The online holiday homes portal, vacando.com, now offers property owners a unique opportunity to market and rent out their accommodation - independently. In addition to offering some 90,000 holiday properties worldwide, the Interhome subsidiary has launched a direct do-it-yourself platform that's attractive and easy to use. The new offer complements Interhome's full-service concept, comprising all aspects of marketing including guest care.

Good news for all the owners of holiday homes and apartments who want to make extra money from renting out their properties. vacando.com - the Swiss holiday accommodation portal - has expanded its portfolio of properties worldwide with a new platform for proprietors. The system enables owners to market and rent out their properties independently. Says Simon Lehmann, President of Vacando and CEO of Interhome: «More and more owners want to handle the marketing and renting out of their holiday homes and apartments themselves. Our new platform provides this unique opportunity, without the owners having to use the services of an intermediary.»

The new offer from vacando.com is intended as a do-it-yourself platform, enabling property owners to market their holiday accommodation themselves. The easy-to-use system permits proprietors to upload step by step all the essential information concerning their accommodation. This ranges from property descriptions, picture material and prices to vacancy dates, enquiries and reservations. Owners also handle all their own customer-care services from «how-to-get-there» information to accommodation preparation and cleaning arrangements - providing an all-important personal touch to the guests' holiday experience.

Choice of two systems

The vacando.com portal offers property owners a choice of two models for the marketing of their holiday accommodation. One is the advertising model, which is available against payment of a fixed fee. Under this scheme the holiday accommodation is made available only on request - each potential booking can be accepted or rejected on a case-by-case basis. The second option is the commission model, which guarantees vacando.com a commission only in the case of a successful booking. With this model, the accommodation may be booked online only during vacant periods defined by the proprietor.

Vacando.com is different to other holiday accommodation platforms in that it offers a range of exclusive services. One is the 24/7 hotline, which ensures that guests have access to individual round-the-clock customer care. Another is the choice of languages offered by vacando.com as a subsidiary of Interhome, an internationally successful enterprise. All Vacando holiday accommodation services are offered on 14 online platforms in a total of nine languages. Another advantage for owners is the close cooperation with Switzerland Tourism, the country's national tourism organization. All Vacando-listed holiday rental properties appear automatically on the websites of Switzerland Tourism and its partner network. Property owners are therefore assured Europe-wide marketing, resulting in greater guest potential.

Vacando - with registered offices in Glattbrugg, Switzerland - operates as a neutral and user-friendly vacation property mart for personalized holiday experiences. Vacando's aim is to inspire holiday-hungry guests - before, during and after their vacation visit. The www.vacando.com platform offers more than 90,000 individual properties in Europe, the USA and South America, ranging from houses, apartments and fincas to chic chalets and villas. Vacando is a subsidiary of Interhome, which in turn belongs to the Hotelplan group (the travel and holiday subsidiary of Migros, the largest retail enterprise in Switzerland). As a Swiss company, Vacando embodies security, reliability and trust. Together with its professional partners, the highest standards of service are assured.

Interhome specializes in the letting of selected holiday homes, apartments and chalets. It offers a total of 46,000 top quality properties in 24 countries. In 2008 the group rented properties to a record 525,117 guests and registered turnover of CHF 211.9 million (+1,4%). Interhome publishes annual catalogues in 11 languages, totalling some 1.5 million copies. Easy and efficient booking is assured by an international reservations network, informative multi-lingual websites and the most modern communications technology. Interhome is based in Zurich/Glattbrugg and is a 100% subsidiary of the Hotelplan Travel Group. Hotelplan in turn is a 100% subsidiary of the Zurich-based Migros Cooperative, the largest Swiss consumer retailer chain in Switzerland.