AUSTIN, Texas, July 30, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - HomeAway, Inc. (Nasdaq: AWAY ), which recently surpassed one million live vacation rental listings, today announces the enhancement of its mobile application that enables its vacation rental owners to customize the guest experience by streamlining communication of rental logistics and local attractions to improve the traveler's stay.
With the utilization of its March acquisition of Glad to Have You™, the vacation rental industry's leading mobile guest management solution, HomeAway has strengthened its hospitality features for its owners with the HomeAway Mobile Hospitality Manager℠. The enhanced feature is intended to save time for the owner, but ultimately travelers in providing a go-to resource for any questions the guest may have about the property, from the moment they book a stay. In essence, the app functions as a digital replacement to the traditional three-ring binder left by many vacation rental owners in their homes, stuffed with tips about the house, printed maps, activity pamphlets and menus.
How does the Mobile Hospitality Manager feature work? A vacation rental owner accesses their customized property information from within their HomeAway account in a new Mobile Hospitality dashboard. From here, owners supply content about the vacation rental home such as directions to the property, check-in/check-out times, house rules and curated guidebooks that highlight the owner's favorite local attractions, restaurants and activities. The level of detail the owner may provide goes even as far as recommending favorite menu items from restaurants.
"What I like about the website and the app is that I get to interact with my guests, and I get to tailor-make their experience for them," notes HomeAway vacation rental owner Lianna Mills in this video that explains the benefits of Mobile Hospitality Manager for owners. "HomeAway allows my family and I to have the peace of mind that my guests are being taken care of, that my business is being taken care of, and I still get to be that hospitable human being that I love being."
During the vacation rental stay, guests may use the app or mobile website to ask the owner questions about the home or surrounding area and flag issues that may arise. The app also includes a digital guestbook for the traveler to leave photos and a review of the property after the stay.
"Unique properties and passionate owners are central to the vacation rental experience," says Tom Hale, HomeAway chief product officer. "Owners can now customize information about their vacation rental and destination and automatically deliver it to their guests' mobile devices, creating a personalized, professional experience with less effort."
The HomeAway mobile app is free to download for iOS and Android for use by HomeAway and VRBO® customers. A detailed introduction to the app is also available here: http://bit.ly/MobileHospitality
About HomeAway
HomeAway, Inc. based in Austin, Texas, is the world's leading online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, with sites representing approximately one million paid listings of vacation rental homes in 190 countries. Through HomeAway, owners and property managers offer an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online. The HomeAway portfolio includes the leading vacation rental websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es and Toprural.es in Spain; AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil; HomeAway.com.au in Australia; and Bookabach.co.nz in New Zealand. Asia Pacific short-term rental site, travelmob.com, is also owned by HomeAway.
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HomeAway.com Adam Annen +1 512-505-1548
