“Second Porch, the social vacation rental marketplace, was Selected by AlwaysOn as an AlwaysOn Global 250 Winner” plus 3 more |
- Second Porch, the social vacation rental marketplace, was Selected by AlwaysOn as an AlwaysOn Global 250 Winner
- Vacation rental loses key ruling
- Tips for renting a vacation home
- Rent movies on the road
| Posted: 27 Jul 2010 03:18 PM PDT Second Porch, the social vacation rentals marketplace, was named an AlwaysOn Global 250 Winner. Inclusion in the AlwaysOn Global 250 signifies leadership amongst its peers and game-changing approaches and technologies that are likely to disrupt existing markets and entrenched players in the Global Silicon Valley. Second Porch was specially selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team and industry experts spanning the globe based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz. Portland, OR (PRWEB) July 27, 2010 -- Second Porch, the social vacation rental marketplace, today announced that it has been chosen by AlwaysOn as one of the AlwaysOn Global 250 winners. Inclusion in the AlwaysOn Global 250 signifies leadership amongst its peers and game-changing approaches and technologies that are likely to disrupt existing markets and entrenched players in the Global Silicon Valley. Second Porch was specially selected by the AlwaysOn editorial team and industry experts spanning the globe based on a set of five criteria: innovation, market potential, commercialization, stakeholder value, and media buzz. Second Porch and the AlwaysOn Global 250 companies will be honored tonight at AlwaysOn's eighth annual Summit at Stanford, at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. This two-and-a-half-day executive gathering that highlights the significant economic, political and commercial trends affecting the global technology industries. Summit at Stanford's goal is to identify the most promising entrepreneurial opportunities and investments in the global tech industry. "After examining the companies that are on the AO Global 250 list, it's obvious that innovation is not only alive and well in the Global Silicon Valley, it's accelerating in economic power and scope." says Tony Perkins, founder and editor of AlwaysOn. "The companies certainly represent some of the highest-growth opportunities in the private company marketplace." The AlwaysOn Global 250 winners were selected from among thousands of domestic and international technology companies nominated by investors, bankers, journalists, and industry insiders. The AlwaysOn editorial team conducted a rigorous three-month selection process to finalize the 2010 list. Second Porch is changing the way travelers find vacation lodging by helping them find vacation rentals recommended by the members of their extended social circle. Second Porch can be found at both http://www.secondporch.com/ and through its highly-rated Facebook application at http://apps.facebook.com/secondporch. Thousands of homes in over 100 countries are now becoming socially discoverable, tying together properties with communities of past guests and socially-connected ratings. A full list of all the AlwaysOn Global 250 winners can be found on the AlwaysOn website: "People have always preferred to pick places to stay based on the experience of their friends and family. We built Second Porch to make it simple search this way, and for property managers and owners to turn each satisfied guest into a word of mouth marketing channel for reaching future guests. We're delighted that our innovation in social commerce has been recognized by AlwaysOn" said Brent Hieggelke, CEO and co-founder of Second Porch. # # # Second Porch Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Vacation rental loses key ruling Posted: 28 Jul 2010 12:34 AM PDT Vacation rental loses key ruling By Kevin Courtney Wednesday, July 28, 2010 Saturday updateIn the wake of a judge's ruling against a Browns Valley vacation rental, a multi-generational family is wondering if it will lose the roof over their heads. A month ago, Judge Francisca Tisher rejected a lawsuit by Rob and Debbie Dornaus who wanted to continue to host guests in their expansive 19th century farmhouse at 1133 Larkin Way. The Napa City Council had acted within its authority when it voted in December to deny the Dornauses a vacation rental permit, the judge said. When the vacation rental shuts down in the first week in August, the family will lose the income needed to make mortgage payments on the 1.3-acre property, which includes homes occupied by family members, Debbie Dornaus said. "We're scrambling," she said. "We're looking at all our options to survive." The Dornaus family has operated The Adriance House since 2007, with rental rates of $700 to $800 a night. Last year the business brought in $90,000, Debbie Dornaus said. While guests stayed in the historic main house, three cottages on the property have been occupied by Rob and Debbie Dornaus, their adult son and two married daughters. The family is looking at new ways of bringing in sufficient revenue to continue to own the property, Debbie Dornaus said. Operating a group home for adults or children who need care is one possibility, she said. The Adriance House drew the wrath of neighbors who were upset that the city had allowed the Dornauses to begin accepting overnight guests without holding a public hearing. When the city reformed its vacation rental process and held hearings last year, dozens of neighbors criticized the rental for noise, traffic and loss of privacy. Neighbors said they felt besieged by vacation rentals, noting that a second one was operating a block away on Arden Way and a third was being proposed. The Planning Commission voted to authorize The Adriance House, saying the property had a good record. The fact that family members lived on the property provided assurance that problems would be dealt with quickly, they said. The City Council overruled the commission after a long public hearing in which 57 people spoke for and against the project. The council majority said the lifestyles of tourists were incompatible with neighborhood values. "We don't hold any bitterness toward our neighbors even though a lot of untrue things were said," Debbie Dornaus said. "I'd say in some ways we've been the sacrificial lamb. I guess somebody has to be one. Jesus was one," she said. A Browns Valley neighborhood that was threatened with three vacation rentals will now have none. The council denied a permit for a rental on Arden Way, which is scheduled to shut down this fall. A second rental planned for Arden Way ended up not applying for a permit. Staff reported earlier this month that 44 vacation rentals ended up receiving permits citywide. Most applications were approved without neighborhood protest. Most of the controversial operations did not even apply. Because the 44 rentals have generated few complaints, the council voted this month to eliminate the job of a special code enforcement officer to oversee their operation. No comments posted. Log in to join the conversation Comment guidelines All comments will be screened and may take several hours to be posted. • Keep comments clear, concise and focused on the topic in the story. • Comments exceeding 300 words will not be posted. • Refrain from personal attacks, degrading comments or remarks that do not add to a constructive dialogue. • Comments implying suspects in crime-related stories are guilty before they have been proven so in a court of law will be deleted. • Do not post e-mail addresses or links except for pages on StHelenaStar.com or government Web sites. • Comments will not be edited - they will be approved or declined. • Comments may be used in the print edition of the newspaper. • If you feel a posted comment has violated our guidelines, please contact dernst@sthelenastar.com For further information on the comment guidelines, click here. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Tips for renting a vacation home Posted: 28 Jul 2010 05:08 AM PDT The Travel Troubleshooter • Christopher Elliott > Tribune Media Services | Posted: Sunday, June 20, 2010 1:15 am | Renting a reliable vacation home isn't easy, and not just because there are a seemingly endless number of rental resources to turn to — everything from local sites that list a few condos to big listing services like HomeAway.com or VRBO.com. An estimated 1 million vacation rentals are in the United States, roughly half of which are available to the general public, according to numbers from the National Association of Realtors and FlipKey.com. A recent PhoCusWright study estimated that vacation rentals are a $24.3 billion-a-year market, and a Ypartnership survey suggested that interest in renting a home is on the rise, with 14 percent of leisure travelers saying they stayed in one in 2009, up from 11 percent a year earlier. "The consistent challenge we hear from travelers is predictability," says TJ Mahony, the chief executive of FlipKey.com, a vacation rental site. "People tend to know what they are going to get from a hotel but can have anxiety over the quality of a vacation rental." I asked experts to identify the biggest challenges when renting a home. Here's what they told me: 1. Knowing what you want. "You are going to pay more for certain things. Decide what is really important to you," says Teresa Bell Kindred, a blogger and frequent home renter. Her family loves the ocean, so they pay more to be right on the beach. If you don't mind being a few blocks away from the water, you can save money. 2. Timing your purchase. If you're attending a special event, like a sports tournament or festival, book as early as possible. "Vacation rentals are more scarce than hotels, and great vacation properties are even scarcer," says Chris Brusznicki, the chief executive of GamedayHousing.com, a site that specializes in rentals for sports events. But if you're flexible, run down the clock. One terrific new site that allows you to bid on "last-minute" vacation rentals is called PackLate. 3. Finding out what you're renting. "Do your homework," says Sylvia Guarino, who owns a rental home on Sanibel Island, Fla. (one of my favorite places) and is a member of Second Porch, a Facebook application that connects vacation rental owners and vacation guests. "Vacation rental guests sometimes get too focused on getting a deal and not focused enough on getting the information that they need, or authenticating the property." How do you authenticate a property? Look at every piece of information available to you, including the owner's site, the vacation rental site, online reviews and what you find on social networking sites such as Facebook. Be sure the property is in good shape, is as represented and isn't in foreclosure. 4. Finding out who you're renting from. "Research the owner, not just the home," says Kelly Hayes-Raitt, who owns a rental property in Santa Monica, Calif. She includes a link to her website and biography in every correspondence with potential guests, "not just so they realize they are supporting my work with refugees, but so they learn they are dealing with someone who has been active in her community for 30 years and is not likely to cheat them," she says. Not every owner is as forthcoming as Hayes-Raitt, but if someone is reclusive, that might be a warning sign. 5. Determining whether the rental is part of an association or destination. That can make a big difference, according to Jon Ervin, a spokesman for the Cottage Rental Agency in Seaside, Fla. "Imagine you rent from Mr. and Mrs. Jones — nice enough people, but what if your air conditioning quits or some other concern arises?" he asks. "You most likely are going to have to work through the issue for your entire stay." If your rental is part of an association, someone will be on call to help. 6. Becoming a power user. For example, VRBO.com allows you to filter search results by area, bedrooms and the number of people it can sleep. That helped Kellie Pelletier find a vacation rental in Charleston, S.C., for her family. VRBO also shows which homes are available on your preferred dates. "I didn't waste my time researching and contacting houses that were already booked for my week," she says. 7. Avoiding group-think. Extended families should be broken up into smaller housing units, such as adjoining condos, as opposed to fitting them into one house. It gives everyone more privacy and is easier on the finances, because you don't have to argue over the bill at the end. 8. Reviewing the contract very carefully. You're not checking into a hotel; this is more like renting an apartment. Watch for contract language, such as cleaning options. Frank Discala, who owns a rental property in Nantucket Town, Mass., gives his tenants two options: either clean up after themselves, "or they can leave the place without cleaning up and lose their $500 deposit," he says. "Ouch! No one has ever taken that option." 9. Staying flexible. Remember, you're renting an apartment or house — not a room in a hotel. "Some things may go wrong," warns Pauline Kenny, a vacation rental expert who runs a site called Slow Europe. "The plumbing may stop working, the kitchen stove runs out of gas. Some things may not be perfect — you bump your head repeatedly on that low doorway, the couch is orange, the parking space is almost impossible to get into." That's life in a vacation rental. "Suck it up and live with it," she says. Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. You can read more travel tips on his blog, elliott.org, or e-mail him at celliott@ngs.org. Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| Posted: 28 Jul 2010 06:07 AM PDT
My secret, my little road warriors, is Red Box. In case you haven't noticed, there are movie rental kiosks in many Walgreen's, 7-11s and Wal-Mart stores, among many others. You can go online and pick out your movies or do it there. The beauty is you don't have to return the movie to that same location. So we picked up three movies in North Carolina and returned them to a Walgreen's near our house the next day. As long as it was there before 9 p.m. it was only $1 a day per movie. --Sharon Kennedy Wynne Follow us on Twitter @WhoaMomma Five Filters featured article: "Peace Envoy" Blair Gets an Easy Ride in the Independent. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
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