Evolve Launches New Online Service to Take Effort, Expense Out of Owning a Vacation Rental

DENVER, Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolve Vacation Rental Network today announced it is launching an online service that acts as a personal marketing, sales and service team for vacation rental owners.

Evolve has a new answer to a common question among vacation rental owners:  Is it better to operate as a rental-by-owner or hire a local property manager?  "Neither," said Evolve Co-Founder and CEO Brian Egan.  "We're offering a third option, something that owners have never seen before."

While vacation rental continues to grow in popularity (it's a $24.3 billion market in the U.S. alone), the options for owners have remained the same.  "Many owners feel trapped.  They are forced to choose between the hassle and guesswork of renting on their own against the expense and inconsistent performance of full service property management.  We built Evolve to fill the gaps in the status quo options and make it easier to be a vacation rental owner," explains Egan.

Evolve's service includes:

• Listing Creation:  Elegant, professionally designed listings that look great and compellingly describe the residence, access to amenities and the surrounding areas.
• Listing Promotion:  Placement on Evolve's site, promotion via search engine marketing and social media, as well as reaching over 50 million travelers by listing on popular vacation rental sites like VRBO, HomeAway, FlipKey and TripAdvisor, -- all at Evolve's cost.
• Traveler Service and Booking:  Prompt, professional response to all traveler inquiries and a simple booking process, including updated calendars, click-through rental agreements and credit card acceptance, to make it as easy as reserving a hotel room.

The company makes money by charging a 10% booking fee once a property is rented.  "Large upfront fees, annual contracts and cancellation penalties only make things harder for vacation rental owners.  You pay us when we perform:  It's risk-free and it's a fraction of what you'd pay otherwise.  It's that simple," said Adam Sherry, Co-Founder and COO.

Sherry emphasizes that the company's approach helps vacation rental travelers as well, "Part of helping homeowners means helping their traveler guests.  If we provide travelers with great service, they'll be more likely to book our homes, which means more rental income for our homeowners.  Everyone comes out ahead."

As evidence of the impact the company is having, Sherry cites the number of Evolve homeowners entering the vacation rental market for the first time, "We've been shocked at how many owners haven't been renting out their homes because of the effort or the expense.  There are millions of homes sitting on the sidelines.  That's a huge opportunity for us and for the industry as a whole."

Evolve currently operates in the continental United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean and expects to grow rapidly in those markets and beyond in 2012.

Egan and Sherry come from Exclusive Resorts, which they helped to build from launch to an industry leader over eight years.  In founding Evolve, they sought to apply some of their lessons learned.  "Vacation rental is becoming a more complex and competitive market.  Travelers are starting to expect more in terms of communication and service," says Egan, "it's difficult for the average owner, or local property manager, to meet that standard on their own."

About Evolve Vacation Rental Network

Evolve (www.evolvevacationrental.com) is an online marketing and booking service for vacation rental owners that offers a new alternative to operating as a rental-by-owner or hiring a local property manager.  Evolve eliminates effort and expense for homeowners by combining online marketing technology, customer service and pay-for-performance pricing.  The company handles every facet of the vacation rental marketing process:  creating professionally designed listings, reaching a large network of travelers online and providing an outstanding booking experience with full traveler support.  Evolve was founded in 2011 in Denver, Colorado by industry veterans Brian Egan and Adam Sherry.

Contact
Merredith Branscombe
Leap Public Relations
[email protected]
720-235-7363

SOURCE Evolve Vacation Rental Network