TripAdvisor has announced the acquisition of Massachusetts-based VacationHomeRentals.com for an undisclosed sum.
Vacation Home Rentals has 14,000 listings worldwide, and will join TripAdvisor. Dermot Halpin, president of TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals:
"We're thrilled to welcome Vacation Home Rentals to the TripAdvisor family. The team delivers a great experience for both homeowners and travelers and the inventory is a valuable addition to our fast-growing business.
This is the second purchase in a year for TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals, as the division acquired Spain's Niumba a little under a year ago. The division has been steadily snapping up competitors, starting several years back with UK's Holiday Lettings.
In addition to straight purchases of competitors, TripAdvisor has been pursuing partnerships that allow its consumer reviews to be placed alongside holiday rentals. The division aims to have a comprehensive rentals portfolio that benefits from the wider company's status as the most visited travel and review site.
The company says that the addition of Vacation Home Rentals brings the vacation rental count to over 550,000 rental properties, including inventory from other portfolio brands like FlipKey.
TripAdvisor signalled its intent to take the vacation rental sector seriously (beyond its previous somewhat piecemeal acquisitions) when it hired Halpin in 2011 to oversee a dedicated division. Halpin was previously president for Europe at Expedia, when the pair were sister companies.
NB: For rent sign courtesy Shutterstock.