SINGAPORE (Sept 5): HomeAway has been in the holiday homestay business since 2005, but ask someone which online platform he might use to book accommodation that is not in a hotel, and chances are he will say Airbnb.

Airbnb began business only in 2008, but due to slick marketing and its public championing of the sharing economy, HomeAway has often found itself in the shadows of its younger rival.

But Expedia, the world’s second largest online travel agency (OTA) by revenue, plans to upend the status quo after it spent US$3.9 billion ($5.3 billion) to take over HomeAway in late 2015. The holiday homestay company was acquired to complement and enhance a diverse portfolio with a dozen or so brands already under its wings.

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