HomeAway teams up with Gogobot for...

Holiday rentals marketplace HomeAway and social trip planning service Gogobot have collaborated on new social media-powered insider guides for destinations.

The new guides have been made available on the HomeAway sites, HomeAway.com and VRBO.com.

They allow property owners to create bespoke online guidebooks for guests including recommendations of their favourite local restaurants, attractions and activities.

Insider Guides combine the property owners’ local expertise with Gogobot’s destination content, photos, reviews and social functionality from over 2.5 million members.

Among the destinations covered on HomeAway.com and VRBO.com are Sonoma California, Austin, Texas, and Umbria in Italy.

Destination information can be updated to reflect seasonality and emerging hotspots, and hard copies of the guides can be printed.

Users can also sync them with their mobile devices so they can access the information on the go.

“I love the idea that HomeAway’s Insider Guides provides travellers with trusted, local advice,” said HomeAway chief executive and co-founder Brian Sharples.

“As a vacation rental owner, I’ll use the product to showcase the hidden gems around my home that aren’t found in any guidebook.

“Near my vacation home in Colorado, families and groups can find the most popular ski slopes, but what about that little known mom-and-pop restaurant that serves the best food in town? That’s what Insider Guides provides our travellers.”

Travis Katz, Gogobot chief executive added: “At its core, Gogobot is about connecting people with trusted information to help them plan their next trip.

“Insider Guides is a natural extension of this vision – enabling HomeAway.com and VRBO.com travellers to not only browse hundreds of thousands of vacation rental listings, but also discover authentic travel experiences curated by the individuals who best know the area around each property.”

HomeAway teams up with Gogobot for destination insider guides