If you’ve taken care of the basics, you can rent vacation homes easily. But it’s a competitive marketplace out there, and guests want to feel that there’s a real, warm human presence behind the property they’re staying in. Someone who was thoughtful enough to think of all the little details that would make a guest feel welcome in their property.
Are your rental homes ready for the guests? We try to do our best but sometimes we make mistakes that have a rejection effect on arriving tourists. Let’s see the most common ones:
1.Leaving food in the fridge
If you have not talked about what to leave in the fridge for your guests´ arrival, it is better to leave it empty. You can leave a bottle of wine or champagne or a bottle of water as a little regard, but even this can be offensive to the tourists coming from some cultures.
We recommend to leave just a bottle of water, or to communicate with tourists before arrival and ask them whether they want to have some food or drink in the fridge. Rafleys offers the shopping list service, whereby tourists can choose a shopping list before arrival.
If you want to leave some dry products like rice, pasta or cookies, you should store everything in closed container. Also it is a good idea to leave some oil, salt, sugar, tea and coffee. But the fridge must be empty.
2. One set of keys is not enough
In many cases, the vacation home rentals deal with several couples who organize their vacations separately. So, we recommend you to offer several sets of keys for your guests (at least two).
3. To leave all towels and sheets available
It is better to leave one set for each person. If you leave extra sheets in the closet, your guests can use all of them before leaving and you will not have any for the next guest change. It is not only a domestic economy problem but also an ecological one, causing an unjustified waste of electricity and water. It is more convenient to reach an agreement with the guests in advance about how many times they can change sheets and towels during their stay. It’s your vacation home so you can put your own rules.
4. Leave a new bar of soap but no semi empty bottles of shampoos and gels in the bathroom
It is better to leave small samples of hospitality shampoos and soaps. If you do not have them, you can leave a new bar of soap for each booking.
5. Considering clean the vacation rental property when all we know is that it was cleaned a month ago
It is necessary to make sure that the house is spotless, so it is better to make an extra cleaning of dust, terrace and garden a few days before arrival of your guests.
6. Not asking your guests about what they need
Sometimes travelers arrive with babies who need crib, sometimes they have allergies to certain cleaning products or flowers. Some travelers need a powerful Internet connection and for others it is essential to have easy access, without any stairs. It is better to communicate with your guests before arrival to avoid some problems and misunderstandings.
7. Not checking that all appliances work before arrival of your guests
Coffee and washing machines that don’t work, broken plugs and other details can lead to problems with your guests and bad reviews.
Follow our advices to ensure that your vacational rentals positively radiates the message that you have thought of every possible need your guests might have, and you’ll make every visitor to your property feel welcome and looked after.
If you feel that foreign language can be a problem for communication with your guests, you can count on us. Rafleys offers the owners c an efficient communication with guests in over 5 languages, making sure that all details and needs are heard and taken care of.
If you’re looking for a partner in vacation rental management that takes care of all the details, do not hesitate to contact us.
