In these heady days of social networking, if someone experiences something negative they will shout it out to the world and in many cases, much of the world will hear. One video posted on You Tube, a photo on Facebook, or a 140 character review on Twitter could be quite damaging to your reputation. On the other hand, a rave review or a spectacular comment about an aspect of the rental can have a ton of visitors beating a path to your web site, many of whom want to have that experience themselves.

There are little things and there are big things that make the difference and you’ll never know what works best until you try. Here’s a few ideas – many of which have been gleaned from the amazing community at Lay My Hat, and if you are vacation rental owner and haven’t visited there yet, I suggest you sign up right now. They are presented in no particular order.

1    Buy the best mattresses you can afford

Don’t skimp on your guests’ sleeping experience. This is what they will remember long after the pictures of sunsets and kids playing in the water have become .jpg clutter.

2    Supply big fluffy towels

If you supply linens and towels, make sure you have some good sized bath towels. The Lay My Hat folks have talked about this one at length and the consensus is that big fluffy towels are important. For anyone who’s ever spend a night in a Holiday Inn or Best Western and tried to wrap one of their skimpy towels around an ample body you’ll know what I mean!

3    Send an inventory of what is in your kitchen.

How do they know what to bring if you don’t tell them what you’ve got? It’ll save on a bunch of emails asking you if you have a blender/garlic press/potato masher/whizzy pineapple corer etc.

4   Supply welcome packs for kids

Find out the kids ages and pack up colouring books and (non-wax) crayons; puzzles and children’s guide books. Get them involved in what is around the property, for example if you have waterfront and there are frogs – download and print a frog recognition guide. Make it cool for them to be there.

5    Be generous with the basics

Supply sufficient paper products (toilet paper, kitchen paper & coffee filters), liquid hand soap, cleaning materials, kitchen foil, dishwasher tabs, garbage bags, light bulbs, plastic containers for leftovers etc.

6    Provide stuff to do on a rainy day

Games (with all the pieces intact) , playing cards ( new packs); scrapbooking box; lots of paperbacks. Include a rainy-day ideas book with creative and fun things to do.

7    Guidebooks and maps

Go to town on the information you provide. Not just local tourist information but your own recommendations for restaurants, places to go and things to do. Include suggestions for half-day and full day driving tours or trips out. Remember that your guests probably don’t know the area and would be delighted with your ideas.

8    Emergency/Power out kit

Don’t leave guests in the dark in a power outage. Make sure they know what to do and where to find your power outage box, which should contain a wind-up radio, candles/gas lamp, lighter, information on who to contact to inform that the power is out, and a reminder about safety.

9    At least one really sharp kitchen knife

One of the top complaints about vacation rentals is the lack of sharp knives. Buy at least one really good knife or spend a little more on a good quality set.

10    Get a universal remote control

If you have more than one remote control for your TV, DVD, Video and stereo, invest in a universal that will control everything. Set it up for all your entertainment systems and leave one clear instruction guide should anything go wrong.

11    Provide a variety of herbs and spices

No-one wants to pack a whole bunch of seasonings, nor will they really want to go out and buy them all, so why not stock up with a comprehensive herb and spice collection. Keep them topped up too.

12    Fresh soap in the bathrooms

Either nicely packaged soaps or topped up soap dispensers will do, but please don’t leave used bars of soap in the washrooms.

13    Leave an ‘ooops I forgot’ pack

Pick up some travel sized items – toothpaste/shampoo/shower gel/razors etc. Put in a basket or box in a cupboard and let your guests know where it is should they have forgotten something.

14    Create the mood

Leave lights on for guests arriving at night; classical music playing on the radio for ambience and the heat up (or fire lit) for cooler times. Make sure the place smells lovely – using natural products where you can. Fresh flowers are a great touch too.

15    Write a welcome letter to your pet guests

There’s nothing pet owners like more than to have their furry friends acknowledged. Writing a letter directly to the pet and adding it to the welcome pack works really well if you want to get across your pet rules in a friendly way. Add a little pack of natural dog treats.

16    Supply a pet pack

Here’s what you need to pamper pets and their owners – Two stainless steel bowls, a bucket, several old towels, a dog brush, some rubber gloves, a ‘skunk kit’ (comprises bicarbonate of soda and hydrogen peroxide), a temporary dog tag with the cottage address and phone number, and a couple of tennis balls as well as a supply of plastic bags.

17    Be creative with kitchen stuff and small appliances

Provide a range of small appliances and bake ware so any spur of the moment cooking idea can be gratified. A bread maker; ice cream maker; Panini machine; juicer; slow cooker are just a few suggestions. Cake pans, muffin tins and cookie sheets are also welcomed. On your checkout list ask your guests what they would have liked that was not there. Then act on their suggestions if you can.

18    A welcome basket

Everyone loves to get something they were not expecting. A small basket with some seasonal items is nice to leave. We usually pick something up from our farmers market on a Saturday morning before our changeover. A fresh pot of basil, some local tomatoes and a small jar of honey in summer; some hot chocolate sachets, maple syrup and scented candles in winter. When you want to create a great first impression, this usually does it!

19    Offer a geocaching pack

Geocaching is fast becoming a really popular activity for all ages. For the price of a handheld GPS, a family can get outdoors and have a fun filled day without any entrance fees to pay. Provide a GPS pre-loaded with caches in a 20 mile radius of your property, and hide one of your own nearby to get them started off, and you’ll have them hooked. Geocachers will tell you they always recall how they got started, and the thrill of the first find. Be the one to initiate this and they’ll remember you forever. More on this on my Cottage Caching site.

And finally………

20    Keep in touch with your guests

Make a quick call or send an email after their stay to thank them for leaving the place so nice (even if it wasn’t quite up to your standards). Ask for some feedback and act on it, letting them know if you make a change as a result. Keep them informed if you make any additions – we let all our previous guests know when we added a hot tub, and got immediate reservations from some of them.

I am sure there are lots of things I have missed out here, so lets see if we can get this list up to 30.  All ideas are welcome!

Photo by Afkatws

I’m heading up to a lakefront cottage today that is seriously in need of some TLC.  It had 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms with a 2 bedroom/1 bath guest house. As it is we may be able to squeeze $1800 per week because of the scale of accommodation and the fabulous waterfront, but there is massive potential to raise the rate by up to $1000 per week with some redecoration, some additional furniture and creative staging.  I will be working with Rachel Gilooley, a professional stager – more on Rachel to come.

Over the course of next few weeks I’ll be presenting the project as it moves ahead, with video, commentary and interviews to my subscribers.  My goal is to provide the owner with 100% occupancy in the high season months which could give him up to $10,000 more in income than originally expected.  For extended coverage of the project sign up for my newsletter. This is going to be fun!

This is a question I hear frequently at this time of year. Vacation home owners are reviewing their past occupancy; thinking about improvements and most important of all, considering whether to raise their rates for the next year.

With the current economic climate, the rise in vacation rental properties coming onto the market, and changes in travel demographics, it’s not the no-brainer decision it once was, and does require a significant amount of research and competitive evaluation.

Vacation rentals are being touted significantly in the press as being ‘value for money’ and the choice for ’staycations’.  This means the market for holidays of this nature will continue to grow and become more popular creating new clients for your property. On the other side of the coin, there are many more second homes being advertised for rent as the owners strive to find ways to meet costs, or are unable to sell at a reasonable market price.

There has always been a good balance of supply and demand, tipping over into a strong seller’s market in the high season but backing off to the renter’s advantage in the longer out-of-season period. This situation is unlikely to change, particularly in our Ontario market place, however before moving to cash in on the potential for higher demand in 2009, I recommend a cautious approach and a good look at the competition before you make any big increase in rates.

If you are planning on an increase, take a look at what you are offering in the way of features or facilities. Have you upgraded anything?  Are your planning on purchasing new appliances or adding something extra like a hot tub or a sauna?  Make sure you justify any increase rather than raising the rate incrementally because another year has gone by. And, whatever you do, try to remain competitive and don’t price yourself out of the market you are in.

There’s a fragrant aroma of wood smoke in the air in our neck of the woods and vacation rental enquiries are mentioning wood stoves and open fireplaces more and more. With the first frost of the year last night, and more cool evenings to come, renters are concerned about finding cozy warm homes for their fall breaks and owners looking for a significant stake in the fall and winter market need to pay attention to their heat source as a promotional tool.

There’s a particular kind of magic about the image of crisp fall days spent hiking or biking, and evenings in ambient surroundings with soft light, a warming fire and a glass of wine. It’s the popular vision of vacation rentals at this time of year and its no wonder that those properties that do advertise a wood stove or open fireplace are in high demand.

Before firing up that old iron stove sitting in the corner of the cabin and piling in the wood, there’s a number of safety issues to consider and precautions to keep in mind.

• Check your rental insurance policy. You may not have coverage for use of a wood stove if it has not been certified and tested. DO NOT allow use of a wood stove without insurance cover.
• Have the chimney cleaned before the first fall rental.
• Write a clear instruction guide for use of the fire or stove. Remember that many renters may have no experience is using an indoor wood fire source, so if you don’t describe what a damper is or how to regulate the air flow, you’ll be getting calls complaining about smoke-filled rooms.
• Be very specific about the wood the renters can use. Provide a sufficient amount of wood for their stay, and make it clear that only the wood provided can be used in the fire.

Go to Woodheat.org for more information on everything related to wood heat in your vacation or holiday home.

Hopefully, your rental season has kicked off on a positive note, and all will run smoothly through the summer. Your renters will all be totally knocked out by your property, won’t bother you with any issues, and you’ll get to the end of the season without a single problem.

And pigs might fly……….

Seriously, if you have done all your preparatory work thoroughly, have a good changeover strategy and you are on top of any maintenance, it is possible you won’t hear from any of your renters at all. Realistically, it is more likely that there will be a few calls with minor issues; questions about things you may have forgotten to include in the guest guide and reports of breakage or damage (hopefully minor!).

Here’s seven ways of creating happier renters and reducing your callout rate:

1. Call your renters a few days before their stay and find out if they have any last minute questions. Then, either greet your renters personally or call them soon after they arrive to let make sure they have found everything they need. Make sure they have a number to get hold of you, “in case of an emergency”. Avoid telling them to call “any time”.
2. Leave a welcome note and gift. I used to leave a bottle of wine, but now I have a basket with a few items that suit each set of guests. For couples on a romantic break, there are scented candles; for pet owners I leave a bottle of herbal-based pet bug spray that I get from our local pet health store; families with children get colouring books (supplied free from the Ministry of Natural Resources), etc.
3. Provide some vouchers for local attractions or restaurants, or if you have a provincial park close to you, get a season pass.
4. Ensure your guest guide is totally up to date and includes instructions – or tells them where the manuals are – for all your appliances. Have clear instructions for garbage disposal and make sure you leave some garbage tags (if required).
5. Make sure the place is spotlessly clean for your guests’ arrival. When the first impression is great, the number of calls is significantly reduced.
6. If the bugs are bad in your area and you don’t have a screened sun room, consider purchasing a gazebo. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to set up, and provide your guests with a mosquito free environment. Some citronella candles help as well.
7. Send your guests a packing list so they don’t leave anything behind. And inform them of any changes you may have made to facilities since they booked.  Buying that King size bed was a great idea, but not if your guests arrive with linens for the queen you told them was there!

Learn from every rental. Make notes about every call you get, and put a strategy in place to prevent it from happening with the next guests. Using this combination of going the extra mile, and super-preparation should create less needy guests and make your life so much easier this summer!

Photo by haesy on Flickr

"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 your vacation rental, the more likely people are to book.

This seemed an interesting perspective. It’s not that I am dishonest in any way about my cottage. I make it clear it’s on a river and not a lake, and there is no access into bigger water unless guests are prepared to take the kayaks over the rapids, but I don’t overstate the negatives. However, the author of the originating post on the thread suggested that because people are reassured by honesty, it wins their trust.

Think about the Buckley’s commercial and the tagline- "It tastes awful and it works".  As one of the best-selling cough remedies, their advertising strategy of blatant honesty obviously works too!

Last year, I had a call from a potential guest about a property we manage on Chemong Lake. She just loved the look of it inside and was ready to book. When she told me she had small children and it was important they could play in sand and wade in shallow water, I explained that the waterfront was very weedy and although swimming was OK in the deeper water it was not the scenario she was looking for. She then said that her husband would love that because the fishing was good, and asked some questions about local public beaches.

My detailed description of the waterfront only seemed to strengthen her decision to book, which she did. Her follow-up note after the vacation said it was the best time ever because they took the children out to the local provincial park each day, and every evening, she sat on the dock while her husband fished. "The best of every world" is how she described it!

There’s another by-product of honesty and that is the ‘No Surprise’ factor. In customer service terms it’s also called under-promising and over-delivering. If weed is occasionally blown onto the shore at your cottage, mention it; if you know your neighbour is planning some construction on his property in the summer, let your guests know. If these things do happen, they are expected; if they don’t, your clients are even happier.

If you discuss these things over the phone with potential guests and they still want to book, it’s good idea to follow-up in writing so you have a record of telling them the negative points. Just a little bit of ‘insurance’ you may never need, but always good to have!

Photo by go4action on Flickr

How 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 from one renter, another arrives. 

But wait for it…..I’ve just had an ‘AHA’ moment, which seems incredibly simple and I really don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this before.

Add a Frequently Asked Question page on the web site that will answer things like this:

Would it be possible to bring my small well behaved dog?

Can we bring a tent for the kids?

Where is the nearest marina

What is the depth of water at the end of the dock?

Are there Zebra mussels?

Where are the nearest hiking trails?

Can we use the wood stove in summer?

Do you have a blender, kettle, slow cooker, etc?

What is the cell phone signal like?

Is there car parking available for a car and a trailer?

My mom is in a wheelchair. Is your place suitable for her?

Is there any heating inside?

Can I moor my 14ft/21ft/28ft boat?

Is there internet connection?

How far is closest supermarket and hospital?

Even if the answers to these questions are on your listing, it’s worthwhile setting up your FAQs to cover every possible enquiry that may come your way. Then you can put a link to the page that says something like, ‘If you have questions about the cottage check here, and give us a call if there is anything we haven’t covered’. You can continue to add questions to the FAQ list as you get them.

If you don’t have a web site and just list on vacation rental sites, put together an FAQ document that you can just email in response to enquiries. As sure as apples is apples, if people have one question, they will have a dozen, so it’s more time efficient to answer them in advance!

So what is the weirdest question you’ve been asked?  Mine was, "How do we get water out of the well?"

After 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 our guests expect, other expenses have to be justified by answering the questions:

Is there demand?

Will it increase occupancy?

Can we increase the rental rate?

Buying a hot tub in 2006 was one of the best moves we’ve made since we bought the cottage and answered all three questions with a resounding ‘Yes’, allowing us to pay off the cost of the tub in the first year of use. So, we’re applying the same reasoning to the hi-speed internet installation.

The cost is just under $150 to install and the monthly fee is $50, so I have to make sure the return is over $750 in the first year.

Demand

Requests for internet access have increased over the past year to a point where it’s in the top five most asked for criteria, particularly in the low season period. The reasoning for this we figure, is that people are happier to take more short vacation breaks if they are able to keep in touch with the office, or even bring some work with them. So, faced with a choice of several cottages they are more likely to select the one with the internet connection.

Occupancy

Given the demand as noted above, there is a good chance that we will sell more short breaks in the low season. We may also find that people take more extended breaks as they can connect to their workplace when necessary. I know as a self-employed person myself, that I could not be away from my email connections for more than a couple of days as my business would suffer so having access to hi-speed internet would be a huge advantage for me.

Rental rate

There is scope to raise the rental rate by around $40 per weekend and still give value for money. People will pay a premium for a property that gives them more value; allows them to connect to the office while away, and gives them peace of mind that they are not missing out on potential business.

From this analysis we’ve decided to install the system and give it a year’s trial. If we book two additional weekends over last year’s occupancy levels, because we’ve added the internet connection, it will pay for the service for the year, so it’s definitely worth a try. I’m thinking this will sell more chickens but time will tell, and I’ll be reporting back with the results.

It’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 cosy. I’ve been thinking about the guests down at my cottage that arrived last night and hoping they got the WOW effect when they opened the door.

I had trouble leaving there yesterday after I’d prepared it for them.  The woodstove was alight; the table decorated and set for two; Christmas music was playing on Classic FM; table lamps were softly glowing, the hot tub up to temperature, and the lights on the mantel and tree completed the picture. We left a festive wicker gift basket filled with chocolates, wine and some scented candles, and for a couple enjoying their first Christmas together, I can’t think of a more welcoming effect.

Making that extra effort to create the welcome pays benefits all round. Our guests will be happy, and I’m content I’ve done everything I could to make their stay memorable. It took less than a half and hour to do that final preparation and could make the difference between it being an ordinary and an extraordinary experience.

These simple steps could be done by a caretaker if you are not available to do the pre-arrival preparation. Just provide him/her with a checklist and relevant supplies. It is so important, particularly in winter, to create a warm welcome.

I’m off to spend the day with my son and daughter-in-law, so I hope you all have an enjoyable time with families and friends. Happy Christmas to everyone.

I 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 first 7 at least in my cottage for 2008:

1. Coffee Maker – don’t go for the cheapest and if you buy a spare jug at the same time, you’ll have a spare in case of breakage
2. 4-Slice Toaster – I like the ones that take bagels as well
3. Electric Kettle – I’m a Brit and couldn’t be without my cup of tea in the morning, so this is high priority for me.
4. Blender – guests like to make Margueritas so buy one that crushes ice.
5. Food Processor – I’m getting one for next year as it was asked for several times this past summer. I had a hand mixer but I guess there are some vacation cooks out there who use their downtime to practice their culinary skills.
6. Slow Cooker – nice to supply if you are renting in the winter.
7. Panini Maker- I got one of these in Canadian Tire recently and love it, so my guests are getting one too (I think I’m beginning to sound like Oprah!!)
8. Electric Fry Pan – This is another ‘nice to have’ appliance – useful for couples and small groups.
9. Toaster Oven – Not sure about this one as we haven’t a great deal of space but may think about it as I like mine at home and use it a lot. It does need a lot of cleaning though.
10. Bread Machine – We have occasionally been asked for one of these, but I don’t think I’d buy it unless there was a really good deal. I know of some cottages where it is a real hit.

Have I missed anything? Do you supply any other small appliances I haven’t mentioned?