PARK CITY, UT (Nov. 11, 2008) – VacationRoost.com, the most comprehensive online marketplace for professionally managed vacation rental properties, today welcomes Michael Sands, former chief operating officer of Orbitz Worldwide, to the company’s board of directors.
Sands has more than 15 years of executive leadership and marketing experience. He served as chief marketing officer at Orbitz through the company’s launch and initial public offering. After the sale of Orbitz to Cendant in 2004, Sands took the role of chief operating officer, a position he held through the company’s spinoff to Blackstone in 2006. Sands currently works in private equity making investments in travel and e-commerce.
“Mike has a tremendous amount of online travel experience, and we look forward to his contributions as a member of VacationRoost.com’s board of directors,” said Julian Castelli, VacationRoost.com’s CEO. “Like Mike, our company is very focused on innovation and we think his insights and experience will be very valuable in helping to guide us on our mission of building the largest online marketplace of professionally managed vacation rental properties.”
“I admire VacationRoost.com for addressing one of the final unmet needs in online travel – creating a single online source for booking all professionally managed vacation rentals,” said Michael Sands. “I’m looking forward to working with Julian and the board to help with all the amazing things the company has planned.”
Before Orbitz, Sands held senior marketing positions at General Motors, Giant Step, and Leo Burnett. He also sits on the board of the public company, Youbet.com.
About VacationRoost.com
VacationRoost.com is a consolidated online marketplace where travelers can search, shop and book the largest selection of professionally managed vacation rental properties. With over 100,000 vacation rental units in 84 locations across the western Rockies, eastern beach markets, Caribbean and Mexico, VacationRoost.com helps travelers find the perfect rental based on their specific needs and budget. By bringing decades of experience in the online travel and vacation rental industry to VacationRoost.com, the executive leadership and team of 100 Travel Specialists have enabled the company to revolutionize the industry. VacationRoost.com is an operating business of Mountain Reservations Inc. For more information, go to www.vacationroost.com.