Vacation Rentals: Highs and Woes
Vacation rental houses really took off with the popularity of timeshares in the 90's, but have since evolved as a sustainable way many people earn secondary income from their properties. I am a big fan of VRs because hotel rooms can be so run of the mill, customer service can be lacking, lack of privacy, and lack of amenities to have that "homey" feel while on vacation (sometimes I like to cook and sit on big comfy couches). I have probably spent close to $25,000 on vacation rentals in my travel lifetime--mostly through VRBO (which stands for Vacation Rentals by Owner). The VRBO UI/UX leaves much to be desired when compared to AirBnB or Hotels.com, but they have definitely improved over the years and especially since their acquisition of Homeaway.com which was is VR site that doesn't have as many properties, but has a much better interface.
I've recently been tasked with researching VRs on VRBO for Oak Bluffs in Martha's Vineyard in August. Here are a few pictures from properties that caught my eye:
I love houses that provide an allure that a traveling family or group could never find in a block of hotel rooms.
Luxury is a key factor when deciding upon which house to select.
A dinner party or potluck night during a week long vacation is always great!
And I absolutely LOVE decorum that reflects the environment & culture of the vacation destination.
VRs are also a very economical way to go for group travel. If your average nightly rate on Martha's Vineyard during August for a 4 star hotel/B&B is $300 and let's say you and a friend stay a week--that's $1,050 per person. Alternatively, you get a 3 bedroom house and find 4 - 6 other people to share it with you, it can bring your per person cost for that entire week down to $500!
The biggest challenge with VRs as opposed to hotels when it comes to group travel is coordinating, booking, assigning rooms, beds, roommates, and much much more. Currently, I'm relying upon email, Excel, SurveyMonkey and GoogleDocs. I haven't even begun to collect payments yet and it has already been an arduous process. Have you found an easier way? Let us know! In the meantime, we'll be building tools baked in Hoowenware to make VR shopping, sharing, and booking a much easier process for your vacation.
