People love Myrtle Beach Summers! Here's how to prepare.

Tuesday 30, Jun 2009 - 04:30PM

RentExpert invites you to enjoy South Carolina's Grand Strand with a 60-mile stretch of sandy beaches at your feet and sunshine over your head! Myrtle Beach summers are spicy ones -- perfect for cooling off in the ocean or lounging on a pool raft. Here is what to expect:

July and August are hot vacation months for travelers with temps in the upper 80's and 90's to match. Add high-humidity levels and you have a double-whammy heat effect. A common phrase we're hearing from the locals is "Phew! It's a hot one today!" Of course it's with that good-spirited southern charm. Note that Hurricane Season begins June 1 and continues through November 30. August and September are peak months for hurricane activity. If a hurricane is expected in the area, a "Hurricane Watch" will occur.

HOW TO DRESS FOR MYRTLE BEACH FUN IN THE SUN

• Hey -- we don't need to tell you to bring your bathing suit, but here's a reminder for that last minute suitcase check
• Comfortable beach-wear such as loose, light-colored wraps and sarongs or long sleeved linen shirts will help protect you from the hot sun. It can also be uncomfortalbe walking through those sandy beaches -- they are hot! Flip-flops and sandals will help.
  
• Ladies -- we love stylish hats too! Go for it and have some fun -- it will help protect your skin too.
• Sunglasses
• A dry change of clothes for the end of the day
• Sunscreen should always be a part of your daily routine!
• The American Cancer Society promotes their "Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap!" campaign -- slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap yourself in sunglasses to protect yourself.

MYRTLE BEACH AND SUMMER NIGHTS

Myrtle Beach means fun at night too. Temperatures do cool off into the 70's, but the evenings could bring a bit of rain. Be prepared to bring a light jacket or wrap to keep you warm and dry.

Have a great time in Myrtle Beach! RentExpert loves this places and we know you will too!

Do you have a self-updating rate calendar?

Friday 12, Jun 2009 - 02:00PM

INTRODUCTION

Savvy vacation homeowners and managers use an online calendar so renters can see their availability online. However, one of the biggest renter complaints is that calendars are not up to date. On some occasions, we call the owner or manager to find out that they had a cancellation, which did not get updated in their calendar. Well, if it’s not updated, chances are that you are likely to lose bookings if someone does not take the effort to call you and find out. Since calendars are so important, we’ve worked on highlighting features that are really important to keeping you fully booked.

IMPORTANT CALENDAR FEATURES

Help the renter figure out the rate from any day to any other day

This can be fairly complex because most owners have different rules for different times of the year, holidays, weekend rates, weekly rates, etc.


Here are some sample rates from a popular listing site.

Spring .. $ 900/week
Summer .. $1475/week
Fall .... $ 900/week
Winter .. $ 675/week
Contact us for partial week rates or further information.

Off Season ... Sep 15-Apr 30 .. $225/night .. $1150/week.
Peak Season .. May 01-Sep 14 .. $300/night .. Reduced to $1500/week
Minimum one week stay in Summer 2009. $300 deposit required to hold.
Cleaning Fee of $100
Balance is due 2 weeks prior to rental.
Ask about our monthly discount rate (only available in the Fall and Winter).

June-Aug, Oct...... $995/week - $192/night (3 nt. min.)
Sept & Nov-May......$995/week - $192/night (2 nt. min.)
50% deposit (including 1/2 rent, taxes (13%) & security deposit) due at booking.
Balance due 30 days prior to arrival.
Cancellations receive refund, less 15% processing fee if cabin is rebooked.
All prices exclude Taxes, Deposit and Service Charges, Call for Quotes

•     How does the renter know what you consider Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter?
•     What happens if the rental starts in one period and ends in another period?
•     How do you deal with special situations such as holidays?

Obviously, since this varies quite a bit, the trick is to organize these rates in a way that the rate can be calculated automatically for the renter, minimizing mistakes, busy work and eventually increase customer satisfaction. Once you can organize these rates, it’s fairly simple to incorporate these rates into a calendar so that a renter can find a rate automatically.


Here’s an example of what a renter should see.

Help the renter reserve and book your home

Online bookings account for 12% of reservations in the Vacation Rental Space. So, at this time, most bookings still take place the old-fashioned way by phone. However, you might want the renter place a tentative reservation on our site. This does not block the date, but sends you an email indicating that someone is really serious.

Integrate Payment Processing with your Calendar

Even though only 12% book online, a large number of renters use credit cards to book their property. Given that, you probably accept credit cards. If you accept credit cards, wouldn’t it be convenient to integrate payment processing with your booking process.

Automatically update the calendar when your property is booked

When your property gets booked, you need to let the online world know instantly that it is not available for those days? Why waste everyone’s time and energy by having them call you about days that are not available? Once the property is booked, wouldn’t it be convenient if your calendar software automatically sent an email confirmation to the renter?

Automatically update your calendar when you cancel a reservation

Most people forget to update their calendar if there is a cancellation. Using an automated calendar that can do this ensures that you continue to attract renters.

Display availability across multiple properties

If you have multiple properties, it’s really important to show availability across multiple properties, so the renter can still book with you.

Get Started Now with a Free Rate Calendar that automatically updates when you make a booking as well as sends a confirmation to your renter. Visit http://rentexpert.com/owners

Marketing Tips to Convert Leads into Bookings

Tuesday 26, May 2009 - 06:00PM

Introduction

The Vacation Rental industry is a hidden $24.3 billion gem in the hospitality and lodging pool of opportunity. While Vacation Rentals are growing, business transactions still take place the old fashioned way. Less than 10% of all travelers have stayed in a vacation rental and there is significant room for growth. Given the value that vacation rentals provide, it is amazing that vacation rentals are typically only 40% booked compared with hotels which are typically booked at 85% year round .

Vacation Rentals are not new. However, with the introduction of the Internet, Vacation Home Owners & Managers have been able to attract renters through a variety of listing sites. While this has been largely beneficial, it has also introduced an entirely new layer of complexity for owners and managers of vacation homes.

The goal of this report is to outline and describe user-friendly technology tools that make it much easier to manage, market and rent vacation rental home properties. Just think – wouldn’t it be great if it was easy for customers to find you online? Our mission at RentExpert is to get more vacationers to stay in a vacation rental instead of at a hotel.

TIP #1 – GET A CUSTOM VIDEO FOR YOUR PROPERTY

Sure you have photos, but videos really make your property come alive. Here’s a sample property video that showcases a beautiful property. Renters consistently tell us that videos helped them with their rental decision. It sets you apart from folks who only have photos. RentExpert provides a turnkey service to create a custom video of your property for only $9.99/month. Get one now!

TIP #2 – CREATE A WEBSITE THAT MARKETS YOUR RENTAL

Very often, we hear vacation owners say, “I already have a website at VRBO.com; why do I need anything else?.”  We think that VRBO, Homeaway and Craigslist are awesome listing sites and great for driving leads to you, but they aren’t great at showcasing your rental. All a listing site—which VRBO is--gives you is a property page. Why is this relevant?

First, when you send potential customers to VRBO, Homeaway or Craigslist, they find you on a listing site where not only do they find your competitors, but often several listings for one geographic area which appear similar in look and feel. You can’t stand out from the crowd. Now, imagine sending your customers to your very own website where they won’t find your competitors and you can emphasize what makes YOUR vacation property special, unique and different than the rest. Include this website in your communications to renters, on your business card and even on VRBO. This simple step eliminates hundreds of your competitors. VRBO and other listing sites prefer that you stay within their experience. This is not the experience that highlights your property in the best light and it is not the experience that brings you as much business as possible.

Second, all property detail pages look exactly the same. Where’s the differentiation? How can you differentiate your property from thousands of other properties – your competitors! The truth is, your property is unique and special – it’s why your customers want to book with you in the first place and why they return time and again. How about maximizing that experience by showcasing your property in its own unique way.

Finally, can you imagine putting a long website address made up of numbers instead of a memorable name (e.g. http://vrbo.com/1398393) on your business card? Who will remember it?

What you need is your very own domain. For example http://MiKosGuestHouse.com. From intimate seaside cottages, to mansions in the mountains, your own domain showcases what’s unique about your beautiful rental.

Creating a website can be expensive if you use custom web designers and a hosting service. You could easily spend a couple of thousand dollars building a website that looks good. These web developers are expensive. Try to build one offshore and they don’t quite understand what you want.

TIP #3 – Get a UNIVERSAL RATE Calendar

 It is critical for your potential customers to see when you have availability for their perfect vacation. If they don’t see it -- these customers are forced to call and email you for availability. It’s a waste of time for them that oftentimes results in a business loss for you.  The solution is simple. A calendar where they find availability, find rates and can book safely and securely through the calendar, right then and there.

What should you look for in a calendar?

1. Needs to be easy to embed into your website
2. Allows you to specify available days
3. Shows customers the total cost for their stay (sales tax and cleaning fees, if any)
4. Allows the customer to book online right then and there, safely and securely
5. Works with major listing sites such as VRBO and Homeaway as well as with Craigslist.

TIP # 4 – EXPLORE PAYMENT OPTIONS

Time is precious. Online customers want to book NOW and they want to pay safely and securely using a credit card. They don’t want to wait and they don’t want to make phone calls or work through email to make their dream vacation come true. There is sense of security in using a credit card.  Furthermore, it makes you look like a real business. There are many options for payment processing. We recommend using Paypal since it is so universally known and trusted. We also suggest that you consider other alternatives such as Bartering for those off-peak times.

TIP #5 – IMPROVE Customer Care

Do you automatically send messages to your customers when they book a rental or when they are close to their date of travel? Sending messages manually is a real chore and is easy to forget.

How about simplifying your life by having an automated email response system for your customers? This could be for once your rental is booked, when their arrival date is approaching and for thanking them for their business once they have checked out.

This is not to replace the personal service you already offer them! Your personal customer care will not change. However, with automated reminders, you can truly focus on customer care, not on the logistics. Let the logistics take care of themselves.

Tip #6 - BLOG BLOG BLOG!

Welcome to the new era of blogging!  Blogging is one of the most powerful ways for you to personalize your message to the renter.   Blogging is essentially storytelling.  Tell a story about your home, the neighborhood, events in your community, and that causal comment your latest renter just mentioned!  It also builds a personal connection with the renter and makes them want to rent from you.  And just as important, blogging is about getting noticed on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines.

With the right tools – starting your own Blog is simple! It’s as easy as writing an email!