By admin | Published:
July 27, 2009
I’ve been to Poipu, Kauai and it’s an amazing Hawaii vacation destination. So I can see why The Parrish Collection (TPC) is banking on the several Poipu resorts in the area. TPC manages vacation homes and condos in popular locations like Poipu Kai and Nihi Kai Villas. From what I know about the business, property managers are paid roughly 20% (only) when an accommodation is booked. The property manager is then responsible for marketing, providing customer service and cleaning the vacation rentals.
- Selling Services - Property management marketed through their Kauai vacation rental website.
The site itself is easy to navigate and there is great information about the properties including detailed descriptions and very nice photos. The problem with the site is its booking system which was not only slow and clunky, but a bit confusing to use. It was manageable, however, by improving this system they could up their conversion rate and therefore bookings. I’m guessing their current booking engine creates a lot of phone orders as well. So an improvement with this part of the site would reduce staff costs also.
The one thing that makes this site successful are the photos, floor plans and virtual tours. The photos are amazing and make me want to stay in their properties. If you don’t believe me, check out these pictures of their Donohugh home! The floor plans are a nice touch and something that most other vacation rentals sites don’t offer. Read More »
By admin | Published:
July 12, 2009
I’ve been wanting to do an evaluation of a Hawaii activity company for a while now, and I’ve finaly got my chance. Safari Helicopters has been taking people on Hawaii helicopter tours to “inaccessible wonders” in the islands for 22 years. Reading through the elaborate company section, you learn that this is a family run operation you takes pricde in their service and safety. The business itself works by selling their service directly to clients through their website. I’m guessing this direct sale is more valuable then selling through an activity desk or website which I’m assuming would charge a booking rate of about 25%.
- Selling Services - Direct sales bypass booking agencies.
The site is done very nicely and there’s a lot of information to help make a buying decision including video, photos, description and customer reviews and rating from TripAdvisor displayed directly on the site. I really like this last feature because it gives you the opportunity to see unbiased remarks about what others have experienced. From the reviews you can tell Safari Helicopters is a reputable company selling a good Kauai helicopter and Big Island helicopter tours.
The one place the site fell short was in the booking system. Not that it was bad, but it could definitely be improved which would lead to higher conversion and more sales. Read More »
By admin | Published:
April 4, 2009
Summit Pacific Inc. appears to have its roots in the Kauai vacation rentals market. They seem to be expanding into other islands, but their main play in on Kauai with such resorts as Puu Poa, Hanalei Bay Resort and Waipouli Beach Resort. This is an interesting Hawaii travel site to study because the company employs all 4 of our monetization models:
- Cost Per Click (CPC) - They use Google Adsense for their contextual advertising.
- Affiliate Advertising - They have affiliate agreements with several rental car agencies.
- Selling Services - The owner actually books his own rentals on this site, so they offer a vacation rental agency service.
- Direct Ad Sales - They also post advertisement to owner direct vacation properties.
Summit Pacific has done a great job developing useful content around a Kauai vacation theme. They have info for their guest including activities, golf and even real estate for visitors interested in buying a vacation home of their own. At this point, much of this content is monetized using CPC. What really impresses me, though, is how they’ve been able to take their Hawaii car rentals section beyond CPC into an affiliate program. Read More »
By admin | Published:
April 1, 2009
Hawaiian Beach Rentals is the largest Hawaii vacation rental company in the state with more than 4,000 accommodations for you to choose from. They use the following business model:
- Sells Services - The company is paid a commission by property owners for providing a booking service for their rentals.
There are two things that really set Hawaiian Beach Rentals apart from other vacation rental booking companies:
- Their commitment to Internet marketing gives them a huge advantage in traffic and allows them to fill rentals where other businesses struggle.
- They aggregate vacation properties from multiple agencies which allows them to offer a larger selection of accommodations to their site visitors. The company manages about 400 Oahu vacation rentals of their own, but by working with other property management companies, they are able to offer 10 times the vacation homes and condos then they would normally.
Read More »