Keep your rental home booked by making sure you've got everything guests want.
Future Partners, a travel insights company, conducted a survey on the state of the American traveler in August 2023. Across 4,000+ respondents, the data revealed that the Top Three reasons people travel are relaxation (52%), visiting friends and relatives (51%) and escaping everyday stress (39%).
If that doesn’t sound like a beach vacation trifecta, we don’t know what does!
Between Lewes, Bethany Beach, Rehoboth Beach, the Peninsula Resort and beyond, Coastal Delaware always ranks near the top of best places to visit. And when guests ARRIVE at the beach, they expect nothing less than a great experience. Travel marketing and the impact of travel podcasts and TikTok have made vacationers more discerning, though. Activities and amenities (and the perception of each) nearby matter more than ever, and any perceived price gouging is a huge turnoff. Without a doubt, travelers today are savvier and come with higher expectations.
So, to ensure your property is hitting all the right notes to keep guests coming back, consider this list an easy place to start that life-long love affair today!
Internet/Wi-Fi/Smart TV
Having strong, readily accessible Wi-Fi throughout the house with the password handy is a MUST. And so is having several Smart TVs. Whether its kids socializing or gaming online, streaming movie options, the ability to download the latest best-seller from Audible, Spotify access to keep the energy high or even (eek!) an emergency Zoom meeting, the good times flow with data, and your property has to be prepared to deliver that WOW! factor for guests.
Renters escape to the beach, but that doesn’t mean they want to totally disconnect.
Central A/C
Whether you’re a seasoned owner or just getting into renting out your home, you must face facts - your HVAC is going to be taxed. A sub-par A/C system is a big turnoff for renters, especially guests booking a larger home. Open doors during the day and cracked windows at night run contrary to guests’ desire to be as cool as possible, but it’s just the summer rental reality. If your A/C unit is showing signs of wear and tear, the off-season is a perfect time to perform some routine maintenance or explore replacement options. Do this immediately! We’ve seen rentals suffer for years having to overcome bad reviews due to a mid-summer or worse, mid-rental, repair. Functioning A/C is an investment in the long-term stability and revenue potential of your property, so don’t ignore it.
The beach and pool are supposed to be hot - the inside should not!
Comfortable Mattresses
Don’t sleep on this renter priority! No one in history has ever said they’d like to go on vacation and have a terrible night’s sleep. One of the fastest ways to score a bad review is a mattress that provides the opposite of a relaxing night. Whether lumpy from jumpy kids, smelly from salt and humidity or just plain old, every mattress on the property should face a critical evaluation before the start of every season. It’s a simple but often overlooked component to a successful rental.
Ensure your guests tell their friends that a night at your place was a dream – not a nightmare.
Washer and dryer
On summer vacation, towels and suits get saturated with water, greasy with sunscreen and gritty with sand. While some guests prefer a simple shake over the balcony to keep things moving, others will toss their swim stuff right in the washer. Neither is wrong, but what IS wrong is having a washer and dryer that can’t hack it. Routine maintenance, including dryer vent cleaning, will give you more mileage from your laundry room. For owners that opt for industrial or high-tech machines, make sure any special instructions are handy and OBVIOUS to avoid any unnecessary repairs.
Keep things convenient so you don’t leave your guests all wet - or worse, high-and-dry.
Trash and Disposal
The kitchen is the hub of most homes, and vacation rentals are no exception. From family meals to near 24-hour grazing, if your counters could talk, they’d have their own reality series! But trashy TV aside, the actual trash that accumulates during the week from all that gathering in the kitchen can be a serious pain point for vacationers. Having large, functional trash (and recycling) receptacles in the kitchen with sturdy bags and easily accessible bins OUTSIDE in working order are crucial to the guest experience. It’s also important guests know when the trash is picked up. Post the schedule in your guest book, along with any special instructions about composting or in-sink garbage disposals.
Another simple, easy tip to ensure your guests’ vacation smells like victory!
Pet-Friendly
Many guests would love the option of taking their dog to the beach instead of boarding them. In some of our own research, we’ve found that if the added expense of paying a pet fee was less than the boarding facility fee, most pet-parents would choose to bring their pet with them. Not every owner is keen on having a pet-friendly property, of course, and not every property is set-up to support it. However, if you’re looking to expand your potential client base, it is entirely possible to position your rental with appropriate safety parameters, quality standards and easy-to-follow rules to convert or launch a pet-friendly rental.
Afterall, what’s better than kicking up two feet after a long day in the sun? Clearly, four!
If you need help with any or all the above, the rental team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices PenFed Realty can help. Before this season starts, we will be implementing Digital Guide Books for each of our properties, which will assist our Guests with some of the instructions mentioned above. For 40+ years, property owners have trusted us to make renting easy.
