Recent Articles

Tap Into the Power of Facebook with Second Porch (in: How-To Articles)
Sep 26, 2009

We're not at all convinced that Twitter, the "micro-blogging" service that's all the rage right now, is an effective way to market vacation rentals. We're on the lookout for success stories, but so far, we haven't encountered any. Facebook may be a different story. Especially with the launch this week of a new VR-advertising site called Second Porch that helps vacation-rental owners leverage the power of Facebook to spread the word about their properties to friends and friends of friends. 

Vacation Rentals: Studies Show Satisfaction is High (in: News Archive)
Jul 30, 2009

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and USA Today have all run negative articles in recent months about the vacation-rental experience. Where do the reporters get these stories and story angles? Fortunately, there are some new studies that refute the notion that renting a vacation home is fraught with perils.   

How to Get Great Reviews for Your Vacation-Rental Property (in: How-To Articles)
Jul 28, 2009

Guest reviews are becoming increasingly important for vacation rentals, as more and more VR-advertising sites have started featuring reviews in their listing formats. In this article, we share some secrets for ensuring that your guests will post glowing reviews that will provide you with great word-of-mouth advertising for your property.  

Numbers Don't Lie: VRs Are Cheaper Than Hotels (in: News Archive)
Jul 28, 2009

Nine cents a square foot or 36 cents a square foot. That's the difference in cost between a vacation rental and a hotel room in Phoenix, according to a recent HomeAway report. Denver, Miami, Seattle, and Oahu were surveyed as well, with similar results. Now TripAdvisor has introduced an interactive online calculator to help travelers compare hotel and VR costs in hundreds of cities.

HomeAway's Brian Sharples on Fox Business News (in: News Archive)
Jul 18, 2009

We were delighted to see HomeAway's co-founder and CEO Brian Sharples being interviewed on Fox Business News recently, helping to spread the word about vacation rentals as a lodging option for travelers. In case you missed it, we've captured the video from YouTube and presented it here, along with a summary of the key points Mr. Sharples made in the interview.