As a rental property owner, marketing is everything. While travel agents used to be your eyes and ears to inspect the quality of a hotel or accommodations, the internet now gives the average renter a sneak peek of what they can expect. That is good and bad for both property owners and renters. If you want to ensure that you are doing everything you can to present your rental in a favorable light, these are the top seven qualities that define a good vacation rental. How many is your rental property management company checking off the list?
Matching the Advertising
If there is one thing that people want when they go on vacation, it is to show up at a rental that looks the same in person as it did online. When you are marketing your rental, you want to showcase and highlight all the great things about it, but not to the extent that you give renters a false sense of what to expect. There is a fine line to walk between marketing and honesty and once you step over the line even a centimeter, you are setting your renters up for disappointment. Be sure to be completely transparent when it comes to the claims you are making. If the beach walk is listed as five minutes and it turns out to be more like 12, it might not seem like a big deal, but it is to the person who thought it was five minutes!
Your Vacation Rental Isn’t a Home
Sure, you want your rental to be comfortable, but that doesn’t mean that it should look “lived in.” Having homey accessories makes a renter’s stay more enjoyable, but not if you only have the used blanket laying around that’s comfortable for YOU. When you rent your home, it is okay to leave your personal items lying around, but don’t showcase them to the point that it feels like your renter is invading your space. Your rental shouldn’t feel like a chaotic mishmash; it should be a great way to get away without the clutter that tends to overwhelm our everyday lives.
Remember, They Are There to Relax!
For the average adult, getting away isn’t the hard part; leaving the world behind is. When you go on vacation, you want to have things to do to engage you and occupy your time so that you aren’t constantly focusing on things in the back of your mind. A good rental always has entertaining things to bring the family closer like games and puzzles, reading materials, and a big comfy space to sit around and watch Netflix and Hulu. Your entire rental should be an escape for them physically as well as mentally.
Family-Friendly
If you are marketing your home as family-friendly, then be it! Things like having an extra umbrella stroller, a cart to carry all the kids’ stuff to the beach, and an extra set of sand toys are very much appreciated. When traveling, it is nice to be able to go light, which means not having to cart a porta-crib or booster seat. It is those little extras that help to make Mom and Dad’s vacation easier and less cumbersome that people remember.
Give Guidance about What They Need
Everyone comes to your rental with a different set of expectations. It might seem like things should be a given, like bringing the essentials like cooking oil or ziplock bags, but it is a nicety to let them know what you do and do not have so they can decide if they want to bring their own. Spell out things like ‘coffee maker included’ and ‘wine opener is ready and waiting.’ That way, there is no miscommunication about what they will and won’t find when they arrive.
Make Things Easy to Find
Your renters are on a vacation, not a scavenger hunt. It is irritating to spend most of your vacation time looking for things both in the rental and outside it. Guides are a must and the more information you can find, the better. Renters are rarely put off by too many instructions – unless they are chores that you want to have done or a list of don’ts. If you have something that you don’t want a renter to do, then either make sure to set up conditions so it is obvious or get over it. Your vacation renter doesn’t want a honey-do or a don’t-do list; they just want to know where to find stuff and what the destination has to offer locally.
Be Reasonable About Check-In Times and Check-Out Times
In an age of post-COVID, cleanliness has never been so important, which means cleaners might need a little extra time to clean. Make sure that you aren’t being unrealistic about check-out times or check-in times. If you are having a hard time getting your vacation rental clean in a short time, then find another cleaning crew with more people, but don’t cut your vacationer’s time short. No one wants to start their vacation at 6 at night, especially if they are traveling with tired children, and they certainly don’t want to wake up at dawn to get out. Just think about what you would want, which will likely be the same times that are convenient for your renters. Try to be as considerate as possible while still getting the job done.
The key to your rental’s rentability lies in how likable and realistic it is. Make sure that you are marketing correctly, but not setting the bar so high you are setting your renters up for disappointment. Be sure to follow these other qualities of a good rental to have people returning again. At Sea Turtle Properties, we have all the qualities of a property management company to make your rental look amazing. Reach out and let’s discuss how we can ensure that your renters are always pleasantly surprised!