HomeAway Orlando Bookings

With its plans to raise significant capital through an initial public common stock offering, HomeAway.com (or HomeAway® as it is known in the industry) is hoping it can pursue online travel leadership. Insiders indicate that if the HomeAway IPO is successful, over $200 million could be raised placing the HomeAway total estimated valuation at the north of $2 billion (Source: Bloomberg).

Is this a good thing for the industry?

This follows in line with other recent successful online business stock offerings according to the Wall Street Journal. According to many insider sources, online travel is very hot. Even within the travel space, vacation rentals are growing at a faster pace than most other online segments.

According to Forbes.com, HomeAway sales climbed 40% in 2010 which is quite a feat in this economy. HomeAway’s major “product” is the vacation rentals by owner (vrbo) product segment which is not to be confused with rental homes that are managed by a professional management company.

Will this create buzz for the vacation home industry? Our answer to this would most likely be “Yes”. Renting a vacation home in the United States is “top of mind” for many Americans. In fact, many families do not even consider the advantages of vacation rentals before booking traditional hotel accommodation. Having a bellwether company like HomeAway getting this positive publicity (and capital) should be good for the vacation home rental industry in terms of public awareness.

If you are considering coming to sunny Orlando Florida for business or pleasure, consider a vacation rental as the accommodation of choice. This site focuses on professional reviews for over 80 resort communities that accept short term rentals. Each resort profile contains critical information including location, photos, video, and a description of each community. Most of these communities are within minutes of local landmarks and major attractions in Central Florida.