|
|
| |
|
| 10/09/2007 |
vrAgent.com RELEASES NEW CUSTOMER REVIEW FEATURE
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - October 9, 2007 – vrAgent.com a web-based vacation rental intermediary, has launched a new feature that allows customers to review and share detailed information about individual rental units. This is unique in the vacation rental industry as most vacation rental web sites and travel websites in general do not offer unit specific customer reviews.
The Unit Review feature is customized to allow vacationers a chance to comment on specific units that they stayed in, right down to the coffee maker. According to company CEO, Scott Kim, “Generic reviews of condo complexes are of limited value to potential guests. Unlike hotels, where all the units are more or less the same, each vacation rental unit is unique, some more updated than others. Customers want to know the quality of a specific rental unit and value what others have to say about it. ”
This unique feature allows vrAgent.com to offer potential customers personal and up to date property reviews to help them make informed decisions on their next vacation rental. vrAgent.com sends customers a Thank You letter and an automated survey for comments on their accommodations. Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale for Cleanliness, Amenities, Location, Services and Overall Experience. Guests are also given an option to write detailed comments.
Customer Review feature is also a great tool for both property managers and vacation home owners. Property managers use the information to address any issues concerning the properties they represent. Furthermore, vrAgent.com uses the data to ensure that they are representing the best properties available. Kim adds, “As a partner with Property Managers, vrAgent.com can provide honest evaluations of their rental units and participate in improving overall customer satisfaction.” The Unit Review feature does include a screening process that removes any profanity or inappropriate information from the system. Otherwise, the reviews are genuine and unfiltered.
|
| 09/05/2004 |
Launched MMBOT I: Realtime Availability and Booking
VRagent.com deployed MMBOT I (Matrix Methods Bot), based on proprietary intelligent virtual software agent technology, to enable realtime availability and booking for select suppliers in Mammoth Lakes, California. The CEO of vrAgent.com, Scott Kim, says "While traditional integration strategies required extensive development and collaboration between parties, the MMBOT is able to achieve the same result without any system level handshake between disparate company infrastructures, enabling quick and flexible deployment and easy maintenance". This milestone allows customers to search across multiple suppliers, check availability data, and make reservations realtime.
Rollout of MMBOT I to other destinations and suppliers is already in place and expect to connect more than 10,000 properties online with live availability and online booking capability within the next 6 months. "With MMBOT I we have taken a big step towards our long term vision of creating the most useful online resource for vacation lodging".
|
| 04/10/2004 |
vrAgent.com reach extended to five major destinations
Since the initial launch in early 2003, vrAgent has signed marketing agreements with over 50 premier vacation rental managers, representing more than 20,000 rental properties in ten major vacation destinations in the United States. The expanded coverage now includes Mammoth Lakes CA, Lake Tahoe, Myrtle Beach SC, Hilton Head Island SC, Gulf Shores AL, Destin FL and Galveston TX. With the newly added supplier base vrAgent.com boasts one of the largest inventory of vacation rentals online.
|
| 12/15/2003 |
vrAgent.com Call Center Launched
Upon demand from a large number of customers vrAgent.com launches its limited call-center in San Jose, California office. Majority of customers still feel uncomfortable making travel purchases online when it comes to vacation rentals, where an average ticket price is above $1000 and typically over a couple of thousand dollars for a weekly stay at a resort. The call-center will be launched to serve two destinations initially: Mammoth Lakes and Lake Tahoe.
|
| 05/14/2003 |
vrAgent.com Launches Vacation Rental Property Portal
SAN JOSE, March 7—Increasing numbers of Americans are using the Internet to plan and book vacations. However, today’s Internet users also find that the very thing that gives the World Wide Web its strength is often a source of frustration: information overload. To address this cyber clutter for online vacation planners, vrAgent.com announces the launch of its unique, extensive vacation property portal. The first to consolidate rental inventories from hundreds of property management firms across the U.S. into a single, unified source, the site is also one of the largest services of its kind.
With the largest property listings for a given vacation destinations, vrAgent.com provides would-be vacationers with a single-source website for easily finding and comparing vacation rentals. With vrAgent.com consolidating properties from hundreds of affiliate property management firms using its virtual agent technology, visitors to vrAgent.com have access to thousands of properties for a given vacation destination compared to tens of properties at other web sites specializing in vacation rentals. Thus, visitors can spend less time surfing the web and more time considering different vacation rental choices for their desired destination. They can view detailed information on potential properties, including amenities and nearby attractions, and also book desired listings. The potential market for such an online vacation rental portal is huge: a recent survey reveals over 60 percent of vacationers would like to stay in a condominium over the next two years.
“In an industry that has very little branding or name-recognition, vrAgent.com provides helpful insights for vacationers as well as valuable marketing exposure for property managers,” says Scott Kim, CEO of vrAgent.com.
Property listings found on vrAgent.com span the spectrum, including havens suitable for everyone from vacationing families and retirees to spring break student revelers.
For more information on vacation rentals or to become an affiliate of vrAgent.com, visit www.vrAgent.com.
|
|
|
