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Agents slam accommodation website ‘upgrade’
Holiday rentals website HomeAway has come under fire for its new search and booking platform.
Agents and advertisers who use the site say the new booking system is confusing, inaccurate and is ultimately losing them business.
Edward Jospe, director of London-based travel agent Max Travel, says the new search and book system has caused total chaos since its introduction at the end of September.
Max Travel manages holiday rentals for property owners and has been using the website since 2004.
Jospe has become so frustrated with the new system that he has started a poll to gauge reaction to the new system and so far nearly 90% of respondents say they are not happy with it.
"We only noticed the problems by accident when a client said he couldn’t find us in the search," he said.
"Looking at the users forum, HomeAway Community, I’ve been reading that people’s enquiries have fallen off the cliff and there are dozens of reasons why people don’t like the new system."
Critics say the pages are now littered with ‘sponsored links’ from competing holidays, while others complain that the search system is too slow.
They also say the new search criteria, which asks customers to specify the number of rooms required, is flawed because it is based on a maximum number of rooms, rather than a minimum like the old system.
HomeAway claims it has based the changes on customer feedback.
by Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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