I am writing this post from a vacation rental, one which, due to its faults but great potential, really got me thinking about what makes a good vacation rental. After renting several vacation homes in California in recent months, I cannot identify one of them that fits my ideal vacation rental. I don’t expect them to be perfect, but considering how expensive they are, it would be nice to have more consistency.
Based on my perspective as a repeated vacation rental guest, here are my thoughts on what a vacation rental should be and how owners can better consider their guests’ needs. But I would love to hear your thoughts…what are your expectations and wishes for vacation rentals, from the properties to the websites and more? If you rent out your place, what has your experience been like? Please leave your feedback in the comments below.
1) Matching what is advertised
This should be obvious, but the vacation rental needs to reflect its listing on the website. If it’s listed as a three-bedroom home, there must be three usable bedrooms. If there are photos of four beds, all four of those beds should be available. (Yes, this happened–showing up and finding that some of the beds are being used for storage or are barely accessible due to the surrounding mess).
Be honest with your customers. If you mention your beautiful yard as a selling point, but I can’t use it because it’s totally muddy, I might not feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. If it’s hard to find street parking, be honest about that in the description so that I won’t be surprised when I have to park 5 blocks away.
The photos should reflect what the place really looks like. If I can barely recognize rooms from the photos because when we show up, they are filled with stuff or are a mess, that makes me feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth. This really happened to us, and unfortunately, they lost our business. We would have rented that place again and again because we loved the location but won’t be back because the house was expensive and uncomfortable.
2) Most people want a vacation rental, not to stay in the place where you clearly live
The vacation rentals where I feel the most comfortable are those that have less evidence of people actually living there. When I look around and see lots of family photos, piles of personal papers, laundry, or toiletries, I feel a little uncomfortable. If you live in a place that you rent out, hide as much of your personal stuff as possible and keep what is out well organized. Leave the guests some space to settle in–dresser drawers to store some clothes, bathroom shelves to put a few toiletries, kitchen counter space to keep their groceries, and space from your clutter.
3) Guests want to relax while on vacation
When people go on vacation and stay in a house, often away from the center of a city, they want to relax, especially in the evenings after being out all day. Have games, reading material, wifi, movies, and cable ready, and be sure to leave some simple directions for how to use the DVD player, Netflix, cable, etc.
4) Accommodate families
One reality of vacation rentals is that they make convenient accommodations for families, and the owners should recognize that so that families will continue to want to stay in them.
For us, the best rentals have been ones with a few things for our kids to use: toys, books, movies, a couple of bath toys, kids’ plates and utensils, even a stroller for us to borrow–nothing extravagant, but a few things are really appreciated. Even better is a rental that will provide kid gear, such as a pack-n-play for infants to sleep in, a booster seat for the table, and a baby gate if there are stairs. My kids still beg us to take them back to one vacation rental in San Francisco because all the kid gear made them feel welcome and comfortable.
5) Help guests plan what to bring, and remember that the kitchen is very important
In the rental description, mention the things that are available for use, like kitchen supplies and a hair dryer, so that I will know what I need to bring and won’t bother you with emails asking if you have this or that.
In the kitchen: Don’t forget the basics that guests need to cook: olive oil, salt, seasonings, a few condiments, sugar; even better would be a few small extras like a new stick of butter in the fridge and popcorn for movies. Leave coffee, tea, and coffee filters. Be sure there are plenty of dishes, pans, wine glasses, baggies, and other supplies like measuring cups and a wine opener. Part of the reason people pay more than a hotel is to be able to have breakfast and easily cook dinner in the house, and it’s frustrating when you have to buy all the very basics (sugar, coffee filters, olive oil, salt) to cook or you have to bring a wine opener from home!
6) Make it easy for guests to find stuff
Which can in the kitchen is for recycling? Where are the extra sheets? Unless the location of things is very obvious, why not use post-its to label a few things so that I don’t have to open all your cupboards and closets to find things? In previous vacation rentals, we couldn’t find overhead light switches, a wine opener, or sugar for coffee (and when we did find stuff in the kitchen, it was all expired!), and two bedrooms had the doors closed, leaving us to wonder if it was OK for us to enter…
7) Create a nice sleeping environment
Check mattresses–a really squeaky mattress might make me not want to return. Leave extra blankets and sheets. Make sure linens and pillows are clean and look new (nothing grosser than sleeping with a stained blanket or on a pillow that smells like someone else).
8) Possibly the most important: the place must be CLEAN
Stained linens, crud in the corners of the bathroom, crumbs in the silverware drawer, dust bunnies behind the bed, and a nasty coffee maker all made me not want to return to vacation rentals that would have been very nice if they had just been CLEAN.
9) Be reasonable with the price, fees, and check-in/check-out times
Vacation rentals are expensive and are usually more than a hotel. In San Francisco, we pay at least $300/night for a small two-bedroom house, often with a $200-300 cleaning fee, $50 pet fee, $100 fee if it’s through Airbnb, plus very high tax — we’ve decided this is too much, so I now look for places that charge lower rates and fees.
I now look for houses that rent through sites like VRBO and Tripadvisor to avoid Airbnb’s high booking fee, that have lower cleaning fees, and that don’t charge pet fees. I sometimes rule out places with 4:00 pm check-in because by 4 pm, we’ve lost the day–and ask for later check-out if the check-out time is 10:00, which I think is too early.
10) It’s the little things
When people pay more to stay in a vacation rental than in a hotel, the little things help them feel appreciated. Some little things that make a difference are leaving a bottle of local wine and a snack for when they arrive tired after a long drive, fresh flowers or a hand-written welcome note.
I love it when hosts email me suggestions for restaurants, cafes, hikes, and other nearby activities; these locals’ tips are a huge plus of renting a vacation home and feeling like you’re part of the community, even if it’s just for a few days.
My final thoughts: Vacation rentals have enhanced my travels over the last few years. I am looking for a place that will check enough boxes and provide enough value that we will want to return over and over again. So far we haven’t found that (update: we did! Here it is), but I’ll keep looking. As vacation rentals are quickly becoming more popular for travelers around the world, I hope more consistent quality will emerge, creating a better value for the traveler.
And you? What have your experiences been with rentals and the websites? What would your ideal vacation rental be like?
And check out this post by my friends at Ever In Transit for tips to avoid a vacation rental horror story.
Wow, sorry to hear about these experiences — having to clean and reorganize the place to make it feel livable is frustrating, especially when you are paying so much. And I agree–those little details to make you feel welcome go a long way. A related gesture, a few years ago we had a housesitter stay with the pets while we were away. We came home to find a bouquet of fresh blooming daffodils waiting for us in kitchen. That wasn’t the only reason we gave her a rave review, but that little gift made us feel extra grateful for her help.
We didn’t do any cleaning or reorganizing in any of the places but instead ignored the clutter…however, as you said, it’s because these places are so expensive that makes it frustrating.
We just came home from a vacation home in Bodega Bay, Ca. It was dirty, cluttered, messy and the cabinet doors in kitchen were even sticky. Since we keep our home neat and clean, we were pretty unhappy. I did speak to the owner but she was in denial about the condition of her vacation home. There were many photos of her family and her husband catching fish. The house was set up for her and her family and renting it to make money was her other objective. She seemed oblivious that renters had needs for cleanliness, neatness and serene surroundings. The sofa in living room was so uncomfortable (had holes in it) we were not sure we could last the week. Overall big disappointment.
That is so frustrating, especially when the house is expensive! I assume that Airbnb and other vacation rental companies have guidelines that they share with the rental owners, but it would be nice if there were more consistency. One bonus to going with a smaller vacation rental company (like a local one that rents houses in just one area or a site like Kid & Coe) is that they oversee the houses and you always know exactly what you’re getting.
We have been lucky to get some very good rentals, but there have been hiccups. One thing I can’t stand is when people don’t stay true to the location they say they are in. If you are “close to restaurants and shopping” and say you are in “x” neighborhood, I really expect that to be true. Don’t say it if I have to take a bus to get there. or if I am more than a 10 minute walk. You are not close. They are accessible.
We’ve had some very nice ones, too, but I can’t say they’re my ideal rental because they were so expensive or were much bigger than we need. I’d love to find a good 2-bedroom home in a location we love. Your point about location is important, and I can see that it would be frustrating if you think it’s close to something and it’s not.
Cleaning fees and huge deposits are my pet peeves. A small amount is okay but generally I try to avoid rentals that charge high cleaning fees and high bond amounts.
Right. It’s common for the cleaning fees to be $150 or more here, and that makes me question if it’s worth it to rent a place, especially if we plan to stay for only 2-3 nights.
I totally get the $150-200 cleaning fee for a whole home rental – if you figure they need to pay a house keeper to wash all the sheets, wash all towels sweep mop / restock the usables. do dishes basically a whole house cleaning even after just one day. id be hard pressed to find a cleaning person to charge less than that for those services.
I agree that a whole house cleaning is a lot of work (although I certainly hope they don’t have to wash dishes–I never leave dirty dishes when I check out of a rental). However, the problem becomes one of value for the visitor. If I want to rent a place for, let’s say, 3 days, is it worth it to me to have to pay the nightly fee, plus the Airbnb fee, plus a $200 cleaning fee? And just because the cleaners charge $200 doesn’t mean that that amount needs to be paid in full by the person staying there; it can be paid in part by the owner. If the owner finds that the nightly rate plus cleaning fee is not a deterrent for visitors, then great, but in some markets, the owners may need to adjust the prices to fit what people are willing to pay. While I know that a hotel is a different experience, I choose them more and more often because vacation rentals in California are getting too expensive.
Jenna,
Stop renting through sites like Airbnb, VRBO, and Trip Advisor. They tack on up to 16% extra fees. Just google the name of the property or the description, photos, owners name to see what websites you can find them on directly. Many sites, including owner’s direct website does not charge all these excessive service fees. Reject the sites charging such excessive fees and book directly with the owner. Your credit card already protects you from scams anyway.
Great post Jenna! Great advice for owners looking to rent out their property and good tips for those looking to stay in a vacation rental. Vacation rentals are a fabulous alternative to hotels – I prefer them but you have to do the work to find the right one!
Forgive the self promotion (and please, remove my comment if I’m out of line) — I just recently launched a book aimed to help travellers find the perfect vacation rental. Called, appropriately, ‘How to Find the Perfect Vacation Rental’ – in it I break down the criteria selection process, compare vacation rental websites, compile a list of questions to ask, and walk the reader through the exact process we use to find and enjoy vacation rentals around the world. It’s available on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWEX3VK/
Hi Gillian, Thank you for sharing that resource. The vacation rental option is new enough still that I think people can benefit from tips and hearing about other travelers’ experiences.
I love renting apartments. I guess I’ve been fortunate to not haven any issues that I can recall. I can’t believe the bed situation you mention. And I definitely agree that everything should match to what is advertised. I didn’t know about the Airbnb fee. I haven’t used them yet. I’ve always found good options through VRBO.
Wow, no issues? I would say that you’ve been lucky. The places we’ve stayed with no issues have all been expensive. There was one place in Sonoma County that we liked a lot, had no issues with, and it was cheap, but it was very close to a highway, so there was nothing for us to do within walking distance.
I agree. The kitchen is very important. It’s one of the factors that helps me save money while travelling so it’s on a high priority list. Plus, I love knowing what I put on my food.
Yes, the kitchen is important whether you’re traveling and planning to stay for a while or, as in my case, you’re traveling as a family and have finicky kids who don’t want to sit in restaurants every day.
These are all great points Jenna. For me, I don’t want to see all the clutter as well, as it makes me feel like I am invading someone’s home. I also think cleanliness is important. I once rented an apartment in Florence that had dirty dishes in the cabinets and moldy balsamic vinegar in the fridge. Eww!
Cleanliness is very important, especially because vacation rentals tend to be expensive. I feel like the place should be clean, even the little things, when I’m paying so much!
I write and do a podcast for vacation rental owners to help them create great places for their guests to stay. Your points are all very relevant and helpful and I will pass them on to my audience. I encourage all owners to be a guest as it is only through doing that can they really appreciate what their own guests experience.
I’m also the owner of 2 vacation homes and my cleaner generally needs 4 hours to clean between guests to ensure the place is spotless for the next group. They are in an area where good cleaning staff is hard to find, so it would be near impossible to have a ‘cleaning team’ who could do the changeover in a shorter time. We have an 11am check out and a 4pm check in, as later or earlier on either could compromise the period required for cleaning. While I understand your point about a 4pm check in, that is a tough one, since there is no other way around needing that time.
Thanks a lot for this comment, Heather. About the check-in time, I just think that people who rent out their houses should be aware that a 4 p.m. check-in time will be inconvenient for some, and people may choose a hotel instead. If that’s the only option, then that’s one story, but if a group of cleaners can be hired to accommodate earlier check-in, then I think that should be done.
Hello, and thank you for the post.
I was confused a little by the article – are you discussing a house swop or an actual holiday rental?
I own my own holiday company and whilst I agree with many of your comments, it was rather strange seeing much of someone elses property in the rooms you had booked. Our holiday lodge is set up as exactly that, a holiday home – the idea is that it should look as though you are the first ever people to see it – you won’t find any of our personal items.
Our highest rental is £720 per week, so you do also seem to be paying a lot of money for what you are getting! We do give our guests the option to do a basic clean before they leave (products are supplied) or they can pay a small amount towards the cost of the cleaning company.
We do offer a welcome pack and also child friendly plates, cups, beakers, high chair etc.
I appreciate my prices are very different to what you are finding, however, as a business owner, all the ‘extras’ that guests would like to see have to be costed into the price tariff – add to many items on and you find guests staying elsewhere. Our welcome pack contains tea, coffee, milk and nibbles, but we do also include spices, oil, seasonings, bin bags etc.
The property, is self catering however, so it is down to the guest to also provide what they believe they require.
We looked at providing a stroller/pushchair for children to use but were strongly advised against this by our insurance company. The reason being, who is going to check for safety? What happens if a guests child falls out – who will they blame? Unfortunately, we live in a world where ‘compensation’ is the in word.
I was interested to read the comments about checking in/out, where 4pm was considered too late to check in and 10:00 to early to leave?? To be fair, ours are from 3pm and 10:00am, however, with the greatest respect I think you are missing the point. Speaking from experience, my property takes around 2.5/3 hours to fuly turn around, the guests rarely leave at the time requested and time has to be allowed for cleaning to a spotless standard. The cleaning isn’t done with the wave of a magic wand!
I’d be very interested to hear any further thoughts. 🙂
Thanks for your insight. I understand, after reading your comment and others, about the difficulty of getting the place cleaned and ready for new guests before 4:00. However, it must be understood that not being able to check in until 4 p.m. is not convenient for guests, and some may choose to stay in another accommodation as a result. Also, a 10 a.m. checkout is reasonable if the list of things to do before leaving is not big…I stayed in 3 places where the list of things to do was very long, checkout time was 10 a.m., and the cleaning crew was waiting just before 10 for us to leave.
Yes, the photos above were from a rental, not a home swap. I was surprised by the clutter, too, and even though the main part of the house was really nice, unfortunately we will not stay there again because of the bedrooms and the price ($300/night).
I have stayed in vacation rentals before and I have had a hard time understanding why I need to check out early and check in late. So frustrating hanging around waiting for things to be ready. I imagine this is especially true if you have multiple children. That was my perspective back in the day.
Now I am a vacation rental owner and I see things from the other perspective. As others have mentioned, it is very difficult to get a room ready in short order when there are back to back guests. This is even more so when the previous guests have gone out of the way to soil every linen in sight and left a mess behind. The truth of the matter is that every guest that I have encountered to date wishes for a late checkout and an early check in; of course.
Most owners have just one or two properties and so it is not like a hotel where we have staff hired all day long that are responsible for cleaning all the rooms one after the other. We are typically charged a fee by the room and hiring a team to clean a single unit isn’t viable not to mention the cost would just be passed on to the guest. Thus more expensive.
I think our guests select a vacation rental because it is a better value than a hotel room, especially for larger families. The other thing to consider….even if we could figure out a way to make check in time earlier like 2 or 3 PM. I am sure some would still complain about the check in times.
Hi Rick,
Thank you for offering your perspective. I understand the difficulty of getting a place completely ready for new visitors. My main complaint is when there is a 10:00 check out (so early!) where there was a long checkout list (take out trash, strip beds, etc.!) or a 4:00 check in (so late!). I recently stayed in a wonderful apartment in San Francisco with a 12:00 check out and 3:00 check in. It is a small place, so it probably doesn’t take long to clean, but we really appreciated that time, especially with vacation rentals being so expensive here in California.
I brought up the point about check in and check out times just as something for people to consider. It is important to me, and I think other travelers and vacation rental owners need to consider it carefully. While those late check in and early check out times might be necessary to get the whole place ready for the next guests, they also might be a deciding factor between staying in a hotel or vacation rental for a small number of people.
While yes you typically do pay more for a vacation rental than a hotel room…think about what it would cost to rent two or three hotel rooms each night compared to the cost of a two or three bedroom vacation rental. Plus you have room to relax in the living room and be together as a group and eat, cook, etc. You cannot do those things in a hotel room. Each bedroom at my rental has a separate flat screen tv. In a hotel everyone has to share one tv.
The places that you have stayed that are cluttered is unacceptable. I wish I could offer our guests earlier check in . My check out time is 11 and check in time is 4. I have to use the entire time to clean the entire home. If I had to bring in extra help I would have to pay someone else at least $50 to make it worth their while to drive and help out for two to three hours. Either the cost is transferred to the guest or the owner reduces $50 profit.
The reason it is so difficult for some homes (not small units) to have earlier check in is because some guests can leave the place a total mess. Often times guests will put dirty dishes back in cabinets and have the kitchen completely disorganized. It can take a long time to get everything back in order and rewash pots and pans. Also guests can be inconsiderate and allow their children to eat all over the house with food crumbs in every chair/couch cushion and they stain the bed sheets with food and drink. Leave jelly smeared on doors. The ladies also like to wipe off their makeup with white bath towels. This adds to having to pre-treat the laundry and doing extra loads if the stains do not come out of the first wash. Sometimes you have to try to get spilled wine out of a sofa cushion or rug.
Regarding pets, some guests allow their dogs to sleep in the beds and lay all over the furniture so that takes extra time to clean and sometimes it seems you just can’t get rid of all the dog hair before the next guest checks in. Or the dog has marked the furniture and you have to get urine out. For that reason I no longer allow dogs.
Also many guests leave late and don’t respect the check out time. So that puts cleaning behind schedule. And then some guests don’t put things back like they found the place and move indoor/outdoor furniture and that takes time to get back in order. Or they use the outdoor grill and instead of cleaning it after each use it is filthy after a week of cooking every night.
I think expecting a local bottle of wine, fresh flowers, snack, movie popcorn, or light breakfast is asking a bit much. I don’t know how much all of that would cost (esp. the flowers) but the owner or housekeeper would have to spend time going to the grocery that day for those things. All of that could be an extra $40 not even including having to pay someone to do the shopping. Fresh milk and fresh flowers have to be bought that day.
I don’t have a long checkout list. Just start the dishwasher and put used towels in the laundry room. One thing that puts my cleaning behind is when guests disregard the rules. I ask them to not strip the beds and some will strip all of the linens and pile them on the floor to hide stains, thinking I am just going to throw it in the laundry. No then I have to basically remake the beds to check for stains and that puts me behind.
Another issue too is when guests do not make an owner aware of something they broke that needs to be repaired. I had one set of guests that messed up the sofa bed by yanking on it so hard. Luckily they were arriving late so my husband was able to fix it when he got off work. But imagine if that was not the case, the new guests would not have been able to sit on the couch until my husband got home.
Also, the hot tub needs to be maintained in between guests and the fireplace needs to be cleaned out and more firewood brought over. The deck needs to be swept and cob webs and bird poop cleaned off. Many times the windows need to be cleaned in each room…esp. where little kids leave face prints and finger prints.
So you have to think about the outdoor area that also needs to be cleaned. I truly would love to allow guests to check in earlier but so much really depends on the previous guest’s behavior.
So many good points, and thanks for taking the time to share because it really sheds light on the owner’s side of things. You’re right that the price of the rental is good when you add up all the hotel rooms, but it also depends on who is going to stay in one. For us, there are usually just 4 of us (2 are kids), so we can stay in a large hotel room or suite easily. Certainly larger families get more value out of a rental. We try to look for 1-bedroom rentals with a pullout in the living room, but so many of the pullout couches are unacceptable. It’s a shame that you have had to put up with the messes and other problems guests leave behind–we don’t allow our dogs to do those things and I think we leave places pretty spotless, but it sounds like not all people are as considerate.
At the same time, the vacation rental market is getting more competitive, and like any other business, this will increase and adjustments will need to be made by the owners to stay competitive. For example, the cost of cleaning may need to come out of the owner’s profit to allow an earlier check in and keep guests interested in that rental. We used to stay in vacation rentals in the Monterey area but won’t stay in them anymore because they had a 10:00 check out time with a long list of things we needed to do before leaving. They also had steep pet and cleaning fees, and the rentals were expensive. It’s true, staying in that place was more convenient than staying in a hotel because we had space to relax and cook together, but the cost of the rental is too high compared to what we get out of it.
The little extras I mentioned did make us feel valued by the owner, but I certainly wouldn’t expect all of them or even any of them as long as the rental itself is acceptable. For instance, one place left flowers and chocolate but the place was kind of a disaster. Other places that were very expensive left wine and cheese with crackers, and we loved that because we often arrived hungry. Another place left pastries and drinks for breakfast, and we appreciated that because we didn’t have to go to the grocery store at night to buy breakfast items for the next day. However, at the last place we stayed, there were none of those little extras, and that was totally OK because we LOVED the place. It’s our new favorite vacation rental–good price, great check in and check out times, super clean, comfortable, and well equipped.
I understand your complaints and am shocked that you had to deal with clutter and personal items in these homes. However, some of them are somewhat u reasonable. I am a vacation rental owner as well and there is nothing personal in the home and everything is as clean as possible before every guest.
I completely agree with the other owners though on their points. Every guests assumes that all my guests will behave as they would which unfortunately is not the case. We have had major things damaged in the home and guests steal things regularly so as the owner I may claim that something will be in the home (and think it is) but the last guests broke or stole that item. This includes entire boxes of trash bags, cleaning supplies, pillows, sheets, kitchen items, etc. Many guests also leave the house completely trashed (literally every surface in the house is covered with trash and spills) which is why my check out time is at 10 and check in is at 4. I always tell my guests that I will work with them as best as possible on the check in/out times but there are days where I need the whole 6 hours. I often will message or call my guests when the house is finished so they can check in as soon as it is ready. You keep making comments about the owners needing to take it from their profit but my profit isn’t as high as you probably assume it is. I have to pay for everything the house could possibly need and unlike a hotel, I only have 1 space to earn that cost with. There have been months where I have done well but there are also months where the house doesn’t even make enough to cover all of its own bills. Guests are extremely wasteful and many would probably be shocked at the cost of the utilities so the idea of hiring a team of people to clean every time so that guests can be guaranteed an extra couple hours is not feasible for me at this time, and I know the guests aren’t willing to pay more for this perk.
Regarding the comments about what the owners should provide, that can be tricky as well. I have left bottles of wine which only caused our guests to feel the need to hide the bottles from other people in their group. I have left fresh fruit or breakfast supplies but they were never eaten and I just threw them away after they left. Now I just provide basic spices/ condiments and coffee along with necessities such as tin foil, baggies, etc.
I always try to put myself in the shoes of my guests and be as accommodating as possible, but one thing that this business has taught me is that no matter what, there will always be guests who are unhappy about something. I do my best to take suggestions when possible but they don’t always make sense for me or my business.
Thanks for stopping by and offering your perspective. I think this post has been a good opportunity for us to understand each other.
I am so sorry to hear that people leave your place in such condition. I honestly never thought of that because I assumed that that would be extremely rare.
About the check-in/check-out times, I understand your side of things and the reasoning behind not having an earlier check out time, but for me, it doesn’t really work to check in at 4:00 and be expected to be out by 10:00 on the day we leave. That’s OK–part of business is that customers make choices, and because we travel with kids, we choose places that have better check-in/check-out times. For example, if we cannot get in until 4:00, by the time we unpack the car, talk with the owner, decide where to put our things, go to the store to get what we need for breakfast the next day, it is time for dinner and bed, but we’re paying $300 or more for that night. We prefer to stay somewhere where we can have a little more time to at least take a walk near the house before dark, although the 4:00 check in is really not a big issue. The 10:00 check out is much harder for us because we are with our kids and everything takes longer with them. If those times were standard for every rental, that would be different, but because some have earlier check-in and later check-out times, we tend to choose those. Again, it’s a natural part of business–every owner has to decide what works best for them, and every customer decides what works for them, too.
I think I mentioned above that the extras are just something nice but certainly not expected. As I mentioned in another comment, the absolute best rental we’ve stayed in had nothing extra at all, but the place was perfect, so we didn’t care if there was something extra left for us. Would it have been a nice touch? Yes, but totally not necessary.
SO much truth!! The Golden Rule is easily forgotten but The Customer is Always Right lives on! I wish renters would remember to be kind, reasonable & appreciate the obvious effort put into a home. When… effort has been given.
Jenna,
You are absolutely correct about whether the pricing is considered a value depending on the group makeup. When a traveler is only staying two nights plus has an added $125 cleaning fee, it def. makes it less worthwhile than spreading that cleaning fee over a week’s time and splitting with another couple than if you don’t require separate hotel rooms when you have little ones. Soon I will probably not be cleaning my own rental. I charge $75 now because I can clean it myself and take laundry back home and complete on my own time. I live in an area where good help is hard to find and the population is very small. So, I know I would have to pay someone else much more as they would likely have to bring another person.
I would actually like to leave some breakfast items for certain guests. Such as the ones paying the full price and not a discounted last minute booking. I list on Airbnb and they do suggest leaving breakfast items. I always leave coffee, filters, sugar, individual creamers or the guest can purchase their own. I also sometimes leave a stick of butter. One time for Airbnb guests I left bagels with cream cheese, carton of eggs, package of sausage, and package of hashbrown patties. Guests didn’t touch the eggs or bagels….they did eat the hash brown patties and sausage. I think the reason they didn’t touch the bagels was because they were in individual ziplocs. I told my husband to pick up bagels and didn’t realize he was going to go to the expensive bakery and they were in a giant paper bag. I washed my hands of course and individually bagged them so they wouldn’t get hard. The guests were 5 individuals unrelated in their late twenties/early thirties. Thought it odd that not one would touch a bagel…Lol. Maybe they thought someone touched the eggs and bagels.
Speaking of pastries…supposedly my friend has a recipe for cinnamon rolls and icing that taste exactly like the ones you get in the mall. Would you be turned off if a vacation rental owner made you treats/pastries homemade? I am glad to see that you appreciate certain complimentary items as I hear about so many owners that say things go untouched and no one acknowledges them….which I completely understand if that is not part of their diet. I really enjoy cooking and would like to leave cinnamon rolls that the guest would bake themselves fresh with ingredients and instructions for icing provided. Airbnb guests seem more receptive to this kind of thing. Some people think it is gross.
As a welcome gift i like the idea of the jar cookie ingredients people make as Christmas gifts etc. What do you think? Or would most guests prefer store bought?
Sorry to hear that you got all those breakfast items and they weren’t all used. When it came to the “little extras” I mentioned above, they were all pretty simple. The welcome gift once was a bottle of local wine and a small package of chocolate covered cherries from Trader Joe’s. Something like that can be bought in bulk ahead of time. Another time it was a small corn cake made by the owner, and to answer your question, no, we weren’t bothered at all by the fact that she’d made it. We quite liked it, actually, and really enjoyed eating it after bringing the suitcases because we were tired after a long drive. The breakfast was simple–juice, fresh pastries, yogurt, but we got that at only 2 rentals and would never expect it. I would say that the welcome gift should be something that can be enjoyed quickly–for us, it was nice to have something that we could enjoy that day or evening since we were tired on that arrival day.
I love your cinnamon roll idea, but really, do something that’s quick and easy for you.
I hadn’t thought of the turn around time if someone lives in an area like you do where it’s hard to find good help. Thanks again for your input!
We have rented through Homeaway three times. Condo in Hawaii, very nice, and as described. A condo in Scottsdale Arizona left a lot to be desired. The patio itself as well as the outdoor furniture were dirty, the whole place was disappointing. More recently we rented a home in Pacific Grove which was beyond my expectations. The little extras made a difference too. Extra linens, spices and oils , all kinds of dish ware, toys and games – really nice.
Of course the condo in Arizona had a long to-do list before we left, that is maddening when you have to clean up at arrival too! But, you do it because you want your deposit back.
This is a great list, and something people who do this as a business should heed. It’s not simply passive income — there’s work involved if you want people to rent and return. It’s a shame about that place in the woods, because the home looks gorgeous! And I’m dying to see more photos of the one in San Francisco — it looks like the homey, craftsman style I adore.
You are so right. We interview our guests with a questionnaire to learn their interests, tastes and preferences. Then we provide what matches. Our rental provides toys for all ages, we fill the first round of beverages fruit and goodies. We host a fully stocked coffee/tea center with everything better than Starbucks. Our tvs are smart tvs with Hulu Netflix and pandora ad free subscriptions. And we provide any and all one would need except for their clothes and toothbrush including all linens, toiletries and basic needs. We warm up the place with a welcome basket of goodies and activities and their favorite station on pandora playing when they walk in. We squire local discounts from merchants and restaurants. And if there is a special event or holiday we provide all the decorations and trimmings so they can walk right in and celebrate.
And we don’t live there. But we live above so our 24/7 main ranch and assistance is readily available if and when needed.
Very interesting to read your experiences. Thank you for sharing. Your place sounds like a wonderful vacation rental!
I stumbled upon your post on Pinterest and was interested to hear your thoughts, and I really agree with almost everything you say here! Of interest, we can’t leave a bottle of wine for guests because our insurance company classifies it as “serving alcohol” (Doh!). Admittedly, I was disappointed about that. It’s also the reason we can’t have bikes for guests. We have had a great reaction from guests for all our baby- and kid-friendly features, though. It’s so easy to have a nice pack ‘n play, outlet plugs, a baby gate, and even our baby monitors (which the kids have now outgrown) available for guests. I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it!
Alicia, Those kid-friendly things can make a huge difference for families traveling with little ones. Thanks for adding your experience!
As a new VRBO owner I’ve been so appreciative of those rentors, I call them guests, that treat our 2nd home with respect and happiness. I say that because I’ve already had people outright lie to me about what they did at the house…oils added to the hot tub messed things up for us AND the next rentor. But they’ve been the exception.
I’ve found open communication has been best. The needs of my guests vary…golfers, girls reunion, family getaways. I trytoaskleading questions as to what’s needed and go from there.
I don’t provide a pack n play because I can never be sure if a guest has broken it, not told me and then the next guest finds shoddy items. So far everyone is good with this.
If you ever want to visit Galena IL look up Sugarcreek Skies…we love to extend the welcome mat!
Thank you for weighing in, Debbie! I’ll keep your place in mind in case I come to IL.
Debbie,
I think your view on open communication is key. Ask questions, get to know the coming tenant, what their plans are without being to intrusive, and anticipate any expectations. Clear communication is key to this business along with transparency.
Thank you.
V/r
Justin M.
Great perspective. Its unfortunate you’ve had so many negative experiences. Vacation rentals when done right can be amazing. As a guest and an owner I can appreciate both sides. When staying as a guest I rely 100% on reviews and they need to have a lot of them. Anybody can stage some photos and make someplace sound amazing. But previous guests won’t lie. Read the fine print carefully and look for hidden fees.
As an owner I agree with what owners have stated, I have a 12pm check out time and a 4pm check in time. Same as a hotel. All of our guests have either spent they entire day driving or are just flying in. You must be doing ‘vacations’ that are a little bit closer to home. When you have guests staying back to back it takes every moment to get it ready and clean. If we do not have back to back stays and the guests communicate with me about checking in earlier or checking out later then I will gladly accommodate. I don’t appreciate hidden fees so we charge a standard nightly rate and a refundable damage deposit. No cleaning fee. If I am competing with a hotel then I keep my prices competitive and hotels don’t charge a ‘cleaning fee.’
Cleanliness is my #1 priority so we don’t ever allow pets and we request our guests to remove their shoes in the house. Our guests really appreciate this because they feel like they can let their babies crawl around on the floor and it keeps it allergy free.
Thank you for weighing in! I am starting to understand the check-in, check-out times more, and as you said, it’s important for vacation rentals to try to accommodate travelers. I agree, it can be a great experience. Many of the rentals we’ve stayed in have added a lot to the travel experience.
Hi all,
We own and operate a 1 bedroom waterfront apt in North Sydney, Australia. Our check in is flexible if arranged in advance and we don’t have someone leaving the day a guest arrives. Normal check-in is 2pm. We get a lot of overseas visitors who’s flights are often very early arrivals and try our best to accommodate when we can. Our check-out time is 10:00am as we need the full 4 hours most of the time to clean the apartment to our high standard and change the linen, re stock pantry, take out garbage unpack dishes and re-clean if necessary, do an inventory of all items, etc…As others said, it is not like a motel or hotel where there is a lot of staff and I have stayed at many where the cleaning leaves a lot to be desired. Please check out my listing if you are visiting Sydney. We are conveniently located 100 metres from the ferry at Sydney Harbour and on the waterfront with lovely views of Careening Cove. I hope it is ok to advertise here? You will see reviews to give you an idea of our apartment in the eyes of guests.
Thank you
Carla
homeaway.com.au listing # 3598377
That’s ok with me to include a link to one place as long as the comment section doesn’t turn into lots of owners advertising their places. And to clarify about the check-in/check-out times, my complaint has always been the places with both a 4:00 check in and 10:00 check out. Again, I understand that some may need that much time to clean, but I will look for another place to stay if I have to arrive so late the first day and leave so early the last day.
This is some really good information choosing a good vacation rental. I liked that you pointed out that it is good to make sure that the place will be good for sleeping. I wouldn’t want to rent a house or cabin that has bed bugs or uncomfortable beds.
It was really nice when you said that a vacation rental is supposed to look exactly what is advertised on the website like having three useable bedrooms if it was stated that it has three bedrooms. As a customer, something as simple as that will have a great impact on me and my family. We’re planning to rent a cabin for our vacation this winter, and we’re a big family. It would be really nice if we won’t have problems with the bedrooms and beds of the cabin that we’ll be renting. Thanks a lot!
My fiance and I are planning to go on a trip soon and are trying to decide if we want to get a vacation rental house or not. It is nice to know that there are little things are done for those who are renting like the snacks or flowers left when you arrive. This is absolutely adorable gestures that we will be taking into account as we look.
I agree that a good vacation rental has little evidence of people actually living there.It would be good to consider what the rental looks like before you choose it. My husband and I want to rent a lake house for the weekend, so we’ll have to check their pictures first.
I have always relied on vacation rentals over hotels. We mostly just use Airbnb to find our rentals with mostly success. The old saying you get what you pay for can be so true when finding a vacation rental. We prefer to pay a little more and it seems of payoff with better quality of rentals. They are usually actually rentals and not someones home. We rented a cheaper one in San Diego and that is the only time we had that issue. Anyways, great article and definitely found it helpful.
I really liked what you said about looking into the little things that a vacation beach home is willing to do for you. Having something like wine waiting for a guest would certainly make them feel appreciated. My fiance and I will keep this in mind as we look into getting a rental for an upcoming vacation.
These are great tips for providing a good vacation rental. As someone currently looking for a rental to stay in, I agree that people aren’t looking to rent what clearly looks like someone’s home. They want it to feel like their own place.
We run an airbnb and we do most of your suggestions, the one I must address is the check in check out times. If we have people coming the same day as someone checking out, it takes time to do a thorough cleaning. If no one is checking in the same day, I always tell them they can stay longer.
We’re planning to have a vacation next month and we’ve been starting looking for a nice place to stay with. I really appreciate your tips on how to make a good vacation rental, particularly with number 8. I also agree with you that is the most important factor to be considered, the place should be clean. All the rest must follow anyway! Thanks a lot.
HI Jenna it was great to read your article. I am a home owner with a house in Vanuatu which I have been renting via TA and airbnb for 12 years. I have about 114 TA reviews – 98% at 5 stars. I am always trying to make the experience as good as I can for people and I was very happy to read your article and tick your comments off against my own place. Thanks for taking the time to give home owners a renters perspective. Robin
I do agree with you that families will return to a vacation rental home that is accommodating and has the facilities that will help make the vacation convenient. For a family with twin babies like mine, we could really use a place where the kids will have fun because I do not want to hear them crying during the duration of the vacation. It would really be nice if I can get a vacation home with a playroom or something like that. Thanks!
I really liked how you suggested keeping an extra set of beddings and linens available and make the sleeping convenient for the guests to keep them coming back. For someone like me who plans on taking a vacation to rest and sleep, this really means a lot. Sleep is very important to me, and I want everything to be perfect when it comes to that. I sure hope that the vacation home I will rent understands that.
My parents want to get a vacation home soon. So, I liked that you pointed out that it would be smart for them to have a really clean place. It seems like it would be smart to have a professional come to clean it form them before they move in. https://briggscleanandshine.com/
Hi Jenna, I’m grateful for your advice about creating the best sleeping environment. Next to cleanliness is the assurance that while we are on our vacation, we are getting a good and sound sleep. We will be observing these cool tips on our next vacation adventure. Cheers! capeharbourvacationrentals.com/en/1255796/overview
Hi,
Thanks for your great post. Very interesting, as I am researching on what guests expect, love & hate etc. from a property manager’s point of view.
I was googling what photos sell the property best? IE Bedroom photo v Roof terrace photo.
Cleanliness should be a given but I cannot believe people charge 150 dollars for cleaning.
Kind regards,
From Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
$150 or even $200! I understand that labor is expensive here in California, but I rarely stay in vacation rental homes here now because the cleaning fees have become so ridiculous.
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Hi Jenna,
Speaking of the outrageous service fees from the listing sites, they keep increasing each month. It’s to the point that now they are adjusting them based on what they think the traveler will pay and what other vacancies are in the area. And not sure if I mentioned several months ago, but Trip Advisor rolls their booking fees into the owners’ nightly rate so that the traveler thinks all of the money is going to the owner. On my TA listing they add an extra 14.5% to the total, which is insane! Lodging tax in my area is already 13% as it is..same as a hotel. Many owners are leaving the major listing sites and listing on Houfy.com. There are no guest fees on Houfy at all. Inventory is gradually increasing and it is also becoming a social site to share all kinds of local info. So like I mentioned before, just google the property to see if it is listed on a fee free site. Many have popped up and more owners are creating their own websites. VRBO is now increasing the service fee based on number of guests. I guess they think a family of 4 can afford more than a couple with no kids. Anyway…if you ever in Western NC consider staying at my place and use my guides to help plan your trip. https://www.houfy.com/1781
During off season I can allow a two hour early check-in/late check-out but it’s not guaranteed as we tend to book very last minute. As long as someone has not booked by 5 p.m. the day prior, then it’s allowed with no extra charge.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
I have almost entirely stopped staying in vacation rentals here in California because they are so expensive now. It’s just not worth it most of the time. $300/night plus a $300 cleaning fee is very common, and that’s not for a huge house or a prime location.
I don’t blame you. So it sounds like the rates are continually increasing, even separating out the service fee? ex: VRBO started out at 5% to 9%…something like that. Of course they had no intentions of keeping the service fee that low. But now on their site they state up to 12% but it can be “dynamic” – so basically they are saying they will charge whatever they think the customer will pay. Some owners are reporting their guests are paying above 12%.
And look at the Airbnb site. Service is up to 20% now. “The guest service fee for homes ranges between 0% and 20% of the booking subtotal (the nightly rate plus cleaning fee and additional guest fee, if applicable, but excluding Airbnb fees and taxes) and is calculated using a variety of factors—these include the reservation subtotal, the length of the stay, and characteristics of the listing. In general, the service fee gets lower as the reservation cost gets higher.”
For me, I have had to decrease rates each year for off season and Spring. This is because the sites are manipulating the searches and the newer listings with rock bottom rates are given search priority, even when they get bad reviews. And many of the sites are listing properties not even within the area that the traveler is searching. In essence they are artificially saturating markets with competition that isn’t even supposed to be yours. So as owners decrease rates, the sites are increasing the service fees. Which means many owners can’t do those planned upgrades as there isn’t even room to raise rates, and making less. Example: this coming Valentine’s day I rented at $185 a night plust the $105 clean fee. Four years ago I got $225 a night.
Same with Spring break. Each year I am reducing rates. I am surprised that in CA it keeps getting more expensive with so many buying homes to rent them out. Especially with all those new shows that have come out to encourage people to buy vacation rentals. I would have thought the market was saturated, but I know in some areas they have not been affected yet.
I saw a recent booking where the guest paid over $1,000 on Airbnb in service fees. And that is not a typo. Yeah…I do hope next time you can find a reasonably priced rental outside of the major sites, and hopefully still within budget even avoiding service fees..
Yes, the rates are increasing. Of course, there must be a large demand that fuels the increases, but it also makes me wonder about the fees that the sites are taking (as you mentioned). I am not sure how common it is here in CA for people to buy homes to rent out. The price of property is so high here, as are the property taxes. it seems to be more complicated than I ever knew!
Thanks for adding your two cents, and good luck with your rental!
That is exactly a person wants from Vacation Rental house.
I love what you said about finding a rental that has a nice sleeping environment. I believe that renting a lakeside cottage is a great move for your family. If I were to rent a vacation home, I would hire a real estate agent that could help me out. http://chautauquarentals.net/
I like that you said that when people pay more to stay in a vacation rental than in a hotel, the little things help them feel appreciated. My husband and I are thinking about buying a vacation rental to rent out because we think it would be a good way to make a passive income. I think it would be nice to leave little things there like a local treat or games or even ideas on what they can do in the area to make people feel more welcome while they’re there.
My family and I want to have privacy during our vacation. I like how you mention many people want to rent for vacation not to live. Thank you for the information. I’ll book a vacation rental home for my family’s vacation.
https://airfloridabargainrentals.com/westpalmbeach.php
I really like how you said that a vacation rental needs to have games, reading material, wifi, and movies ready for guests to use. If I went to a rental that had all of this then I’d always go there. That is the kind of stuff that I want when I go to relax.
https://krusenvacationrentals.com/gig-harbor-wa
I agree with what you said that a nice sleeping environment would make a tenant want to return or leave a good review on your site. As someone who wants to rent a vacation cabin rental soon, I’d definitely love it if the one I’ve rent has a relaxing and soothing ambiance. I’ll take note of the list you’ve made and use it to find the right cabin to rent this coming summer. Thanks.
I really like what you stated about looking for a rental that offers a comfortable sleeping area without a noisy mattress. I’d want to take my family on a wonderful holiday by renting an orchard cottage. I would surely select the greatest and most comfortable cottage for myself and my family to enjoy our vacation.
Hi, I just wanted to comment about you saying you want early check in and late check out. That is a extra day. Let’s say someone is checking out at 10 AM and you want an early check in and they want a late check out. When do you think the house will get cleaned? It Probably won’t. I see houses where the people are not cleaning all of the linens Because of this…there is just no time. Hotels have a unlimited supply of Linens. So if you check in early it doesn’t matter because they don’t have to wash the linens and it’s a small area to clean. If you are renting a vacation home which is a single family house then you would want them to have hours to clean. I manage vacation home rentals and clean them. Each rental gets totally cleaned every single time. And the quilts on the beds get cleaned too every single time, which a lot of places don’t clean those quilts. So there is no way for someone to check out at 1 o’clock and then a new person check in 1 o’clock or even 2 o’clock Unless you don’t want a clean house. But if the house was already empty that day then of course you can check in early. Or if someone is not coming in that day then of course you can check out late. So that is why you have 10 o’clock check outs and 4 o’clock check ins. Which in most cases I have found people checking out before 10 anyway because they are traveling back home and want to get a early start.
Thank you for sharing your perspective! I completely understand the need for those times from the owner’s perspective, and it makes perfect sense that one party could not check out late and the next one check in early. My reason for bringing it up is that those times are one reason that vacation rentals are not always the best choice from the renter’s perspective, especially when the property is expensive and the cleaning fee is $300. I have also noticed some places that have a day in between rentals, but that is probably because they live in more isolated places where they need more time to get a cleaning crew. All that being said, we do look for places that have earlier check in or later check out because it’s more convenient for us.
Interestingly, you mentioned how small touches make guests feel valued when they spend more staying in a vacation rental than a hotel. We’re considering purchasing a vacation home to rent out since we believe it would be a fantastic method to generate passive income. To make visitors feel more at home while they are there, I believe it would be wonderful to put little trinkets like local food, games, or even suggestions for activities they can do in the neighborhood.
I particularly liked your suggestion to have an additional set of linens and bedding accessible and to make sleeping comfortable for visitors to keep them coming back. This certainly means a lot to someone like me who wants to take a vacation to relax and sleep. I place a lot of value on sleep, therefore I want everything about it to be ideal. I sincerely hope the rental holiday property is aware of that.
I appreciate how you brought up the necessity for the vacation rental to match its online description, such as the requirement that if it is advertised as having three bedrooms, there need to be three functional bedrooms. You mentioned that all four of the beds should be available if there are pictures of four beds. My friends and I decided to take a last-minute vacation after a demanding week, but the typical hotels didn’t look all that great. I’m currently searching for a short-term luxury house rental to up the ante and make our getaway unforgettable.