Things You Can Do to Deliver a Great Experience to Guests

Jan 30, 2017

Vacation rentals have a major role to play when it comes to the authenticity of a vacation. They have a relaxed atmosphere and guests are not asked to eat at a particular time or let the housekeeping staff come and clean up at a specific time, like hotels do.

Guests can bring back their own groceries from the local stores and shops and prepare their meals; invite locals over for a drink or two; have an enlightening chat with their neighbors; wash their own clothes without paying a hefty fee; and at the end of a tiring day of sightseeing, they can just tell the taxi driver to take them ‘home’.

A vacation rental owner contributes significantly in creating the authentic, local experience. The owner also can go out of his way to serve guests to make their stay memorable and get great reviews. This can, in turn, increase the popularity of vacation rental amongst travelers, who are looking for a home away from home.

Some owners offer housekeeping services, so that guests do not have to worry about cleanliness and hygiene, while others offer a la carte services, such as stocking the kitchen with pre-purchased groceries. Every single effort counts if a vacation rental owner is serious about delivering a great experience to guests. The question, however, is how far should a vacation rental owner be willing to go to serve his guests.

Following great things you can do to deliver a great experience to your vacation rental guests.

Expectation of Guests

Guests expect the vacation rental to be spick-and-span. They do not expect to be greeted by any unkempt garden, dirty floors, dust-caked windows and furniture or odors. Hence, vacation owners should live up to this expectation by ensuring that the property is cleaned from top to bottom after the departure of the guests and before the arrival of the next guests.

If a vacation rental has been booked for long stays, the owner should not only provide cleaning supplies, but also get a handyman to maintain the property on a regular basis. This will take a load off your guests’ shoulders and allow them to enjoy their long vacation.

A vacation rental allows guests to prepare their own meals, so you should ensure that the kitchen is well-stocked. Guests expect this. Some of the items that you should stock in your vacation rental’s kitchen are:

• Basic cooking supplies, such as pots, pans, tongs, spatula, cheese grater, whisk, scissors, wooden spoons, measuring cups, can opener, cork screw and potato peeler
• Bottled water if the tap water is not potable
• Garbage can
• Kettle
• Microwave
• Dishwashing detergent
• Salt and pepper
• Oven
• Refrigerator
• Tea towels and dish cloths
• Dishes, glassware and flatware

If you want to increase the wow-factor, you also can include coffee, tea, creamer, dishwasher, coffee maker and toaster.

Similarly, you must ensure necessities in the bathroom, living room and the bedroom. For the convenience of your guests also ensure essentials for laundry cleaning and ironing, this may include laundry soap, iron and an ironing board.

Guests Will Hold You to Your Commitment

As a vacation rental owner, you should be careful about how you advertise or market your property because guests will hold you to words. If you describe your vacation rental as a luxury rental, guests will expect certain amenities and facilities that they associate with term luxury.

Hence, you should make it clear to your guests in writing about the services and amenities that are part of the vacation rental. It does not hurt to highlight things that are not included. This way there will be no room for ambiguities or misunderstandings and you will be able to ensure that your guests get what you promised and marketed.