Time to Spruce Up That Vacation Home
By Jennifer Otto
 |
Every year, you rent out your home on the Emerald Coast to a few lucky vacationers. In recent years, you have noticed that your customers are tapering off. What is happening? Maybe it is the scare from all the hurricanes or maybe they are just tired of the same old vacation home year after year. Never fear, because I am here to give you a few tips for sprucing up your vacation home and making it the fun place that all your vacationers remember it to be.
Even if your vacationers still come to you year after year, it might be nice to give them a reason to feel better about spending their money with you rather than in a hotel or resort. It is so easy to make the people that pay your income feel happy and right at home.
Some tips that will keep your vacationers coming back to you for more include:
- Clean it up before the guests arrive. Good housekeeping and attention to detail are extremely important. Ever been to a fancy hotel that was spotless except for a cobweb in the bathroom? Sure, it is hard to notice, but I guarantee that your guests will look up at least once in their stay. Make sure the floors, walls and ceilings are free of dirt and debris.
- Keep all linens and towels clean and fresh looking. Stains on the beds and towels are an absolute no no. Try buying white linens and bleaching them after all guests have left. It may be best to have at least two sets of linens and bedding; this way you can change them out each week without a lot of effort to get it done in a hurry.
- Buy furniture that is resistant to wear and tear. It is inevitable that something will happen to the furniture after many guests have made their stay in your rental, but you can help prevent as many furniture disasters as possible by making smart buys. Do not buy expensive coffee tables of the best wood in town. Purchase stone coffee tables or cheap wood furniture that can easily be painted. Have plexi-glass cut to fit over the top of all tables. The plexi-glass is a cinch to clean and will last for ages.
- Invest in tile or hardwood floors. Let’s face it – drinks will get spilled and food will drop on the floor. There is no way to prevent these sorts of mishaps; however, you can start thinking about that now and get rid of the carpet. Tile and hardwood may be a little more expensive, but it will pay off in the long run.
Touch up the walls with paint. Every
other month or so, go through the place with a paintbrush
and touch up the little scratches and dents that
are common after multiple use.- Keep the vacation rental stocked with the latest fashions. Do not keep the same look year after year, because renters will get bored and look for something new and exciting. You do not have to spend a lot to keep the rental looking great. Go to Wal-Mart and stock the rental full of new rugs, towels and bedding once a year or maybe even every two years. You can get this for no money at all if you search the sales rack. Go to the dollar store and get some new cooking utensils and wine glasses every now and then. Do not forget the kids – get some fun puzzles and games from the dollar store.
- Decorate with a theme. You do not necessarily have to go to all the trouble of buying new fashions for the house every year if you swap it up every once in a while. You can put the old decorations in the closet and bring them out again in a couple of years. Try decorating for the season or the holiday around the corner. Maybe have a new theme for each month. Decorate December with reds and greens trimmed with garland and May with fish and shells. Be inventive. You have all the room in the world to create an exciting vacation home.
- Put up artwork and other personal touches. Little touches like pictures on the wall, decorative lamps on the night table or even a flower arrangement in the kitchen make a vacation rental 10 times more appealing to the average vacationer. Show your guests how special they are. There is a reason that your guests chose you over the Holiday Inn.
It is your job as property owner to make all of your guests feel right at home from child to adult. Your guests will appreciate the little things you do to make them feel more comfortable about spending their money with you.