No More Security Deposit Requirements with Rentalo and Travel Guard

June 17th, 2009

Are you tired of losing travelers due to your security deposit requirements? We know that deposits are an essential part of the travel business; but they may stop travelers from booking your property. Thinking in how to make life easier to our property owners and travelers we have teamed up with Travel Guard (one of the nation’s leading providers of travel insurance) and we are the first vacation rental website to offer travelers a specially designed Accidental Rental Damage Insurance Protection Plan that will help reduce property damage concerns.

How Can Property Owners Benefit from the Accidental Rental Damage Insurance?

• You can offer it to your guests as an added value in lieu of requiring a deposit.
• Your guests will no longer need to worry about how much or when their security deposit will be returned, which may result in more bookings.
• You will no longer need to go through the hassle of collecting security deposits, managing the money or spending time and resources refunding these fees.

Insurance Costs and Coverage

There are two Accidental Rental Damage Insurance options for your guests (You may also opt to include this cost as part of the rental agreement):

Base Premium $45USD: Up to $1,500 coverage if the property or its contents are damaged during their stay. To learn more about this Travel Insurance Plan visit: http://rentalo.com/docs/insurance.html.

Base Premium $69USD: Up to $3,000 coverage if the property or its contents are damaged during their stay. For more information about this Travel Insurance Plan visit: http://rentalo.com/docs/insurance.html.

We continue working hard to make your Rentalo experience as rewarding as possible!

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Rentalo and WOR Radio Team Up for Offline Radio Promotion

May 21st, 2009

In our continued effort to provide the best marketing for property owners, Rentalo.com has partenered with WOR News/Talk Radio, to promote the New England, Cape Cod, Hamptons and Martha’s Vineyard (and vicinities) vacation properties on the New York Tri-state Area.

Local radio audiences of summer travelers will be able to use Rentalo in their search for vacation rentals in these prime locations. With the help of offline radio marketing and promotion, we are planning on driving quality traffic for the region during peak season.

As an incentive for travelers in the region, we are giving away three fantastic vacation rentals this summer in the New England vacation area. Three lucky listeners will be able to spend one week in homes that are nearby all the conveniences of these resort locations.

Here are samples of the radio promotions being aired for three weeks starting May 18, 2009 by WOR Radio.

summer-vacation-liner-2

summer-vacation-liner-1

For more information on the Summer Giveaway by Rentalo.com in WOR, go to the Summer Giveaway page on WOR

Rentalo’s marketing team is continuously working on alternative media to drive traffic and business to the vacation rental and lodging professionals who trust us. We will continue embracing all available marketing channels that can buttress our brand image and position as a premiere vacation rental lodging online directory.

Founded in 1922, WOR News/Talk Radio 710 HD is New York’s oldest, privately-owned and continuously-operated radio station. WOR provides a well-rounded schedule of informational and lifestyle programming, featuring personalities such as John Gambling, Arthur Frommer, Glenn Beck, Joan Hamburg, Dr. Joy Browne, Lou Dobbs, Steve Malzberg and many others. WOR News/Talk Radio 710 HD is a Buckley Broadcasting Corporation radio station, and it is the first AM Radio station in New York to broadcast in the new HD technology. WOR is streaming and podcasting at wor710.com.

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Join the Largest Social Network Site for Property Owners and Travelers

March 24th, 2009

There are many different kinds of associations out there for vacation rental owners. They usually organize meetings, events, conferences and trade shows for the vacation rental industry as well as promote tourism in their particular location. Not many associations, however, have been able to create an easy accessible community for property owners, an online place where home owners could share ideas and experiences.

That’s why I find Vacation Rentals Community so unique. This social network site targets not only property owners, but also travelers and business managers, in other words everybody who is interested in vacation rentals. All members can interact between each other using forums, blogs, wikis and more. And most importantly – it’s all free.

When I first joined this friendly community I was warmly greeted by its founder John, who guided me through the site explaining all the tools and functions. He also answered my every question about the site’s functionality I had while setting up my profile, excellent assistance indeed.

There are numerous frequent visitors who contribute to discussions and update their blogs quite often. Those are usually successful property owners or managers who have their personal websites and like to share their experience with others. But the community also welcomes new vacation home owners who are just entering the market and are looking for tips and advice. On the discussion forums they can find answers to every question they post, from what kind of linens to use in their vacation rental to quick ways to boost bookings for their rental. On the other hand, travelers can search for vacation homes and find information about destinations they wish to visit.

Besides useful forums categorized by subjects and audiences, the community also offers blogs. Every member can create his own blog which is pretty simple to customize and manage.  Community blogs include insightful posts for both travelers and property owners with destination guides and trends in travel industry. Every time a member publishes a blog posts, it appears on the community blog page giving an author the homepage exposure.

Members of the community can also post and share videos, pictures or files through advanced media galleries. This way vacation home owners can showcase their properties to potential renters and travelers can share experience from their recent vacation.

Every community member has his avatar with a picture and signature which can include a link to his personal website. Just like on other social network sites, you can send friend invitations, instant messages and see your friends’ activity displayed on the “mini feed” in your profile.

The community not only creates a free channel for property owners to interact and exchange ideas, but also educates travelers and potential renters about benefits of staying at a vacation rental, which can create a positive impact on the whole industry.

Feel free to visit our community profile and post comments

Vacation Rentals Forums and Blogs.

Marta

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Building your Brand – Facebook and Vacation Rentals

March 9th, 2009

With all the social networking sites emerging, you most likely heard of Facebook. If you are already subscribed and have your network of “friends”, I’m sure you are getting tons of emails daily from SpeedDate, Likeness and other applications you might have installed… Annoying? Yes. Engaging? Also.

I’ve heard that a lot of young people have Facebook applications in their BlackBerries to receive notifications in the real time. They are the first to know who broke up with whom, whose photos have been tagged or what the latest status of somebody they like is. So, what do YOU do on Facebook? Catching up with old friends, sharing your photos with the world or gossiping just for the sake of it? Although we might question Facebook’s usefulness at times, we still check it out and log in occasionally to see “what’s new out there”.

Now, let’s look at Facebook from the other perspective, as marketers. Imagine 175 million online users and more than 8 billion minutes spent on Facebook each day worldwide and you will realize what kind of audience you are dealing with. It’s not only about numbers though. On Facebook we can not only target a specific kind of user by knowing his profile, network behavior and demographic info but we can also interact with him on many levels boosting our brand recognition.

How does that apply to vacation rental business? Facebook claims the majority of its users are people of 25 years old or older and I can bet that a very high percent of $175 million is interested in travel. What matters more than a product or service we offer is our out-of-the-box approach and smart ways to interact with our potential clients. How can you start up? Here are a couple of ideas:

1.    Introduce yourself

-    Create your own profile with pictures – let people see who is the owner of this gorgeous vacation house.

-    Write a note about your vacation property and your offer.

-    Add and share albums with photos of your vacation property where others can post comments.

2.    Create your own community

-    Invite your family and friends. They will share their opinions about your place and recommend you to others within their network. Once word of mouth spreads, friends of your friends will begin to add you and you can add them as well.

3.    Interact with others

-    Create discussion boards or post questions about travel that you think will encourage debates and interactions.

-    Add pages promoting your destination with links to articles you wrote about your beautiful location on your website or blog. People will be able to “join” your page by becoming its “fans”. Once you have some fans, they can post comments and interact between each other.

-    Come up with special offers/promotions/discounts and post them on your profile and pages you created to attract more friends, fans and potential clients.

-    Join groups related to travel and your destinations and contribute to them by posting comments and asking questions. Once people see you brought in some value, they might want to add you as a friend.

When creating your profile, inviting friends and joining new groups as a business person, remember that people are in Facebook for fun and they don’t want to be bombarded by advertisers trying to sell them their product. Just try to create trust and represent value to new people you meet and if they like you, they might become your customer in the future.

See you on Facebook!

Marta

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How about a Movie-Like Vacation? Check out our Oscar-Winning Vacation Rentals!

February 26th, 2009

This year’s glamorous Oscar gala is over and the Academy chose its winners for the 81st time. I especially enjoyed the Broadway musical spirit in the Hollywood version and was excited about the big winner of that night, Danny Boyle’s master piece, Slumdog Millionaire. Beautiful photography and excellent story!

Talking about the movies, one of the things that always capture our attention is the location. Just imagining those breathtaking ocean views of Greece in “Mamma Mia” or quaint little streets of Paris in “Amelie” makes me want to drop everything and go there immediately!

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, so why not to stop for a moment and look at movie-like destinations in Rentalo? As the Academy chose its winners, I selected our vacation rental candidates in the following categories:

1.    Best Tropical Getaway

Who doesn’t like waking up by the ocean, just steps to pristine white sand beach? How about a private vacation villa with a waterfront deck, fresh fruits for breakfast and breathtaking sunsets for dinner? All that is possible if you stay in one of those properties:

Our Candidate number one – Tiare Breeze Luxury Bungalow – is nestled on a hill overlooking the crystal blue waters of the South Pacific. With the heavenly smells of vanilla and Tiare flowers, you can be a part of the peace and tranquility this beautiful island offers. This luxury bungalow boasts extensive decks with open coastal views and access to the surrounding lagoons. You can enjoy sunset with French pastries and fresh exotic fruits delivered to your doorstep every morning. If you wish to relax, you can take a mid afternoon nap in a comfortable king size bed. You will also be just steps away from snorkeling, dolphin watching and some of the best surfing in French Polynesia.

You can also find a little piece of heaven in the Colonial Mexican Villa in Puerto Vallarta. This luxury 8,000 square foot home combines beautiful Mexican antiques with regional folk and boasts spectacular views of the Banderas Bay.  A large living room and dining room open to the infinity pool with breathtaking water views and if you take a stone path from courtyard, it will lead you to a gorgeous tropical garden below. Full staff including maid, cook and a gardener will be at your disposition. Feeling like a celebrity already?

2.    Best Luxury Ski Spot

How about a pampering vacation with gorgeous mountain views in a luxury Breckenridge condo? Sounds good too, right?

Our first candidate in this category is located just steps from the lifts, premier ski areas and trendy boutiques. You can even view the lift line from the large wraparound deck and prepare delicious steaks on your own barbeque. This spacious ski in/ski out Breckenridge condo is beautifully furnished with luxurious new leather sofas and gourmet kitchen. You will also find indoor and outdoor hot tubs, indoor swimming pool, steam and sauna room and exercise facility within the building. In the evening you can warm up by the fireplace and enjoy excellent views of Maggie Pond.

Second nominee is a five-bedroom ski in/ski out Breckenridge vacation home. This charming rental has everything you need to feel truly special and relaxed. It features four entertainment areas with pool table, ping pong and foosball and offers easy access to slopes and two lifts. After the whole day of skiing, you can relax in a large outdoor hot tub or warm up in front of a fireplace. High speed Internet and barbecue are also available.

3.    Best Unique Vacation

Have you ever felt like strolling the streets of Montmartre in Paris like Amelie Poulain? Or maybe you would like to sit by the fountain in a charming medieval hill town in Tuscany? Choose between a luxury Paris studio and a Siena castle. Here are the nominees:

A luxury studio in Paris is located in a lively neighborhood out of the tourist area, yet within a five-minute walk of Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. It has been designed by a Parisian artist and boasts a huge round bathtub, electrical adjustable king-size bed, flat plasma panoramic TV with DVD and professional built-in espresso maker. You will also be just a 10-15 minute walk to the Galeries Lafayette, Opera Garnier and Café de la Paix.

My second choice is a medieval Italian castle situated in the beautiful Tuscan countryside near Siena. Very centrally located for art touring, winery visits and exploring back roads, this charming castle offers apartments or a villa for rent with a swimming pool and tennis courts. There are also thermal spas, golf and polo available nearby.

“What about the prices?” you might ask. Well, you may think that for a movie-like getaway you would need a celebrity-like salary. Some of those places, however, sleep large parties, so if you divide the costs, it’s not always that bad. Still, we were just day-dreaming…

So, the Vacation Rental Oscar goes to… What do YOU think?

Marta

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What to Do and What to Avoid – Your Vacation Rental Pictures Guide

January 7th, 2009

Although we already had a similar post in the past, the topic of vacation rental pictures is never off the table. I’ve been looking at our Rentalo vacation homes lately wanting to select high quality pictures to show as examples but unfortunately I ran into hundreds of very low quality photos. It only assured me that I should write about this subject again and try to include more tips this time.

When browsing through our inventory I saw really bad pictures and I’m not only talking about low quality, pixeled and scanned old photographs, but also pictures of a messy kitchen with dirty dishes, pools with towels and guest stuff lying around, dark hallways and many others. Only one question always popped to my mind. How do owners of these properties think they will book their homes?

I have a suspicion that many owners take things for granted. They think that their properties will rent just because they have great attributes, such as oceanfront or mountain views and because they’ve had many guests over the last few years. Well, the times have slightly changed and facing the economic crisis we all have to try a little harder. The competition is fiercer than ever and we have to fight for customers more than before.

I would like to encourage you to take a look at your property listings as if you were a traveler looking for a perfect place. Try to get into their shoes and think what you would like to see if you were the one looking for accommodation. I think everyone will agree with me that pictures are one of the most important elements of a good property listing. High quality and attractive photos represent your property and help travelers picture it. Remember that in Rentalo you can upload unlimited amount of photos. You can also describe them so that travelers know what can be seen on a particular picture.

I also gathered some tips on what to do and what to avoid when taking pictures of your property. It’s never a bad time to change your listing photos. Even though it’s cold and snowy where some of you have their properties, seasonal pictures appeal even better to travelers. You should always try to change your pictures when the season changes and emphasize different property attributes. For example hot tub and fireplace in the winter and pool or a large deck in the summer.

Here is what you SHOULD do:

-    Take photographs of all parts of your property, not only bedrooms

-    Turn on all the lights in your vacation property. It gives your house a special warm atmosphere

-    Wait for a sunny weather or a nice sunset to take pictures of your property from the outside

-    Put flowers, candles, nice sheets and fresh fruit in your house. Those look lovely on pictures!

-    Try to use a tripod to avoid blurry pictures

Here is what you should NOT do:

-    Do not use scanned and low resolution (pixeled) photographs

-    Try not to include people in your pictures

-    Clean your property before taking pictures not to capture a messy kitchen or swimming pool with guest stuff by it

-    Do not take pictures of dark rooms against the light

-    Avoid uploading pictures of hallways, narrow spaces and nothing specific

-    Try not to include badly cropped or zoomed photographs

-    Do not place pictures of nearby activities as your main photo. Travelers want to see your property first

Happy editing,

Marta

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Rentalo.com Sponsored the Monthly Meeting of Central Florida Vacation Rental Association

October 30th, 2008

Some months ago we decided to join the CFVRMA (Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association) to develop our communication channel with property owners and managers from this area of the country and to stay tuned for the industry events and news. The CFVRMA is the biggest association of this type in Central Florida which unites the vacation rental industry by providing valuable information to property managers and by improving travelers’ experience as well.

Once a month CFVRMA organizes a meeting for members and vendors where property managers and owners can share their experience, discuss new industry trends and get advice on how to market their properties more efficiently. Last month we were invited to Sponsor the monthly meeting and on October 16th we had the chance to present Rentalo to CFVRMA members.

The meeting was held in Orlando, Florida where we drove the day before to be able to attend the meeting early in the morning the next day. We received a very warm welcome from the host Jeff Chase, who is the Executive director of CFVRMA and an extremely positive and dynamic person! He also helped us out with all the technical aspects and had our presentation ready for us to run upon our arrival. Great host indeed!

There were about ninety people present on the meeting most of which were property management companies as well as some vendors. During our speech we talked briefly about Rentalo’s history and presented our value proposition for property managers. Our presentation was very well taken and it was such a positive surprise to find out that half of the room already knew Rentalo!

One of the most exciting aspects of the meeting was definitely meeting face to face with some of the property owners we have been working with for many years. Finally we could meet our loyal clients personally, which is always a very positive experience. At the end of the presentation we were able to answer some questions and share tips with property owners looking for ways to increase their bookings this year.

We also had the opportunity to learn about struggles property management companies go through regarding city permits for repairing their units. It seems that the process is quite overwhelming since the city not only requires permits for every small change but also the execution by licensed and bonded contractors. Not very encouraging for property owners!

Overall however, we were happy to learn that most property management companies in Central Florida seem to be doing better this year (in terms of occupancy) comparing to previous years. It is mostly caused by the increasing popularity of vacation rentals which have proven to be an excellent way for cost –effective family getaways!

Marta

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Why to Encourage Guest Comments for your Vacation Rental

October 17th, 2008

Trial and Error or Advice

Recently I was booking a hostel in Barcelona for one weekend of November. I visited many websites, saw countless hostels but after a while they all seemed exactly the same and I still had no idea which one to choose. All I wanted was a clean place in a central location, but all of them stated they were close to the center and extra clean. So which one to choose? Then I noticed one great feature of one of the websites – guest comments! According to others, a hostel I was thinking of choosing was not very clean and located near a very noisy street! Of course, I ended up booking the one which had the highest number of positive guest comments.

They Judge, we Buy

Opinions, comments and reviews have become omnipresent elements of the purchasing process. We prefer to buy products with high ratings and recommendations, the ones other people used and had experience with. It eliminates disappointment and gives us guarantee that a product we just bought will be working perfectly, just like it did for others. What’s more, we don’t need trusted experts to tell us their opinion anymore. We can simply listen to other consumers, real people just like us.

Guest Comments and Vacation Rentals

Today’s marketplace is full of well educated customers, who enjoy comparing products and make informed buying decisions. That’s why opinions and guest comments are essential also in a vacation rental industry. Travelers want to trust property owners when they say their house is perfect, but to be really able to book with confidence, they obviously prefer to relate to experience of others.

Being a Good Listener

So how can you encourage your guests to write a review of your vacation rental? I think there is only one recipe. If you provide your guests with an excellent service and go the extra mile to make them feel at home, you will surely hear about it.  Also, let your guests know that you always strive to meet their needs and value their opinions. It only shows you care and are committed to maintaining high standards. Where can guests write their reviews? Here are some examples:

- Guestbooks. Keep a guestbook book in a visible place in your vacation rental and ask travelers to write about their favorite experiences. If they do so, ask them for a permission to include those on your website or Rentalo listing.

- Internet. Encourage your guests to post comments and feedback on your private website or Rentalo listing. Such real testimonials are very valuable for travelers.

- Welcome letters. Leaving your guests a welcome letter is a nice detail and at the end of such letter you can have a space for comments and feedback.

Two Sides of the Coin – You Always Win

However you gather comments about your vacation home, always listen to what guests have to say and value their feedback. Whether the review you received is positive or negative, either way you can only learn. Good reviews are like a reward for you and only assure you, you are doing your job the best you can. Bad reviews though, are even more useful than the positive ones because a constructive criticism can only help you become a master. If you are afraid of bad reviews, it means there is probably something you should improve.

I really encourage you to gather feedback and include travelers’ comments in your property descriptions in Rentalo. After all, it can only complete information about your rental and create more trust of your potential clients.

Marta Olszewska

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Rentalo.com has been Reviewed!

October 7th, 2008

It’s always such a pleasant surprise to see a positive review of your vacation home or website. This time Rentalo.com was reviewed by the owner of a popular blog for vacation rental owners and managers called arrangeyourvacation.com .

We have been referred to as the “site with a lot more information that any other travel site”. The owner of this friendly blog was also positively surprised by the complete and detailed information provided in our property listings saying: “it seemed as if they were hell-bent on getting their site certified on ISO9001!”

This is definitely a great start of the week! Read the full review of Rentalo on arrangeyourvacation.com.

Marta Olszewska

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How to Boost Bookings for your Vacation Rental During the “Low Season”

September 30th, 2008

Even though the autumn is looming, you have to step into the scary low season fully armed with powerful marketing strategies which will help you attract travelers and keep your vacation rentals booked.

I believe one of the most important things to think about is your main audience during October, November and December. You need to answer yourself the following questions: Who are they? What are they looking for? And how can we meet their needs?

The “who question” is fairly easy as it’s proven that this slower travel season belongs to savvy travelers who love bargains, special deals and discounts. There can also be families with little children who want to avoid crowds and are not tied with any school schedules yet. You may also expect outdoor enthusiasts who find autumn the best season for hiking, hunting or fishing.

Knowing who you should cater for will help you define your marketing and action plan. So how can you entice all these audiences and make them want to spend vacation in your rental, even if it’s gloomy and rainy outside?

First try to think about possible upgrades of your amenities or new features that are especially great in autumn/winter time. It could be a hot tub or a Jacuzzi – travelers will love spending time with friends enjoying your beautiful mountain views. You could also offer a wide movie collection for long evenings. Ideas are simply infinite.

It is also equally important to communicate all those attributes to travelers. Remember to update your property listing. There are several options you could change.

Change your photos. Add seasonal pictures of your vacation rental during fall. Your house surely looks different covered in colorful leafs.

Update your property description. Highlight all the unique features of your place such as fireplace, central heating, cozy living room with DVD player, Jacuzzi and more.

Promote cultural events. Inform travelers about special events and festivals going on during this time of year.

Give them what they want. Make sure savvy travelers fishing for great deals find your property so add special offers to your Rentalo property listing. Maybe you could also run specials for families with young children.

Lure outdoor fans. Introduce travelers to your area at this time of year. Talk about great hiking trails, fishing ponds and golf courses.

Target history enthusiasts. Inform them about interesting sites in your area that are ideal for fall season such as museums and galleries.

Use upcoming festivities. Talk about Thanksgiving and Christmas to lure those who are planning their trip during this holiday.

I think there is a large room for creativity here and it’s actually fun to plan all this.  It takes your mind off the fact it’s not the best time of year for bookings and keeps you focused on the best results. If you have any other ideas on how to prepare yourself for the low season, I would love to hear your suggestions as well!

Marta

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