The qualities of a good vacation rental are nearly universal for everyone. You must always remember that your guests are paying good money to stay in your home. Vacation rental guests know they have lots of options and have high expectations that you will need to meet if you want to have success renting your vacation rental home.
The Best Vacation Rentals are Always Sparkling Clean
This is rule #1 not just for vacation rentals but for the hospitality industry in general. Cleanliness is undoubtedly one of top qualities of any good vacation rental. Guests expect and demand cleanliness. Anything less and they will simply stay somewhere else.
All the marketing in the world won’t help you if you consistently struggle to give your guests a clean place to stay.
I will talk more about cleaning your vacation rental later in this blog, but the best vacation rentals operate like hotels when it comes to cleaning. This means they have systems in place to ensure cleanliness and guest satisfaction.
Attractive and Presentable to Guests
It is one thing for your vacation rental to be clean, but it also has to look attractive. That pink couch in your living room may be clean as a whistle, but your guests probably don’t think it is attractive.
You should decorate your vacation rental thoroughly and so that it fits in with your area. A vacation rental in the mountains might have a rustic cabin-type style to it, for example. Take the time to design your place with furniture, wall art and accessories that are attractive to your target renters. You can research other homes on vacation rental listing sites for inspiration. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery after all. You can always hire an interior designer if all else fails.
Well Maintained
Your guests will expect everything in your vacation home to work properly. No one wants to deal with burned out light bulbs or a touchy garbage disposal while they are on vacation. This means you need to be proactive with maintenance and deal with maintenance issues before your guests report them to you.
You or your representative should inspect your properties regularly for items such as light bulbs that need replacing or TV remote controls that need new batteries. If your clothes washing machine has seen better days, replace it with a new one. Maintain relationships with quality service providers such as lawn maintenance and pest control companies to keep your property in tip top shape.
Has all the Amenities
Your vacation rental should at a bare minimum have all the essential amenities. Your kitchen should be well-stocked with pots, pans and utensils. There should be plenty of pillows and towels. This is 2019 and your property NEEDS to have WiFi.
There are other amenities that you might consider “extra”, but your guests probably will not. These include toiletries, soaps, paper products and even coffee for the coffee maker. Hotels offer these types of amenities, so you should as well.
Wonderful Guest Service & Communication
Hotels constantly focus on providing great service to their guests, and you should do the same. Always be professional and friendly when interacting with your guests over the phone, through email or in person.
In the smartphone era you will find that many guests expect to be able to reach you immediately day or night. Vacation rental property managers will typically be available 24 hours a day. If you self-manage your vacation rental, you should have a way for guests to easily get in touch with you or have someone you trust to act as your “on call” representative.
The Extra Touches
Extra touches are what can turn a good stay into a great stay for a vacation rental guest. Everyone loves to feel special and this is a major way that vacation rental owners can differentiate themselves from a boring hotel chain.
A personalized welcome note or small gift can really make your guests feel at home. If your guests are celebrating a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, mention it in your welcome note and provide an appropriate gift. They will surely fall in love with your thoughtfulness. You might just gain a customer for life and realize that extra touches are the most under appreciated, but sometimes most important, qualities of a good vacation rental.
