April 12, 2012

Austin American-Statesman

HomeAway tries its hand at hosting a startup sleepover - Lori Hawkins
"Sleeping bags will be available, but it's unlikely any of the 40 aspiring student entrepreneurs spending the weekend at HomeAway's downtown Austin headquarters will get much sleep.

The students, mostly from the University of Texas, will spend three days creating new startup businesses related to the travel industry."

April 4, 2012

MSNBC

'Perfect storm' encourages sales of vacation homes - Elaine Porterfield
"Kron has plenty of company, according to a new survey by the National Association of Realtors, a professional membership group, and HomeAway, a national online vacation home rental service. That survey found that sales of vacation homes pushed up 7 percent in 2011 over the previous year."

April 2, 2012

The Next Web

HomeAway acquires Spain’s rural tourism site Toprural in all-cash deal - Robin Wauters
"HomeAway, the NASDAQ-listed company behind the world’s largest online marketplace for vacation rentals, is making a major expansion move in Europe with the acquisition of Toprural, a website that lets people search and book independently-owned rural accommodations in small towns or countryside destinations across Southern Europe."

April 2, 2012

Austin Business Journal

Austin businesses go blue - Vicky Garza
"This year, buildings in Austin such as the W Hotel Austin, The Long Center, and HomeAway Inc. will go blue to participate in the annual Light It Up Blue event.

'HomeAway is proud to be involved with organizations like Autism Speaks and is happy to light up our iconic birdhouse blue in April to show our support,' said Carl Shepherd, HomeAway co-founder and chief strategy and development officer."

March 15, 2012

Entrepreneur

HomeAway Co-founder on Making Acquisitions - Teri Evans
"If making acquisitions is a growth strategy for your small business, there are crucial elements you need to consider before you move forward. HomeAway Co-founder Brian Sharples has led 17 acquisitions for his company and says he has learned plenty from the process."

March 14, 2012

The Motley Fool

The Biggest Opportunity I Saw at South By Southwest - Tim Beyers
"Up until now, most of HomeAway's growth has come from a combination of acquisitions and organic listings growth. More properties listed means more opportunities to charge the standard listing fee. Sharples says that will begin to change this year, as HomeAway introduces tiered pricing options, giving owners the Google-like opportunity to position their properties high in searches for a particular region."

March 9, 2012

Forbes

As SXSWers Get Desperate, Austinites Get Enterprising - Meghan Casserly
"John Gray, VP of North America for HomeAway told me that year-over-year renting with HomeAway has more than doubled. 'Look at Q4 growth,' he says, referencing the period when the majority of SXSW bookings were made, 'From 2010 to 2011 we saw growth of 88%.'  So clearly the market is there. But how much does a homeowner stand to benefit? Gray says the average price of their 667 Austin listings is $690 a night for a 2-bedroom home, meaning an enterprising owner could net more than $6,000 by renting over the nine-day conference. 'That’s a mortgage payment,' I said with my Manhattan real estate market lenses on. 'In Austin,' Gray reminded me, 'that’s a few of them.'"

March 9, 2012

Entrepreneur

HomeAway Co-founder on Risks and Rewards of Superbowl Ads - Teri Evans
"For entrepreneurs considering a big bet with commercials during major TV events, there's much to consider. Superbowl ads, in particular, are one of the priciest gambles you can take  in your branding efforts. HomeAway Co-founder says he's taken his share of risks, some resulting in big rewards, when he chose to advertise during the NFL's biggest game."

March 8, 2012

Entrepreneur

HomeAway Co-founder on Curiosity, Influence and Rejection - Teri Evans
"Sharples and co-founder Carl Shepherd launched the online vacation rental marketplace in 2005 and quickly expanded globally. After 17 acquisitions, Austin-based HomeAway went public last year and lists more than 640,000 rental properties in 168 countries. Annual revenues totaled $230.2 million in 2011."

March 6, 2012

ABC News

Summer Vacation Rental Home How-To - Genevieve Shaw Brown
 "Jon Gray, Vice President of U.S. Business for HomeAway, says the site's average booking window is 90 days out. So if you're planning to rent a house for Memorial Day weekend, you're already behind the curve."

February 23, 2012

tnooz

HomeAway continues platform migration with Europe next and phases in tiered pricing - Dennis Schaal
 "Like Orbitz Worldwide previously and Expedia Inc. currently, HomeAway is transitioning its global sites to a common technology platform, a move that will facilitate HomeAway’s efforts to phase in a tiered-pricing model globally.

February 15, 2012

Associated Press

Fans' rite of spring: sun-seeking baseball trips - Dave Carpenter
"Consider time-share properties, vacation-home rentals and condos as a way to get more space for your dollars. Dining out can be one of the biggest expenses of your trip, and having a kitchen or kitchenette to prepare some meals can cut costs significantly. Visit HomeAway.com ... or VRBO.com, which stands for vacation rentals by owner."

February 9, 2012

KXAN

HomeAway opens new office - Calily Bien
"If you’ve rented homes while on vacation instead of staying at a hotel, you’ve probably visited HomeAway, Inc.

HomeAway, an online vacation rental website, is opening its third Austin office to accommodate its growing staff.

HomeAway’s customer service and sales teams will occupy the new location in the Penn Field campus."

January 24, 2012

Austin YNN

Guest housing already filling up for SXSW - Sebastian Robertson
"Amidst a worldly collection of snow globes sits the corporate offices for HomeAway.com.

The website connects home owners looking to rent their property to travelers.

"As it sits today, most of our 357 listings we have here in Austin are booked for both weeks of South by Southwest," HomeAway.com Vice President Jon Gray said."

January 22, 2012

NYTimes.com

Surfing for a Vacation Rental - Michelle Higgins
"With more than 290,000 listings in 145 countries, HomeAway.com is among the largest vacation rental sites out there, and it will appeal to those looking for a traditional private vacation home. About 100,000 of the listings are concentrated in the United States and a hefty number are in Europe, especially France and Spain. Travelers can whittle those figures down to a manageable list by choosing the features they want, like a pool or pet-friendly accommodations."

January 12, 2012

MediaPost

HomeAway Suggests 'Let's Stay Together' - Tania Irwin
"Online vacation rental company HomeAway is launching a national ad campaign with the theme “Let’s Stay Together.”

The TV spot features the Al Green 1972 classic hit by the same name. It debuts in select markets during the Jan. 15 NBC television airing of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Developed by Austin agency GSD&M, the campaign includes TV, online, print and social media."

January 8, 2012

USA Today

Ask Chris: Booking a Caribbean Spring Break for 2012 - Chris Gray Faust
"The best way to save money as a family is to rent a house or condo for the week. That way, you can buy your own groceries and drinks, and save money on at least a few meals. The go-to websites for this are HomeAway.com and VRBO.com. If you go this route, make sure you read the reviews that the owners have received from others, and ask lots of questions."

January 4, 2012

LandLopers

The HomeAway Verdict – Are Short Term Vacation Rentals Worth the Hype? - Matt Long
"With our scope sufficiently narrowed, I used the HomeAway app on my iPad to find the perfect apartment. I was really pleased with how easy it was to winnow down the listings based on location and price. Each listing also had basic information (size of space, amenities, etc.), tons of photos and reviews when available."

January 3, 2012

Forbes

Kayak Names HomeAway's Brian Sharples To Board - Tomio Geron
"Online travel search site Kayak has named Brian Sharples, CEO of online vacation rental website HomeAway, to its board."

December 13, 2011

Forbes

President Obama's Former 'Winter White House' For Rent - Morgan Brennan
"The Plantation Estate at Paradise Point, nicknamed the “Winter White House” thanks to the fact that the First Family has called it home for the holidays, rents out for $3,500 a night. A monthly rental fetches $75,000, according to its listing on vacation rental site HomeAway.com."

December 12, 2011

CNNMoney

Retiree havens go on sale - Karen Cheney
"Rental income can offset the cost of ownership, of course, but bear in mind that the average rental property has a tenant for fewer than 20 weeks a year, according to rental site Homeaway.com."

November 21, 2011

KVUE.com

HomeAway CEO speaks about success
"Very few entrepreneurs achieve the kind of success as the men who founded Austin-based HomeAway. They went from a start-up company to a global leader in a span of six years.

HomeAway is the leading site of vacation home rentals in the world. CEO and co-founder Brian Sharples spoke to KVUE to share his story."

November 21, 2011

KVUE.com

HomeAway
"From having a simple idea to becoming a global leader in less than a decade, it's every entrepreneur's dream. For a couple of Austin men, it has become a reality. This week's Movers & Shakers segment features HomeAway's Brian Sharples and Carl Shepherd."

November 18, 2011

South Florida Sun Sentinel

South Florida cities top vacation home renters list for holiday travel - Arlene Satchell
"Florida cities head the list of vacation home renters places to stay this Christmas, according to a report released this week from Austin, Texas-based online vacation rental company HomeAway.

Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Key West and Orlando were among the top five cities for Christmas travel from Dec. 22-28, the report revealed."

November 4, 2011

AOL Real Estate

132 Rms, Riv Vu: What If You Could Rent the White House? - Ann Brenoff
"HomeAway, a company that arranges vacation stays in private homes, crunched the numbers and came up with this fun factoid: If the First Family rented out the White House when they go on their seven weeks of vacation every year, it would add almost $4 million to the nation's coffers."

November 1, 2011

MSNBC.com

Slow economy benefits travelers who need a place to stay

- Elaine Porterfield
"At HomeAway, Inc., the largest such site in the country, they’ve seen their vacation rental listings grow about 22 percent from 433,295 in 2009 to 527,535 in 2010, and they appear to be climbing at similar rates this year, according to Alexis de Belloy, senior vice president of the company's U.S. brands, including HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com."