HomeAway is plotting the next phase of its quest for world domination with a gradual rebranding of its sites around the globe.
Sites such as the UK's Holiday Rentals, which was acquired by HomeAway in 2007, have seen a makeover in recent weeks to push the HomeAway branding to the forefront.
Other sites are expected to follow suit in the coming months as HomeAway slowly pulls all the acquired brands under one corporate roof.
Supporting the rebranding campaign in Europe will be a ongoing marketing campaign, possibly including what may be its first foray into TV advertising outside of the US.
HomeAway is a tough talker and says the enormous growth potential in the holiday rentals space is not being realised by other players in the industry - especially the online travel agencies.
Petra Friedmann, ex-general manager for Opodo France who was recently installed as president for HomeAway in Europe, says the European marketplace alone is now worth around £25-30 billion in annual rental revenue.
In the UK it is estimated to be £2-£4 billion a year, while a PhoCusWright report in 2008 plotted the US market at roughly $24 billion.
Friedmann, parroting HomeAway CEO and holiday rental evangelist Brian Sharples, believes the marketplace is only at the beginning of a major increase in accessibility, innovation and - most perhaps interestingly - acceptance by others as a credible part of the industry.
Web traffic across HomeAway's global brands increased by 48% between September 2008 and September 2009. Revenue growth for the company is so far running at around 35-40% for 2009.
Friedmann says OTAs are not capable of turning their attention to the holiday rental market because "it is a completely different job".
This may, of course, be a smokescreen to dissuade those from eyeing the obvious booty on offer from taking it too seriously.
[Friedmann admits that during her time at Opodo her team "looked at the rentals market"]
Interestingly, Sharples told me in 2008 that there was nothing to stop HomeAway from introducing its own OTA-merchant model.
When asked how this is working out, Friedmann says:
"We are doing tests with some property management owners. There is still some work to do to make it an intelligent solution because it is so much more complex."
There, once again, the boundaries between the two disciplines are being drawn - this is our domain, you stick with yours.
But it seems incredible to many that with travel technology, distribution switches and software able to run complex tour operating platforms and airline reservation and bookings systems, online travel agencies and others are unable or unwilling to tap into such a burgeoning market.