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.

Domain(s): homeaway.com, vrbo.com, vacationrentals.com, a1vacations.com, cyberrentals.com

Metric: Unique Visitors - Monthly

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…”

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.

-Christmas Package 2008 at Luxurious 10 Suite Villa near Florence - S3035:

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!

Minimum stay of 3 nights
Daily Rate of $7,016
-Bravo Winter Bliss Special at Exquisite Stone Villa in the Val D’Orcia Region - S3023:

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.

In less than 2 weeks PhoCusWright’s Travel Innovation Summit will be rocking and rolling.

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:

• http://www.adventurelink.com/
• http://www.cadabra.com/
• http://www.dealbase.com/
• http://escapia.com/
• http://www.liverez.com/
• http://www.travelmuse.com/
• http://www.tripit.com/
• http://www.triporati.com/
• http://www.uptake.com/
• http://www.yapta.com/

Next month The Society will be exhibiting at the well-regarded Luxury Travel Expo. It’s the 10th anniversary for the Expo and we are excited to participate. A few of our partners will be joining us. Be on the look out for The Society team, Bella Palazzo and Aspen Luxury Rentals. We will be featuring several of our 5,000 qualified luxury properties as well as unveil new tools for travel agents. Finally, travel agents will have easy access to fantastic homes not available on the GDS brought to you by The Society of Leisure Enthusiasts.

About Luxury Travel Expo (www.LuxuryTravelExpo.com)
Produced by Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent Magazine and Premier Hotels & Resorts, Luxury Travel Expo is the industry’s largest gathering of luxury travel professionals. The show’s successful formula consists of an unequaled educational program and ample exhibit hall hours where luxury suppliers and buyers can network. The tenth annual Luxury Travel Expo will take place December 2-4, 2008 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

About Questex Media Group, Inc. (www.Questex.com)
Questex Media Group, Inc. is a global, diversified business-to-business integrated media and information provider, headquartered in Newton, MA.  Questex serves multiple industries including technology, telecommunications, beauty, spa, travel, hospitality, leisure, abilities, home entertainment, landscape design, building services and natural resources through a range of well-established, market-leading publications, events, interactive media, research, information and integrated marketing services. The company’s media properties include over 100 print and digital media publications, 45 conferences, trade shows and events, as well as a range of research, data and information products. The company’s businesses are managed through operating companies including Questex Media Group; InfoTrends, Inc., Imaging Networks and; McLean Events International, Ltd, a world-leading producer of appointment-based events. The company’s combined operations include more than 400 employees in offices throughout North America,
South America, Asia and Europe.

In a recent news release, TIA and YPartnership published findings on ‘Home-Based’ vacations (aka “staycations”). They found 14% of American leisure travelers took a staycation in the past 6 months and 9% expect to in the next 6 months. I’d guess the slight drop is due to the fact summer is over and kids are heading back to school. But there were some other insights into what is driving staycations and what they are doing…

In a surprising revelation, among those adults planning to take a home-based vacation during the next six months fully one out of five (22 percent, or 5.1 million adults) expects to stay in a local hotel, motel or resort at least one night on their “staycation.” This suggests that many Americans still plan to “get away” even if their destination is local. Lodging establishments and other tourism-related businesses will clearly benefit from these unexpected and previously-unreported expenditures.

“People taking ‘staycations’ are not necessarily entertaining themselves at home,” said Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association. “On the contrary, many are participating in travel-related activities that generate significant revenues for restaurants, attractions, theme parks, as well as hotels and resorts.”

TIA and YPartnership article

I have nothing against local motels and hotels, and they are perfect for many types of travel; however, if you’re going to take off for a week (or even a 3 day weekend), it’s worth checking out a vacation rental. Enjoy the benefits of having private space, a kitchen, a dinning room and more. Not to mention, a vacation rental is typically less expensive per head than any hotel.

Published August 7, 2008, an article featured in the Great Homes and Destinations section of the New York Times featured one of The Society’s most esteemed Luxe Alliance partners.  Peak Properties, Inc., the premier provider of luxury vacation rentals and services in Vail, CO and host of our open house in late July was spotlighted for their design efforts as they prepare for a busy winter ski season.

Joseph Sobin, marketing and media relations manager at Peak Properties, explains how eco-friendly design is becoming a large draw for luxury rentals in Vail.

Most other companies talk about fine linens and Viking stoves, and the reality is these are standard in luxe homes.  We are trying to also push the green aspect of the home and the decor.

Peak Properties is setting a standard that we appreciate so much from our partners.  They are rewriting their house descriptions to include green details and add another layer of value for travelers to appreciate.

Nicely done, Peak, and we encourage all of our partners on The Society to refine their information, take one step further and find value adds that can deliver truly exceptional vacation experiences.

Read the full article here, and gain some insightful tips to make your rentals stand out in an increasingly crowded market…(Step 1 is having your rentals showcased on The Society, of course!)

For travelers considering a trip that is somewhat out-of-the-norm, EthicalTraveler.org has released its list of the 10 Best Ethical Destinations for 2008.  Ethical travel is a term given to travel that is thought to “support international goodwill and promote cross-cultural understanding,” and there are many developing countries that are offering superb vacation experiences and who have made wonderful strides for environmental protection, social welfare and human rights in their efforts to draw in tourists.

Ethical Traveler encourages people to “step off the beaten path” and consider some of these fantastic locations for their next vacations:

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Bulgaria
4. Chile
5. Costa Rica
6. Croatia
7. Estonia
8. Namibia
9. Nicaragua
10. South Africa

The highest rated Ethical destination is undoubtedly Costa Rica.  With “a very high level of overall environmental health, excellent water resources, biodiversity, air quality, sustainable energy, civil liberties, and the highest rated score in the Freedom in the World 2007 report,” Costa Rica is a leader in sustainable tourism.

The Society continues to support sustainable and ethical travel, and we will continue to bring you viable vacation rental options to plan your own ethical trip.  Check out The Society’s hand-selected vacation rentals in Costa Rica for your next vacation.

As a recent Forbes.com article explains, the offering of travel packages through charity auctions in not a new trend.

For travelers, it is such an excellent way to take a trip and give something back at the same time.  For businesses it is an opportunity to “wrap their brand in a halo,” as Kelly Fiore, Founder and CEO of CharityFolks.com put it.

For property managers in the vacation rental industry, it may be worth considering, as there is the potential for many benefits as well.

* Doing a Greater Good
* Exposure to Targeted Audiences
* Appealing to Trusted Guests

Contact The Society for help if you are interested in donating some time at your vacation homes.

The Society would love to hear from travelers and property managers alike.  Submit a comment, and leave us your thoughts on charity travel packages.

In the last few weeks I’ve had several partners, property managers, colleagues, and friends ask me for recommendations for (internet) tools that I use to make life easier. Here are some of my answers:

Resources to check out:

“How do you find time to twitter? and how do you get it on facebook?”
For the twitters out there that have mobile phones it’s time to download TwitterBerry (http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/). It’s also worth downloading twirl for your desktop. It saves time, energy, and organizes your twitter life quite nicely. Regarding getting your tweets on Facebook, just download the Twitter App (on facebook) and enter your ID and PW. Pretty simple http://apps.facebook.com/twitter/. Of course, if you don’t tweet then you probably don’t care. If you’re wondering what Twitter is then check out my profile on the site http://twitter.com/McFads.

“Any secrets in writing blogs?”
In terms of content, that’s up to you. As far as writing/posting blogs, download ScribeFire (for firefox) and I quote ‘post to your blog without ever leaving Firefox.’ Warning: you might start blogging too much because it’s that easy! Please note I’m writing this blog from the ScribeFire tool.

“How do I know about my SEO?”
There are many tools out there to check out your SEO. I’m a big fan of SEO Quake (also for Firefox). It embeds a toolbar in your browser that displays critical information about every site you view. It was developed for webmasters but I think everyone that has a business presence online should have it. SEO Quake “allows user to obtain and investigate many important parameters of the internet project.”

A new luxury poll taken from 278 American Express Centurion card holders brings to light some emerging trends of affluent travelers.

* “Two thirds (66%) seek destinations that are entirely private and secluded to take them away from the crowds.”
* “72% are demanding bespoke, personalised experiences, catering exclusively for their needs.”
* “76% want to gain new talents and a sense of individual achievement during trips.”
* “A big driver in the growth of tailored travel is the need for security and privacy.”
* “If you want to see things off the beaten track and experience views few get to see, doing this without the crowds is what really makes it a truly luxury experience.”
* “The continued growth of luxury vacation rentals, yachting, and private plane businesses is a testament to this overarching desire for exclusive and private experiences.”

As so many of us have realized, this is the beauty of enjoying a vacation in a luxury rental rather than a high-end hotel.  Luxury rental homes combine the concierge/services typical of 5-star hotels with the seclusion and comforts of a private estate.

You can read the entire article here, and to begin a search for your perfect rental home, start here.