Your next holiday: Five reasons to opt for an auction site.

Feb. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- In today’s financial climate, everyone is looking for a bargain in whatever they buy. Sites such as eBay.com and groupon.co.uk thrive upon thrifty customers looking to snap up the latest electronic gadget, spa treatment or meal out for cheaper than the recommended retail price. And now, people have begun to ask, why should it be any different for holidays? Bidango, the online holiday rental auction website answers this demand. Whilst other websites such as eBay.com and auctionair.co.uk have areas dedicated specifically to the auction sale of holidays, Bidango is ahead of the game as the only website devoted exclusively to auctioning self catered holiday rentals.

Here are five reasons for you to become a bargain hunting holidaymaker, and choose an auction site over a package holiday or rental site for your next getaway…


1.   You name the price.
This has to be the greatest benefit of booking your holiday through an auction site. A bidding facility puts your holiday in your hands, and allows you to go somewhere you may not have been able to on a normal site. Bidding on a holiday does mean being proactive, but surely the results are worth it. For instance, a spacious villa sleeping five in Spain with sea and mountain views, to be enjoyed on a roof terrace (lot id: 1937) starts with an opening bid of just £30 for the week between the 17th- 24th March. When compared to a holiday rental site with a similar property for the same region and same dates, the average price is about £300 more. The cost advantage of booking your holiday through an auction site seems immediately recognizable; on a normal holiday bookings site the price is fixed, and on an auction site the price is negotiable.

2.   Time to do something original.
Package holidays are going out of fashion, and the notion of the customized, self sourced holiday is on the way up. What could be more customized than a holiday won through an auction site? Much like eBay, where individuals sell their own belongings, Bidango auctions off the holiday properties of individual owners. So, rather than getting a mass produced, shiny catalogue style holiday lacking in heart and personality, you are getting a holiday home, directly from the property owner. For instance, through Bidango you could stay in Herveys Cottage (lot id: 2041) and enjoy a holiday in a grade II listed cottage, next to both countryside and the coast, at an opening bid of just £90 per week between the 10th- 17th March.

3.   Overcoming some preconceptions…
For those who have not yet heard of holiday auction sites and have not warmed to the idea, this is for you. To give a brief explanation, a holiday auction site like Bidango really is like eBay, but for holiday property. On Bidango, there is the option to either bid for the property, starting with the opening bid, or, if you prefer you can use the ‘Buy Now’ button to purchase the holiday at a set price. So you are secure either way; if you are only prepared to buy a property at a certain price, you can, alternatively if you really like the property you can ‘Buy Now’. And the ‘Buy Now’ price is usually a fairly good bargain, too. What’s the catch? There isn’t one. The simple fact is that a property owner would rather have someone stay in their property at a discounted price, than have no one stay there at all. Bidango is the perfect example of a holiday auction system through which you can buy a heavily discounted property, with no catches, no confusion, and no hidden costs.

4.   A bargain price doesn’t mean a bargain standard.
Perhaps another misconception; just because you aren’t paying much, this doesn’t mean you don’t get much. The great thing about a holiday auction system such as Bidango is that just because a holiday is being auctioned, this doesn’t mean there is something wrong with the property. As aforementioned, there is no catch, just property owners ready and willing to sell their property at a time when they might not otherwise get a booking. The result is a variety of high standard listings for more than reasonable prices. For example, you could stay in this luxury one level, rustic cottage in Bideford (lot id: 1759) sleeping two for a ‘Buy Now’ price of just £225 for the week between the 19th- 24th February, or could bargain to pay around half the price at an opening bid of £150.

5.   The spontaneity of a holiday auction booking.
Discount prices and the option to bid provide an ideal sense of spontaneity, something which is fairly important to an enjoyable holiday. News agents and high levels of organization through a package holiday company are falling into the past. Instead, find a holiday when and where you want one, whether that is next weekend or in three months time. And the date doesn’t affect the price; you don’t need to book in advance to get a great value holiday, and you don’t need to hunt for the bargains as the function of the site is purely bargain focused.


Bidango is a new and exciting platform where holidaymakers can bid on self-catered properties in auction, harnessing the potential for huge discounts on some of the finest rental homes available. Launched by leading holiday rental website pureholidayhomes.com, Bidango offers a unique and interactive opportunity to secure fantastic discount holidays. With no agency commissions (typically 20% - 40%) by booking direct with the owner, Bidango confidently predicts that a further 20% - 30% saving on certain weeks can be achieved for price sensitive holidaymakers willing to bid for their break. Savvy travellers can keep an eye on the best deals and pick up a bargain with huge savings to be made, and homeowners can fill late availability and cancellations by putting their property in auction.

The market opportunity for homeowners
•   Circa 6 million holiday homeowners in Europe and North America who rent their homes for an average of 14 weeks per year*. Creating millions of unsold weeks each year.
•   Since 2008 reduction in net disposable wealth and a weaker exchange rate has led to UK based holiday homeowners looking to increase the amount of income they generate from their property.
•   Until now no specific destination website for holiday homeowners to sell discounted available weeks/short breaks.
Will appeal to: Advertisers looking to sell more out of season weeks, selling last minute cancellations, achieving premium rates for peak weeks.

The opportunity for holidaymakers
•   Year on year rise in late bookings, in July 2011 pureholidayhomes.com saw an increase of 36% in last minute enquiries compared to 2010. According to Hotwire.com, 49% of their users will book only two to four weeks before travel
•   pureholidayhomes.com also reports a 67% increase in holidaymakers asking for deals or discounts.
Will appeal to: retirees, group holidays, pre-kids, families who like booking late for a deal, flexible short trips and city breaks.

To check out the latest deals, visit the website: http://www.bidango.co.uk