Vacasa’s Big Secret How the Vacation Home Rental Company Seizes Opportunities
Inside
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In that first year, Breon earned $20,000 in revenue, and an idea was born. Breon saw the need for a vacation rental management company that could streamline the process for rental owners by taking care of on-site management and booking while providing guests with premium vacation homes that have in-town maintenance services should issues arise. More than 10 years later, Vacasa’s rentals can be found in 34 states and three additional countries,
Summer vacations are back! As vaccination campaigns continue, more people are expanding their COVID-19 comfort zones to include
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travel, and as technology grows, so do their options for lodging.
and more than 2 million guests rely on Vacasa every year. In the beginning of 2020, Vacasa was on track to rake in more than $1 billion in gross bookings. THE SECRET Vacasa didn’t get this far by simply being one of the best options for consumers and rental owners. Instead, it accounted for all the variables. People choose to rent vacation homes because they have more space, can cook their own food, and have a relaxing home to return to at the end of the day. While platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo offer this, too, it’s the property owner’s responsibility to provide all of the photos and details of their home to appeal to guests. Without being experts, owners have to make guesses and assumptions — all while caring for their property as well. Meanwhile, guests may be left feeling lied to when they arrive at a home rental that isn’t what they were expecting. Vacasa takes care of the marketing and cares for their property owners. They offer 3D tours, 24-hour guest services, on-location maintenance experts, and a pricing tool to help owners properly value their bookings. With Vacasa, vacationers and owners are no longer in the dark — they have a team of experts supporting them.
With the advent of platforms like Expedia and Orbitz,
consumers can find hotels that fit within their
budget, location needs, and personal requirements. If you want the feeling of home while traveling, you may instead turn to platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo, which connect vacationers with rentals. Tourists are offered the comforts of home, while rental owners can earn a nice side hustle. But what if there was a platform that combined the amenities of a hotel experience, including professional maintenance, with the comfort and care of a personal home?
Enter Vacasa.
Sounds great, right? But that’s not the real secret to Vacasa’s success.
THE FOUNDING In 2009, founder Eric Breon started Vacasa after he and his wife, Alia, inherited a family cottage. The couple was on the hunt for a rental maintenance company that could take care of the property and find renters. What Breon found, as he explained to Forbes in 2018, was that rental companies lacked the tools he and his wife needed to properly promote their home. So, they took it on themselves.
Vacasa’s experts don’t see direct competition between them and other home vacation rental sites. Instead, they see opportunities. As Breon explained to Forbes in 2018, Vacasa advertises its rentals on sites like Airbnb, Home Away, and Vrbo. These platforms allow users to explore options for rental and find the price that works best for them. Thus, it puts Vacasa rentals right in the hands of the consumer — rather than competing with others for attention. Vacasa found a niche; they solve a problem property owners and tourists struggle with and combine their knowledge with search engine platforms that push their product to consumers. They don’t fight the trends. Instead, Vacasa embraces them, connecting renters, owners, and vacation companies.
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