HomeAway Celebrates 5th and 15th Anniversaries of its Top Two U.S. Sites

AUSTIN, Texas, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeAway, Inc., the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, today announces anniversary celebrations for two of the company's leading U.S. sites, HomeAway.com and VRBO.com. Acquired by HomeAway® in November 2006 with 65,000 listings, VRBO.com is celebrating its 15th year and its more than 160,000 listings.  HomeAway.com, which launched in June 2006 with more than 60,000 listings, turns five this summer and now features more than 250,000 villas, apartments, houses and more available to rent. Both sites make it easier for families and groups to experience the additional room to relax and amenities afforded in rental home stays.  

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To celebrate, HomeAway has created an online game where by answering geography-focused travel trivia questions, travelers have the opportunity to win one of 20 prizes, including a $5,000 stay in a HomeAway vacation rental of their choice. The game runs through August 12, and winners will be drawn for each prize level after that date. To play and learn more, visit: http://www.homeaway5vrbo15.com/  

In addition, as a thank you to the vacation rental owners who currently advertise on HomeAway.com or VRBO.com, HomeAway is offering deeply discounted subscription rates to give customers the opportunity to try out both sites.  

"I'm extremely proud of how far both sites have come over the years and am excited to see what the future holds," says HomeAway CEO, Brian Sharples.  "However, we know that without the support and loyalty of our customers — owners, property managers and travelers — these types of milestones aren't possible.  So we'll continue to work tirelessly to evolve and improve our products and services to keep them returning to our sites for years to come."

History

HomeAway.com, the company's flagship site, was created through the consolidation of five of the leading vacation rental sites in Europe and the U.S., and was designed as a one-stop shop to find and compare vacation rentals.  In just five years, the site has grown from 60,000 property listings to more than 250,000 property listings, which range from beach houses and ski condos to European villas and urban apartments.

VRBO.com was founded in 1996 by husband and wife team, Dave and Lynn Clouse, and acquired by HomeAway 10 years later.  At the time, VRBO.com featured 65,000 vacation rental listings, the majority of which were located in the United States.  As one of the pioneer sites in the online vacation rental industry, VRBO.com continues to be a favorite among travelers, attracting more than 19 million traveler visits each year.  

While each site provides travelers with a tremendous selection of vacation rental properties around the world, here's a snapshot of what it would look like if we combined the inventory on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com to make up*:

One Big House:

• Total number of heads in beds (a.k.a. travelers accommodated): 3,122,406—approximately the entire country of Albania
• Total number of bedrooms available: 1,186,349
• Total number of bathrooms available: 816,511

One Big Site:

• 429,246 property listings
• 132,300+ beach rentals
• 113,225+ pet-friendly rentals
• 55,000+ ski rentals
• 48,168 villas
• 632 barn rentals
• 555 castles
• 188 boats
• Vacation rentals in more than 145 countries and all 50 states
• 9 cabooses
• 1 Shell House: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p156977

* Figures are approximations based on property listing information gathered from HomeAway.com and VRBO.com

About HomeAway, Inc.

HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, operates the world's leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, representing more than 560,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout 145+ countries. HomeAway's websites offer an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, especially more room to relax, 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 in Spain; AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil; and HomeAway.com.au in Australia.

In addition, HomeAway 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

SOURCE HomeAway

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