HomeEscapes.com any bookings yet?

[Codliveroil]

It is perhaps early days yet but has anyone who has listed with them received any inquiries and any bookings.

Please let us know when you listed and how many inquiries and how many bookings you have received directly from them or via them.

Thanks

[AngloDutch]

Codliveroil, we listed on 11th March 2016. Since then, zero enquiries.

We've advertised on so many startups over the last 13 years and, although a great many now no longer exist, we hope that those remaining (like theholidaylet) will eventually produce a genuine enquiry for us.

p.s. I doubled checked first that you weren't mentioning another site, but when I typed in 'homeescapes.com', it came out as a hot tub installer in Washington D.C...

[Codliveroil]

p.s. I doubled checked first that you weren't mentioning another site, but when I typed in 'homeescapes.com', it came out as a hot tub installer in Washington D.C...

That is weird, the http version goes hot tub and the https version go to the vacation site. How is this possible?

My site is still http I wonder if someone can have the https version! Yikes! that is a bit worrying?

Any ideas?

[newtimber]

They both go hot tub for me.
If your server allows secure pages, then you the owner can serve https versions of your page - but no-one else can.

[Codliveroil]

Nothing to to with http or https.

homeescape.com is vacations

homeescapes.com is hot tubs

[COYS]

The OP got me thinking, so I went to have a look at a listing I didn't expect much from to begin with. 1 enquiry I can recall.
However, imagine my surprise when I logged in to the dashboard & under 'Reservation Manager' saw the following stats;

Inquiries 0/1

Reservations 0/5729

As the saying goes WTF. A quick look at the list shows all 5729 have been 'blocked'. That is, they were intercepted as suspicious & on digging deeper they look automated, for weird dates/durations etc.
I suppose that means their spam filters are working to a degree but that's either a hell of a lot or one very persistent spam bot.
On the upside at least there was a genuine one that got through.

[Sam V]

I had an email from them today 'You spoke, we've listened!' Which prompted me to look at the site. I started setting up a listing some time back no when, but wasn't keen on the $199 annual fee considering the results you seem to be (not) getting, so just wondered if there's been any improvement?

[COYS]

I have had just 2 genuine enquiries leading to one booking via them. Due to arrive next week, it started out as a house swap proposal in Florida, turned into a 10 day booking request & ended taking up the 8 night space we had. Canadian/Greeks attending a family wedding booked through our own website, paid via PayPal at their request.
Probably just a lucky break, but I'll take that

[Codliveroil]

I had an email from them today 'You spoke, we've listened!' Which prompted me to look at the site. I started setting up a listing some time back no when, but wasn't keen on the $199 annual fee considering the results you seem to be (not) getting, so just wondered if there's been any improvement?

I also had the same email, and Mr Poppadom whatever his name is says that they are now the biggest listing site in the world and taking on over a 1000 properties each day.............

So I looked at Portugal only 131 properties listed, Spain 34, London UK 30, New York NY 34...........1000 a day, oh yeah!

IMO Homescape is just another Delhi type website to scam property owners out of $199 not unlike Sunnyrentals and others.

I have not had 1 enquiry from them and I am not going to pay them a cent, I wonder how long my property will stay listed if I don't pay, my guess is that they won't de-list non payers as they won't have any properties left.

[COYS]

I had an email from them today 'You spoke, we've listened!' Which prompted me to look at the site. I started setting up a listing some time back no when, but wasn't keen on the $199 annual fee considering the results you seem to be (not) getting, so just wondered if there's been any improvement?

I also had the same email, and Mr Poppadom whatever his name is says that they are now the biggest listing site in the world and taking on over a 1000 properties each day.............

So I looked at Portugal only 131 properties listed, Spain 34, London UK 30, New York NY 34...........1000 a day, oh yeah!

IMO Homescape is just another Delhi type website to scam property owners out of $199 not unlike Sunnyrentals and others.

I have not had 1 enquiry from them and I am not going to pay them a cent, I wonder how long my property will stay listed if I don't pay, my guess is that they won't de-list non payers as they won't have any properties left.

I don't think it is a 'Delhi type' site Codliveroil.
It is however very heavily US rental focussed & Europe is sparsely represented.
In spite of (my) nominal results I agree that I would be hesitant to pay for my current free listing at this time. I'm not sure they've made their mind up whether they want to be a listing site or an HA-lite in the making. Policies introduced, then dropped amidst protest suggest the former but I'm unconvinced.
As you suggest I don't think they will or can de-list non subscribers until they have a much bigger paid platform.

[Mr Cellophane]

I had an email from them today 'You spoke, we've listened!' Which prompted me to look at the site. I started setting up a listing some time back no when, but wasn't keen on the $199 annual fee considering the results you seem to be (not) getting, so just wondered if there's been any improvement?

I also had the same email, and Mr Poppadom whatever his name is says that they are now the biggest listing site in the world and taking on over a 1000 properties each day.............

So I looked at Portugal only 131 properties listed, Spain 34, London UK 30, New York NY 34...........1000 a day, oh yeah!

IMO Homescape is just another Delhi type website to scam property owners out of $199 not unlike Sunnyrentals and others.

I have not had 1 enquiry from them and I am not going to pay them a cent, I wonder how long my property will stay listed if I don't pay, my guess is that they won't de-list non payers as they won't have any properties left.

BiB - I have the same experience. They won't be getting any of my money either.

[Nigel Goodwin]

BiB - I have the same experience. They won't be getting any of my money either.

It's difficult.

If you expect a new listing site to generate bookings in the first year, you are going to be disappointed.

If you expect something for nothing, you are going to be disappointed.

If you expect new sites to emerge with years of effort by the founders on zero salaries, you are going to be disappointed.

If you expect some venture capitalists to invest billions in the first year of a new start-up, you are going to be disappointed.

If you expect individual holiday owners to provide some seed capital so they can benefit from future growth, you are going to be disappointed.

If you expect 100,000 individual holiday owners to list in the first year, even if it is free, you are going to be disappointed.

Yet if nobody does anything, nothing will change.

So if there is a collective taking of responsibility to help change the current status quo, how do you decide which platform(s) to support? In what way will you support them? 100 owners paying £50 p.a. each is hardly going to frighten Expedia et. al.

[Igor]

Very well put, Nigel!

[COYS]

Very well put, Nigel!

+1

[Nigel Goodwin]

Part of the theory of disruptors is that they have a much greater velocity of innovation than incumbents. However, initially the product offering is inferior, and they start at the low end of the market.

For any business, there is bound to be a large number of potential disruptors, the question is why some succeed and some fail. For every Amazon, there are many many failures. There are probably 100 or more companies trying to take the global direct listing site vacuum created by the move of the major players into online booking - but which will prevail?

It is many thousands of companies if you include regional or niche listing sites.

I don't expect an answer to that! Maybe it is just luck and/or timing. Plus heaps of perseverance.

p.s. often thought about adding a hot tub to my property in Newquay, maybe in a hut, I have plenty of room