Holiday homes take on hotels in Europe
New report from HomeAway reveals holiday homes are the ideal accommodation type for Brits and Germans, and second most popular for the French, Italians & Spanish
28 April 2011 – A recent survey from HomeAway, Inc., the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, has revealed holiday homes are the ideal type of accommodation for Brits and Germans, and the second most popular after hotels for the French, Italians and Spanish. In addition, the majority of people in all five countries consider holiday homes as cheaper per head than hotels, which is undoubtedly one of the driving factors behind the continued fast growth of this sector over the last few years.
In 2010, visitors to HomeAway.co.uk increased by 21% year-on-year and total booking enquiries increased by 25%. In total, visitors to HomeAway’s European sites reached over 53 million and booking enquiries totalled 11.9 million in 2010. And with over 525,000 paid property listings in 145 countries offered across HomeAway sites worldwide, the company now rivals some of the largest hotel chains in the world in terms of the volume and choice of properties it offers to travellers.
The Europe-wide survey conducted by TNS Sofres*showed that if budget was no concern, 39% of Brits and 32% of Germans cited holiday homes as their ideal accommodation, compared to 23% and 30% respectively who would choose a hotel. In France, Spain and Italy holiday homes were the second most popular choice, with 19%, 25% and 20% respectively in each market opting for a holiday home, versus 39% in France and Spain and 35% in Italy who would choose a hotel.
The survey also found that the French, Spanish and Italians take more frequent holidays than Brits and Germans, but Brits and Germans spend more per head and also venture further afield. While the former tend to holiday, in the most part, in their own countries, the latterprefer to jet off abroad. However, the trend for ‘staycations’ within the UK did remain quite strong, with 41% of Brits stating that they would take their main holiday in 2011 at home versus 35% of Germans.
The French have the lowest budget for accommodation with an average of €34 per person per night, the Spanish come next with €48, followed by the Italians who budget on average €56 per person per night. Germans have the second highest budgets with €61 and the Brits come out as the top spenders with an average budget of €64 per person per night. The majority of Brits and Germans also expect to spend the same or more in 2011 than 2010, whereas most holidaymakers in France, Spain and Italy anticipate spending less.
In terms of what type of accommodation European’s will stay in for their main holiday in 2011, around one in five Brits and Germans will opt for holiday rentals, making them the second most popular choice after hotels. In Spain and Italy, 11% and 12% respectively intend to stay in a holiday home, making them the third most popular choice after hotels and staying at home or with friends and family. In France,holiday homes are the preferred choice for the main holiday, but this is split between 6% who will rent somewhere and 29% who will stay in their own second homes.
* conducted in February 2011 in UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy to a nationally representative sample of 1000 interviewees in each country
Top 5 destinations for Brits for Summer 2011- Nice, Cote d’Azur
- Javea, Costa Blanca
- Moraira, Costa Blanca
- Ibiza, Balearic Islands
- Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal
– Spacious loft-style 1 bedroom apartment in the Old Town. From £453 per week (= c. £32pppn)
- Pretty 3 bedroom villa with private pool in an exclusive part of Javea. From £650 per week (= c. £16pppn)
- Luxury 5 bedroom villa with infinity pool on private complex. From £1,995 per week (= c. £28.50pppn)
- Modern 2 bedroom apartment with communal pool by Playa d’en Bossa beach. From £619 per week (= c. £44 pppn)
- Large 4 bedroom villa near 5 golf courses, ideal for families with pool, covered terrace, out BBQ area and games room. From £640 per week (= c. £12pppn)
Holiday home rentals provide fantastic value for money for those looking to get more space, privacy and flexibility on holiday, as well as a more authentic experience. Research from HomeAway shows that holiday rentals can work out up to half the cost of hotels, and sometimes more, when looking at the price per square metre.
Average daily rates for hotels v. holiday rentals in top tourist cities in the UK, Germany, France, Spain & Italy
Prices shown are the average daily rate per square metre, based on hotel ADR data from Smith Travel Research (November 2010) and average daily rates for properties listed on HomeAway’s European sites.
Media contact
Sarah Chambers, HomeAway.co.uk
Tel: 020 8846 3430 / 07739 033132
Email:
About HomeAway.co.uk
Based in London and founded in 1996, HomeAway.co.uk connects holidaymakers with home owners and managers, providing access to a huge variety of great value, unique accommodation worldwide. The site has the best selection of homes available online, with over 200,000 properties which holidaymakers can browse for free and book with confidence thanks to thousands of independent guest reviews and the HomeAway Basic Rental Guarantee. For holiday home owners, the site provides a simple, cost-effective way to market their property and manage bookings, with unrivalled worldwide exposure for a fixed annual fee.
About HomeAway, Inc.
HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the worldwide leader in online vacation rentals, with sites representing nearly 525,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout more than 145 countries. The HomeAway portfolio of websites includes HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es in Spain; and AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil.In addition, HomeAway operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels.