HomeAway North Austin Expansion Calls For High-Rise Lease, 2,000 New Workers

NORTH AUSTIN, TX — Austin-based HomeAway—the nation's largest vacation rental company—plans a major expansion at The Domain that will create 2,000 additional jobs in its new global headquarter in North Austin, officials said Thursday in a press release.

Company officials said they have signed a lease to occupy a new 16-story office tower to house the new employees, officials said in their news advisory. The move-in at the 315,000-square-foot office tower at The Domain mixed-use district will begin in the first quarter of 2019, officials said.

“As a global company headquartered in Austin and as the largest and fastest growing consumer tech company based in our hometown, we are well poised to attract the very best talent,” John Kim, HomeAway president, said in a prepared statement. “We’re already hiring at a rapid rate across all disciplines worldwide, and our new offices will help us continue to grow, especially as we look for talented designers, engineers and data scientists.”

The new office building, located at the intersection of Domain Drive and Alterra Parkway, will house HomeAway’s growing product and design, engineering and information technology teams, officials said. The number of HomeAway tech workers alone in Austin has grown by 50 percent in the past two years the company continues to invest heavily in this area, officials noted.

“Austin employees are critical to our global growth and success,” Kim said. “Our transition from a sales-driven advertising platform to a tech-driven e-commerce business is already paying off, as our owners and property managers generated $2.7 billion in gross bookings during the first quarter of 2017, nearly 50 percent more vacation rental gross bookings compared to the same time last year.”

Dallas-based TIER REIT is the owner, lead developer and property manager of the building, with Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group serving as co-developer. The building was designed by Gensler, with interior architecture and design led by Rios Clementi Hale Studios from Los Angeles. DPR was selected as the general contractor for the core/shell building, with groundbreaking to commence in the coming days.

"Like other HomeAway offices, The Domain high-rise will have an open layout that promotes collaboration and includes amenities such as bike storage, outdoor balcony space, an outdoor lawn for meetings and workouts, showers, lockers, and more,' officials said in their statement. "There will be easy, walkable access to Whole Foods Market, dozens of restaurants, parks and hundreds of retail stores. HomeAway leadership and facility teams will gather feedback and ideas from employees to incorporate in the final design of the office space."

HomeAway currently has various office locations in Austin including downtown, North Austin and South Austin. While the additional office at The Domain will allow for consolidation to a more centralized corporate campus, the company also plans to maintain its presence in downtown and in South Austin, officials said.

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