4 'Top' American rental sites for £95?

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
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Mountain Goat
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4 'Top' American rental sites for £95?

Post by Mountain Goat »

I have to admit that I'm a Holiday-Rentals enthusiast, through and through; they provide almost all our bookings, simple as that. Sure I've got niggles, but who hasn't with any of them?

Any opinions on their latest offer? (via e-mail today):

Make your property available to more than 25 million US renters every year with our US Network of A1Vacations, CyberRentals, GreatRentals and HomeAway

and the package is £95/year (compared with US$299 subscribing direct) as a job lot for current customers. An attraction for us is not having to do any work on the new ads - they will use the same copy.

Good value or what? Are they 'top' or not? I don't use any of them, and '25 million renters' - is that potential renters, real renters or site visitors or views?

Goat
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Normandy Cow
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Post by Normandy Cow »

Hi Goat!
Yes, I got their email too, and also being a HR enthusiast I am very tempted and will give it serious consideration. But I'm not going to jump in straight away without more info! So any opinions are gratefully received.

Joanna, Brooke, you are both in the US - do you know of these sites?
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Post by A-two »

It didn't read to me as a real offer, rather as a press announcement "Coming Soon". This year? Next year? Sometime? Never?
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Seems we've already been piped into HomeAway, auto-converted to US$ as well.

This isn't an offer to LMH members specifically, it appears to be users of HR-UK.

Do N. Americans travel at the moment? I guess we're all different re security. I wouldn't use the Channel Tunnel if I was paid, our neighbours wouldn't climb on an aeroplane, Mrs G wouldn't dream of using the Tube etc. etc.

Goat
(aka Voice of Doom)
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Post by memes »

I got this too - had a look at the US sites to se how many were in my part of Italy - 3 of the 4 sites had only 1 or 2 places in Le Marche - the other one - Homeaway had 88 - mine being one of them to my surprise. So presumably everyone on there in Italy is on H-R and they have just transferred them over - they are not paying subscribers. I rather object to not being told and then asked if I would like to pay £95 for the priviledge.
Not very impressed at all - have emailed them to say so - I await their reply.

M
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Post by Mountain Goat »

memes
I don't see what the problem is - free exposure on Homeaway and you're invited to subscribe to include the others. Where can you lose?

Rather eccentric geographical names for my part of Switzerland, but only one 'competitor' with whom we exchange overflow punters with anyway.

Surely only having a handful of other listings in your area has got to be good for you/us?

That blurb about 'attracting more than 25 million renters a year' needs tightening up - anyone know what it means unless it actually means what it says?
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Post by memes »

I'm just a bit annoyed at the way they say take a look at our site to see how many advertisers are already on it when in fact I bet most of them are on a free trial they don't know about.
I'm always wary of sites which only have a very few properties in Italy - rather than my place standing out I just don't think anyone is looking for Italy on there.
They have come back to me to say apparantly we were told in the June newsletter that they were going to put us on the site. I don't recall it but I get so many rubbish 'newsletters' that I may have missed it. Certainly haven't had any enquiries.
I'm also very dubious about the 25 million visitors and how that is measured. Would love to know from our US members how well known those sites are..
I'm just becoming a bit cynical about HR putting revenue way before service. For example my place is actually 2 conhoined houses - 3 and 5 beds and I wanted it to appear as an 8 bedroom unit as well. HR charged me an extra £40ish while OD put it on as an extra unit for no charge. HR seem to be getting meaner and pushier since they were taken over.
but maybe I'm just in a grumpy mood this morning!

M
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Post by Mountain Goat »

I emailed HomeAway to ask about their 25 million, but they seem a bit inundated with their 'site transition' so maybe a few days.

I don't know why I keep defending HR here, but surely £40 is not much to list an 8-bedroom property, which gets shoved in their internal search engine as a separate unit, plus separate rate table plus calendar (HR you've got our address for donations).

We were a bit bitter and twisted about having to be 4 units (i.e. chalet and/or 3 apartments), but I like the flexibility to make the apartments non-available (or at least make the punters 'ask first') while we get on with flogging the chalet. So we're plugging February as everyone and their dog is looking for 1/2 term skiing as a family, and it worked. We can now 'release' the apartments as separate units for smaller groups.

Do you use SlowTrav? They're into Italy aren't they?

Goat
Last edited by Mountain Goat on Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by memes »

Yes have been on slowtrav for nearly a year. Not one enquiry. Very disappointing.Almost everything I get is though HR and OD now.
I also used italy mag with some success and holiday lettings and perfect places - a few enquiries no bookings..
Have tried loads of the free ones and am rapidly coming to the conclusion that its a waste of time.
Its all gone deadly quiet for me at the mo - had had a few enquiries for next year but suddenly nothing - maybe people are just paying the bills for their 06 hols now ..
Trying to think of ways to attract long weekenders who like walking holidays this autumn - I need to tap into the 'grey panther' market I think!
M
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Post by Mountain Goat »

Well, if it wasn't for the ski season I would be out with box of Big Issues.

Greypanther - great idea - just registered the .info domain*..It conjures up a perfect image for some 'senior' person, that although they're grey and barely staggering around on their own two pegs, they can still look on themselves as lithe and sporty. Perfect.

Watch this space.

Goat

* or let me know if you want it!
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Post by memes »

heh feel free - seriously I would love to target the early retireds who can grab those cheap midweek flights and are savvy to the world of the internet but I'm finding it really hard. Saga is the obvious place but they don't seem to do online ads for rentals.. any ideas gratefully received - it maddens me that my house lies empty really from Sept to May when its gorgeous out there in autumn and spring and people could have great cheap breaks..

*sigh*

M
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Post by Hells Bells »

Saga will only advetise their own holidays. There's also Silversurfers.co.uk
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Post by Mountain Goat »

memes

What about plugging opera, concerts, obscure sporting events tied to your property?

How about a Christian conference? Try:

www.lagostimes.com/

for a classified - they would be keen to help. 8)

Goat
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Post by memes »

Lol. Get plenty of those enquiries for sure..
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Post by Mountain Goat »

HelenB

Is that silversurfers.net ? Seems to be a bit of a linkfarm to Interhome....do they take ads?

Goat
Last edited by Mountain Goat on Fri Sep 08, 2006 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
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