HomeAway represents the dream. It quickly gained traction after its launch in 2005. It acquired other rental sites. And it picked up $405 million in venture capital before going public in 2011. And its valuation now sits somewhere in the neighborhood of $3 billion.
That kind of success buys a pretty nice lineup of offices, including four enviable locations in Austin -- South Congress, The Domain and two downtown. The most recent is at the sprawling Domain shopping, living and entertainment development in North Austin.
The office impressed me when I walked in earlier this week. The company's birdhouse symbol is cast in various represenations throughout the building -- including one made of moss near the front desk. It sprinkles a lot of Austin into its otherwise global vacation vibe.
Ronnie Stahl
Ronnie Stahl, senior manager of facilities, showed me around. She said the new building is poised to get LEED Gold certification for its efficiency.
When you walk in from the parking garage in an elevated walkway, a tablet presents you with several vacation options. I picked beach -- and high def screens on both sides of the hallway leading to the front desk started playing a dreamy video of a beach escape on the California coast. The sound of ocean waves and gentle chatter fill the hallway as you watch a picturesque family enjoying their vacation stay.
It sets the tone for things to come -- vacation trinkets, snowglobes and maps. The 5-story, 114,665-square-foot office building is twice as big as the company's headquarters downtown. The building has space for 774 employees -- 609 are there now, including cross-departmental teams from finance, human resources, customer experience, product and development.
While HomeAway has a much more corporate vibe than smaller startups, it has taken many of those early-stage elements -- from bean bag chairs to ping pong tables to reclaimed wood accents -- and spread them throughout the office building while adding more expensive, modern furniture and design touches that most smaller companies wouldn't spluge for.
"People love the fact that there are so many impropmptu collaboration spaces and alternative spaces they can break away to," said Christina Song, a public relations specialist.
That includes global video conferences where Austinites chat with folks around the globe and have a chance to ask executives questions or share their ideas. And the company's DeskAway program gives employees a chance to apply to work at HomeAway offices in other countries.
Since HomeAway doesn't own the homes consumers rent, employees don't get free rentals wherever they go. But they can get a heavy discount at some homes where owners have agreed to take just taxes and cleaning fees in exchange for a thorough review with photos on their home rental page.
I asked Jordan Hoefar, corporate communications manager, how HomeAway's offices and perks compare to his previous work at a smaller PR firm in Austin.
"When I started (four years ago), we were 800 people globlally," he said. "And now we're nearly 2,000 globally."
"To go from an agency to this, I don't have a good corporate level to compare it to," he said. "But when I talk to friends and people about work and bring them to the offices, I feel like there's a little bit of envy there for sure. There's definetly something good about it. Lots of positives, for sure."
Song said many of her HomeAway friends have worked at smaller startups in Austin and on the west coast.
"A lot of them say HomeAway really does feel like a startup sometimes, but with global resources and a global network and a global footprint, which is kind of cool," she said.
