Studies by neuroscientists have shown that ancient neural circuits in the brain are activated when decisions are made on the importance of objects in the environment, allowing us to make rapid assessments and judgements. This is what we know as ‘first impressions’ and this work has shown how we form them within the first 30 seconds, and those impressions are usually lasting. Much of the research has been on first impressions in human interaction but it relates just as well to our initial judgements of other aspects of our world including how people choose and evaluate vacation rentals. [Continue reading]
The Power of WOW – 30 Seconds to Increasing Revenue
May 18, 2013 by Leave a Comment
VRS005 – Creating Family Friendly Holiday Success
May 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Interview with Wendy Shand of Tots To Travel In this session of the Vacation Rental Success Podcast, I’m excited to have a chat with successful holiday rental entrepreneur, Wendy Shand of UK-based Tots To Travel. Launched in 2006, Tots to … [Continue reading]
What Chris Hadfield can Teach us about Out of This World Marketing
May 14, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There’s lots of famous Canadians and we’re proud of most of them. James Naismith was the Canadian sports coach who introduced the world to basketball in 1891; Scott Abott and Chris Haney invented the game of Trivial Pursuit ( there’s a … [Continue reading]
How to Create ‘WOW’ Moments in the Kitchen
May 13, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It’s less than a week now until I head off to Phoenix to speak at the Home Away Summit, and I’m getting really psyched up for it. I love talking about this business and I’m so looking forward to a whole weekend of immersion in vacation … [Continue reading]
Why Free Is Not What It’s Cracked Up To Be
May 8, 2013 by 5 Comments
The Price of Free It’s hard not to be attracted to a free listing or a free template to build a vacation rental website. You won’t have to look hard to find blog posts and articles suggesting you use them – after all there is no cost to … [Continue reading]
A Plea – White Text on Black Background From a Personal Perspective
April 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
This is not technically a rant, although it started a bit like that. It is more a plea, based on a lot of anecdotal and some scientific research, that vacation rental owners, template designers and VR web companies stop using predominantly white on … [Continue reading]
Over promise and over deliver. The Key to Vacation Rental Success!
April 1, 2013 by 1 Comment
'If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all. Because, if it's not excellent, it won't be profitable or fun, and if you're not in business for fun or profit, what the hell are you doing there?' Robert Townsend (Entrepreneur) Our world of … [Continue reading]
Second Best Can Be First Class – Tips For Second Bedrooms
March 16, 2013 by Leave a Comment
We see so many vacation homes during the course of a year and one thing that has struck me is that owners seem to pay far more attention to the master bedroom than the others. While these rooms are larger and often have ensuite bathrooms, there … [Continue reading]
9 Photographs You Should Not Have On Your Site
March 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
There’s no arguing that quality photos can deliver conversions. It just makes so much sense to spend time on staging a room before taking the picture that will convince a site visitor to book your place rather than the competition. Whereas … [Continue reading]
Keep Them Engaged: 3 Social Media Networks for Vacation Rentals
March 7, 2013 by 1 Comment
Guest post by Matt Smolsky of Perfect Places.com Social media figures heavily in the plans of many cottage rental owners and managers in 2013. In fact, according to a survey conducted by Perfect Places Vacation Rentals, social media is a … [Continue reading]
