The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.
The result was nomination withdraw defaulting to keep. Valoemtalkcontrib 23:41, 5 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Despite its inclusion in the French Wikipedia , the company does not meet our WP:NCORP standards: The references are a mix of press releases, disguised press releases, and mere notices; not one of them provides substantial coverage from third-party independent reliable sources,. There are additional references in the French WP; I've checked them, and none of them are any better than the ones here. DGG ( talk ) 05:03, 30 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]
§2.08 The Other Side of 'Sharing': HomeExchange and Blablacar
[A] HomeExchange: Bartering Has Never Been So Cool
Founded with the name of GuestToGuest in France in 2011 by Charles-Edouard Girard and Emmanuel Arnaud, together with twenty-two families of various nationalities, the leading platform for barter exchanges of accommodation turned its name into HomeExchange after the acquisition of the homonymous US-based company in 2017. Subsequent to the merger, the French company relocated its legal seat in the US. The platform operates a virtual marketplace offering its users a series of services to connect with other peers and to conclude home exchanges among themselves. More specifically, the platform allows host members to post advertisements offering residential properties, which they own or of which they are tenants, for exchange and guest members to respond to such offerings. The company also arranges for some special accommodation schemes, i.e., family, senior, disabled, and pet-friendly exchanges. As to March 2019, the platform the platform counts over 400,000 listed properties located in 187 countries with 10,000 new properties added on average per month. Other than being just a company, HomeExchange regards itself as a community of people committed to social values such as 'welcoming, sharing, caring, and discovering'.
The business model of HomeExchange can be summarized as follows. After registering with the platform and creating an account by providing personal information as requested, each member gains access to the messaging service provided by the platform, as well as to other details necessary to contact the other party. Arrangements concerning the exchange (e.g., number of nights or guests) are made directly by members through the messaging service provided by the platform. During exchanges, hosts can be present or not. In any event, members are encouraged to provide each other practical information and travel advices or, even, to create a 'home guide'. Both hosts and guests are requested to rate their own exchange experiences using a five-star scale. Exchanges between members of the community are usually concluded free-of-charge, based on a gratuitous loan for use agreement. Hosts, however, are permitted to charge guests with cleaning fees. Even the messaging service is provided by the platform to its members free-of-charge. For its other services, the company instead charges guests with a fixed fee of EUR 10 per night. An alternative form of payment is also provided. Users can in fact subscribe to an annual membership for a one-time payment of EUR 130 and, thus, benefit from accessing to an unlimited number of exchanges over a twelve-month period.
Not long ago, a travel company called HomeExchange.com was simply one of several firms working in the field of vacation and home exchanges ("you stay in their home while they stay in yours"). Then some folks in Hollywood produced an utterly unrealistic but wildly unenthusiastic film about a home exchange (The Holiday, starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) in which the owner of a palatial mansion in Southern California swaps (for a time) her gigantic residence with swimming pool and extensive grounds for a cozy cottage in Great Britain. And reference was made in the film to HomeExchange.com, which is portrayed as bringing about the fictitious swap. The entire transaction, as depicted in the film, took less than 24 hours to arrange. When The Holiday was released, a firestorm of bookings occurred. The phones rang off the hook, and thousands of persons all over the world rushed to add their homes or apartments to the vacation inventory of HomeExchange.com. At the Los Angeles Times Travel Show, the owner of HomeExchange.com was in attendance, along with his expanded staff and a recently hired public relations representative. Since then, his firm has skyrocketed in size, and charges a fee of $99 a year for its assistance. If you don't snare an exchange the first year, you get the second year free. HomeExchange.com now has more than 20,000 listings—repeat, 20,000 homes and apartments around the world. While HomeExchange.com may not be the largest such exchange firm, it's obviously contending for the top spot, and should be considered for your own next vacation.
HomeExchange.com — A vacation home exchange service that allows members to trade their homes, condominiums, or apartments at a time that is convenient to both parties. HomeExchange also facilitates hospitality exchanges. WIth these, members stay with you as guests and then you go and stay with them as their guests.
Where is it offered? HomeExchange hosts 41,000 lists in hundreds of countries. The US, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, and Spain are some of the most popular destinations.
Who can use it? Both property owners and renters are welcome.
Cost to join? There is no cost to browse listings. A $9.95 per month for a one-year unlimited membership costs around $119, while a three-month membership costs around $48.
What about safety? HomeExchange believse that good communication minimizes misplaced expectations. Members are encouraged to ask questions about the home and neighborhood, and should always request to see photos and ask for referrals from prior exchanges. As always members should verify liability with their insurance company or landlord before swapping.
Ed Kushins, founder and CEO of HomeExchange.com, based in Hermosa, California is someone who regularly invites people into his home, including the gentleman who eventually became a business partner. Kushins knew his neighbor was doing a home exchange, so he invited his neighbor's guest over for a barbecue. The rest, as they say, is history. The company has quickly grown to become one of the United States's largest members-only home exchange businesses. Here is what Kushins does to ensure his employees feel at home when they are at work.
In the current movie The Holiday, Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz play disheartened singles who swap homes with each other for vacation and find new loves.
The film's director, Nancy Meyers got inspired while browsing the real-life HomeExchange.com Web site, deciding that two strangers who step into each other's worlds is a great plot device. HomeExchange is prominently featured in the film.
"We lucked out," says HomeExchange.com president Ed Kushins, who says some clients who use the service do find romance while vacationing in a stranger's home.
When Ed Kushins agreed four years ago to have his company, HomeExchange.com, featured in the Hollywood film “The Holiday,” he didn’t fully foresee the transformation that lucky break would bring. A big hit that featured Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz exchanging homes and finding love as a result, the film brought an avalanche of new members to HomeExchange.com, making it undoubtedly the single largest U.S. company in the field.
As a result, HomeExchange.com now has more than 32,000 home-exchange listings (35 percent in the U.S., the remainder around the world) and continues to receive between 400 and 500 new listings each week.
Unlike third-party websites such as TripAdvisor.com or Booking.com, which generate fees and commissions for themselves with each booking, HomeExchange operates more like a cooperative. Started in 1992, HomeExchange.com now boasts 65,000 members worldwide with over 1 million exchanges in more than 150 countries. Membership is $150 per year, allowing you to list your own property to be made available for exchange. You can then communicate directly with other members to propose exchanges, which don’t have to happen simultaneously.
I accept ref. 1 as high-quality significant independent coverage; ref .2 is a travel guide I would normally be skeptical about, Ref.3 seems a routine listing. Ref 4 probably is OK, though not visible; Ref 5. is PR ; Ref. 6 is a mention; Ref.7 , by the same author as ref 2, is in more detail, ( presumably a syndicated feature--I doubt that particular newspaper was the only place it was published) that reads in large part like a PR interview, Ref. 8 is a routine listing . So what we have is one good academic book, 1 probably good academic article, 2 articles fro ma well-know travel guide writer, andsome miscellaneous.
1 & 4 seem sufficient for an article, and I am withdrawing the AfD, with my customary thanks to Cunard. DGG ( talk ) 17:28, 1 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for reviewing the sources and withdrawing the AfD, DGG (talk·contribs)! Cunard (talk) 08:44, 5 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.