Hotels.com Plugs Condos, Vacation Home Rentals

The Website hotels.com is playing up vacation homes and condos more in addition to its usual hotel/motel listings, Steve Dumaine, director of specialty lodging, told me recently. A survey by hotels.com has identified a "huge untapped pool of travelers who have never rented a vacation home property," he said. Instead they tend to think exclusively about hotels. "From a value standpoint, it's important for them to understand that with a 3-BR condo, versus 2 or 3 hotel rooms, you're getting a lot more," Dumaine said. When travelers to a classic market such as Orlando or Hawaii try and enjoy the well-chosen vacation home or condo, they are very likely to become repeat customers.