HomeAway reveals apartment for first-ever overnight stays in Eiffel Tower

PARIS and AUSTIN, Texas, June 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeAway^® today unveiled its exclusive Eiffel Tower Apartment on the opening night of EUFA EURO 2016. Created in less than 48-hours, the space will host four overnight groups of contest winners from four different countries.

Contest judges chose the winners from more than 150,000 entries that answered, "What would you do if the HomeAway Eiffel Tower Apartment was all yours for a night?"

"We had a big idea to create a HomeAway where no one would believe possible, and now the day is here to make the 'Eiffel Tower All Yours," said Mariano Dima, Chief Marketing Officer for HomeAway. "We can't wait to share the apartment that floats 57 meters above Paris with the lucky overnight winners, thousands of soccer fans, tourists, and special guests who are invited to enjoy it as well."

HomeAway's guest designer for the temporary apartment, Benoit Leleu, drew inspiration from the Parisian Haussmann style and combined it with modern touches. With just two days to turn an empty conference room into a temporary living space, Leleu created a comfortable living area, an urban greenhouse, and two bedrooms all featuring furnishings by Italian design house, Lago.

Once guests at the opening night event toured the HomeAway Eiffel Tower Apartment and took in the stunning views of the city and the Euro Cup fan zone below, the world leader in vacation rentals announced three of the four people who will bring a group to spend the night. A fourth winner has been identified and will be announced shortly.  The three confirmed winners are:

Magali F. from Orthez, France
Scott K. from Arizona, U.S.
Michelle S. from Essex, U.K.

"Going through the thousands of entries was inspiring and heartwarming," said Brian Sharples, co-founder and CEO of HomeAway, and one of the nine contest judges. "From clever entries that rhymed, punned, and made us laugh to stories of families reuniting, celebrating, and working to overcome challenges, it was incredibly hard to narrow it down and even harder to choose just four."

Each winner will bring up to five guests and will enjoy a night filled with quintessential French activities and cuisine. They will spend three additional nights in Paris at a luxurious HomeAway vacation rental.

In addition to #EiffelTowerAllYours sleepovers, HomeAway will provide ways for thousands to enjoy the Eiffel Tower and the apartment including:

• 500 free tickets per day for tourists to visit the space and go to the top of the Tower without waiting in lines.
• Opportunities to watch live broadcasts of the UEFA EURO 2016 matches.

Those interested can visit the HomeAway booth at the UEFA EURO 2016 Fan Zone on the Champs de Mars just in front of the Eiffel Tower or go to https://www.homeaway.com/info/eiffel-tower.

HomeAway will also give away invitations through Facebook to special events including:

• June 18: Yoga Morning; a world-renowned instructor will lead a morning yoga class with views of the Arc de Triomphe, the Grand Palais, and the Seine River.
• July 2: HomeAway LoveAway; proposals, vow renewals, and love stories will take over the Eiffel Tower Apartment on July 2, with special guests American TV personalities Kaitlyn Bristowe and fiancé Shawn Booth from ABC's The Bachelorette.
• July 6: Kids Day; young memory makers are invited into the Eiffel Tower to video their memories and participate in free activities designed just for them.

About HomeAway

HomeAway, based in Austin, Texas, is the world leader in vacation rentals with sites representing more than one 1.2 million paid listings of vacation rental homes in 190 countries, and is a part of the Expedia group family of brands. Through HomeAway, owners and property managers offer an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations. The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online. The HomeAway portfolio includes the leading vacation rental websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es and Toprural.es in Spain; AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil; HomeAway.com.au and Stayz.com.au in Australia; Bookabach.co.nz in New Zealand; and Asia Pacific short-term rental site, travelmob.com. The company also operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels. For more information about HomeAway, please visit http://www.homeaway.com.

© 2016 HomeAway.com, Inc.  All rights reserved.  HomeAway and the HomeAway logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of HomeAway.com, Inc.

Contact:
Jordan Hoefar
512-505-1857
jhoefar@homeaway.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160610/377921

SOURCE HomeAway