Guests’ holiday rental experience becomes more professional with a personal touch.
HomeAway, Inc. announced that, through an all cash transaction, it has acquired Glad to Have You, Inc., the creator of the holiday rental industry’s leading mobile guest management solution designed specifically for property managers and homeowners to improve the way they manage and communicate with guests during their stay.
HomeAway plans to make Glad to Have You (“GLAD”) mobile applications available to its property managers and owners, enabling travellers to have detailed property information at their fingertips, while helping to maximise the enjoyment of their holidays.
GLAD comes in two versions: GladOwners and GladProfessional. Both versions provide travellers with crucial information about the holiday rental and its amenities in the palm of their hands, including:
- Detailed Rental Logistics: Prior to their trip, guests receive all the details they need for their stay, such as check-in/out instructions, important phone numbers, property access information, Wi-Fi passwords, instructions for using AV equipment and other electronics.
- Nearby Activities: Guests receive customised recommendations for nearby restaurants and attractions and a map of the area.
- Digital Guestbook: Guests have the opportunity to leave reviews as well as include photos of their stay through the application – which is expected to lead to a significant increase in both number and relevance of property reviews on HomeAway sites.
The existing GladOwners product is available to HomeAway customers in the USA for free.
Users of GladProfessionalTM (for property managers) receive the same benefits as GladOwnersTM but with additional scale to help manage a large inventory of properties. They also enjoy additional features such as:
- Guest Communication: Guests can receive push notifications before and throughout their stay, such as a notification about early check-in opportunities and have instant communications with the property manager 24/7.
- Service Requests: Guests can submit cleaning and maintenance requests with a push of a button.
- Guest Analytics: Property managers can capture and learn guests’ dining or activity preferences and send special offers.
- Software Integration: Integrates easily with the most widely used property management software products in the industry.
- Property Manager Branding: The application allows property management companies to brand the mobile interface.
The GladProfessional product is currently in use by more than 300 property management companies in the United States, with travellers using the application more than 15 times during an average stay.
“We believe the GLAD solution is by far the best example we’ve seen of utilising mobile technology to significantly enhance the experience of staying in vacation rentals,” says Brian Sharples, CEO and cofounder of HomeAway. “The GLAD team has created a hit product that has received rave reviews from both suppliers and travellers, and we expect it to have a meaningful impact on HomeAway’s customer experience by bringing an even higher level of hospitality and professionalism to our existing mobile product suite.”
Founded in 2012 by co-CEOs, Keith Landers and Jason Sprenkle, GLAD has grown quickly by focusing efforts on building a better experience for travellers by leveraging the smartphone platform. The business will join HomeAway and be managed by HomeAway Software Vice President Bill Furlong. Keith Landers and Jason Sprenkle will stay on as consultants during the transition.
“We’ve worked tirelessly to create and optimise the best mobile management system and experience for Glad to Have You users and we can’t be more thrilled to share our product with the rest of the vacation rental world through HomeAway’s leading distribution platform,” says Jason Sprenkle, co-CEO of GLAD.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
