Beach Blog
We want to keep you posted and publish occasional newsletters which include information, opinions and data. Read everything we know.
Write Now - Email the Leading Travel Magazines
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 08/06/07
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One of the most important jobs that an owner can do is market his/her property. To be a success, people need to know where your rental is located and why it is special. One of the easiest and least expensive ways to advertise your property is through issuing press releases. Sent to the right pl Read more
American Beauties - Great Website Designs
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 07/31/07
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One of the questions we often are asked by owners here at VROA is: What constitutes good website design? Take a moment and review some of these properties that Travel and Leisure Magazine consider outstanding in the hospitality industry. Their sites are a great place to learn how to design an effe Read more
Seven Staff Styles - Understanding Your Employees
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 07/23/07
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There's no way around the fact that the vacation rental business means working with people each and every day. And each and every person you will deal with has their own unique work personality. So whether you're interacting with your staff or a new vendor, you can make your workday easier by und Read more
Landing Success: Improving Your Web Marketing
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 07/16/07
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Many successful owners extend their marketing outreach by writing short internet travel stories about their area. These often include a hot link or URL address that takes readers to a landing o jump page. What, I can hear you asking, is a landing or jump page? Read more
Changing NIMBY to "Welcome Aboard"
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 07/12/07
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Sooner or later every vacation rental owners encounters NIMBYism (or Not in My Back Yard syndrome). It might be voiced by a county commission or by a local neighbor. But no matter its source, you must address the issue - in advance if possible. Here are some of the things you can do to silence th Read more
Fighting NIMBYism or the "Not in My Backyard" Syndrome
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 06/28/07
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Vacation rental owners sometimes encounter attempts to ban or limit rentals in their area. Various so called 'reasons' are often presented to local officials to justify limiting rentals. Let's look at some of the most common complaints and see if they are actually based in reality. Statement: V Read more
Why Higher Gas Prices Can Actually be GOOD for Your Vacation Rental
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 06/22/07
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The rising sticker shock for gas is causing many Americans to alter how they spend their vacation dollars. And those changing vacation decisions can benefit your vacation rental. Let me explain how. Once 83% of we got in the family car and drove an average of 300 plus miles to see relatives and e Read more
What Makes Vacation Rentals Unique
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 06/11/07
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Vacation Rentals are the newest member of the hospitality industry. Here are some of the ways that vacation rentals offer an attractive alternative to traditional lodging. LOTS OF ROOM - One of the biggest differences between a vacation rental and almost all other forms of lodging is the space ava Read more
Vacation Rentals: Something Knew
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 05/07/07
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Vacation Rentals are the newest member of the hospitality industry and it's important for guests to know what makes vacation rentals so unique. Unless we articulate clearly what makes a vacation rental (or VR) so special, we will be confused with other lodging formats in the industry. Here are som Read more
Does Your Property Have IT?
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 04/16/07
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In the 1920's when someone asked if an individual had IT, they were using the code that Hollywood invented to describe sex appeal. Today, IT refers not to a lovely lady, but to the most wonderful invention of our time - Information Technology. Go down any street in even a small town Read more
Terms of Engagement
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 04/11/07
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One question we are often asked is: Do I need to use a rental contract when I have guests? And the answers is: YES! YES!! YES!!! You MUST have a signed contract for your protection and the guests. Let me explain why. First, having a vacation rental business is just that - a Read more
The Graceful Art of Dealing with Difficult Guests
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 04/02/07
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In this imperfect world there is no way to satisfy each and every guest. Try as hard as you might to be the perfect host, the nature of life is such that given the moods of guests, their own unique backgrounds and the way things work (or don't), you cannot avoid having to deal with the unhappy Read more
Going My Way
By Ana M. Kinkaid
Published: 03/08/07
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Writing accurate directions to your property is a vital first step to insuring successful guest stays. This seems basic, but sadly, it is often overlooked by the busy vacation home owner. First impressions, as the old saying goes, do matter. And you want that initial experience to be a positive Read more
A Long Hard Winter
By William May
Published: 05/06/06
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Even if you don't operate in a ski resort area, it has been a long winter. VROA continues to handle inquiries and assistance for rental owners all over the US and even some other countries. Before we gloat over progress its time to wail over other matters. Some of you have noticed the newsletters Read more
Is it Too Late to Invest in a Vacation Rental?
By William May
Published: 08/10/05
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Are vacation rentals the espresso stands of the future? Over thirty years ago a couple of Seattle entrepreneurs started a little shop in Washington State to make and sell the kind of rich and potent coffee - common in Europe - that they couldn't find in their home town. More than a decade later, an Read more
Why and How to use Contracts
By William May
Published: 07/15/05
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Some days I sound like a broken record. To question after question from well-meaning members I answer simply by starting another question: What does your contract say? I am still amazed at how many owners and managers will allow a complete stranger - someone they've never known - to occ Read more
Search Engines Hijacked by Rental Directories
By William May
Published: 06/03/05
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Long time vacation rental managers and owners have watched the Internet ebb and flow. What began as a strong new tool has recently lost its way in the ever changing commercialization of the web. What started out as a wonderful and effective service has fallen victim to the large companies who have Read more
Breathtaking Photographs Are Closer Than You Think
By Jonathan McIntyre
Published: 04/19/05
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Nothing, and I mean nothing, can help sell your rental more quickly to a perspective tenant than a great photo. There is little that ameliorates a poor website more than clear, representative and numerous photos highlighting the best your vacation property has to offer. Read more
Donate a Week
By Christopher S. Cain
Published: 04/12/05
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If you use or rent your vacation property 100 percent of the time, don't bother to read this article. If, however, you have some vacant weeks that you cannot rent, trade, or barter, here's another option: Give them away. Donate a week to your favorite charity. Many fund raisers hold events include Read more
Never tell Guests a Lie
By William May
Published: 03/21/05
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In 1989 Robert Fulghum, wrote a perfectly mundane and strangely earth shaking book. The gigantic best seller was called All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. I'd like to suggest you read it if you haven't already. And if you have read the book, take a moment to skim it aga Read more
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