HomeAway Announces New Partnerships, Products to Expand Online Marketing and Distribution for Vacation Rental Managers

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY), the world's largest online marketplace for vacation rentals, today announced that HomeAway Software for Professionals™ has launched a new version of its online booking engine, WebLink 4, as well as completed seven new partnerships. Together, these initiatives provide vacation rental managers with increased opportunities to reach guests and improve booking conversion rate through their own websites and distribution partners.  

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Upgraded Online Booking Engine

Clients using the WebLink online booking capability may upgrade to WebLink 4 at no charge while software customers using PropertyPlus®, V12.net®, Entech or FRS® looking for a modern booking engine may now sign up for WebLink 4. The enhanced booking engine delivers improved conversion rates leveraging five key functionalities:

• A modern look and feel to better fit each manager's site experience
• A search widget enabling travelers to easily find the perfect home to book from the manager's website
• A fully integrated system that tracks pricing and online reservations through the manager's own property management software
• The ability for travelers to contact the property manager when a reservation cannot be confirmed online

New Partnerships Drive More Bookings

The new partnerships announced by HomeAway® help ensure that vacation rental managers can not only drive bookings directly on their own websites, but also maximize marketing by reaching travelers who search on other partner sites listing vacation homes.

By using either ISILink or EscapiaNet, data hubs connecting reservation systems to the Internet and additional integrated business services, HomeAway Software for Professionals' customers may now choose from a network of more than 60 participating websites to advertise their properties, gain access to travelers searching for professionally managed vacation rentals online and streamline their use of those sites through marketing services.

"HomeAway is committed to assisting professional vacation rental managers increase bookings by taking full advantage of the web," says John Banczak, vice president of HomeAway Software for Professionals.  "With the release of WebLink 4, we are excited to deliver an even better online experience for travelers visiting our customers' own websites, and through these partnerships we reaffirm our commitment to expanding the network of sites and services available to our customers."

New HomeAway Software for Professionals Partners Include:

• Black Diamond Luxury Rentals is a high-end booking agent providing renter referrals to vacation companies across the United States.
• Lofty.com is a global marketplace for vacation rentals targeting a key demographic of European women between the ages of 25-44 years old.  Lofty recognizes Europeans have up to three times more vacation days and spend more on travel than their American counterparts.  Lofty allows social integration for transparency, while also offering currency conversion on site allowing more properties to get booked faster through instant online booking.
• MyVRMS simplifies the process of managing vacation home rentals by automating rental inquiry responses. By providing a leading-edge technology solution, MyVRMS minimizes administrative expenses and enables clients to effectively capture more bookings.
• Paradizo.com offers a worldwide portfolio of elegant accommodations and personalized travel management services reaching affluent and discerning international travelers.
• Ryan Solutions is a database-marketing agency focused on helping resorts increase guest satisfaction and drive more bookings.
• TrustedGuests.com is an online vacation home community and reservation engine that helps vacation property managers and homeowners rent to trustworthy guests.
• Vay-KDeals.com offers travelers dining, shopping and recreation activity discounts during vacations in conjunction with online bookings of vacation rentals.

"We are excited to partner with HomeAway and introduce our service alongside the leading software products in the vacation rental business to help managers automate the day-to-day management of third party inquiries," says Dava Trusner, senior partner of MyVRMS.

For more information about HASP, visit www.instantsoftware.com and www.escapia.com.  

About HomeAway, Inc.

HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, with sites representing more than 625,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout more than 145 countries. HomeAway offers 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 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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking" statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are based on HomeAway management's beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements include information concerning HomeAway's expected, possible or assumed future results relating to HomeAway Software for Professionals partnerships and products. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and may be identified by terms such as "continues," "plans," "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "could" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause HomeAway's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to the risks and uncertainties described in documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including HomeAway's Prospectus previously filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) on June 28, 2011.  All information provided in this press release is as of the date hereof and, except as required by law, HomeAway assumes no obligation to update this information, even if new information becomes available in the future.

Media contact:

Adam Annen
Public Relations Manager, HomeAway, Inc.
Office- 512-505-1548
[email protected]

SOURCE HomeAway