Tech and Web NEWS

The Weather Channel Interactive Sells Off its Vacation Rental websites to Perfect Places

By Amarendra Bhushan for CEOWORLD Magazine Updated:February 10, 2010

The PerfectPlaces.com, an ideal resources to find a vacation rental property, acquires portfolio of Vacation Rental Web Sites businessfrom The Weather Channel Interactive. The sale includes sites such as forGetaway.com, RentJillsHouse.com, LakeRentals.com and CoastRentals.com. The PerfectPlaces.com website has over 50,000 vacation rental properties in over 98 countries.

Perfect Places is dedicated to helping travelers find and rent vacation rental properties worldwide. Vacation Rental properties offer a compelling alternative to Hotels for travelers seeking additional space, amenities and value that Hotels are often unable to match. Perfect Places is a privately owned company headquartered in Los Altos, California with additional offices in Omaha, Nebraska.

Press release:

Perfect Places, Inc. today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire a selection of Vacation Rental websites from The Weather Channel Interactive for an undisclosed amount. Theses vacation rentals websites include forGetaway.com, RentJillsHouse.com, LakeRentals.com and CoastRentals.com and will complement the PerfectPlaces.com portfolio, which includes over 50,000 vacation rental listings in 98 countries.

With the purchase of these sites from The Weather Channel Interactive, Perfect Places aims to identify the emerging niche travel market, including lake properties and beach and coastal properties. This latest move from Perfect Places provides customers with channels designed specifically for their individual interests at both professionally managed properties and properties that are available directly from the property owners.

“Travelers looking for properties at the beach or on a lake will be able to use a Web site in our portfolio that cuts through the clutter and provides the information they need to plan their next vacation,” said Rick Haggart, founder and president of Perfect Places. “Our goal is to offer a world class selection of vacation rentals for leisure travelers and make it as simple as possible.”

In an effort to streamline and make the process of searching and booking a vacation rental more convenient, Perfect Places plans to integrate its leading online technology into all the new sites. The online booking agent allows travelers to securely pay with a credit card and review the property costs and rental agreement quickly and easily prior to booking.

Vacation rentals make it easier for friends to take a trip together, because of flexible options and the controlled cost verse staying in a hotel. In fact, according to recent research from PhocusWright, the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect, vacation rentals represent more than one fifth of all hotel room revenue and 8 percent of the total U.S. travel market. “Perfect Places has been in operation for almost 15 years and this latest acquisition will help us further our mission to offer a compelling alternative to travelers seeking additional space, amenities and value that hotels are often unable to match,” noted Haggart.

Like this article! ‹ Scripps Networks Interactive strong growth in advertising- turns to Profit Discovery Communications Profit up With net tax gain on the sale of the Discovery Kids channel ›
Share this Post: Get It Delivered To Your Inbox