CanadaStays partners with HomeAway Inc. as Canadians gear up for the Summer of the Staycation

85 per cent of Canadians would like to explore Canada this summer instead of travelling out of country

TORONTO, April 1, 2015 /CNW/ – CanadaStays, Canada's largest vacation rental website, today announced a long-term partnership with HomeAway, Inc., the world leader in vacation rentals, as a minority stakeholder in the company who led a $6-million round of fundraising for CanadaStays.  Torstar Corporation also participated in this round of funding. The deal allows CanadaStays to bring its supply of 30,000 Canadian whole-home vacation rental properties to meet the demand of HomeAway's North American audience. 

"With our HomeAway partnership, travelers will have the benefit of choosing from a combined total of 40,000 Canadian whole-home vacation rental properties," said Mark Bordo, CEO and Founder of CanadaStays. "We're excited to create an even richer vacation marketplace for travelers looking to explore Canada from coast to coast."

"Canada is an increasingly popular destination for travelers – last year, we saw a double digit percentage increase in demand for some of our most popular destinations like Montreal and British Columbia's Sunshine Coast," said Jon Gray, HomeAway® senior vice president of the Americas. "We're excited about our strategic investment and partnership with CanadaStays, and look forward to helping travelers discover their amazing properties."

CanadaStays celebrates the staycation this summer

CanadaStays is declaring this summer the Summer of the Staycation. A new survey commissioned by Leger Marketing on behalf of CanadaStays shows tremendous support for Canadians choosing to staycation this summer, with 85 per cent stating they would like to visit a province or territory within Canada for vacation this summer. In fact, nearly seven out of 10 Canadians (69 per cent) are likely to vacation within Canada this summer.

The survey found that the Atlantic Provinces (38 per cent), Ontario (36 per cent) and British Columbia (35 per cent) were the top preferred travel destinations this summer, with 30 per cent of Canadians also considering a visit to Quebec.

Other key findings include:

• A third of Canadians (33 per cent) would prefer to stay in a whole-home vacation rental property when travelling with family or friends, rather than a hotel.
• Four in 10 households with children under 18 are more likely to choose a whole-home vacation rental property over a hotel (39 per cent vs. 31 per cent).
• When travelling with family, 77 per cent of Canadians say that an ideal vacation accommodation offers good value for money, and more than half of Canadians with kids (52 per cent) are looking for practical amenities (i.e. laundry facilities, kitchen, etc.).
• When selecting an ideal vacation accommodation, 40 per cent of women say that it should feel comfortable, like home.

"The benefits of a whole-home vacation rental property are endless," said Bordo. "With more space, comfort, amenities and privacy, plus access to areas of Canada that hotels don't service, CanadaStays is the ideal solution for Canadians looking to staycation this summer."

"For families or people travelling in groups of friends, a whole-home vacation rental also provides exceptional value, and we know that this is something Canadians are looking for," adds Bordo.

With a quick and easy online booking system, CanadaStays makes planning a summer vacation simple and worry-free. Renters can book securely right on the property's listing page with Book It, CanadaStays' custom-built booking and payment system, which allows travelers to make reservations and pay by credit card - the safest payment mechanism available. Travelers can feel confident about their vacation home selection with access to honest user ratings and reviews prior to booking, promoting transparency within the rental community. 

About the Survey:

A survey of 1,548 Canadians was completed between March 9, 2015 and March 12, 2015 using Leger's online panel.

About CanadaStays:

Founded in 2008 in Toronto, Ontario, CanadaStays is Canada's largest vacation rental marketplace with more than 45,000 whole-home vacation rental properties including cottages, cabins, chalets and condos. CanadaStays also offers travelers unique vacation rental properties in the US, the Caribbean, Mexico and South and Central America. With an easy-to-use backend system and a strong distribution network, CanadaStays provides property owners with a simple and effective marketing solution that gets their property listings in front of millions of people, while providing travelers with unique accommodation options in destinations where they travel to most.

About HomeAway:

HomeAway, Inc. based in Austin, Texas, is the world's leading online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, with sites representing over one million 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 and Stayz.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.

SOURCE CanadaStays

Image with caption: "A stunning view of the Whistler Benchlands property in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. This is one of 45,000 whole home vacation rental listings available on CanadaStays.com. (CNW Group/CanadaStays)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150401_C8088_PHOTO_EN_13828.jpg