Preparing Your Vacation Rental Sometimes I despair of getting the message across, particularly in my part of the world. Traditionally, cottage rental was simply an alternative to camping – with walls and a roof being the difference, and an inside toilet an absolute luxury. Over the past 5 years, it’s been a slow move to the realisation that ‘renters’ should be respected as ‘guests’, and that the expectations of a vacation rental are rising. I am still called out to inspect vacation cottages that have not seen a vacuum cleaner for years (if ever) where the owner’s overriding perception of vacationers is “It’s just a cottage, what do they expect?” So, I wasn’t really surprised this morning, on my daily trawl through rental listings and web sites, to find a cottage advertised with the following limitations: DOES NOT INCLUDE Linens, Towels and Pillows Condiments or cooking oils Paper towel, toilet paper or napkins Blankets or sleeping bags Aluminum foil or plastic wrap Garbage bags Hair dryer or iron Coffee The biggest shame of this is that it’s a brand new cottage with tremendous scope to create an welcoming space.
