Bill's Beneficial Blog

A Storm is Brewing - Lodging Newsletter December 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 12/31/19 Topics: Government, Lodging Newsletter, Regulations Comments: 0

In case you are unaware, there are storms brewing in the vacation rental world.

The first is the constant drumbeat of government officials to tax, regulate, or even prohibit owners from renting out their homes on a short-term basis.

Having followed the industry for many years, this is nothing new but, the drums are getting more frequent as the number of rental homes increases and as government officials see vacation rentals as a scapegoat for other problems they face.

Their lack of perspective is astounding as they try to stifle the best thing that has come to many communities in decades. Vacation Rentals create jobs and income for geographic areas where employment can be scarce.

Scaring away families who buy second homes, love the community, spend time there and then invite others to use their homes is a terrible disservice to their local economies.

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There are many political issues of more importance than Vacation Rentals, but now property owners are finding they must fight to retain the "bundle of rights, that come with real estate ownership; the rights of possession, control, exclusion, enjoyment, and disposition."

Recently, a group of officials from multiple counties met in secret to figure out how to whittle away at that bundle. They want to prohibit or regulate vacation rentals to death, using impossible requirements not required of homes in general.

Immediately after the meeting, counties began imposing moratoriums on vacation rentals, ostensibly to "study the issue." County Council members were duped. Moratoriums are often used to confront new situations, but there is nothing new about vacation rentals.

Even the founding fathers stayed in rented homes on a short-term basis. Officials who did not plan for and reasonably regulate rentals beginning decades ago were not doing their jobs.

Over time, opponents of vacation rentals have concocted many ridiculous reasons when attempting to control their neighbors' property rental rights, such as comments about too many cars, noise, septic systems or xenophobia, "I just don't want people next door that I do not know."

At one review meeting, the county Sheriff testified that there are far more problems with homes occupied by full-time owners and long-term tenants than vacation rentals. In fact, he reported, "We don't really have any problems with short-term rentals."

That is because vacation rental home owners have strong economic motivation to keep their homes in good condition, to qualify guests and to control their behavior. Failure to do so would result in bad reviews and less income.

Oblivious officials are hallucinating if they think that disallowing short-term rentals would cause second home owners to rent out their homes on an "affordable basis" to local citizens. That is an spurious idea for two reasons.

One: People buy second homes to USE THEM intermittently for family and friends, but renting long-term would prohibit them from doing so. And, two: Second homes tend to be of higher value and owners would be never rent their costly investments for cheap.

On the other hand, Vacation Rentals do help local citizens. They create jobs by bringing upscale visitors to town, where they dine out, buy groceries, require cleaning, undertake activities, and spend money that supports the local economy and jobs. That is especially true in some rural and recreational areas, where jobs are scarce and economic benefits are so greatly needed.

So this is a call to arms. If you believe that property owners should retain their bundle of rights, then watch your city and county officials very carefully, now before they can sneak in dubious regulations or prohibitions. Start lobbying them right away to educate them on what a great value vacation rentals are for your community. Go to a meeting. Tell them how wrong they are.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0717 – 12/31/19

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

Inch by Inch - Lodging Newsletter October 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 10/31/19 Topics: Channel Management, Lodging Newsletter, Photography, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Our entire mission is to have happy property owners and happy guests.

Guests are happy when the home they rent is clean, comfy, convenient, and exactly as advertised. They also expect staff to be friendly, efficient, and helpful in all cases.

Owners want their homes to be very well cared for and to make great income when away from their second home. We call it maximum income with minimum fuss.

Our approach is different than any other company or chain management operation. We offer personal service with a smile. Local staff and management who are always Johnny-on-the-spot (or Jill). Local advertising that others can't match. Plus global marketing on hundreds of websites, including the giants Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and Expedia.

Personal. Local. Global.

If you are wondering how we do that so well when our competitors find it so difficult, this month's letter reveals the simple and effective method we use.

It's called "Inch-by-Inch" and we owe the philosophy to songwriter David Mallett.

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Whether building a house, a space ship or a winning basketball team, the direct and efficient way to achieve greatness is to approach projects inch-by-inch. There are no short cuts.

PEOPLE: Success starts with people. Always has. Unlike corporate lodging managers who suffer high turnover, we recruit, interview and train our wonderful people inch-by-inch. Many have been with us a great long while. We treat them well, compensate them nicely, and treat them like the customer services experts they are. People who clean toilets deserve our highest respect.

INTEGRATION: Most lodging managers limit their advertising to just a few websites because synchronizing dates, rates and descriptions, and retrieving bookings is convoluted. Initially, we were tempted to settle for incomplete software but, through an inch-by-inch review, found it necessary to author our own software. The result is the most robust lodging advertising system around.

RENTAL v. COMPLEX: The way in which availability is synched with vacation rental sites is markedly different from how hotel complexes are done. Many years before competitors, our inch-by-inch study proved that neither market could be ignored. Luckily, our custom software adapted to advertising in both, making us the only company with software that does so.

TIMESHARES: Recently, timeshare resort operators have fallen on hard times as they suffer from "aging properties and aging owners." Dates go unused while expenses go ever upward. After being contacted by one resort manager, we determined that guests are happy to rent those homes and, inch-by-inch, adapted our software and systems to market those properties far wider than ever before. Now, more resorts are joining us because we are the only people who can solve their problem.

PHOTOGRAPHY: By far the most important factor to increasing bookings is to have fabulous photos. Fifteen years ago, a search led us to the then newly invented High Dynamic Range Photography. HDR is not the HD of your TV. We studied inch-by-inch the very few people doing HDR, interviewed a dozen photographers, and hired the very best person.

RESERVATIONS: Long ago, we wanted to work 5 or maybe 6 days a week, but the Internet convinces guests that every business should be open long hours every day of the year, and have 24/7 help. Inch-by-inch, we have expanded guest and owner service times to meet that need.

FLOOR PLANS: Decades ago, we wanted property floor plans that guests could use to figure out where Grandma sleeps, which kids get bunks, and how mom and dad can get a private bedroom. However, owners seldom had construction plans and the cost of surveying each home was prohibitive. Inch-by-inch, enables us to examine every way to meet the need. Today, we produce customized, accurate "Water Color" floor plans for every home. No one else has figured it out.

ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES: Recently, one of those corporate vacation rental managers crowed that they had just added electronic signatures into their software to ensure valid bookings. We had a good laugh. Nine years ago, our software team pleaded with a major e-sig company to get the computer code and, inch-by-inch, we built, what the vendor called, the first e-signatures in the lodging industry.

All of these little inch-by-inch steps and hundreds of others, benefit guests and owners alike. They prove that consistency, dedication and perseverance always produce good results.

Maine song writer David Mallett said it best "inch by inch, row by row, my garden grows."

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0712 – 10/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

What Guests Want - Lodging Newsletter September 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 09/30/19 Topics: Advertising, Channel Management, Dynamic Rates, Employment, Lodging Management, Lodging Newsletter, Photography, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

This month's letter is intended to be a marketing 101 primer for everyone who wants to know more about marketing, advertising, and public relations.

What makes our lodging managers think they are such hot shots about the marketing anyway?

Simply put, some of our partners have spent decades helping clients sell millions and millions of dollars of stuff, and we know our stuff.

Oh sure our explanation could be lengthy and include a lot of fancy words, but whether selling clothes, groceries, soda pop, yachts, or nights at a vacation rental, the process is exactly the same.

One of our partners said it best. "Marketing is easy. Ask customers what they want and then give it to them."

This update is all about that - giving customers what they want. Plus we'll sneak in a little about how we do it and how the competitors don’t.

Why would we publish this when competitors could learn the secrets? Because it's not a secret and they won't do it all anyway. We double dog dare them.

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The only trouble we have with giving customers what they want, so we can produce absolute maximum income for owners is pleading with and even begging owners to do the little things necessary. Here is what guests want:

WHAT WE DO

Hospitality clean - Yep we can do that for you. Guests absolutely want that.

Hospitality maintenance - Fix everything, all the time and quickly. Guests expect it.

Personal - When the guests call, we gotta go take care of them. Guests require it.

Personality - Answer the phone with a genuine smile, or guests will bristle.

Photos - Crisp HDR photos help guests choose. Guests want to see.

3D Tours - The best in the industry. Guests want to see everything.

Floor plans - Professional water colors, so guests can plan who sleeps where.

Website - Custom e-commerce website for each property to help guests return.

24/7 Bookings - Online, phone, chat, and email. Guests book when they want.

24/7 Service - Onsite at any time, we take care of guests or we lose out.

Visible - Advertise on 400+ websites, with dates and rates. Guests find us everywhere.

Social - Posting, commenting, and cooperating. Guests want to interact.

Materials - Rack cards, postcards, bookmarks, etc. prove legitimacy to guests.

Payment - Credit cards, payment plans, occasional incentives that guess want.

Dependable - No double bookings. Guests expect no errors when booking.

Returnees - Extra benefits for loyal guests. Keeps happy guests happy.

Dynamic Rates - Up and down by many factors. Guests accept variability.

WHAT YOU DO

Internet - 49% of guess say no internet wrecks their vacation. Gotta give it to them.

Cable - Gotta have a big TV and cable. Guest don’t book homes without it.

Hot Tubs - Number one requested amenity. Guests can not resist them.

Leftovers - Don’t slough off your used furniture. Guests hate that.

Design - Comfy chairs, quality tables, books, and mattresses. Guests demand comfort.

Color - Creative paint colors, art, and throw pillows, Guests are impressed.

Sleeps - The more beds, the better, with night stands and lamps. Guests read.

Luxurious - Quality towels and linens, replaced regularly. Otherwise guests seethe.

Furnishings - Lots of pots, pans, flatware, and tableware. Guests cook a lot.

Outdoors - Patios, decks, and yes that hot tub. Guests want to lounge.

Now that we see this list, it doesn't seem so very difficult does it? Just follow the list, do your thing and let us do ours. A winning combination.

Marketing is easy, give customers what they want. But will you?

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0705 – 09/30/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Dispatch Magic - Lodging Newsletter August 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 08/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

After a high flying summer filled with non-stop guests, cleans, questions, maintenance, repetitious housekeeping, and services; we must admit it’s been a blast. After a quick deep breath we are still running on all cylinders.

I went to a convenience store one day at almost midnight, and was surprised to find the clerk locking up, and turning off the lights, ready to head home.

I said, "Hey, what's the deal? Your sign says open 24 hours a day!"

"Yes", said the clerk, "But not in a row, you moron!"

Ah ha, that's the vacation rental industry too - a 24/7 career that needs hands-on, non-stop attention. Guests demand it and we provide it to properties. Of course, we need a day off every now and then.

If you called or emailed us this summer only to find that we were out handling business, or getting a days respite from our 80 hour work weeks, this letter will give you a better idea why.

Owners hire us to take care of properties, advertise like crazy, talk incessantly on the phone, and generate lots of money for them especially during the high seasons.

So in this months letter, how about we provide tips on how to help us help you for the best possible outcome.

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Help us help you by reading the ins and outs of what has become a very intricate intense industry.

BUSINESS: Once your home starts renting it becomes a bonafide business. Expect to make business decisions not personal ones, such as allowing your manager to manage and spend their time running the business more than talking about it.

HELP DESK: Call our main phone number with questions or requests. You will be tempted to contact your manager directly, but calling the help desk ensures requests are forwarded to the best person to handle what you need, even if your manager is off duty.

PHONE: Although you may love texting or emailing, we respectfully require owners to telephone the help desk instead. We are open long hours everyday of the year. After hours, you can leave a message that will be heard the next day. If you have a real emergency, there is a phone option to reach a real, live human being.

PRIORITY: Less urgent requests will have to be started after we've tended to the duties you hired us to do. We like talking with owners, when it does not slow down our work for you.

SCHEDULES: The never ending pace of managing leaves little time for less urgent matters, so please allow us to respond or act on non-management requests as time permits. Please be patient.

CRY WOLF: Sorry to say, but not every request is an emergency. If it is truly urgent just say so, but if its routine or - dare I say even unimportant - please allow us to get to it after we take care of your business.

BLOCKS: Be sure to block out dates you want early and unblock them if things change. We get paid by hustling for bookings and we want to send you the most money. You can log-on to block dates yourself, or call the help desk anytime.

EDUCATION: We want every owner to be well informed and will keep you posted with letters like this, but unless you have years to study this pesky career, accepting our experienced judgment is the top way to profit.

SUPPLY & DEMAND: As more guests discover vacation rentals, more homes enter the market. Supply and demand can ebb and flow. There is no guarantee of success but allowing us to focus on your rental business increases your chance of success.

THANKS: Nah, there is no need to compliment the staff, but as our hero Coach Fred Crowell says, "Encouragement is like oxygen." You can't live without it and neither can we. Being thankful for all the good things, earns the right to questions anything that sounds wrong. We will remember to reciprocate.

MESSENGER: Whatever arises with your rental, we will take care of details and not interrupt you with minor issues. Should it be necessary to call your with unpleasant things, please don't shoot the messenger. That just makes it more difficult to help.

So, are these tips a little selfish on our part? Does all of this make sense? It's all with the intent of providing tip-top property service and the best income for your property.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0684 – 08/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Bringing News - Lodging Newsletter July 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 07/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

It is difficult to tell people things they don't want to hear.

Doctors don't want to give diagnosis of disease. Bankers don't want to say your account is overdrawn. Your kids don't want to say you are getting older.

In lodging management, sometimes we have to tell clients how the industry works. With the pace of change in this quirky industry, sometimes we have to call up and say something has changed.

So this letter is to summarize some of the changes to the lodging industry that you just might not know about.

In fact, the marketplace is growing, owners are making more money, more guests are enjoying homes and management is becoming more scientific, more predictable and more fun.

It's also more work, but that has always been the case.

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It's not bad news, usually it's good news, but it's always news.

BUSINESS: Every home that becomes a vacation rental becomes a business. They create income for property owners, but demand time and attention. We offer maximum income with minimum fuss. We invest the time and send profits to owners. Hundreds of methods are applied to make that happen, in ways no other manager does, and in ways do-it-yourself owners can't match. We treat it like a business.

NET INCOME: Owners have two goals (A) Keep the home in good condition (B) Send them maximum net income. That may require some owners to change their thinking. Presumptions don't help, inflexibility doesn't work, and failure to adjust to constant industry changes risks low income. Rely on us to avoid those problems.

PERISHABLE INVENTORY: At midnight every day a home which has not been rented becomes worthless for income. Grocery stores understand that some inventory, such as produce, is perishable and must be discarded if not sold. The manager's job is to book every night at the highest rate, and sometimes at a modest rate rather than to produce no income for the owner.

SCIENCE: We use sophisticated Yield Management techniques that employ Dynamic Rates. Every owner is delighted to see super high rates at the super popular times. But it also means medium rates during shoulder seasons, and low rates in slow seasons. Rates must change based on supply and demand. We don't set rates, the market sets rates.

PRIDE: Some owners are delighted to see big rates and slighted to see low rates often proclaiming "My house is worth more than everyone else's!" Pride of ownership is understandable, but don't let pride empty your pocket book. Allow your manager to employ the science.

NEGOTIATIONS: Since the recession, Americans have became hagglers. Decades ago we all laughed at those silly European or Asian countries where bargaining was everywhere. Today we have become them. Good managers never regret travelers who want deals, but work to turn every possible customer into a happy paying customer.

MAINTENANCE: Every home ages over time. Second homes age about the same. Renting does not accelerate routine repairs and maintenance, but it does enforce the need. Guests have come to demand properly managed homes and hospitality grade cleaning. Good managers provide basic maintenance for affordable rates not to line their pockets, but to avoid guest refunds and credits.

REVIEWS: With the advent of the internet, every business gets reviewed, sliced, and diced online. No matter the quality of a home, owners must be prepared to see negatives online. Plus legitimate complaints (such as a failed water heater) must be fixed fast to avoid reputation assassination. Your manager should be praised for taking swift action to protect owner income, even if there is a cost.

OBSERVATION: Housekeepers and managers keep an eye on every home, but no one can memorize the interior of multiple homes They might not notice a missing throw rug, a pot, pan or hand towel. Guest theft is very rare, damages are uncommon, but as a business it does happen. Your manager can attempt to assess the guest or charge damages to deposit insurance. If that is not possible, it becomes a cost of doing business for the property.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0682 – 07/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Surprising Internet - Lodging Newsletter June 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 06/30/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Online Travel Agents (OTAs), Search Engines (Google, Bing, Safari), Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0676 – 06/30/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Quick Tips - Lodging Newsletter May 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 05/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

We love to talk with property owners and other people about our craft. In fact we encourage questions and education.

However explaining what we do has risks because, we never know if the owner just wants the short simple answer that we have spent decades mastering.

Or do they want to learn the details, the minutiae of how we arrived at the answer, what other facts were considered, and how we reached our conclusion.

Sometimes they want to know the policies, procedures and standards we have devised to master a topic. Sometimes they want to suggest alternatives or new ideas.

Our success has stemmed from grabbing good ideas wherever we find them, and quickly adapting to changes and improvements; but in explaining it all we try to avoid the "pocket watch" syndrome.

When you ask the time do you just want to know (1) the hour and minute? Or (2) do you want to know how the watch was designed, manufactured, assembled, and how it works?

This month's letter takes the first approach as we jot down some of the repetitious questions we get with the simple answers that we know to be true.

Here are yes/no questions you might want to know.

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- How many hours does it take to self manage? Experts say 520 hours per year.

- Will I make more money self-managing? No.

- Why would I self manage? You need an unpaid hobby.

- Should I limit occupancy in my place? Absolutely.

- What produces the most bookings? Advertising on hundreds of websites.

- Should every home have its own website? Yes, and we provide that.

- Why are your photos so spectacular? Expert photographers using HDR.

- Why are 3D tours used? Guests want to see what they are renting.

- Why do you work 24-7? If not you would make less money.

- Who pays for guest cleanings? The guest does.

- How many sets of towels-linens do I need? At least 2, preferably 3.

- Will towels and linens wear out? Yes, over time.

- Who does deep cleaning? We do or owners do, at their choice.

- Can I just use part of your services? Yes, we offer full-service or a-la-carte.

- If I put in a hot tub, will I make more money? Yes, much more.

- Is a hot tub cleaning fee charged? Yes.

- Will allowing dogs get more bookings? Yes, more bookings & higher rates

- Should cats be allowed? Never.

- Should a dog cleaning fee be charged? Yes.

- Will I make more money if I handle advertising myself? No.

- How do I find a good cheap housekeeper? You can't.

- Are background checks performed on housekeepers? We do them on all staff.

- Do your staff members receive training? Yes and on a continuing basis.

- Can you help me furnish my home. Yes, we know what works.

- What happens if there is damage? We require guest damage insurance.

- If I sell my house, must future bookings be honored? Yes.

- Who pays the credit card costs? The guest does.

- What rates should I charge? Rates must be very dynamic.

- Do guests call after hours for services? Yes, and we answer them all.

- Can I fill my house by using AirBnB? It’s good, but not enough.

- Do VRBO, AirBnB, etc. charge commissions? Yes.

- How can I avoid them? You can not, but we can minimize them.

- Why do you advertise on those "Online Travel Agents"? They make you money.

- Do you mark-up rates, to cover OTA fees? Yes.

- Can I cancel bookings after guests make them? No.

- What happens if I do cancel bookings? Your home could get blacklisted.

- Do you collect and pay lodging taxes? Yes.

- Why are lodging taxes not shown on my statement? They belong to the state.

- Can guests request a "Chargeback" on credit cards? Yes.

- Do they need a good reason? No.

- Do you try to reverse those? Always.

- Are reversals successful? Usually, but not always.

- Must I get a permit to rent? In some areas, but not most places.

- Do I need special rental insurance? Yes. We can recommend agents.

- How do guests get into my rental? Keysafes, electronic locks, or front desk.

- Do you have more answers? Boy do we. Thousands.

- Do owners need to learn it all? No, we'll do all the work. Just ask.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0671 – 05/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Who Owns Your Property? - Lodging Newsletter April 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 04/30/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

So who owns your property really? The answer may surprise you.

Vacation Rentals have been around forever, going back in time even longer than hotels. Did you know that Thomas Jefferson rented a vacation rental when he wrote the Declaration of Independence? Of course, they weren't called that then, but people often rented private homes for short stays.

The operation and growth of lodging has gone through many, many changes over the years but it has only been since the advent of the Internet that the pace has skyrocketed.

Recently, we saw a small condominium building and a remote resort hire one of those out-of-town national lodging companies to manage their rentals. Unfortunately both property owners allowed that company to take advantage of them by dropping their brand name and coopting guest relations for themselves.

This month we'll emphasize why owners should care about owning the operations, reputation, and marketing for their homes; and how our a-la-carte programs allow owners to do just that by deciding how they want their property managed.

One size does not fit all.

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Owners of every Inn, Resort and Vacation Rental work to offer unique and wonderful properties and when they hire a management firm a big question is "Does that manager promote themselves or do they focus on the property?"

We are proud of our company and staff members who work so diligently for owners. We offer the best of both worlds - local management businesses that provide stellar hands on assistance, with a back-office of advertising, marketing, reservations, and accounting that the big guys can't match.

Everyone in the industry needs to admit that first-time guests pick the property and not the manager. Property owners should be wary of the big-mouthed management companies who take center stage at the expense of their personal homes visibility.

Of course guests demand that homes to be hospitality clean, that services be instantly available and that their trip be hassle free. Only local on-site business management owners meet those goals and provide long-term continuity that returning guests cite repeatedly as to why they book again and again through us.

Online Travel Agents such as Airbnb, VRBO, Expedia, and others act like giant catalogues making it easy for guests to browse and pick the very best home for their needs. While other managers list homes on a few OTAs, we advertise every home on hundreds because, to do anything less, would decrease demand, lower rates, and result in less income to owners.

Even within those mammoth OTAs, properties that we market stand out with more and better creative techniques than anyone else.

Yes, those steps cost us more, but we are able to so while charging clients less because we are small, nimble and industrious. No one can match our "Perfect Touch: Dynamic range photos, walk through 3D tours, color floor plans, brand names, logos, and graphics.

To offset some of the OTA costs, our content heavy regional websites attract guests who book directly with us. We also build regional tourism websites, plus we create an impressive e-commerce website for every home and property.

For Inns and Resorts, we retain their brand name by building sumptuous websites that feature them and them alone. They keep their reputation and brand name, we just help operate it behind the scenes.

Most important, we go the extra mile with all of those tasks to promote every home first to guests, and to only take the stage when the guest wants to know that we are reliable, trustworthy, and helpful.

Our first office opened in 1964 so our locations are staffed with long tenured professional adults. To these wonderful people, long ago we have added website wizards, deft database programmers, agile advertising people, adroit accountants, and happy reservation pros.

Our goal is very simple - to help every owner achieve maximum income with minimum fuss. We do that with full-service programs or a-la-carte fitting our service to what owners want and need. All because the needs of the property must come first.

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Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0664 – 04/30/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Rates & Pricing - Lodging Newsletter March 31st, 2019

By Wm. May
Published: 03/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Everyone aggress that the very best reason for buying a second home is to love it, to bring family and friends to a favorite place, and for everyone to enjoy themselves.

The internet has made another trend possible, and that is for everyone to make better use of their assets.

For example, instead of owning a car that sits parked most of the time, you can share one (so to speak) with your Uber driver only when you need it. If you own a vacation rental home, you can earn money from it when you are not there.

The high mucky mucks of finance would call this "asset utilization" with the acknowledgement that achieving better utilization is always the goal.

Many people jump into vacation rentals with the misconception that the simple way to get maximum income is to set the highest rates. Unfortunately, setting rates has become a strange amalgam of art and science.

So this month, we will dip into the arcane area of rates and pricing.

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- Who sets the rate, the owner or the manager?

- What would the nightly rate be for my home?

- How many nights will it rent?

In the simplest form, answering those questions may sound a bit too glib. "No one sets the rate. The market sets the rate". or "The number of nights will be dictated by the rate."

This does not mean that rates must be low because that leaves money on the table, but setting rates too high on some dates will cause occupancy to crash. The only technique that works is to charge the "very right" price for every day of the year. That is easier said than done. Here is how we go about that process.

DYNAMIC PRICING - The use of seasonal rates has been around forever, albeit in a rudimentary fashion. Set high season rates higher and low season rates low, weekend rates higher than mid week. With dynamic pricing, different rates can be set every day of the year. Rates may need to be adjusted frequently, sometimes as often as daily.

EXACT INSIGHTS - Third party research services sample millions of units every day of the year, for many months or years in advance, querying billions of points of data daily. This reveals what competitors are doing as well as global, regional and local trends. IT builds a graph of price short term and long term to visualize trends and pick optimum yield.

LOCALIZED STRATEGY - Globally based managers get lost in the details and seldom know local events that allow us to tweak prices for better rates and occupancy. Combined with dynamic rates even changes of 5 to 10% can yield more income to owners.

PERSONALIZED STRATEGY - Even within a geographic market, there are rate differences between homes. Luxurious places get higher rates, but there are guests for every type of property. This is done by determining the relationship between homes, those we manage and those we do not.

UPGRADES: Should owners change amenities, add a hot tub or make other improvements, we must revise photos, descriptions, and then anticipate up ticks to capture more income quicker.

OWNER GOALS: Generally rates are within fairly narrow ranges and when science is employed, every home produces more net income than before. Our job is to find the sweet spots between "supply and demand."

We start with the premise that every owner wants to achieve the maximum net income for their property. We understand that some owners present ulterior motives. Some feel they must have a higher rather than a neighbor feeling that their home is superior, or they set a "Rock Bottom" rate that is so high those cut down the number of bookings.

Our approach is more scientific than local competitors and more intricate than the national firms can deduce. The goals is to have the right price every night, and to have it every night in advance, to attract early and late bookers alike.

Clients should buy a second home because they will love and use it. Now with our efficient pricing tools and daily attention to rates and occupancy, they will get the highest asset utilization for the days they do not use the home.

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Author: Wm. May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0658 – 03/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Did you know? - Lodging Newsletter February 28th, 2019

By Wm. May
Published: 02/28/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

In a 2016 survey, HomeAway, the operator of various vacation rental advertising websites such as VRBO, found that that managing your own home only takes 10 hours per week.

That 10 hours per week computes to about 25% of the hour that a full time employee works. Full time employees usually work 40 hours a week, but when you subtract coffee breaks, vacations and sick leave, it's really far less.

The old saying goes, "You never know what you don't know until you discover you don't know it." The vacation rental industry is not immune from that situation.

Property owners often begin renting without taking the time to read and study what the business is all about. In most cases they do fine, but it may be fair to say that they are always surprised, hopefully only in minor ways.

Owners who attempt to manage their own properties get the biggest surprise because those hours can be spread from first light until midnight, occasionally even overnight.

They cannot be scheduled because guests want what they want, when they want it. In today's era of computers and smart phones that can be any time of the day or night. If you turn off the phone, you lose bookings to professional managers who provide 24-7/365 service.

All this is just another way we help owners get maximum income with minimum fuss.

So, this month I thought I would summarize random things as "Did You Know" type questions.

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Here is a mish mash of "Did You Know" facts, figures, statistics, and plain ol' good wisdom we have picked up over time.

DYK - Our definition of "Hospitality Clean" is defined as cleaner that most people leave their homes just after they've done a deep clean. Guests demand clean above all else.

DYK - Many housekeepers drive miles and miles between homes each day to make them clean and ready for guests anxious for a vacation. Making people happy is the entire definition of hospitality.

DYK - Did you know that our managers participate in weekly continuing education, collaboration, and problem solving sessions? DYK that we discover and implement a list of new things every week? (Wow, this industry moves fast!)

DYK - Dynamic rates are becoming the norm. Rates must vary by season, day of the week, and even local events such as festivals. They also must jump up or down based on demand.

DYK - We get telemetry from several sources that reveal prices that others are charging, so we can be a dollar less or sometimes strategically much higher. Research can't answer all questions.

DYK - We are the only management firm that offers a full slate of "creative" selling tools - HDR photos, panos, 3D tours, floor plans, and a custom website for every property.

DYI - That the giant out-of-town managers churn through clients with homes in and out, and all because they can not provide the truly hands-on, committed, concerned care that we can.

DYK - There is nothing the corporate managers do that we do not? In fact, we have a long list of services we provide to get owners maximum income with minimum fuss. As that old "Annie Get Your Gun" song said, "Anything they can do, we can do better." (We will spare you our singing)

DYK - That we operate local tourism websites as a service to guests but also a way to get prospective guests that the competitors don't even know about.

DYK - Our very first management office opened in 1964, making us the oldest in the area and one of the oldest in the country. Surprisingly, we are the most tech enabled too.

DYK - Many cities and counties are pushing to regulate or even prohibit vacation rentals? If you think your property rights include being able to rent you may be surprised.

DYK - Vacation Rentals are also not new. Thomas Jefferson ensconced himself in a kind of vacation rental for weeks while drafting the Declaration of Independence.

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SHOUTOUT - To our friends at Eden Valley Guest Ranch in North Central Washington State. Lovely cabins. Ride a horse. Sign around the campfire. Your kids will love it (you will, too!) Look at EdenValleyGuests.com

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Author: Wm. May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0650 – 02/28/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Rain Rain Snow Snow - Lodging Newsletter January 31st, 2019

By Wm. May
Published: 01/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

In the Summer high season, when every property is booked solid, guests are coming and going, and yes properties sometimes need maintenance and extra services, it's nice to think that it will slow down a bit soon.

Naturally we would prefer it to be smashingly busy at all times and we would never want bookings to be slower, but we must admit there will be respites where we catch our breath.

This winter, we have had abnormal "rain rain, go away, come again another day" along with "snow snow go away don't come back another day". Can you imagine the extra work of trudging from house to house to clean in pouring rain or bounding over walls of snow and ice?

So which is better? Winter or summer? Maybe spring or fall?

The answer is - doesn’t matter.

This is a fast moving and intricate industry in a even faster moving company, that has mastered the hundreds of key capabilities. How about we give you a "day in the life" of a vacation rental company?

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Vacation rentals are a seemingly simple industry. How tough can it be? Run some ads, take reservations and money, give keys to the guests, find a housekeeper and do it all again. But a day in the life looks little like that.

The day actually starts the day before when our rez pros take calls to confirm guests scheduled to leave today, later they get confirmation that homes have been cleaned and inspected. The night auditor double checks that guests arriving tomorrow have their instructions, usually sent days before.

No matter the preparation, guests call with sometimes unbelievable questions. Does the house have water? (Yes). Do we have to bring our own dishes? (No). Can we bring our pet pig? (No). Owners too call with questions (maybe) and requests (of course we can).

The night before, managers and housekeepers set the next days "turns" (check-outs and check-ins). Early the next morning, reservation crew are already processing new online bookings, receiving phone calls non-stop, telephoning guests and staff to coordinate and handle maintenance work orders. No lunch today, the phones are buzzing and we love new bookings.

In full swing now, fastidious cleaners "jump" from one home to another as they wait for linens to complete drying, then return to complete other tasks. It all must happen in a short 5 to 6 hours for multiple homes. Some parties are late getting out, so the clean driving route is altered.

Cleaners work in teams to make it work. All homes are visited, lights turned on, even turned up. The home is checked to be perfect for guest arrival.

Our money staff reconcile credit cards, checking accounts, process payroll and payables, and prepare comprehensive financial statements to be mailed to every owner, along with checks. Then remit taxes to dozens of jurisdictions.

Our marketing ninjas review inbound pricing telemetry, check on automatic price recommendations but alter rates to match our knowledge of market factors. They create specials, blast emails to guest lists, create print materials and pump up sales.

Our software gurus have engineered a system that creates stunning websites, electronically integrates with all top websites and hundreds of others. But features are always being added to stay far ahead of the competition.

As the office buzzes, staff photographers roam the country shooting stunning dynamic range photos, videos, panoramas and 3D walk-through tours. For new homes, managers are documenting every niche of every home and ensure that every little things is right. We call it zero defects.

More phone calls. Did we find the IPhone we left in the place? (Yes). Can we arrange to have it shipped? (Yes). Can we alter reservation after we depart? (No). Can we bring our peg pig? (Sorry no, who is this really?)

Then later that afternoon it all starts again - over and over again, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. So why do we do it? Because helping owners make money and guests have wonderful stays makes a day in the life well worth it all.

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Author: Wm. May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0649 – 01/31/19

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com