Adding Value
« Previous EntriesHonesty Can Bring More Rental Guests - Honest!
Sunday, April 20th, 2008
"If you are told you can’t have it - you want it more! Ever watched a child in a candy or toy store?"
Lay My Hat Forum contributor
I was reading an interesting thread on the Lay My Hat forum this morning. The gist was that the more honest you are about the shortcomings of […]
Save Time By Including FAQs On Your Listing
Saturday, March 1st, 2008How much of your time is taken up by answering questions from your cottage rental guests? Questions about the length of the dock; the location of the nearest marina, Beer Store or supermarket; bed configuration or type of appliances, are common. It seems that as soon as I’ve finished answering a set of questions […]
Internet Connection at the Cottage - Is It Worthwhile?
Saturday, January 5th, 2008After a long time of waiting, hi-speed internet is coming to our cottage area, and we’re now considering installing it at the cottage. Like everything we do there, any improvement must meet the ‘Does it sell more chickens?’ criteria. Apart from those necessary to keep the property up to the high standard […]
The WOW Effect - Creating A Lasting Impression For A Festive Break
Tuesday, December 25th, 2007It’s 5am on Christmas morning and I’m in my favourite spot – curled up in front of the fire with a mug of Tim Horton’s chocolate. BBC Radio 2 is on – wonderful commercial free entertainment that reminds me of Xmas mornings back in UK - and my living room looks wonderfully festive and really […]
10 Small Appliances for a Well Equipped Kitchen
Tuesday, December 18th, 2007I received a few questions after my post on The Secret of Successful Rental. One of them stemmed from the suggestion that a well equipped kitchen will encourage returning guests, and asked what small appliances I would recommend. The following are in order of importance (in my opinion) and I intend providing the […]
Are You Adding Value by Providing Linens for Your Guests?
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007I’ve been in lively discussion with a fellow cottage owner about providing bed linens for guests. From my knowledge of the rental market here in Ontario, I would guess around 20% of owners supply sheets and towels, while the rest provide comforters, blankets and pillows and ask their renters to bring their own linens.
Our domestic […]
Additions, Renovations and Improvements to Increase Rental Profit
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007The time has come for some renovations at my cottage in the Kawarthas. We’ve been renting out Osprey Cottage for three years now and have had a lot of success, with full occupancy in the summer and decent reservation rates the rest of the year, but it’s looking a bit tired in places. We are […]
Why You Should Give Your Guests a Good Night’s Sleep
Friday, November 16th, 2007In the course of a year, I probably visit over 100 vacation homes and cottages. Sometimes this is an annual inspection for rental cottages for my management agency; sometimes as part of my consultancy services to owners who are considering renting out their properties, and very occasionally it is in response to a complaint […]
Winter Power Outages -Buying a Generator
Sunday, November 11th, 2007We’ve just bought a generator. It took us a long while researching and considering the expense but we finally decided to take the plunge and bought a 16kw automatic propane model at a cost of just over $7000. Ouch…..I hear the intakes of breath and sucking in of teeth…that’s a lot of money for additional […]
10 ways to add value to your cottage vacation rental
Saturday, November 10th, 2007Making your guests feel welcome when they arrive is the key to creating happy clients who will return and refer their friends. They are more likely to respect your property and to leave it in an as-found condition if you have provided them with some pleasing touches that will enhance their cottage experience. These are […]
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