Bellevue (TAN): Texas-based travel website company VRBO has replaced vacation rental firm HomeAway to become the global alternative accommodations brand for American travel technology company Expedia Group.
Expedia Group, over the next year, plans to launch VRBO-branded sites in markets where it is not present now, and rebrand certain country-specific sites to VRBO, in phases.
[ALSO READ: Five foreign tourists die as plane crashes into sea in Honduras]
President and Chief Executive Officer of Expedia Group, Mark Okerstrom said: “Vrbo changed the way people in the U.S. travel and has a large, loyal community. We look forward to building on its heritage and investing in Vrbo as our primary global alternative accommodations brand.”
He added: “With several technology and business changes behind us, and the power of the Expedia Group platform propelling us forward, now is the time to focus on our brand strategy. Through a phased roll-out, we will gather the data we need to determine how to best introduce Vrbo to the world.”
VRBO, founded in 1995, was acquired by HomeAway eleven years later. Expedia Group eventually acquired both the companies in 2015. VRBO thereafter became an e-commerce business from a classified listings business to help customers find and reserve a vacation rental with greater ease.
“HomeAway has served us well over the years but was originally chosen for its descriptive nature for what was an emerging part of travel,” John Kim, President of VRBO said.
“Now that booking a home for a trip is mainstream, we need a lifestyle brand that travelers easily remember and love so much that they tell their friends and family about it. Fortunately, we already have one in VRBO,” he added.
[ALSO READ: France welcomed 89.4 million visitors in 2018, eyes 100 million in 2020]
VRBO as a search term has consistently ‘outperformed’ the HomeAway brand in the United States, given the data from Google Trends, Expedia Group said.
VRBO was recently given a fresh look and pronunciation for its name, in addition to new product features.
The group said sites including HomeAway.com will continue to function even after the introduction of VRBO in new markets.
Related posts:
Cannabis retail chain opens store in Santa Cruz with eye on tourists
Hilton to become the first brand to bake cookies in space
Demand for RVs go through the roof as Americans desperate to travel make a beeline for ‘COVID campers’
Intimate wine-pairing dinner taking place at Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta
