Bill's Beneficial Blog

Adapting to Change - Lodging Newsletter September 30, 2020

By Wm, May
Published: 09/30/20 Topics: Behavior, Housekeeping, Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rental Management, Vacation Rentals Comments: 0

A funny thing happened on the way to the Covid mess..

Ok, there is nothing funny about Covid, but there have been numerous changes to the world in general and to lodging in particular which are unexpected or even bizarre. This letters explain what they mean to property owners and how we have adapted to the upheaval.

After the March deluge of cancellations, bookings surged greater than ever before. There are many factors, but the biggest one is people just wanted to "get out of town" and driving-to destinations won out.

Staying in a private home or small lodging facility allowed guests to remain socially distant and yet allowed them to get into the out of doors.

With shopping, restaurants, movies, and other past activities prohibited, "discretionary income" actually increases for folks still employed.

For these and other reasons, rental income grew for most homes but management had to recognize and adjust many other factors. Some of these alterations had been inching into existence before Covid, but it escalated the changes.

Some changes require property owners to recognize and adapt to them fast in order to accommodate the many new guests anxious to rent their homes. Owners who accept change will prosper. Those who don't will lose out.

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TREND - Vacation Rental popularity has grown steadily for two decades, right through the world shaking events of 9-11 and the economic travails of the 2007-2008 real estate depression. Once guests try a vacation rental, they stay at hotels less, and our industry grows.

NEWBIES - This summer, additional guests who had never rented a vacation home before were booking. Those "Samplers" will permanently embrace rentals just as those did before.

But first-timers are always sensitive to every little thing. They make incorrect presumptions about what a rental is and is not. They expect 24-7 service, they complain if the weather is bad, and if there is not a 100 quart baking pan in the home. As before, the solution is to provide ever increasing amenities, more service, and higher hospitality for those traveling to relieve stress and strain in their lives.

SENSITIVITY - Every lodging manager strives to keep guests happy. A decade ago, the arrival of online guest reviews made that mandatory. Covid sensitivity increased illegitimate comments

HOUSEKEEPING - Our cleaning has always exceeded guidelines, but we increased training reminders and rewarded staff. Newbies ask lots of questions, so we answer them over and over again.

MAINTENANCE - Our staff always seek to fix every little thing very fast. But if something larger breaks - such as a water heater - now it must be replaced same day. Notifying owners in advance takes a backseat to taking care of maintenance wiki wiki (quick) as they say in Hawaii.

AMENITIES - Owners got to decide what amenities they offer in their homes including Internet, Cable TV, and local phones. Now they have no choice. With work-at-home and study-at-home, an owner who omits any required amenities loses tens of thousands of dollars per year. For some it is time to join the current world.

LATE BOOKINGS - Decades ago guests booked far in advance, often six months to a year. Although the "booking window" has decreased over the years, Covid bookings are made a few days or a few weeks prior to arrival.

RATES - In March our Robust S2D2 Yield Management software said, "Hey where did demand go?" but we held rates and waited. Early May it said, "Demand is skyrocketing. I am raising rates." Each morning we followed the Las Vegas idiom to "let it ride" watching rates go ever upward.

EARLY - LATE - With Covid cleanliness concerns, it is odd that many more demand early arrivals and late departures. Our methods of managing requests proved even more valuable during this time.

INSTANTEOUS - Guests have always expected quick service, but Covid demands instantaneous. Forgot the code? Answer the phone and give it to them (again.) Power goes out? Determine if it's wide spread. Need local restaurants? Provide the answer cheerfully of course. Forgot driving directions/? Stay on the phone and direct them step by step.

GROWTH - Projecting income was impossible but beginning in April, dates booked up last minute and owners made more money than ever before. Covid has turned the world and specialty lodging on its ear yet again. Managers who adapt fast will see owner income soar.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0790 – 09/30/20

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Good Manners - Lodging Newsletter November 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 11/30/19 Topics: Behavior, Lodging Newsletter, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Here is a story from one of our team members:

It seems the on-demand TV service had just stopped working for the sixth time in a month. When we called telephone support, the technician tried the usual fixes with no luck.

Nicely, our team member, said "Gee this is getting old, is there nothing you can do for the $200 per month I am paying for cable, internet and phone?"

The technician said, "Well you get the on demand for free so you should not be complaining."

Really? That is not only bad customer service, it's actually just plain old bad manners.

This is coming from a company who boasts of 1 Gigabyte "blazing" internet speed that, by the way, never even approaches half of that. Are there no laws requiring truth in advertising?

The seminal Emily Post book: "Etiquette, first published in 1922 is more than which fork to use at a dinner party, and more about conducting ourselves with grace and dignity.

It can be difficult to remain cool, calm , and collected especially when guests are difficult. This months article is how we affirm the people we "are trying to be," and that includes treating everyone well, especially when it is most difficult to do so.

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What a lovely, enjoyable industry we are in. Tens of thousands of guests going to thousands of unique and interesting vacation rental homes, Inns, Resorts and other specialty lodging.

They find them more comfortable and more enjoyable than those run-of-the-mill brand name hotels, which are all fancy and not very homey.

They are happy, which allows us to be happy.

Long ago, a renowned hotel operator gave a talk. No matter how well his property and people performed, he admitted there will always be a very few of those "unsatisfiable guests."

He concluded that good manners were always required, even if the other people had no manners. He had to judge staff members on their ability to always display good manners, and, he was sorry to say with guests who were disrespectful.

 

As we go about our duties, it is our goal to always be happy, be kind, and be cheerful. We want to treat everyone with great respect and courtesy, as if they are a long-lost best friend.

That means we try to never lose our tempers, never accuse anyone of anything, never complain and never take our stress out on anyone else.

We want to smile, and display professional, positive attitudes no matter the situation. Even when guests are overly demanding we treat them kindly. Even when the workload is overwhelming, we want to smile and persevere. We hope to always be polite.

We try not to make excuses. We don't want to blame anyone for anything. Even if we have to explain facts that are unpleasant, we try to do that with integrity. And if there are problems? Well, the best solution is to just put our heads down, work harder and be thankful for the customers to serve.

Of course, we are human and maintaining an upbeat attitude can be difficult sometimes.

We also have to be patient. Not all Romes can be built in a day, but we persevere to provide help and answers in a reasonable time frame. Demanding others to do everything immediately is a character flaw.

Rarely - when others are overbearing, rude or profane we prefer to end conversations rather than accelerate them. People who make threats, are physical or abusive may require disengagement or even outside intervention.

We can only hope to receive similar courtesy in return. It is our grand hope that we can all keep smiling and do good work for a very long time.

That is what makes being in a service business all worthwhile.

Some believe that the world is becoming more abrupt, rude and condescending, but that really is nothing new. There have always been people with bad manners, else why would Emily Post have written the book "Etiquette" almost 100 years ago.

** You can buy the 19th edition of Etiquette on Amazon. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone read it?

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0714 – 11/30/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com