HomeAway, recently announced its $2 million minority investment in Flat4Day, also known in Turkey as Hemenkiralik, the country’s largest vacation rental website. Flat4Day lists nearly 30,000 properties, the vast majority of which are entire homes in Turkey and other popular destinations such as Southern Europe.
“Istanbul’s rich culture makes it one of the most exciting destinations in the world,”
said Brian Sharples, HomeAway cofounder and chief executive officer.
“We are thrilled to help travelers experience all that Turkey has to offer, from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean coast, while enjoying the space, privacy and comfort that only vacation rentals can provide.”
Flat4Day Managing Partner Rina Onur claims that
“the number of travelers visiting Turkey is growing twice as fast as hotel capacity in the country, and this investment will help us close the gap between supply and demand.
About 60 percent of secondary homes in Turkey are vacant for 10 months of the year. In Turkey and the Middle East together, there are an estimated half a million-plus professionally managed vacation rentals, and we’re eager to add that inventory to our site.”
Flat4Day offers listings in multiple languages, including Turkish, Arabic, English, Russian and German, and provides flexible payment options. For those who do not have access to online payment methods, the company integrates with Arabic travel agencies. Its Turkey-based team also conducts in-person verification for the majority of properties listed on the platform.