keith Landers and Jason Sprenkle, Glad to Have You( has grown quickly by focusing efforts on building a better experience for travelers by leveraging the smartphone platform. The business will join HomeAway and be managed by HomeAway Software Vice President Bill Furlong. Keith Landers and Jason Sprenkle will stay on as consultants during the transition.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to create and optimize the best mobile management system and experience for Glad to Have You users and we can’t be more thrilled to share our product with the rest of the vacation rental world through HomeAway’s leading distribution platform,” says Jason Sprenkle, co-CEO of Glad to Have You(.

About Glad to Have You

Glad to Have You’s mobile platform and overall Guest Management System(TM) provides hospitality management companies around the world with an elegant, customized mobile solution for guests driven by an easy to use cloud based content management portal. The solution allows companies to provide guests with an easier, more informed and overall more enjoyable travel experience. Each guest receives the pre-arrival, property, and area information they need automatically, along with all of the details they need for their specific stay — when to arrive, where to park, auto-generated check-in info and lock codes. Guests even receive specific details unique to each guest like wireless codes, television instructions, etc. The platform also provides instant two-way communications with guests, detailed analytics, and a robust and fully integrated marketing platform to increase guest loyalty. It’s a concept based on giving guests what they need, when they need it, and how they want it. For more information visit: Glad to Have You.

About HomeAway

HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the world’s leading online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, with sites representing over 890,000 paid listings of vacation rental homes in 190 countries. Through HomeAway, owners and property managers offer an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online. The HomeAway portfolio includes the leading vacation rental websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es and Toprural.es in Spain; AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil; HomeAway.com.au in Australia; and Bookabach.co.nz in New Zealand. Asia Pacific short-term rental site, travelmob.com, is also owned by HomeAway.

HomeAway also operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels. For more information about HomeAway, please visit www.HomeAway.com.

Any thoughts on how this acquisition affects professional property managers? Email info@vrmintel.com or amy.hinote@gmail.com

Why professional photos of your vacation rental are worth every penny

VRM Intel Staff

March 5, 2014

Professional photos for vacation rentals

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words. Most people are drawn to pictures and will judge their rental prospects predominantly on what they see as opposed to what they read. Flipkey, a vacation rental search platform purchased by TripAdvisor, completed a study revealing HD photography increased bookings by 98%.

BY A.J. Mudford, Barefoot Technologies

Professional photography adds credibility and will make your listings more trusted by potential customers. It shows that time has be taken to present your homes in the best possible way, and that you care and take pride in your properties. There is only a brief moment to grab peoples’ attention so standing out in a crowd is vital for your photos. Here are a few numbers and tips to ensure your return on investment.

Watermark your photos

A watermark will mean your photos cannot be stolen and it will give your company extra exposure if the photos are shared around the web, with your company name across the front. A watermark gives you more security and is an extra form of advertising. Simply adding a photo to Facebook will increase the opportunities for your rental property to attract more guests as Facebook photos generate 53% more likes than the average post as well as 104% more comments.

Detailed Photos

Make sure there are photos of each room, the exterior and the view. If guests can see where they will be cooking, sleeping and relaxing they will be more comfortable to make a booking. The view is a major draw card so showcasing what you have to offer will help attract customers.

Proper Resolution

The ways your photos are displayed on your website is very important. They should be in high resolution and in full screen with relevant captions. The best time to take exterior photos is just after sundown (no more than 20minutes after) and clouds will give you the best lighting for the house photos.

Tell the Story

Photos must show the experience the vacation rental home offers to the guest. Try to get at least 20 true and eye-catching shots with keywords and tags that will get you the most views. Vacation rental properties with more than four photos get twice as many inquiries as listings with four photos or fewer. Homeaway.com allows up to 24 images to be posted with a listing so don’t limit yourself to any less. Additionally, be sure to have images that include more than just the walls and furniture of your homes. Be sure to have images of people enjoying their experience at your vacation rentals.

Set the Scene

Stage your home to reflect the homely comforts to give people an alternative to a hotel. There are no restrictions on props or staging so make the most of the opportunity to style your home in the most appealing manner.

There is a high return on investment for professional photographs that will trigger more guests to vacation at your rental home. It could make or break your business. 84% of travelers want photos of rooms and facilities on a website. So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t had professional photographs taken recently, get onto it!

Courtesy of Barefoot Technologies

Maxxton Drives Vacation Rental Reservations with its Direct Connection to Booking.com

VRM Intel Staff

March 4, 2014

Maxxton, the largest provider of Hospitality Enterprise Resource Planning solutions for the vacation rental industry, supports Booking.com’s length of stay pricing tables to increase revenue for its industry leading client portfolio. Maxxton’s vacation rental resorts can now manage pricing dynamically to drive higher Average Daily Rates (ADR), thanks to the integration of a direct connection with Booking.com that went live in April 2013.

“Our integration with Booking.com achieves another successful milestone in our ability to deliver innovative technology solutions to our clients. Real-time reservations in the vacation industry are quickly evolving thus providing a hassle free experience for the guest,” said Jean Pierre Mampaey, Chief Executive Officer of Maxxton. “Booking.com is a key partner for Maxton’s growing portfolio, and we are pleased to help facilitate and simplify the emerging distribution opportunities available in the vacation rental marketplace,” said Chris Connar, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Maxxton North America.”

About Maxxton

Maxxton delivers tailor-made hospitality ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solutions for the complete management of vacation rentals, hotels, campgrounds, and tour operators. Specifically designed for the lodging sector, Maxxton offers a software-as-a-service-based solution to manage complex businesses with varied inventories, activities, accommodation types, amenities, extras and fragmented ownerships. Maxxton also unifies every aspect of your organization providing a single database solution which includes Property Management (PMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Central Reservations (CRS), Spa and Activities, Housekeeping, Workforce Management, Access Control and more. For over 18 years, Maxxton has provided hospitality ERP solutions for many of the largest companies in the vacation industry, with offices in The Netherlands, United States, Great Britain and India. For more information please visit www.maxxton.com.

About Booking.com

Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other accommodations online. It guarantees the best prices for any type of property – from small independents to five-star luxury. Guests can access the Booking.com website anytime, anywhere from their desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and they don’t pay booking fees – ever. The Booking.com website is available in 42 languages, offers more than 429,000 hotels and accommodations in 197 countries, features over 25.5 million reviews written by guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets around the globe. With over 17 years of experience and a team of over 6,500 dedicated employees in 115+ offices worldwide, Booking.com operates its own in-house customer service team, which is available 24/7 to assist guests in their native languages and ensure an exceptional customer experience. Established in 1996, Booking.com B.V. owns and operates Booking.com™, and is part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN). Follow us on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, like us on Facebook, or learn more at http://www.booking.com.

Lodgify selected for investment at Seedcamp London 2014

VRM Intel Staff

February 20, 2014

Lodgify, one of the fastest growing website building startups in the global vacation rental industry, was recently selected for investment at Seedcamp London 2014 and is heading to London to the Google Campus for the next three months.

Seedcamp is an early-stage micro seed investment fund and mentoring program which makes investment decisions in companies throughout the year. Over the past 7 years Seedcamp’s network of mentors has helped over 800 companies, contributing to the growth of the startup ecosystem in an amazing way across all of Europe.

Barcelona-based startup Lodgify recently launched its product, which aims to be the “Shopify of vacation rentals” according to its co-founder Naveen Sharma. Like Shopify, Lodgify allows small business owners to easily set up an online commerce presence – but this time the target is people who are renting out homes to vacationers and short-term renters.

“Being part of the seedcamp community gives us the privilege of benefiting from a network of experienced entrepreneurs, mentors, and other startups, guiding and supporting us in our product purpose, vision and development,” said Sharma.

Helping Guests Organize Multiple Devices at Your Vacation Rental Homes

VRM Intel Staff

February 14, 2014

Charging stations for devices at vacation rental homes

According to a SmartBrief study sponsored by the Wall Street Journal, 99% of guests travel with at least one device. Of those, 45% travel with 2 devices and 40% travel with 3 or more.

On a recent vacation with friends, four of us stayed in a 2 BR condo. Although we never used the dining table for dining, it was heavily utilized as a communal work station. Between 4 of us, we had 4 smartphones, 3 tablets and 4 laptops. This photo shows what the corner of the dining area ended up looking like. One of the couples packed a power strip and 2 extension cords to accommodate our power needs. If we had been traveling with pets or children, this system would not have worked.

Considerations for Multiple Device Usage:

As you audit the device-friendliness of the homes in your rental program, consider how and where your guests are likely to use devices during their stay. Here are some considerations:

3 prong vs. 2 prong power receptacles
Extension cords
Power Strips
Easily accessible indoor/outdoor power outlets
Communal work stations
Ways to keep cords out of reach of children and pets

Offering WiFi

Guests expect WiFi at their accommodations. By providing free WiFi you improve customer experience and grow your brand through social media. You may or may not decide to offer it for free, but whether or not you choose to offer free wireless internet access, consider using WiFi landing pages to collect customer data.

For example, you may allow guests to log in to your WiFi for free using their social media or mobile number.

Or use WiFi landing pages to capture customer data including email address, mobile number, social media demographics, time/date & more.

Most likely, you have collected data on the guest who actually made the reservation. By using WiFi to gather customer information from other members of the vacationing party, you can begin to expand your marketing efforts to provide comprehensive communications to all guests staying in your properties.

By Amy Hinote

Vacation Rentals Even More Popular With U.S. Travelers In 2014, According To TripAdvisor Survey

VRM Intel Staff

February 14, 2014

52 Percent of Survey Respondents Planning a Rental Stay This Year, Up from 44 Percent Who Stayed in a Rental in 2013.

TripAdvisor(R) , the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the results of its fifth annual vacation rental survey of more than 1,100 U.S. respondents, which shows that 52 percent plan to stay at a vacation rental in 2014, up eight percent compared to those who stayed in a rental last year. The top three reasons travelers will choose a vacation rental over a hotel stay this year are: more living space (67%), lower rates than hotels (53%), and better amenities (50%). Ninety-four percent of U.S. respondents who have previously stayed in a rental said they were satisfied with their experiences.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63176-tripadvisor-vacation-rental-stays-up-eight-percent-in-2014

Families Favor Vacation Rentals

Sixty-one percent said they have booked a rental home when traveling with family or a large group and of those respondents, 48 percent said the main reason they enjoy a rental is spending time together in common living space. Fifty-seven percent of respondents said they had an “excellent” vacation rental experience bonding with family.

Travelers Look to Rental for Value

Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. respondents maintain they would stay at a vacation rental instead of another accommodation if it meant saving money; of that group, 27 percent said they would not need to save money to choose a vacation rental over a hotel. Twenty-one percent said they have booked a vacation rental because they were on a budget.

Here’s what travelers plan to spend per night at vacation rentals:

   -- $100-200: 45% 

   -- $200-300: 22% 

   -- Less than $100: 14%

Settings and Seasons for the Sojourn

Most popular U.S. regions for vacation rental stays in 2014:

   -- Southeast -- 33% 

   -- Northeast and Southwest (tied) -- 15% 

   -- Hawaii -- 11%

Thirty-two percent will stay at a rental outside of the U.S. and of those traveling internationally, 53 percent will rent in Europe; 30 percent in the Caribbean islands; and 13 percent in Mexico.

The top settings for vacation rental stays in 2014:

   -- Beach / ocean -- 65% 

   -- City -- 27% 

   -- Mountains -- 18% 

   -- Island and countryside (tied) -- 17% 

   -- Lake -- 13%

Summer is the most popular season for vacation rentals as 65 percent plan stays between June and August. The most popular months for stays are: July (25%) and October (22%).

Amenities Snapshot

 
Most popular vacation rental amenities  Top "luxury" vacation rental amenities 
that attract travelers:                 that attract travelers: 
--------------------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
Wi-Fi internet access (21%)             Amazing view (61%) 
--------------------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
Washer and dryer (18%)                  Private beach (51%) 
--------------------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
Private pool (16%)                      Large outdoor deck / patio (49%) 
--------------------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
Outdoor living area (10%)               Housekeeping service (29%) 
--------------------------------------  -------------------------------------- 
Professional-grade kitchen (5%)         Hot tub (26%) 
--------------------------------------  --------------------------------------

“Travelers love vacation rentals for the at-home experience and amenities that make them ideal for family and group trips, not to mention the potential savings when compared to hotels,” said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. “With the increased demand for vacation rentals, the best rental properties book quickly during the peak summer months; therefore travelers should plan as soon as possible to secure the best property for their travel needs.”

TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals

With more than 550,000 listings available, TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals offer travelers access to reviews, extensive details, and photos of properties around the world. For families and large groups traveling for a week or more, a vacation rental can often offer significant savings compared to a hotel. To research and book a vacation rental on TripAdvisor, go to: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Rentals.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/63176-tripadvisor-vacation-rental-stays-up-eight-percent-in-2014

SOURCE TripAdvisor

Surf or Sound Realty Launches New Vacation Rental Website

VRM Intel Staff

February 12, 2014

Avon, NC – Surf or Sound Realty is pleased to announce the launch of its newly rebuilt website: www.surforsound.com. Since 1978, Surf or Sound Realty has offered premier family vacation rental homes to thousands of happy vacationers and homeowners. Now renting one of those vacation homes is easier than ever.

As one of the first vacation rental companies to offer real-time availability, and a few years’ later e-signature leases for seamless online booking confirmation, Surf or Sound Realty has once again positioned itself as an innovator in the vacation rental industry with its new website. It is loaded with a bevy of new features and functionality designed to provide an easy-to-use, interactive experience to discover, book, share, and enjoy the perfect Hatteras Island vacation home.

The new website provides a more robust search and real-time filtering tool for easily identifying the perfect home for your family vacation, supported by quick-photo-viewers, interactive floor plans, narrative descriptions, and satellite and road maps with integrated points of interest to help vacation planning. There is a new custom account area where guests can log-in to view saved beach bag collections, check the status of their reservations, make payments, and share details with friends and family.

The new surforsound.com was engineered by MMGY Global based in Kansas City, Missouri in close partnership with the marketing team at Surf or Sound Realty. “MMGY Global is a leader in tourism marketing and research and was the perfect partner for this redesign,” says Melvin Stone, President of Surf or Sound Realty. “We are convinced that this website with its ease of use and feature-rich functionality will become the leader in the vacation rental home industry.”

Some notable features include:

Streamlined booking engine allows quick online reservations including e-signature lease, flexible payment plans, and multiple payment methods – all making it as easy as possible for you to plan your vacation.

Enhanced search capability provides real-time filtering based upon various amenities including number of bedrooms, cost, features, date of stay, and location. Scroll through house photographs easily without leaving the search results page.

A “Quick Quote Calculator” shows the final cost of the vacation home including tax, travel insurance, and optional add-ons. The calculator will also divide the cost per guest and per bedroom to enable guests to easily identify each group member’s cost.

Real-time interactive road and satellite overlay maps enable users to view vacation homes in proximity to the water, as well as show which restaurants, shops, and activities are nearby.

Proprietary log-in account area allows users to e-sign and print leases, view reservation details, request changes, make payments, and even invite other vacation party members to make their payments on the account – all easily online.

A new “Waitlist” feature enables guests to request notification in the event that an unconfirmed reservation becomes available.

Redesigned home overview pages feature larger images of the homes, interactive floor plans, guest ratings, narrative descriptions, amenities, and details.

Enhanced Beach Bag functionality enables users to save collections of favorite homes and share them with family members to vote and comment on their favorites.

PDF Mini-brochures are easy to download and print to share single or multiple vacation homes with family members.

Surf or Sound Realty, proudly in business for 35 years, manages an extensive portfolio of premier vacation homes in each of the seven charming villages on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and has two convenient office locations: 40974 NC Highway 12, Avon, North Carolina 27915 and 26204 Rampart Street, Salvo, North Carolina 27972. Surf or Sound Realty can be contacted via phone 1-800-237-1138 or email at rent@surforsound.com.

Follow Surf or Sound Realty online at www.surforsound.com ; search for “surforsound” on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Flickr, and YouTube; “surforsoundhatteras” on Instagram; and “Surf or Sound Realty” on LinkedIn for the latest news from Surf or Sound Realty and our team of Hatteras Island vacation specialists.

Bookt/InstaManager Acquired by RealPage

VRM Intel Staff

February 11, 2014

This week, Bookt LLC, the company behind InstaManager®, was acquired by RealPage Inc. (NASDAQ:RP), a leading property management systems and services company. With this acquisition, RealPage is entering into the vacation rental industry.

Bookt’s management team and the vast majority of employees will all remain with the business. “We started Bookt with a single mantra – Your Online Success. That to me, always meant making our customers successful through more bookings and better tools, said Bookt CEO Rob Käll. “Last year we did over $100M in bookings through the platform which we are very proud of, but that’s still just a fraction of the entire VR industry. With RealPage’s backing we now expect to turn millions of dollars of bookings into billions.”

RealPage is a leading provider of comprehensive property management software solutions in the multifamily, commercial, and single-family rental housing industries. RealPage’s entry into the industry provides both validation of growth in the vacation rental marketplace and increased resources and investment in top-tier technology innovation for professional property management companies.

“This enables us to join a world class SaaS organizations, with resources far greater than most of our competitors, said Käll. “Together we will bring a lot of new services and make significant investment into the product, support and sales. RealPage buys into the same global vision that Bookt has had from day one, to really provide better marketing, better software and greater success for VR professionals around the world.”

Resort Realty OBX expands on Hatteras Island

VRM Intel Staff

February 8, 2014

Resort Realty OBX Expands to Hatteras Island

Resort Realty is proud to announce the opening of its Hatteras Island division for 2014. This will make the fifth office for the company, who currently represents more than 500 OBX vacation homes from four offices in Corolla, Duck, Kitty Hawk and Nags Head.

As Resort continues to steadily grow and increase market share on the Outer Banks, the decision to open on Hatteras Island and offer property management services to Hatteras owners was inevitable. Resort’s CEO, Mike Harrington as well as COO, Stuart Pack, began their property management careers on Hatteras, and are eager to begin working in the area again.

“We are extremely excited to once again work with the vacation rental homeowners on Hatteras Island, as well as become part of the local business community. Starting my career in Avon, I have a deep passion and knowledge for the entire area. We feel there is a growing demand for an owner-centric property management program on Hatteras Island, and that is our business,” stated Harrington.

Mr. Pack concurred, “We are in the business of creating memorable vacations. We owe it to our Outer Banks guests to offer the same great vacation experience across the entire Outer Banks. I am also excited to again work within the community of Hatteras Island and provide unparalleled service and support to Hatteras homeowners.”

The company recently hired long-time Hatteras resident and property manager Lori Sankey as Broker-in-Charge and operations manager for the office. Lori has been working with Hatteras Island homeowners for more than seven years and brings knowledge and experience to the new office. The office is located in the former Tarang Shopping Center in Waves, NC and is currently being renovated with a prospective open date sometime in April.

To learn more about Resort Realty’s property management program on Hatteras Island, call Lori Sankey at (252) 996-0970 or by email at Lori.Sankey@ResortRealty.com.

You can also visit www.resortrealty.com/hatteras.htm for more information. View HERE.

2014 Vacation Rental Seminars along Northern Gulf Coast

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

Alabama and Florida Panhandle Seminars for Vacation Rentals

Blue Tent Marketing and Red Sky Travel Insurance want you to join them in a learning seminar designed to improve and add value to your Vacation Rental business as industry leaders share effective tactics and tools to generate more revenue, reduce expenses and provide real value for owners and guests in the New Year.

Conveniently located, the seminars will take place from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm and a food and beverages social will follow from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm.

Vacation Rental Industry Leaders Presenting:

Laird Sager will cover many of the topics and options relating to the travel insurance industry. He’ll be revealing new insurance options as well as cover what’s new in the travel insurance industry.

Explore Red Sky Travel Insurance »

Dawn Yeskulsky will highlight payment processing options and benefits as well as recent changes all vacation rental Managers need to know about. They will be discussing new options to lower costs and reduce fees.

Explore Ascent Processing »

Peter Scott will present digital marketing initiatives including strategies in responsive web design, email marketing, search engine optimization, digital advertising, social media and more.

Explore Blue Tent Marketing »

Bryan Goodwin from FlipKey will discuss the consumer experience in 2014 and how to make the most out of reviews and opinions.

Explore FlipKey »

Ben Edwards will provide an overview of the vacation rental industry and changes that will affect your business in 2014. He will outline concepts to drive revenue, increase efficiency within current operations and discuss growth opportunities through the purchase and sale of vacation rental companies in today’s climate.

Upcoming Vacation Rental Seminars

Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014
2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Livebait Restaurant
24281 Perdido Beach Blvd.
Orange Beach, AL

Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014
2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
The Bay House
127 Calhoun Avenue
Destin, FL

Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014
2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Firefly Restaurant
525 North Richard Jackson Blvd.
Panama City Beach, FL

Expedia Slow to Execute HomeAway Partnership

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

Speed and innovation usually characterize successful and growing companies, but when it comes to the prospect of starting to offer HomeAway’s vacation rentals on Expedia.com, Expedia Inc. is noncommittal and taking it all extremely slow and easy.

By Dennis Schaal, Skift

The two parties announced a partnership last October, and today, during Expedia Inc.’s fourth quarter earnings call, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the company has just started to experiment with HomeAway’s vacation rentals, but won’t gather enough data about it until the second half of 2014.

Expedia will study how adding vacation rentals to its accommodation mix impacts conversions, and will expand the offering to the extent that consumers show they are interested, Khosrowshahi said.

Khosrowshahi said the company’s emphasis will continue to be in growing its hotel business, although it is optimistic about the HomeAway partnership, which is in the early stages of testing.

“But it is really too soon to call” how the partnership will take shape, Khosrowshahi said.

Expedia clearly sees hotels as where its biggest margins are. And vacation homes certainly have far fewer rooms than hotels.

Still, Expedia wants to compete with Booking.com, which offers a broad range of lodging offerings, but Expedia is making no commitments at this stage about what its vacation rental offering will look like.

In other matters:…Read More at Skift.com

New “Back to Basics” Housekeeping Seminars Announced

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

With 97% of guests in agreement that a clean establishment is the most important factor in choosing accommodations, it is critical for vacation rental managers to have a trained, experienced housekeeping team who is consistently learning and improving performance. Pro Resort is hosting a series of Pro Resort’s “Back to Basics” Seminars, designed to take your Housekeeping department to the next level.

Pro Resort Housekeeping’s “Back to Basics” Seminars will provide you with the latest news, up-to-date information and education to take your housekeeping department to the next level and give your company the ultimate competitive advantage.

Agenda

Designed for company owners, general managers, executive housekeepers, and housekeeping coordinators, the “Back to Basics” Housekeeping Seminar covers the following topics:

11 Fundamentals of Successful Vacation Rental Housekeeping.
6 Fundamentals of Successful and Profitable Vacation Rental Maintenance Departments
4 Standards Every Vacation Rental Company Needs and How to Create and Implement Them
What is the “Hub of the Wheel?” Every Department Has a Role in Successful Housekeeping and Those Roles Will be Explored and Clearly Defined
Group Problem-Solving: How to Achieve Success at Getting All Guests out at Checkout Time.

The price for each attendee is $75.00. Coffee will be provided in the morning, and we will break for an hour for lunch which is left up to attendees. There are dining options in or near the venue.

Seminar Dates and Locations

May 14, 2014
Holiday Inn Lakewood Ranch
6231 Lake Osprey Drive
Sarasota,FL 342400

May 20, 2014
Holiday Inn
6231 Lake Osprey Drive
St. Augustine, FL

June 10, 2014
Silver Baron Lounge
Park City, UT

Event Sponsors

To register and learn more…

Big Changes at NAVIS

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

NAVIS has made recent changes which are designed to both allow for rapid expansion and provide more specialized and personalized service to clients in the vacation rental, hotel and resort industries.

NAVIS, who is known in the vacation rental industry for providing call center services and a highly touted reservation sales system, has recently launched a new suite of marketing automation products labeled NAVIS Reach, which includes an integrated CRM, an email marketing tool, an automated/lifecycle messaging solution, and a data mining platform.

“For the last 3 years our attention has been in creating and scaling new, integrated technology,” said Michelle Marquis, VP of Marketing & Strategic Initiatives. “Now we can focus on scaling our operational growth. Internally, we are calling it ‘Organizing for Success.'”

As a result, NAVIS will be adding to its global client-facing team and expanding into offices in Orlando. To better serve their customers, client advocates will be closely aligned in industry and region-specific expertise with each client they support. Specialists will be added to maximize benefits from new and existing products, and product management positions are being created to optimize enhancement and integration implementation.

“We have always been client-centric, but now we are literally going to be closer to our clients,” said Marquis. “I am very excited to have the chance to help NAVIS continue to grow in a great, smart and thoughtful way!”

NAVIS will host the 2014 NAVIS Leaders Conference in Orlando Feb. 20-21, 2014 at the Orlando World Center Marriott.

Dwellable’s Vacation Rental Survey: Does Mobile Matter?

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

Dwellable's Mobile App Study for Property Managers

Dwellable is quietly emerging as a leader in the consumer-focused vacation rental space and currently drives more than 70% of their business via mobile devices. So it stands to reason they might know a few things about the rise of mobile adoption by travelers researching and booking vacation rentals. To dig deeper, they recently surveyed their property managers about their own adoption of mobile in their business practices. CEO Kirby Winfield presented the findings at the VRMA European Seminar, and recently published a white paper detailing the major takeaways. We’re glad to publish it in full here below.

Vacation Rental Survey: Does Mobile Matter?

By Kirby Winfield, CEO Dwellable

Last year, we surveyed travelers who had used Dwellable, and asked them about their mobile vacation rental habits. 75% said they researched vacation rentals via smartphones or tablets, and 35% inquired or booked via mobile.

This got us thinking: Are vacation rental managers on the same page as their customers when it comes to mobile?

So, this is an analysis of the impact on vacation rental management companies (VRMCs) of the ongoing traveler shift to mobile for research and booking. Or put another way, we threw some questions up on SurveyMonkey and asked property managers to answer them. We found out some pretty crazy stuff.

Introduction and methodology

Since the emergence of internet media as a dominant source of potential new business for VRMCs and owners, the proprietors of vacation rental homes globally have slowly moved their businesses online. The advent of listings sites like HomeAway and FlipKey, the emergence of Airbnb, 9flats and Wimdu, and the $530M invested in online VR solutions since 2011 are a testament to the power of the online media channel, yet less than 3 out of 10 dollars spent in the global VR industry today is spent on the web.

It’s still very early days for the vacation rental industry.

It is fair to say that the majority of VR inventory suppliers are well behind their hotelier counterparts in adopting PC-based online models (SaaS, SEM/SEO, OTA). Some of this lag is endemic to the fragmented and unbranded nature of VR inventory; nonetheless, even the industry leaders are catching their collective breaths from years of turmoil, including loss of control to aggregators, the unfulfilled promise of a collectively-owned VRMA “switch”, and the move from print brochures to web sites and listings as core marketing materials.

And now, the landscape is undergoing yet another tectonic shift. PCs are being left behind by smartphones and tablets as the world continues to conduct more of its media activity via mobile devices than any other medium save television. By 2017, smartphones and tablets will outnumber PC’s by nearly 4-1. But are VRMC’s prepared? How will they adapt?

Dwellable conducted a study of vacation rental marketers to discover attitudes and behaviors associated with mobile device usage in the context of vacation rental discovery and booking. This post presents the study’s key findings.

Methodology

Dwellable completed a survey of 100 vacation rental executives whose primary form of acquiring new customers was via vacation rental listings websites – the belief being that these executives represent the vanguard of new media adoption in the VR space.

Dwellable asked these property managers 10 questions meant to explore their awareness of mobile as an opportunity and their current attitudes towards and actions regarding reaching mobile travelers.

Property Managers See the Mobile Tidal Wave Approaching

It’s clear that VRMCs are anticipating the shift to mobile. Having been blindsided by the web 20 years ago, proprietors of vacation rental businesses are aware of the upheaval new technology can bring.

Additionally, many VRMCs are now operated by “digital natives”, for whom blogging, social media, and technology are second nature. Mobile is not catching many VRMCs by surprise.

Mobile Is the Next Big Thing for VRMC Growth Strategy

Not only are they anticipating the shift of media consumption to mobile devices; VRMCs are strategically embracing the channel.

The mobile channel is seen as a “very important” growth opportunity more frequently than any other aspect of vacation rentals – including the PC web, listings quality, and even the number of properties under management.

In fact, VRMC’s put mobile up there in importance with overall lead gen as priorities for their marketing partners like HomeAway and TripAdvisor.

Vacation Rental Managers Haven’t Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is…

Given the explicit agreement on the part of respondents that mobile is the biggest thing to hit vacation rentals since the web, it was somewhat surprising to see the responses to the questions about what VRMCs are actually doing about this major opportunity. A solid majority do not offer users any experience tailored to mobile devices.

There seems to be a laissez faire attitude towards mobile which belies the urgency the numbers suggest should be present.

61% of respondents say, “We don’t do anything special for mobile, people can just see our regular website on any device.” This is a major misconception, given that 57% of travelers say they will not recommend a lodging option if it has a bad mobile site (Source: Buteeq, 2013).

…But That’s Changing Rapidly

Almost a quarter of respondents use responsive design, which allows for content to dynamically adjust to each possible mobile device’s screen resolution and size, and another 16% offer a custom mobile site or app.

And we should see the mobile website number move close to 50% in 2014, based on the stated plans of respondents.

VRMC’s are very price sensitive around mobile. We believe solutions that are free or freemium will continue to emerge to capture this sector of demand.

Vacation Rental Managers Are Prepared to Execute in Mobile

There’s no fear in the VRMC camp when it comes to mobile. Whether it’s the educational work the VRMA is doing, the expansion of PMS offerings to mobile platforms, or simple confidence gained in managing their businesses through the shift to digital, vacation rental managers clearly feel up to the task of tackling smartphone and tablet usage.

We believe this confidence is good news for vendors who offer straightforward mobile solutions – you don’t have to convince VRMC’s that mobile matters, just show them how your solution helps them maintain and grow their business.

About Dwellable

Dwellable’s mission is to present vacation homes beautifully to everyone, everywhere. We are turning the traveler experience of vacation rental search on its head with big, high-resolution photography, elegant mobile apps, accurate listings, and zero clutter. With more than 100,000 vacation rentals in North America, Dwellable is the top vacation rental app on all major mobile platforms, and has been featured by Apple, Amazon, CNN, Forbes, and Google Play.

Recap: What is going on with Florida? Important legislation affecting vacation rentals

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

Here is a brief recap of the what is happening in Florida concerning legislation being proposed which would adversely affect the vacation rental industry at the state level.

In 2011, the FL Legislature, with a unanimous vote in the Senate and a near-unanimous vote in the House, approved a change in law that forbade counties and cities from imposing new regulations on short-term rentals, though regulation already in place could remain. The measure was intended to counter the effects of the housing crash by helping home-owners facing stiff mortgages pay their bills by renting their homes to short-term vacationers.

Flagler County had no such regulation before the law was passed two years ago. Recently, a small group of residents and an impassioned Flagler Commission were frustrated when they realized some larger homes in residential areas were able to be rented with no restrictions, complaining of noise and “mini-hotels.”

The Flagler County commission, with the leadership and assistance of its State Legislative Delegation, has been attempting to amend House Bill 883 passed in 2011 which they assert took away all local control of short term vacation rental properties. Flagler County Commissioners and county staff have been traveling, emailing, calling and speaking statewide seeking support for a bill that would return regulation of vacation home rentals to local government.

The proposed reform of a law that would return control of short-term rental regulations to counties and cities gained additional momentum at the Legislature Tuesday as it cleared a second Senate committee and its first House committee with solid backing. The bills (SB356 and H0307), sponsored by Sen. John Thrasher and Rep. Travis Hutson, resulted in a 7-1 vote by the State Senate Committee on Community Affairs in favor of the bill and a 10-3 vote in favor of the House bill from the State House subcommittee on Business and Professional Regulation Tuesday.

The Senate bill should be heading to the Senate floor for a vote next. The House version has two more committee hearings before it reaches the House floor.

Important News for Florida Property Managers and Florida Property Owners

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

Steve Milo, founder and Managing Director for Vacation Rental Pros and member of the VRMA Board of Directors submitted the following editorial about proposed vacation rental legislation in the State of Florida. This legislation not only affects Florida vacation rental managers, but also vacation rental managers around the country. If Florida, the state who reaps the largest monetary benefit from short-term rentals in the U.S., is able to pass this type of restrictive legislation -at the state level – every vacation rental manager in every state in the U.S. must recognize they are in danger of having this repeated.

Recap: What is going on with Florida? Important legislation affecting vacation rentals

Dear Florida Property Managers and Florida Property Owner:

By Steve Milo

It’s me, the “town crier” as someone labeled me. Yes, I am passionate about the issue of Vacation Rental bans because I have seen first hand in Venice Florida what happens when a city goes from no limits on vacation rentals to a 30 day limit on vacation rentals. Let’s just say, It is not good for business as it reduces almost 70% of the rental income. Duration (rental minimum restrictions) is what this fight is about, and those burying their heads in the sand on this issue (like a large property manager company on Sanibel) are making a very poor business decision. It would be like if a Category 5 hurricane was on a path to strike your area in the next 72 hours. Everyone needs to take this very seriously.

For those property managers in the Orlando market and Florida Pan Handle market who do not think this issue effects them, keep in mind a “7 day minimum” and “grandfathering” is being discussed at the state level. This is NOT a compromise that will work and the FVRMA (Florida Vacation Rental Manager) lobbyist is working hard to make sure “duration limits” do not get put in the bill. Also, grandfathering should make property managers cringe as this means no new business, and will impact future real estate sales.

Please feel free to forward this email to any Property Manager, Property Owner, Vacation Rental employee, vendor, or the like in the state of Florida you know.

I was waiting to send this email when an audio tape of the February 4th, 2014, House Bill 307 committee meeting was available. A lot was said in this committee meeting (including talk of compromise), but this audio tape is still not available – which is quite frustrating.

I am going to ask you to read this entire email, because FVRMA (Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association) paid almost $50,000 for a critical “Florida Vacation Rental Impact Study” and to date only 32 property management companies have filled out this survey. We need 68 more surveys to bring our economic data to the Florida House and Senate leadership. If not, the Vacation Rental Economic Impact Study will not be published in time to help save our industry from rental limitations in the state of Florida.

First

I appreciate every property manager, owner, employee and vendor who wrote and emailed their Representatives between Friday through Monday. We understand that almost 1000 calls and emails were received by each office.

While House Bill 307 advanced in committee this week on 10-3 VOTE, there are legislators willing to stand up and advocate for our rights as property owners and Floridians against the Anti-Vacation Rental Bill. There are still 2 committees to go in the Florida House of Representatives and there are several Representatives who have voiced their desire for compromise. These future committee dates are not yet set, but we will alert you once they are scheduled.

Second

To continue to follow the progress of this bill, and to locate an audio and video tape when available please go to this link. (Note, an audio tape of the meeting is still not available. We will post it on this community web site as soon as it is published.) Please log-in and register. It will alert you when the Audio Tape is available. Plus, we are posting other information as it becomes available.

http://community.homeaway.com/ docs/DOC-3962

Third

There were several Florida Legislatures that need to be thanked. A proposed thank you message follows. We ask you to cut and paste the message – or use it as a guide for your own – then email it to the legislators listed below:

Message to send:

Dear Representative _____________

This week you stood up for me and all Floridians who are part of the state’s vacation rental industry. THANK YOU. By voting to oppose legislation that unfairly targets vacation rentals, you have demonstrated your support for the property rights of individuals and for an important part of Florida’s tourism sector. As consideration of the legislation continues, we would ask you to continue your commitment to oppose this bad bill. Just like me, thousands of people across Florida are grateful that you listened and are willing to help.

Our champions to thank this week are…

Senator Kelli Stargel Stargel.Kelli@flsenate.gov

Representative Mike La Rosa Mike.LaRosa@myfloridahouse.gov

Representative Greg Steube greg.steube@myfloridahouse.gov

Representative Carlos Trujillo carlos.trujillo@ myfloridahouse.gov

Fourth

FVRMA (Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association) needs money to continue to fund the lobbyist, PR firm, and Economic Study. Less than 1% of property managers have donated a dime. Can you at least donate something to help FVRMA?
https://secure.fvrma.org/lgaContribution.asp

Fifth

Only 32 property managers (out of an estimate 2800 property managers) in the state of Florida have completed the “Survey” to allow Dale Brill to finish his Economic Impact Study on Vacation Rentals for the State of Florida I have listed the 32 companies who have completed this survey. If you or your company is not on the list, we need you to fill this out today. Please click on this link and fill it out

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FVRMA

In preparation for the upcoming Florida Legislative Session beginning in March, the Florida Vacation Rental Management Association is conducting a brief survey as part of a first-ever calculation of the industry’s economic impact on the Florida tourism industry. The link below will take you to a short series of questions, which asks you to estimate annual expenditures made by and on behalf of your clients. Your answers will be compiled with those of other respondents and entered into a sophisticated economic model.

As a result, your answers will be not be associated with you or your clients individually. We will distribute the final results of the survey and the economic model in late February. This request is time sensitive. We have only a few days to collect and analyze your input. Please take a few moments now to provide your critical input by clicking on the link below (or pasting the address into your web browser) Please click on this link and fill it out

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FVRMA

Thank you for these Property Managers who have filled this out.

1 ameliasurfandracquetclub.com

2 annamaria.com

3 annamariaparadise.com

4 annamariarental.net

5 athomekeywest.com

6 churchillpropertyservices.com

7 excellentvacationhomes.com

8 Floridakoshervillas.Com

9 FreewheelerVacations.com

10 ftlaudluxrents.com

11 getawaytothegulf.com

12 globalresorthomes.com

13 gosouthern.com

14 hartwellvillas.co.uk

15 HistoricHideaways.com

16 IslandReal.com

17 kwgulfcoastrentals.com

18 luvdestin.com

19 miavac.com

20 NaplesFloridaVacationHomes.com

21 navarrelistings.com

22 ourcaptiva.com

23 perfectdriveatpgavillage.com

24 sarahscondos.com

25 starmarkvacationhomes.com

26 SterlingRealty.biz

27 sterlingresorts.com

28 stpeteclearwatervacationrentals.com

29 superiorfloridarentals.com

30 VacationRentalPros.com

31 villadirect.com

32 watsonrent.com

2014 Vacation Rental Management Mobile App Survey Results Are In

VRM Intel Staff

February 7, 2014

Mobile Apps for the Vacation Rental Industry

In January, VRM Intel surveyed vacation rental mangers about their company’s mobile app usage. 63% of the property managers surveyed had implemented a mobile app for their vacation rental business.

The survey also asked vacation rental management companies about the benefits of using a mobile app. The most prevalent advantage for property managers is having a way to share area information (67%), followed by Customer Support and Confirmations (50%).

None (0%) of the respondents said they were using the app for upselling, adding additional room nights, rebooking guests for future stays, or selling ad space to destination partners.

Which begs the question, “Does an app make you money?” 43% still said yes.

The survey results are based on 79 responses from vacation rental managers.

By Amy Hinote

More owner managed vacation rentals in Aspen, CO

VRM Intel Staff

February 3, 2014

The city of Aspen has doubled the number of business licenses on file for residential properties offered by their owners on the short-term rental market since spring of 2012, when officials began making a concerted effort to get homeowners who rent their properties as tourist accommodations to register and pay taxes.

The numbers still aren’t huge, with licenses for vacation rental residences not connected to a property management company going from 31 to 61 in two years. But it’s an area that is growing thanks to numerous websites that connect owners looking to rent their place and visitors looking for an alternative to Aspen hotels.

In March 2012, Finance Director Don Taylor estimated that the city was losing out on as much as $100,000 a year in sales taxes and licensing fees from vacation rental properties that were operating off the radar — an area where the city rarely enforced the rules. City Council at that time changed its policies, allowing any property owner unlimited vacation rentals — defined as rentals of less than 30 days — so long as they got a business license, paid sales and lodging taxes on short-term rental revenues, and designated a local representative who could respond to problems with trash, parking and unruly guests. The city also brought in VR Compliance, a Virginia firm that scours the internet in search of condos that may not be paying sales and lodging taxes.

Of the 30 new licenses, 15 were the result of leads generated by VR Compliance, while the rest were from property owners who came in on their own volition, according to Kathy Yang, an accountant in the city’s finance department.

The new business licenses generated $73,000 in revenue for the city in 2013, Yang said. VR Compliance charges $100 per property it turns over that the city is able to bring in line.

A business license for a short-term-rental property is $150 a year, while combined sales and lodging taxes come to 11.3 percent, of which 4.4 percent goes to the city.

Yang noted that homes and condos that are offered on the short-term rental market through a third-party property management company are not included in the above totals. Established property management companies will take care of the licensing and taxes for a private homeowner, meaning the owner doesn’t need to get a business license if they go that route. Condos and private homes make up as much as 40 percent of Aspen’s tourist bed base, according to some estimates.

VR Compliance offers software that cross checks for-rent properties in Aspen on popular vacation rental websites with city records. If a for-rent property appears to not have a business license on file with the city, VR Compliance flags the listing and delivers the pertinent details to the city. Yang takes it from there, she said, and looks into the property records to see if the listing actually is out of compliance. She then gets in touch with the owner.

“The majority of the people I speak to just want to make sure they are doing the right thing,” she said. “They are asking questions and trying to understand [proper procedures] going forward.

“There are a few who have not been too happy to talk to me.”

No one has flat-out refused to register, Yang said.

The city may still reach or exceed Taylor’s prediction of $100,000 in unrealized revenue. The website airbnb.com is popularizing the concept of renting out individual rooms, with owners acting as hosts at their own informal bed and breakfast. On Sunday, the website showed 17 rentals available in the Aspen area for a one-night stay on the weekend of March 15, for both rooms within homes, entire homes or apartments and rooms within lodging properties. Most of those listings aren’t encompassed in the VR Compliance’s review, although some may be in the city’s system. The company is in the process of updating its search methods so it can cross check Aspen listings on that website as well, Yang said. Licensing and tax policies still apply in airbnb’s sharing economy.

“The city does not see it any differently,” Yang said.

From Aspen Daily News

Under the Hood: Winter Park Lodging Company

VRM Intel Staff

February 3, 2014

This is part 4 in the Under the Hood Series in which we interviewed executives from seven on-the-grow vacation rental management companies to discuss everything from growth strategies to company culture, technology and marketing to future predictions for the industry.

Part 1: A Look Under the Hood at Vacation Rental Pros

Part 2: A Look Under the Hood at Kokopelli Property Management

Part 3: A Look Under the Hood at Elliott Beach Rentals

Sarah Bradford had no experience with vacation rentals when she and husband Chris purchased their Winter Park, CO condo. At the time Bradford worked as a high level product management VP with eCollege, an online education software company; Chris owned and managed restaurants in the Denver area.

Bradford searched high and low for a property manager to market, book and maintain their rental property. Finally she began marketing and managing the property herself and was soon inundated by requests from a network of friends to help manage their Winter Park properties.

By the time Bradford added 25 homes to her inventory, she and Chris decided to take the leap and make property management their full time jobs. Within a 3-week period in 2007, they sold their Denver residence and bought a home in Winter Park. Sarah quit her job in Denver and Winter Park Lodging Company was born…just prior to another birth, the arrival of twins in the Bradford home. Through smart leveraging of technology and bold, beyond-the-box thinking, the company grew. Only six years later, Winter Park Lodging Company now manages 140 homes.

Company Culture

The friendly company vibe at Winter Park Lodging Company is infectious. It begins and ends with Sarah Bradford herself.

“We all work above and beyond to make our properties awesome, and we’re passionate about creating a great vacation for our customers,” says Bradford. “When we began we didn’t think about ‘company culture’. We just knew we wanted it to be fun while working hard. Then I read Tony Hsieh’s (CEO, Zappos) Delivering Happiness, which focuses on making company culture a top priority and helping employees grow personally and professionally.”

Bradford advises, “Formalize your culture and don’t make it cliché. Come up with your own values and include your employees in the process. I learned – largely through networking with other managers in VRMA – when new people come on board I need to be the company cheerleader. Now I spend one-on-one time with each new employee and tell them about our growth, our values, and our goals.”

“I also make a conscious and consistent effort to create fun. I bring chocolate, design t-shirts, plan off-site team building activities. If you don’t stay on top of it, one negative employee can bring the whole culture down and make it seem cool to have a bad attitude,” Bradford adds.

Owner Acquisition and Retention

Just as with Amy Gaster’s Tybee Vacation Rentals, the standards for properties accepted by Winter Park Lodging Company have increased. “In the beginning, we said yes to almost any property that wasn’t completely outdated. Now we make intentional choices: Is the company the right fit for the property owner? Does the property fit what we want in our inventory? We do not want to accept a property, then place ourselves or the owner in a position of our having signed a property that is not up to par with others in our program.”

Winter Park Lodging Company now has an onboarding process that includes a long list of interview questions for each property owner. “We’re almost psychological about it,” says Bradford. “If they’re coming from another management company we ask what they didn’t like about the company. We also identify any hot button issues and pay attention to them. When we prepare the property, we triple check to make sure those issues have been addressed. And, we now say ‘no’ more often than ‘yes’ to owners inquiring about being on our program.”

When it comes to owner retention strategy, Winter Park Lodging Company takes a highly personalized approach. “We are always selling to our owners,” says Bradford. “We’re proactive with our owners. We send e-newsletters to keep them informed. We send them revenue, rate, and occupancy updates every six months compared to the year before. We schedule regular phone calls with them. We give them free lift tickets and passes when we can. Sometimes, we even babysit their kids!”

Marketing and Technology

Innovation has been a cornerstone for Winter Park Lodging Company. “We are always innovating. We add new technology all the time. We recently adopted PointCentral for keyless locks and we launched the Glad to Have You GMS this fall,” says Bradford.

We questioned Bradford regarding technology platforms a growing vacation rental management company cannot live without in 2014. Her must-have technology recs:

1. Vacation Rental Management Software.
2. NAVIS Narrowcast. “It’s like adding a mentor and a business partner all in one. It completely changed our sales culture.”
3. Phone and internet systems that work well ALL the time.
4. VRBO. “Almost half of our inquiries come from VRBO.com.”
5. Google AdWords.
6. A functional, user-friendly rental website with online booking.

In addition, Winter Park Lodging Company is expanding their database and placing strong emphasis on targeted email campaigns and automated messaging. According to Bradford, “We are seeing incredible results with segmented email messaging.”

Advice to New Property Managers

Our next question: What advice do you have for new and/or growing vacation rental management companies? With insight forged from experience and clear understanding, Sarah answered:

1. Think outside the box.
“I think outside the box primarily because I never knew what was in the box!” jokes Bradford. “One example: Historically, tour operators have been responsible for a large percentage of vacation rental reservations in Colorado. We questioned the norm and were highly successful with direct-to-consumer online bookings.”

2. Be a homeowner in your own program.
“It is extremely beneficial to own one or two properties in your rental program. When you’re a homeowner in your own program, you’re much more empathetic and in tune with the needs and expectations of the other homeowners in your program.”

3. When you travel, stay in vacation rentals.
“Whenever possible, choose vacation rentals as a personal lodging option. You can learn so much from experiencing firsthand the way other companies do business.”

4. Have no fear.
“One thing that contributed to our success is that I wasn’t afraid. You cannot over analyze every decision you make. You are going to make mistakes, but learn to trust yourself.”

5. Get more.
“When you can’t take on more properties, take on more properties. When we jumped to 50 properties, I never dreamed we would be able to provide occupancy for over 140 homes. You have to trust your business.”

By Amy Hinote

Part 1: A Look Under the Hood at Vacation Rental Pros

Part 2: A Look Under the Hood at Kokopelli Property Management

Part 3: A Look Under the Hood at Elliott Beach Rentals

Alert: Stop Florida Anti-Vacation Rental Bill

VRM Intel Staff

January 29, 2014

Rick Scott revuews HB 883 regulating vacation rentals

Attention Florida Property Owners

By Steve Milo

Right now in Tallahassee, a very harmful bill is speeding through the legislature that will severely restrict your property rights and strip away the freedom to manage your vacation rental business.To protect our rights and fight for our jobs WE MUST MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD RIGHT NOW. There are two easy ways to do this: (1) Email the Legislature, (2) Call the committee members who are considering the bill. We NEED YOU TO DO BOTH BEFORE NEXT MONDAY (FEB 3), and we’re making it easy for you.At the bottom is a list of legislators in the Florida House of Representatives who we need you to contact. There are email addresses and phone numbers for each.

FIRST, SEND THEM EMAILS…Send an INDIVIDUAL email to EACH of the Representatives on the list (for your convenience, a suggested format is below. If you are pressed for time, you can simply cut and paste – but also feel free to make the words your own):Dear Representative __________________:I’m writing today to urge you to oppose HB 307 because the bill will destroy my property rights and those of other vacation property professionals like me. We are a vital part the Florida’s tourism economy. This bill is unnecessary because current law already balances the rights of all property owners. HB 307 would result in severe restrictions that would “zone out” some businesses like mine. With economic recovery just starting, it is the wrong time to impose laws and regulations that will crush our business. Please stand up and protect private property rights in Florida by opposing this harmful bill. VOTE “NO” ON HB 307 in the Business & Professional Regulation Subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, February 4.

Sincerely,

[Your name here]

SECOND, THEN CALL THEIR OFFICES…

The phone numbers that are listed for each member are their legislative offices. You will likely get a staff person or voicemail. Please be clear, concise and respectful. Feel free to share the passion you have for your rights and your business, but try not be angry.

Here’s a suggested script for the call:

Hi, I’m calling to let Representative ________ know that I’m urging a “NO” vote on HB 307 in the Business & Professional Regulation Subcommittee meeting on Tuesday, February 4. Men and women like me in the vacation rental business are part of the state’s important tourism economy. This bill will destroy our property rights and allow overregulation that will hurt our business or even put us out of business. During the last few years of tough economic times, I worked very hard and contributed to Florida’s economy, and I need Representative ________’s support to oppose this very bad bill.

FINALLY, FORWARD THIS CALL TO ACTION AND ASK YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, VENDORS, AND EMPLOYEES TO MAKE THE SAME CALLS AND EMAILS.

Here are the key Florida House Members to target:

Representative: District Phone: Capitol Phone: Email:

Debbie Mayfield         (772) 778-5077                       (850) 717-5054                       debbie.mayfield@ myfloridahouse.gov
Greg Steube                (941) 341-3117                       (850) 717-5073                       greg.steube@myfloridahouse.gov
Darryl Rouson             (727) 906-3200                       (850) 717-5070                       darryl.rouson@myfloridahouse. gov
Ben Albritton              (863) 534-0073                       (850) 717-5056                       ben.albritton@myfloridahouse. gov
Karen Castor Dentel   (407) 659-4818           (850) 717-5030                       Karen.CastorDentel@ myfloridahouse.gov
Travis Cummings        (904) 278-5761                       (850) 717-5018                       Travis.Cummings@ myfloridahouse.gov
Dwight Dudley          (727) 552-2747                       (850) 717-5068                       Dwight.Dudley@myfloridahouse. gov
Dane Eagle                  (239) 772-1291                       (850) 717-5077                       Dane.Eagle@myfloridahouse.gov
Joe Gibbon                  (954) 893-5006                       (850) 717-5100                       joe.gibbons@myfloridahouse.gov
Mike La Rosa              (407) 891-2555                       (850) 717-5042                       Mike.LaRosa@myfloridahouse.gov
Kenneth Roberson      (941) 613-0914                       (850) 717-5075                       ken.roberson@myfloridahouse. gov
Cynthia Stafford         (305) 953-3086                       (850) 717-5109                       cynthia.stafford@ myfloridahouse.gov
Carlos Trujillo             (305) 470-5070                       (850) 717-5105                       carlos.trujillo@ myfloridahouse.gov
Steve Crisafulli           (321) 449-5111                       (850) 717-5051                       steve.crisafulli@ myfloridahouse.gov
Will Weatherford        (813) 558-5115                       (850) 717-5038                       will.weatherford@ myfloridahouse.gov
Robert Schenck           (352) 688-5005                       (850) 717-5035                       robert.schenck@myfloridahouse. gov
Travis Hutson              (386) 446-7644                       (850) 717-5024                       Travis.Hutson@myfloridahouse. gov

ResortsandLodges.com Forms Two-Way Integrated Interface With Barefoot Technologies

VRM Intel Staff

January 28, 2014

MINNEAPOLIS — ResortsandLodges.com, a leading worldwide Resort and Lodge destination travel website, today announced it is partnering with Barefoot Technologies, one of the founding browser-based vacation rental systems in the travel market, in order to provide ResortsandLodges.com travelers access to more than 20,000 vacation rentals.

Founded in 1999, Barefoot was officially the first browser-based vacation rental system on the market. They are currently one of the few systems to offer customer relationship management (CRM) software, social media, document management and the most innovative work order system on the market. They have also attracted more than 20,000 vacation rentals properties, and offer online availability, rates and booking options.

Thanks to the new integrated two-way interface, Barefoot Technologies will be able to publish comprehensive rental details with online rates and availability for ResortsandLodges.com’s nearly 10 million guests to book online. This two-way interface offers Barefoot’s customers a new channel to attract new travelers and will save the property owners time so they don’t have to individually update rates and availability.

“We have an endless pursuit to ensure our travel audience is able to access the largest collection of accommodations across the world and be able to book them online. This ability will offer travelers the chance to create truly memorable vacation experiences. In order to meet our traveler’s demand we are connecting with properties where the availability isn’t typically sold on travel sites we may have become familiar with; Expedia, Priceline, Hotels.com and Travelocity. Our partnership with Barefoot Technologies is very exciting; we will be able to offer our nearly 10 million guests access to book real-time availability with more than 20,000 unique rental properties across North America,” said Ryan Bailey, CEO of ResortsandLodges.com.

“Our customers are always interested in connecting with shopping sites to generate new customers and it is difficult to do so with major OTAs like Expedia, Priceline and Hotels.com because of their traditionally high commission rates. It is exciting to find a company like ResortsandLodges.com that offers a channel that is more feasible for resort and property managers,” said Ed Ulmer, President of Barefoot Technologies.

About Barefoot Technologies- Barefoot is a leading provider of browser-based reservation and asset management systems in the vacation rental industry. It has the distinction of being the first browser system in the industry, the first to provide online booking, tenant, owner access and to offer social media tools and is designed to be tailored to meet clients’ exacting needs. Barefoot is also the only system with a full Customer Relations program wrapped into the program, which in effect makes it the only full service system in the industry. Founded in 1998, by leading technology and industry players, the “.NET platform” has become a standard for those who are trend setters in the industry and those who desire to dominate their market with unique functionally. For more information, please contact Barefoot at 603-428-6255, Adam@barefoot.com

About ResortsandLodges.com

ResortsandLodges.com® is a comprehensive online resource for leisure travel with access to unique accommodations worldwide. The site provides the ability to plan and book memorable experiences at resorts, vacation rentals, cabins, holiday rentals, villas, condos, cottages, lodges, boutique hotels, B&B’s and vacation hotels.

Founded in 1998, ResortsandLodges.com was one of the first major leisure travel sites established on the Internet. Over the years, ResortsandLodges.com has received numerous awards and accolades for web design, outstanding usability, fast page loading speeds, and skillful information display.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/27/6105042/resortsandlodgescom-forms-two.html#storylink=cpy

LiveRez Expands to New Corporporate Headquarters

VRM Intel Staff

January 28, 2014

EAGLE, Id. –– LiveRez.com, the leading provider of cloud-based software for professional vacation rental managers, has moved into new corporate headquarters at 1173 E. Winding Creek Dr. in Eagle, ID.

To celebrate the opening of its new headquarters, LiveRez will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, as well as an open house later that evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The open house will feature live music from the Kim Stocking Band and food from local eateries, among other activities.

The new 11,000 square-foot complex features state-of-the-art engineering and architectural design, and features:

Office space for more than 50 employees
Executive conference room
Kitchen
Lunch room
Outdoor patio
Locker room
Theatre room equipped with popular gaming systems
1500 square-foot recreational room – with big screen TVs, couches, a ping pong table and foosball table – that will double as an on-site training facility for LiveRez partners.

“With as fast as we are growing as a company, we knew we had to think long-term and invest in a space that could accommodate our current and future employees,” said LiveRez Founder/CEO Tracy Lotz. “Our new headquarters not only will support our planned growth, but also offers our employees a better environment to come to each day.”

Since first offering its software in 2008, LiveRez.com has grown to partner with nearly 800 professional management companies from across the United States and beyond. It currently operates with a staff of more than 30 full-time employees.

A slideshow of picture of the new headquarters is included below.

About LiveRez.com

LiveRez.com is a complete, online, vacation rental property management solution, focused on making vacation rental property managers fully operational online and thereby increasing bookings. LiveRez.com offers an all-in-one cloud-based platform, featuring best-in-class websites optimized for online bookings, a full-featured reservation and property management system, a robust CRM system, an exclusive connection to QuickBooks for trust accounting, and a unique “Pay-for-Performance” approach, which provides a mutually beneficial partnership between LiveRez.com and its vacation rental manager partners. The company’s largest competitor is HomeAway Software for Professionals.

To learn more about LiveRez.com, please call (800) 343-2891 or visit LiveRez.com. And, to receive timely updates from the company, follow LiveRez.com on Facebook, Twitter (@LiveRez) and Google+, or visit the company’s vacation rental software blog. LiveRez.com is a proud Gold Sponsor of the Vacation Rental Manager’s Association (VRMA).

Vacation Home Reservation Network

1. Add analytics to your homepage search widget.

2. Use “not-booked” data.

3. Use interactive floor plans.

4. Try Airbnb (Especially if feeder markets include a major U.S. city or international visitors.)

Watermark your photos

Detailed Photos

Proper Resolution

Tell the Story

Set the Scene

Considerations for Multiple Device Usage:

Offering WiFi

Families Favor Vacation Rentals

Travelers Look to Rental for Value

Vacation Rental Industry Leaders Presenting:

Upcoming Vacation Rental Seminars

Agenda

Seminar Dates and Locations

Vacation Rental Survey: Does Mobile Matter?

Introduction and methodology

Methodology

Property Managers See the Mobile Tidal Wave Approaching

Mobile Is the Next Big Thing for VRMC Growth Strategy

Vacation Rental Managers Haven’t Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is…

…But That’s Changing Rapidly

Vacation Rental Managers Are Prepared to Execute in Mobile

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Fifth

Company Culture

Owner Acquisition and Retention

Marketing and Technology

Advice to New Property Managers

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