Ever wonder what it would be like to live as James Bond?
Now you can at this historic Spanish tower in Southern Tuscany… The home was a popular set of the highly anticipated, and newly released James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.
This extraordinary villa is tucked away in a magical corner of southern Tuscany close to the beautiful Maremma National Park. This magnificent four-bedroom castle has breathtaking views over the Mediterranean – so breathtaking this action-packed “007” sequel was filmed there. Originally built by the Spanish to protect against Saracen invasions, the castle has recently been beautifully renovated and is now the ideal house for those who want to enjoy an extraordinary seaside holiday.
Take a look at this villa in all it’s glory here, and for those who have not yet seen the film, view the Quantum of Solace trailer here to get a glimpse of the movie and the villa.
This December 17 and 18 leaders from Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network and Ensemble Travel Group will discuss how they believe the luxury sector will evolve in 2009. There is no need to book tickets because this is a virtual summit hosted by Travel Weekly. I’ve “attended” one in the past, or should I say I dropped in for a session and then had to leave.
We are happy to announce the second winner in The Society’s Vacation Giveaway. Congratulations Jan Corbin!
Jan, her daughter, sisters and cousin will be headed to Keystone thanks in part to our property partner Summit Cove. Jan also receives a $500 gift certificate to ship her luggage to Keystone compliments of our newest preferred partner The Luggage Club.
Jan let us know she has experienced some extraordinarily difficult times the past number of years and is now prepared to, “…spend a few days reading a book, walking around seeing other sites, and reinvigorating myself”.
Florida Resident Wins Colorado Luxury Stay: The Society Celebrates Thanksgiving 2nd Winner Announced - Eight (8) More Weeks of Vacation Available
Titusville, FL (November 20, 2008) - This Thanksgiving, Florida resident, Jan Corbin, greets her holiday season with the excitement of being selected as winner of a 5-night luxury stay at The Lone Eagle resort in Keystone, CO.
Corbin had just signed on as a member of The Luggage Club when she noticed The Club’s sponsorship of The Society’s SAVE THE AMERICAN VACATION promotion.
She joined the cast of thousands to pen her personal 200-word narrative, “Why I Need A Vacation”. Judges admired Corbin’s determination to surmount personal loss, and choice to share a trip of a lifetime with her daughter and friends in Keystone, CO, provided by The Society’s Luxe Alliance partner Summit Cove Rentals … Read More.
We imagine Jan and her supportive group of girlfriends will have a wonderful, relaxing time in Keystone.
Thank you to all participants thus far. Out judging panel have a terribly difficult time each week checking all the entries and selecting just one winner. Remember however, there are 8 homes remaining!! If you have not yet registered do so now here. Our next drawing is on December 3rd, so get your submissions in to win the “Acadia Estate” in Kissimmee, Florida thanks to our Luxe Alliance member Orlando All Star Vacation Homes. This home is ideally located near Disney and perfect for that family getaway!!!
Our preferred partner, The Luggage Club, has stepped up again and is contributing a $100 gift certificate to the winner as well … imagine your luggage and goods waiting for you at your final destination, and enjoying hands-free travel!
As expected there has been quite a bit of buzz around the vacation rental, travel and VC communities regarding the recent HomeAway funding. I pulled a SnapShot from Compete of 5 of the top sites that HomeAway operates so those unfamiliar can better understand the size of HomeAway.
You can see below the top 5 sites bring in nearly 2M unique visitors per month (based on Compete’s estimates).
In a recent Wall Street Journal blog post, Heidi Moore dug into the funding situation a bit more:
“…(HomeAway.com) is kind of an eBay for vacation-home rentals, and it has done booming business amid the downturn as many owners of second homes look to rent out their country houses to get additional cash. The company sought additional cash to make acquisitions as the market values of competitors fell.
The company was no stranger to big capital-raises or acquisitions, pulling in $160 million in November 2006 and completing 10 acquisitions in the past three years. The company used some of that cash to expand globally– 30% of its revenue now comes from overseas, according to Technology Crossover Ventures partner Woody Marshall.
To keep that expansion going, HomeAway flirted with a public listing: in October 2007, the company and its bankers, Goldman Sachs Group and Credit Suisse Group, “did 95% of the work toward putting an IPO together,” but pulled back before officially filing it with the Securities and Exchange Commission…”
Congratulations Kim Fritz!!!! Kim has won a 5-night getaway to Villa Las Olas in Cabo, compliments of Lifestyle Villas. Kim mentioned she will taking her family along and extending an invitation to her best friend and family. Thanks to some very creative writing that caught the eyes of our judging panel, Kim explained she attempts to master her daily 3-ring circus; work, home, and family.
“I try to keep the plates spinning, the lions fed, and the clowns in order…”.
-Why We Need A Vacation? Week One Winner Chosen
Nine (9) More Weeks of Vacation Available-
Lakewood, CO (November 12, 2008) – The Society of Leisure Enthusiasts (www.thesociety.com), representing 5,000+ of the finest vacation home rentals in the world is proud to announce the first recipient of the “Save the American Vacation” promotion conceived in response to the current global financial crisis to brighten the upcoming holiday season.
Ms. Kim Fritz of St. Petersburg, Florida will enjoy 5 nights of lavishness and opulence in Cabo San Lucas residing in the Villa Las Olas provided by The Society’s Luxe Alliance partner Lifestyle Villas of Los Cabos. Kim, her family and her best friend’s family will enjoy spacious living/entertaining rooms and 4 bedrooms within this magnificent example of contemporary Mexican architecture. Adjacent to the villa are two infinity-edge pools, a jetted hot tub, a large built-in gas BBQ, outdoor fireplace and outdoor dining seating 8 covered by a Palapa, all a stone’s throw from the Sea of Cortez…read more.
Congrats Again Kim & Family and Have Fun!!
Thank you to all the other contestants from week 1 and remember we have 9 more homes to giveaway and your registration puts you right back in the mix for next week when we giveaway the magnificent Lone Eagle in Keystone, Colorado donated by our Luxe Alliance member Summit Cove Rentals … AND the pot is sweetened this next week thanks to our new preferred vendor The Luggage Club. They have extended a $500 gift certificate to the winner toward luggage and/or equipment shipping to Keystone!! How great is that, no hassle travel!!!
If you haven’t registered, do so now at www.thesociety.com/giveaway or extend an invite to your friends and family!!!
Finally, a sincere thank you to Mom Central and Lifestyle Villas. Without great partners like these none of this would be possible.
Big news in the vacation rental industry. Yesterday Home Away announced another large round of financing. They raised an additional $250M. Techcrunch released a blog entitled “Monster Round For HomeAway: $250 Million, At An Absurd Valuation“. Below is the post, please click through to read the comments.
Austin, Texas based HomeAway, a vacation home rental service, has raised a $250 million round of financing. This comes on top of $209 million previously raised over two rounds.
The new financing was led by Technology Crossover Ventures, with existing investors IVP and Redpoint Ventures participating as well. The financing is the largest minority investment of a U.S. Internet company in the last eight years, according to Venture Source.
The pre-money valuation was around $1.15 billion, say a couple of sources, and at least $50 million of the round went off the table to earlier investors. The company was founded in 2005 and has grown primarily through acquisitions: They’ve acquired at least eleven vacation home rental sites, including VRBO, VacationRentals.com, Abritel.fr and OwnersDirect.co.uk.
The company has revenues of around $150 million and $50 million in ebitda. In addition to cashing out some of the investors, our guess is that the additional funding will likely be used for further acquisitions.
It’s also clear that the round was seriously overvalued. Ebay was rumored to have mulled over an acquisition earlier this year at $1.5 billion, but it never came through with a firm offer. It’s not clear who else could be a buyer at this valuation. Also, since HomeAway has acquired just about everyone in the market, there’s little room for
additional growth via acquisitions. 20x ebitda is a public company valuation for a company with real growth potential. Our guess is these new investors may take a bath.
What does this mean to the industry? Time will tell but my guess is they have a few things in mind:
1. Online booking tool/service for RBOs (Rent by owners). Either they will build it (or it’s built) or they will buy someone that is doing it well.
2. Make a bigger push into the property management segment of the industry.
3. Rollout premium services for existing clients, one of which might include an advertising engine for RBOs that currently just post their property profiles.
Our Luxe Alliance partner, Herrick Guest Suites, have put together a great little package for those of you headed to Manhattan before January 15th.
Enjoy shopping, theater, and winter festivities in New York this holiday season.
Receive a free $100 gift certificate to a local restaurant, if you book with us before January 15th, 2009.
Mention this special when inquiring!
Herrick Guest suites offers some great properties in downtown Manhattan. You can check them out here:
Herrick Guest Suites offer luxury apartment suites that provide a stylish accommodation alternative for business and leisure travelers alike. They are perfect as vacation rentals and as corporate housing solutions. Whether you seek a weekend getaway or an extended stay, make yourself at home.
With Christmas just around the corner, The Society has some remarkable travel packages available with some of the finest rentals in Tuscany, Italy. Take a look, and inquire now to reserve your perfect rental home for the holidays.
What better way to enjoy the festive season than by staying at this gorgeous villa in Florence. Discover one of Italy’s most charming cities as well as the Tuscan cuisine created by the villa’s private chef accompanied by the estate’s produced wines. Celebrate Christmas around a cracling fire, under an elegantly decorated Christmas tree. Not to mention having a beautiful spa at your fingertips as an oasis of relaxation and rejuvenation!
Offer includes Luxurious private villa accommodating up to 18 people, scrumptious buffet breakfast daily, bottle of Chianti Classico and Amedei Tuscan chocolates in room upon welcome, Complimentary Traditional Christams Eve dinner for the family including estate’s wines, Christmas gift compliments of the villa (placed under the lovely, adorned Christmas tree), and a festively decorated villa!
Stay at this villa this winter for a blissful vacation in the ancient spa town of San Casciano dei Bagni! This spectacular villa offers an escape from the ordinary and an entry to the sublime. The property is just steps from the famed therapeutic thermal spring spa for further pampering and relaxation.
Weekly Rate for 13 Pax – € 7,813
Weekly Rate for 9 Pax – € 6,250
Book 3 Weeks, Get an Additional Week FREE!!!
Offer includes:
One week accommodation within the dates of November to March 26 (excluding Christmas and New Year’s Eve weeks)
Complimentary Welcome Dinner at La Fontanella Restaurant, just minutes from the villa
15% off admission to world-renowned, luxurious spa center – steps from Federico
This package is perfect for larger groups or family vacations during the holidays -This country estate can accommodate up to 10 people in the main villa. Just 25 minutes from Florence’s city center, this villa is a great holiday retreat for those that want to enjoy the villa experience and yet have the historical Florence nearby. Visit the world-renowned Uffizzi museum or go see Michelangelo’s David at the Academy… then gather in your cozy living room around the fireplace for a holiday toast!
Belize is a dazzling location to spend the holidays, and for members of The Society, our impressive villa rentals in Ambergris Caye are available at a 15% discount through the remainder of 2008 (including the full holiday season of Christmas and New Years).
Belize is a haven for waterlovers with premier snorkeling, windsurfing, sailing, fishing, kayaking, kiteboarding, and boat touring. Ambergris Caye is also one of the world’s finest diving destinations.
If Belize sounds like the adventure you’ve been waiting for, simply send us a MatchMaker inquiry. We’ll search the villas based on your criteria and send you the most ideal options. With only a few months left, take advantage of this unique 15% discount, and experience the beauty of Belize. Our villas are located at Las Terrazas Resort, the one and only preferred boutique (of Preferred Hotels and Resorts) in Belize.
At Las Terrazas there are various and diverse options: a fun barbeque on the gardens along with your friends; an amusing afternoon of family gathering in one of the pools; a diving expedition through the coral reef; a soothing Spa session; or a romantic dinner with your special one under the stars and the moon shivering its silver reflects on the Caribbean Sea everything is possible in this well cared and exclusive atmosphere.
Prices range from $575 - $1100 per night. At 15% off, savings are up to $165 per night.
The Travel Innovation Summit is a new PhoCusWright event that showcases the travel industry’s hottest, most innovative Web and mobile-based applications.
Travel, tourism and hospitality is the world’s largest industry, responsible for 8% of global employment, 9% of invested capital and 10% of global GDP. Millions of citizens will leave their borders for the first time this year; international tourism actually grew year-over-year about 5 per cent in the first four months of 2008 (UN World Tourism Organization).
The marketplace is enormously fragmented because of the terrestrial nature of travel itself. Companies and infrastructure are required to be located all over the world, one destination at a time. However, the travel researching, planning, sharing and purchasing process is wholly digital, which is why travel is an e-commerce category killer. Technology-based innovation that improves customer travel planning experiences are therefore enormously important to the overall industry.
The Society is honored to be selected as one of the presenters. On Nov 17th from 12:21 - 12:34 (yes that is the official time) we will be on stage. The event has some other very prominent presenters including:
In addition to the Travel Innovation Summit, we will be hanging around and attending the Center Stage event on Wednesday and Thursday. On Tuesday, Flipkey, Endless Vacation Rentals (Wyndham Worldwide), HomeAway, LeisureLink, USDM and VacationRoost.com will be sharing insights on the entire vacation rental industry. I believe each of these companies sponsored the Vacation Rentals Industry report that PhoCusWright fielded this year (due out in Jan 2009).
Press RSS feed.
This December 17 and 18 leaders from Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network and Ensemble Travel Group will discuss how they believe the luxury sector will evolve in 2009. There is no need to book tickets because this is a virtual summit hosted by Travel Weekly. I’ve “attended” one in the past, or should I say I dropped in for a session and then had to leave. 
