Overview
HomeAway & Owners Direct app provides you with everything you need to plan, book and manage your perfect holiday rental.
Impressions
The HomeAway & Owners Direct app for Android has only been available for a year or so, but it is now well established and has surpassed many leading accommodation apps on the market, offering better accommodation than many of them. The app is also free to download for iOS so even if you don’t end up booking on it, you’ve wasted no money.
You are able to search various destinations around the world, with the search bar being the main home screen. Once you’ve typed in your destination, the app comes up with however many results there is, you tap in your preferred dates and narrow the results down with; price per night, number of guests, number of bedrooms and number of bathrooms.
Then you are presented with a list of all of the accommodation fitting your criteria. One of the most pleasing things about the search, is that it the results are complete with price per night and their star rating, so you are able to simple scroll past them if they don’t interest you. Upon clicking on a result, it gives you more information, such as facilities; TV, WiFi, kitchen etc, its location on a map and reviews from previous customers.
The convenience of the app is also pleasing, as your search is remembered for next time, so you don’t need to trawl through all of the results again. You are also able to share your favored results via number of options, including message, mail, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter, if your fellow holiday-goers wish to see.
There is also a favorite option, which stores all of your favorite rentals, the practicality of the app again coming up trumps.
The managers of the rentals are also on the app, as well as how long they have been a member, the languages they speak, their response rate and the last time they updated their calendar, so you are able to see their reliability.
You can inquire about a rental without actual booking through the message feature. The app is one of the easiest on the market when it comes to making an account, and in short, is a fast and simple process.
The option to be able to message an owner is a great addition and whilst other features on the app are easy to use, the message between renters and owners is somewhat clumsy and it can be difficult to pick up a conversation, however, that’s the only criticism of the app.
Once your trip is booked, the app stores all of your details, so if you happen to need them for any reason or wish to check something, you can simply open the app and tap My Trips.
Conclusion
HomeAway & Owners Direct is definitely better than its rival apps, with its ease of use, convenient features and plethora of results proving very impressive.
The detail in the search results helps potential renters find exactly what they’re looking for without looking for hours. The only criticism of the app is the gawkiness of the messaging option but with a little patience, it’s easy to put up with.
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