AUSTIN, Texas & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HomeAway, Inc. (NASDAQ: AWAY), the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, and Gogobot, the world’s fastest-growing source of authentic travel advice, together today launch Insider Guides, which leverages tips and recommendations from individual vacation rental owners for destinations on the HomeAway® sites, HomeAway.com® and VRBO.com®.
Insider Guides is a social sharing feature that lets individual vacation rental owners create a customizable, online guidebook to provide their guests with recommendations to their favorite local restaurants, attractions and activities. Insider Guides combine the property owners’ local expertise with Gogobot’s rich destination content, photos, reviews and social functionality from more than 2.5 million contributing members. The guidebooks give travelers a first-hand perspective on what to do in popular vacation spots, hotbed cities and even the most remote destinations.
Insider Guides examples on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com:
While millions of travelers come to VRBO.com and HomeAway.com every month to find unique villas, homes and places to stay while on vacation, finding restaurants, attractions and activities is often one of the biggest hassles in the trip-planning process. Insider Guides addresses that by unlocking the deep, local knowledge of the HomeAway.com and VRBO.com owners.
The owners listing on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com may easily update their information to reflect seasonality or trending hotspots as well as print their Insider Guides to keep as a local information resource in their home. Travelers may also seamlessly sync the guides with their mobile device via Gogobot’s iOS™ and Android™ mobile applications for easy access to the information, enabling access to on-the-go maps, directions, phone numbers and other vital information while they explore the destination.
“I love the idea that HomeAway’s Insider Guides provides travelers with trusted, local advice,” says HomeAway Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder Brian Sharples. “As a vacation rental owner, I’ll use the product to showcase the hidden gems around my home that aren’t found in any guidebook. Near my vacation home in Colorado, families and groups can find the most popular ski slopes, but what about the little known mom-and-pop restaurant that serves the best food in town? That’s what Insider Guides provides our travelers.”
“At its core, Gogobot is about connecting people with trusted information to help them plan their next trip,” says Gogobot Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Travis Katz. “Insider Guides is a natural extension of this vision – enabling HomeAway.com and VRBO.com travelers to not only browse hundreds of thousands of vacation rental listings, but also discover authentic travel experiences curated by the individuals who best know the area around each property.”
To see a video about HomeAway Insider Guides, go to: http://bit.ly/14KLC3O
About Gogobot
Gogobot is where people who love to travel share their insider tips and access the travel advice of friends and others to discover, plan and book the perfect trip. By connecting via Facebook and/or Twitter, users receive a personalized list of travel recommendations and can share their experiences across their social networks. Users can book a hotel or restaurant directly through the site via partners including Expedia, Booking.com, Kayak, Priceline and OpenTable.
Founded in November 2010 by Travis Katz and Ori Zaltzman, Gogobot has raised $19 million from leading venture investors, including Battery Ventures, Redpoint Ventures and Innovation Endeavors. Gogobot is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, and also has an international office in London.
Gogobot for iPhone and iPod Touch is available for free from the iTunes App Store and for Android at Google Play.
About HomeAway
HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the world’s leading online marketplace of vacation rentals, with sites representing over 742,000 paid listings of vacation rental homes in 171 countries. HomeAway® offers an extensive selection of vacation rental homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, especially more room to relax, 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.
