Trivago Completes Integration of ‘HomeAway’ into Hotel Search Platform

Global hotel search platform trivago has completed the technical integration of HomeAway’s vacation rental inventory into its hotel search platform and is ready to provide its users with additional options and a more personalized search experience.

The company has started to run tests in Germany, Italy, Canada, the UK, and the US — five of its key markets — with already over 150,000 vacation rental properties available to users, and plans to gradually roll out additional readily bookable vacation rentals during the course of 2018.

“The proportion of travelers who are considering vacation rentals is growing and we see this as a strategic opportunity to expand our offering,” said Johannes Thomas, managing director and chief revenue officer at trivago N.V. “We want to only display vacation rentals when they are relevant to our users…. Having HomeAway on board will allow us to expand testing on how we can build a more tailored user experience,” Thomas said.

According to an announcement, trivago aims to display this inventory as part of its universal search experience, complementing its current hotel offering. Whenever the user chooses and depending on availability in a specific destination, trivago will begin displaying rental properties in its search results. Moreover, a “Vacation Rental” filter is being tested to enable users to make a deliberate decision during their search.

“This is another major step forward in adapting to more diverse traveler expectations and in better understanding how to display vacation rental inventory on its platform. Furthermore, it will open a new marketing channel for vacation rental platforms and increase diversity in our marketplace,” trivago said.