Let The People Lounge!
I always put much more time into the planning of a trip than the actual trip length itself. We typically travel with family in tow and often invite friends to meet us there. So there a number of people to accommodate and make happy with the arrangements - flights, car rentals, the actual villa or condo layout, views, proximity to restaurants, the beach and other sights are top of mind.
No matter how much research I do on the rental (and I do A LOT of research), there are always things about a rental property that delight and things that disappoint. I’ve been keeping a mental list of ways to make a vacation delightful from a vacation rental owner perspective. Here’s my take.
Service Visits (aka Interruptions):
There is nothing more annoying on vacation than to hear a leaf blower at 8am on a random Tuesday. This happens so often that I honestly cannot emphasize this issue enough. I get that properties need to be maintained. But the parade of service people that show up – pool people, cleaning people, lawn people, hot tub repair person, etc. is crazy. I can’t tell you how much I hate running into the pool maintenance team while I am still in my pajamas while on vacation. I once stayed in a beautiful place in Mexico where the cleaning lady stayed in the house for 4 hours. That is half a day! These visits should be coordinated to be as quiet, and unobtrusive as possible. Hard to pull off, but worth it!
Bedrooms:
Owners should stay a night or two in every bedroom in the property. Rarely do owners stay in any room that isn’t the master. It’s amazing what you discover after staying two nights in a room you’ve never stayed in before. Is the guest room bathroom damp? Is the air conditioning loud enough to keep you up at night? Is the guest room mattress comfortable? Is the screen door squeaky? Try it out. See what you discover.
Another recommendation is to invest in inexpensive, but simple duvet covers or coverlets. You want something that photographs well. I can’t tell you how many rentals have garish, flowery bedding that might be of decent quality, but looks awful in online photography. And while we are discussing beds, make sure every bed has a headboard. Beds with no headboard look cheap. You want your rental to look like a dream home – a place that is more luxurious and restful than staying at home. If in a tropical setting, include some mosquito netting. Dreamy, tropical, romantic. You can’t go wrong.
Outdoor Areas:
Think of the view. Can guests see it? Is the railing on your deck higher than where they sit in the lounge chairs? If yes, get taller chairs. Are the lounge chairs comfortable? On vacation, guests want to LOUNGE. Why would anyone furnishing a vacation rental provide hard, plastic chairs? Or those tall Adirondak chairs that are bar stool height. They are not for lounging. That isn’t dreamy. That isn’t better than what I would have at home. A nice wooden chair with a cushion isn’t a large investment.
Some of the nicest outdoor spaces I have seen have built-in lounge-y sofas with cushions. Think daybed with a view. It invites reading. It invites an afternoon nap. Cocktails at sunset? Check! This is easy and photographs well and makes people sigh a happy, content, vacation sigh. Do it!
Indoor Areas:
Same goes for the indoor areas – are there quiet nooks? Are there soft lap blankets that encourage a spontaneous nap? When traveling in large groups, guests appreciate little spaces where a person can steal away for a quiet moment. Game rooms and pool tables get all of the attention, but the quiet spaces can be a win as well.
Local art and photography also introduce a sense of place. Some of the best art I have seen curates special finds from local artists. Photography from local sites can be very powerful. In St John USVI, many villas highlight the locally made light shades crafted from a master potter. Everyone comments on them and asks where they can buy them. Go local!
The Kitchen
Where to start? Let’s start with the knives. I have never met a vacation rental knife that wasn’t dull, chipped and quite honestly, dangerous to use. Our family always cooks a dinner or two in the rental and we chop stuff. Give me a sharp knife. I can’t carry one on the airplane!
Another thing that always seems to be missing is a pitcher. The kind you’d make iced tea in. Or lemonade. Or margaritas. Kitchens need a large-ish vessel for beverages. Along those lines, a tea kettle is very helpful. Sure, I can boil water in a giant pot, but a tea kettle is a lot easier.
And then, of course, there are the basics to make a meal or two. Between a post-pandemic fear of germs and the general trend to make vacation rentals sterile business investments, there are rarely even the very basics needed for cooking. Decent salt, pepper, olive oil, condiments…and those things you just need in a pinch – Tylenol and electrolytes if the first night cocktail hour went on a bit too long, coffee and tea (with sweeteners and creamers) for the first morning when you didn’t go to the local market yet, to some jam or peanut butter for your morning toast.
Travel Sauce was created to address those issues. But, really, what it comes down to is having things for your guests that give them delight. They feel like you thought about their comfort and making their vacation easy, carefree, FUN.
To sum it all up, spend time in your rental with the perspective of a guest. Does it feel like a dreamy, relaxing getaway? Does it inspire special, memorable moments? Are you delighted?