Managing Your Rental Guests It was a long day yesterday. A five hour flight to Los Angeles, then a two hour wait for the next leg – the five hours to Maui – but we are all here safe and sound in our wonderful vacation rental condo on the ocean. This is a small two-storey complex of one, two and three bedroom units, with a pool and lawned area leading to a lanai overlooking the ocean, and we have a corner apartment with fabulous views from the balcony. This week, along with doing all the tourist stuff and seeing the island, I’ll be posting on being a rental guest and other stuff that comes to mind from a client perspective. This is the second rental we have done in the past few weeks and it was quite interesting to note just how important accurate directions and entry instructions are. On both occasions there were lock boxes – one was a keyless entry system, and this one has a lock box that uses a code to gain access to the keys. Arriving late at night after a lengthy travelling day, you want everything to go right and the pre-arrival document was spot on with: Good clear directions Instructions on where to park Access code for the lockbox Telephone number of contact in case of problems Having problems with the arrival part of a vacation rental can flip-flop expectations from positive enthusiasm to negative dread, and this can be hard to recover. We were able to find and get into the property easily and effortlessly making the transition from travelling to arrival a pleasurable experience. Paying attention to this part of the rental process is just as important as ensuring the place is spotlessly clean and looks attractive and appealing. Have your guests ever got lost getting to your place? Has anyone had a problem getting access to the property. If this has happened on even one occasion, check all your documentation and processes and revise accordingly. It can make the difference between happy and disgruntled guests.
