Ask FlipKey

October 20th, 2011

How to Write a Thank You Note

Posted by: flipkey|2 comments

by Dana Giusti

You’ve just returned home after spending a wonderful time at someone else’s vacation rental. You want to express your gratitude, but you’re unsure of how to best articulate it. What to do?

It’s always a great idea to send a thank-you note to show appreciation for being included in the trip. Here are a few different thank-you ideas for a variety of situations:

A developing relationship

It’s best to send a warm yet formal note to people you’re building a relationship with, such as new in-laws or co-workers. Begin by mentioning how much you appreciate having been included in their special trip, as well as your enthusiasm in getting to know them better. It’s also a good idea to include specific details about what you enjoyed about the vacation. Be sure to restate your gratitude in the closing lines.

Example:

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,

Thank you very much for including me in your trip to Keystone. It was wonderful having the opportunity to get to know each other better. I know Mr. Smith and I will be rooting for the Yankees together come springtime!

I’d also like to mention how you couldn’t have picked a better condo rental – how amazing was the living room fireplace? I loved sitting by the fire with my mug of hot chocolate each night after dinner.

Again, thank you very much. John and I are looking forward to creating many more memories with you both.

Sincerely,

Jane

Family members

You can be a little less formal in a thank-you to your own family members. Focus on your appreciation for the opportunity to strengthen familial bonds.

Example:

Dear Aunt Kate,

Thank you for having Tom, the kids, and myself at your Lakeview condo. It was so nice bringing the family together at such a beautiful location. I know the children will cherish the memories we created. Cindy is already asking when we can return so she can build more sand castles with you!

Thank you again for having us. I look forward to planning more get-togethers in the near future.

Love,

Sara

Friends

Again, you can be less formal in a note to a close friend. It’s always nice to emphasize your gratitude for everyone coming together despite obstacles like busy schedules and different locations.

Example:

Dear Joe,

Thank you for organizing the weekend getaway at your Poconos cabin. What a great idea to get the gang together for skiing, sledding, and wine-tasting! It’s so great that everyone was excited to take time out to get together and hang out, just like the old days.

Thanks again for bringing us all together again. It would be amazing if we could make this an annual event.

All the Best,

Sam

The recipient will appreciate the time you took to write a personal note. Who knows—it may even guarantee another invite!

Dana is a contributing writer for Flipkey.com.

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October 06th, 2011

Group Getaways: the Power of the Vacation Rental

Posted by: Vanessa|1 comment

The beauty of the vacation rental experience is that there is a home appropriate for every occasion. Out of the millions of houses available for rent, each home (all unique in character, size, and location) encompasses the necessities needed to transform a standard accommodation experience into an ideal getaway for all to enjoy. Check out these ideas for group getaways below and begin planning your next trip:

  • Commemorate special events in the comforts of home.
    Celebrate monumental birthday, anniversaries, or accomplishments with friends and family. With access to your own kitchen and with sleeping space for everyone, a vacation rental is an obvious choice. Simply select a home that caters to your celebratory needs and enjoy!
  • Attend popular festivals and sporting events without paying inflated hotel rates.
    Get tickets to the Super Bowl, a World Cup soccer play-off game, or to an event at the Olympics without having to worry about breaking the bank. Staying in a rental property allows you to save money by cooking dinner at home, and sharing your accommodtions with the whole group can help offset the cost of expensive tickets. Now you can put the extra cash saved towards premiere seating.
  • Reunite the family in a place that everyone will enjoy.
    Staying in a home with multiple amenities and additional space makes it easier than ever to cater to each family member’s needs. Now Uncle Joey can play golf in the morning, Aunt Karen can relax poolside, the kids can enjoy the beach volleyball court, and Grandpa Joe can barbeque some of his famous teriyaki wings – all at the same time!
  • Enjoy an elegant wedding weekend with friends and family.
    Imagine a wedding ceremony in a luxurious country cabin, in a vibrant garden, or in front of a classic stone fireplace with snow-tipped mountains. Design the wedding of your dreams without the hassle of hiring a limo to transport the newlyweds and the bridal party to the reception.
  • Take advantage of seasonal events.
    Round up your college friends and catch a football game over alumni weekend, get a group together in Napa Valley, California to partake in a winery tour, or visit New England during the Fall to take in the foliage and go apple picking with the extended family. When planning a getaway with friends and family, the space and amenities of a vacation rental home can easily accommodate the group, no matter where you decide to adventure.

When vacationing with a group, the space, amenities, and privacy of a home guarantee a more pleasant stay every time you travel. Not only will you likely pay less and get more, but the diversity of each home available to rent will also allow you to cater to the needs of the group – whether you are attending a wedding, planning a family reunion, or escaping with your best friends on a well-deserved weekend away.

Vanessa is a Senior Owner Services Specialist at FlipKey. She enjoys traveling, reading, learning, and competitive sports. Comments and ideas about blog posts are always welcome!


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September 30th, 2011

Vacation Rental Myth Busters: The Top 5 Rental Myths

Posted by: Taryn|5 comments

Myth #1: Vacation rentals are expensive

The truth: vacation rentals are actually pretty darn affordable. The per person cost per night is often much lower than you would pay for a cramped hotel room, with the added bonus of privacy, extra space, and often times many extra ammenities. Vacation rentals are actually an extremely affordable way of vacationing and offer many things a hotel can’t, like all the comforts of home.


Myth #2: Vacation rentals are hard to find and hard to book

The truth: A few years ago, this might have been true, but with the introduction and rapid expansion of sites like FlipKey.com, finding a vacation rental property has never been easier. Not only are homes easy to find and compare, but owners are accessible too. With just one simple call or email, you can be in touch with the individual who owns the home you’d like to rent, and together you can work out the terms of your agreement. Couldn’t be any easier than that!

Myth # 3: Vacation rentals don’t have all the amenities and activites available at hotels and resorts

The Truth: On the contrary, vacation rentals often offer more ammenities than hotels, at no added cost. Vacation rentals are typically priced as a package, so if you pick a place with an in-ground swimming pool, full-size pool table, game room, cinema space, chefs kitchen and acres of landscaped gardens and yard – you’re paying the same price as if you’d booked a single hotel room with a private bath and just enough space to stow your suitcase. Imagine all the fun you’ll have!

Myth #4: Vacation rentals aren’t well maintained

The Truth: Typically vacation rentals are second homes for families to enjoy when they’re not being rented, so they are often kept up better than hotels. Owners are invested in maintaining their property and keeping it clean and pristine, so that they can enjoy it as much as their guests. Additionally, many vacation rental owners or managers will offer cleaning services before, during and after your stay, to keep the accommodation in tip-top shape.

Myth #5: Vacation rentals don’t have on-site assistance should I need it

The Truth: Whether a vacation rental property is professionally managed or owner-operated, chances are you’ll always have access to assistance, whether it be an on-site management company, or the 24/7 cell phone number for the owner.

Whenever you’re planning a vacation and booking an accommodation, you want to make sure it’s set-up to be as perfect as it can be. There are naturally many questions associated with the process, but are also many pre-conceived notions, so make sure you do your own research and find out the best option for you. You just might find you’re destined for vacation rental living! And trust me, that’s a good thing.



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September 08th, 2011

8 Perks of Staying at a Vacation Rental

Posted by: Vanessa|4 comments

If you want to experience unparalleled comfort anywhere in the world, then rent a vacation home! With extra space, privacy, and amenities, it’s by far the smartest way to travel.  What better way to spend your vacation than relaxing in the comforts of your own home?

Stay in a quaint cottage in the mountains, a mansion by the sea, a chic city center apartment, or even in an exquisite beach bungalow.  Wherever you stay, here are 8 great reasons you should start planning your trip right away!

1.Privacy
Whether you are in a secluded destination like Belize or in the bustling center of the Spanish Capital Madrid, in the comforts of your own home, you will always have privacy.

2. Exclusive amenities
Private swimming pool. Roof deck bar. Personal chef.  Yoga retreat.  Winter cabin with a hot tub. You name it and there is a home that has it.  Vacation rentals come as simple or as outfitted as you choose.

3.  Value
With amenities such as a full kitchen, you can save money by cooking your own food. Instead of eating out at restaurants every night, treat yourself to something special on your trip with the extra cash!

4. Pack light
With a washer and dryer handy at most rentals, you can pack lighter and wash the clothes you brought.  Let the tranquil feeling of vacation continue even once your trip is complete; arriving home with clean clothes in your suitcase relieves you from the stresses of laundry.

5. Live like a local
Experience neighborhood culture by shopping at local markets, eating at tourist-free restaurants, and by enjoying the scenery your vacation home has to offer. Ask the vacation rental owner/manager about great things to see or do nearby.

6. Space
In your own vacation home you can relax on a hammock in the yard or curled up on a couch by the fire place. Unlike hotel rooms there’s plenty of space to move around.

7. Pet and kid friendly
You can choose a home where your kids can play in the yard, where your dog has a bed, and where you can all vacation together worry-free.

8. Vacation with family and friends
The need for hotel rooms with a connecting door becomes obsolete when renting a full-size home.  Perhaps a beachfront home big enough to sleep family and friends in the destination of your choice is simply what you need.

Create your ideal vacation experience every time you rent a home.  You can embark on an adventurous trip one year, explore Europe the next, and relax beachfront with cocktail in hand the year after.  Begin by selecting a home to fulfill your leisure needs and you will quickly discover the endless possibilities of the vacation rental experience!

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oregon-vacation-rental August 25th, 2011

Top 8 Things to Consider When Booking a Vacation Rental

Posted by: Taryn|7 comments

Vacation Rentals are a great alternative to hotels and resorts when you’re looking for a place to stay on your next vacation. They’re typically less expensive, more personal, more private, more spacious, and boast all the comforts of home. But even though the benefits are many, there are several things to take into consideration before booking a vacation rental.

Today I’ll go over the Top 8 Things to Consider When Booking a Vacation Rental. We’ll cover everything from safety precautions to payment methods to tips on when and where to book. As usual – if you have questions, just ask.

1.) Book Early. In January and February, summer rental bookings begin – especially for waterfront properties. Many regular vacationers book a year in advance, so take that into consideration when making your summer vacation plans. It’s never too early to start looking.

2.) Explore Your Options. First you pick a vacation destination, and then you find a place to stay. When searching for a vacation rental home – comparison shop! Be sure to keep your options open – considering many different rental properties gives you a variety of places to choose from, as well as a variety of prices and available amenities. Looking at comparable properties will give you a good idea of what you can expect from a particular area.

3.) Consider Off-Peak Vacations. The most popular vacation months are typically July and August, so naturally booking a vacation rental during these months will be most expensive. If you plan a trip for late May or early June, you can avoid most of the peak-season fees. And if you can wait until after Labor Day, you’ve got the chance to save up to HALF off your rental price!

4.) Be Your Own Planner. Using a booking agent can tack on a fee of up to 10% on top of the cost of a rental, so use websites like FlipKey to do it yourself, quickly and easily.

5.) Read Guest Reviews. This one is a no-brainer to us here at FlipKey, because reviews are paramount to our property listing experience. But there’s a good reason for that – only past guests can tell you what a rental property is REALLY like – the good, the bad and the ugly! In addition to looking at photos and chatting with the owners, it’s the most surefire way to guarantee that you’re picking a good place to stay.

6.) Ask Questions. Whether booking a property that you’ll stay in for two days or two weeks, you want to make sure that you’ll have all the amenities you want and need available to you. And the only way you’ll know is if you ask. More is better in this case, and owners will be happy to provide information and photos to anyone seriously considering their rental home.

7.) Secure a Contract. Be sure not to send any form of payment to the property owner until you’ve signed a rental contract and agreed to all the specified terms. Also be sure to read through the entire rental agreement before signing to make sure you are as informed about your stay as possible.

8.) Consider Payment Options. Paying by credit card vs. cash or check is the best way to go, because credit card payments (or using a service like PayPal) means it’s a lot easier to retrieve your payment should a rental agreement go south. Avoid paying any type of cash deposit, and consider purchasing travel insurance (something FlipKey now offers).

I hope these tips will get you off to a great start with your rental property shopping, and help you feel equipped to navigate the rental property world. Given all of the necessary facts, tips, and “insider info,” you should be able to snag your dream property come next January!

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August 11th, 2011

5 Ways to Make the Most of Your FlipKey Listing

Posted by: Taryn|5 comments

So far on Ask FlipKey, I’ve covered lots of topics pertinent to the maintenance and success of your FlipKey property listing – everything from Collecting Guest Reviews, to accurately Mapping your property, to entering Rates and Availability information to keep guests up-to-date and informed. These are the big players in determining how successful your listing will be with FlipKey, but often times people ask what else they can do to make their listing “pop.” Below, I’ll outline five quick and easy changes you can make today, so that your property performs to it’s absolute best tomorrow, the day after, and for years into the future.

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1. Listing title
When creating your listing, the first thing you need to think about is the title on your property listing page. With so many property listings on FlipKey, it is important to get creative when showcasing your property, so in a sea of listings a traveler has a reason to choose your property over all the others.  Something simple like “Boston Vacation Home” is boring and not informative, but something like “Chic Boston waterfront, accessible 2-bedroom near attractions” is a catchy title that highlights your property features in only 7 words! Pick and choose you words wisely, and if you’re stuck, look at other listings for inspiration.

2. Essential photos
When adding photos – be sure to have a sufficient number (we recommend at least 8), including the “essential” views. The essentials include exterior photos of the home and any outdoor space (yards, picturesque views, etc.), as well as interior photos of the main living spaces (bedrooms, bathrooms, living/dining rooms, kitchen). These photographs combined with a shining property description will really help tell a story of your property to potential guests, and will help them determine whether they’d like to stay in your home or not.

3. Property description
Another one of the most important components to include is a passionate property description. Before a traveler ever arrives at your home, all they have to go on is what you give them, so you have to make the words you use count! Don’t overwhelm guests with every single detail about your property – give them the highlights, pointing out anything unique or different, and offer to fill them in further should they inquire about a booking.

4. Amenities
Make sure that you are comprehensive when checking the “Amenities” check boxes in your listing description – here you can tell guests everything from what types of scenery they can expect, to the types of “extra’s” your property offers (like a pool table or in-ground swimming pool). After they’ve gotten a feel for your property through your description and pictures, these additions are just the icing on the cake.

5. Other channels
There are also a few things you can do that aren’t FlipKey-related that can increase the exposure that your property gets to potential renters. Things like advertising through your local visitors and tourism bureau, and creating your own website can drive a lot of interest to your property, and that’s interest that you couldn’t necessarily attract online.

With a combination of a few simple online and offline marketing tactics, there is the potential to see a large growth in interest for your property, and increased interest can only mean one thing: increased bookings.

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July 21st, 2011

Rates and Pricing for your Vacation Rental Property

Posted by: Taryn|1 comment

Since our website re-vamp, we have placed a greater emphasis on rental rates, so that travelers can see accurate rates for the specific dates that they are looking to stay in an accommodation. It is now more important than ever for owners to input accurate rate information into their listing because travelers only pursue those opportunities that they know they can afford. Luckily for owners, inputting accurate rate information is a simple process with a powerful outcome: the more interested travelers you have, the more  inquiries you get, and the more bookings they generate.

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On the Rates page, there are several customizable items intended to make the rates displayed as accurate and personalized as possible. The first option you have is to decide on a currency in which the rates will display. There are 14 different currency options, including everything from the US dollar to the Brazilian real to the Indian rupee to the Russian rouble – and everything in between. Once you’ve picked your currency, it’s onto inputting the rates themselves.

On FlipKey, you have the option of adding as many rates as necessary to fully inform guests of how pricing varies throughout the year. There are typically two ways to differentiate rates – by designating the season, or by designating the duration of stay. Some owners choose to have a minimum length of stay, others don’t. How you personalize these options is up to you! Amongst the options when adding a new rate are:

  • Rate name
  • Start date
  • End date
  • Week night rate
  • Weekend night rate
  • Weekly rate
  • Monthly rate
  • Minimum stay

For each new rate you add, you have the option to set any or all of the above limitations, depending on how you operate your property. After you have submitted your desired rates, you also have the option of adding taxes, fees and adjustments that travelers should expect to incur when they stay with you. These fields include:

  • The type of fees (taxes, fees, security deposits)
  • The fee name
  • The description of that fee
  • The basis of the fee (whether it’s a percentage of the rental, fixed rate, etc.)
  • The actual cost
  • Whether this fee is required

This area allows you to lay out exactly the expenses a traveler should expect to incur. And if that’s still not enough, then there is a section for “Additional Rate Info,” where you can highlight additional fee information, discounts, and other details about rates and fees for your property.

After rates are submitted and properties have gone live on the website, one question we often get is - ‘why are my rates showing up in US dollars when I entered them in a different currency?’ The answer is simple: All rates in the search results display in US dollars in order to make the search process easier for travelers. If we had results coming up in 14 different currencies, then it would be nearly impossible to compare prices  from one property to the next. This way, travelers scanning the search results can compare all of the rates in one currency. However, when the traveler clicks through to an individual listing, the rates will show up in the currency of your choice. Neat, right?!

Taryn Collins is a FlipKey owner services specialist and vacation rental marketing expert. Her bi-weekly blog, Ask FlipKey, aims to answer the difficult questions that vacation rental owners and managers ask every day. Submit your questions in the comments!

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July 07th, 2011

How to Map Your Vacation Rental

Posted by: Taryn|2 comments

With so many property owners on FlipKey, you can imagine that we get all sorts of questions on a daily basis – regarding the website, publishing tools, individual property listings, and even whether the weather is nice in Boston (it’s gorgeous today, thanks for asking!).

Recently we updated our mapping function on listings to make it more dynamic, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to use. With the changes came many new questions about mapping! People often write in to us mere moments after their property has been put up onto the website asking how to tweak the map, so I wanted to give you all a brief tutorial on how to map your property so that travelers get the right idea about where your rental is located.

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Updating your map is as simple as logging into your account and clicking on the Edit Listing button. Once there, the map is displayed along with a check box with the option to “Show Exact Address.” In order to update the map properly, this box must be checked! Also check the box that says “This Map is Incorrect.”

Once those two boxes are checked, you should see an orange needle (and not an orange circle) indicating the property location. You can move the orange needle to the exact location of your property.  The map will automatically save and re-center your map image online. Now, here’s the trick: do not click the ‘Update Map’ button! Clicking this button reverts the map to automatically plotting your address, and erases all of your manual adjustments. Instead, once you have moved the orange needle to the proper location, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the Save and Continue button.

And that’s that – pretty simple! For best map-editing results, you should edit your map in Firefox or Internet Explorer (Version 6 or higher). If you’re a visual learner, we’ve also got great step by step instructions on how to update your map here.

Taryn Collins is a FlipKey owner services specialist and vacation rental marketing expert. Her bi-weekly blog, Ask FlipKey, aims to answer the difficult questions that vacation rental owners and managers ask every day. Submit your questions in the comments!

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June 30th, 2011

Share your funniest rental experience and…

Posted by: flipkey|1 comment

You could win $500 and be featured in our traveler email newsletter!

If you have a strange, outlandish, or just plain funny story about renting your vacation home, send it to FlipKey and be entered to win a $500 VISA gift card. The winning story will also be featured in the FlipKey traveler newsletter.

Second and third place winners will each receive a $50 VISA gift card. All stories must be submitted via email to rentalstories@flipkey.com by July 31, 2011, so send us your story today!

Here’s How it Works:

1. Write a story about your funniest rental experiences (you can submit up to 5 stories).

2. Each story must be 1,000 words or less.

3. Submit your entry to rentalstories@flipkey.com by July 31, 2011 with the following information:

  • Your Name and Company Name (if applicable)
  • Link to Your Property Listing (example: www.flipkey.com/p116954)
  • Contact Phone
  • Contact Email
  • Funniest Rental Story (enter up to 5 stories)

4. FlipKey will pick the funniest stories and the winner will receive a $500 VISA gift card and promotion in FlipKey’s traveler newsletter. The two runners-up will each receive a $50 VISA gift card.

5. Know someone with a side-splitting vacation rental story? We welcome stories from any vacation rental owner, so tell your friends!

Even the most successful and seasoned vacation renters have had some very unexpected experiences with their guests. Now is your opportunity to share these hilarious, unusual, and occasionally bizarre stories. Don’t be shy!

Too many hilarious guest encounters to just pick one? Don’t Worry. Submit up to 5 funny rental stories to FlipKey. We will decide which gets the best laugh!

For additional contest details, see the FlipKey Rental Story Contest Official Rules.

Categorized as: Advice for Owners and Managers, Ask FlipKey, Community Read more →
June 22nd, 2011

Exciting New FlipKey- Site Updates and More!

Posted by: Taryn|1 comment

Maps are better than ever!In the past couple of months, our Development Team here at FlipKey has launched a number of new site features, and we are so excited to share them with you! These updates and new features have impacted nearly every aspect of the website, and provide a much improved user experience for the entire vacation rental community – owners, property managers, and travelers.

The most noticeable changes involve site-wide aesthetics and structure. The look and feel of the site has been completely overhauled to make the properties shine. We reorganized property listing pages, removing the tabs that used to hide pertinent information and making it easier to navigate the important information in each listing. The new page layout makes it easier for travelers to evaluate the important property details at first glance.

Less visibly, the team has been working hard to improve search speed and accuracy, and anyone who has searched for a property recently will have noticed that results come back faster than ever.

Another big improvement is the new photo browsing experience, complete with a lightning-quick photo viewer; larger, high-quality images; and support for video. The photo viewer displays thumbnails of all of the available photos, and allows users to click on any photo and see it enlarged up to twice its former size in high quality. The upgrades to the photo section really help to make each listing “pop,” and significantly enhance the look and feel of the listings. If you uploaded smaller images to your listing before, then now is the time to add your most recent, high-res shots to your listing!

New Review Summary on FlipKey

We also added a new review summary. Due to the substantial number of reviews collected on individual properties, we saw a need to aggregate review data in a way that would be really helpful to travelers. The new review summary provides visitors with high level breakdowns of feedback left by verified guests to help paint the big picture of guest sentiment. We also added the ability for travelers to mark reviews as “helpful” so that future travelers will be able to see what feedback was most helpful to travelers in the past.

Two of the most recent upgrades to the site included the new and improved mapping function as well as the option to add a video of your property. The new maps show much more detail than before and feature nearby attractions and restaurants local to each property. The map thumbnails can be clicked to show an enlarged map, offering travelers a better feel of the area they might be visiting. The option to add video is just another way for owners to showcase their properties, and really offers travelers the closest experience with the property that they can get without actually coming to visit!

We are always looking to make improvements and additions to our website, so expect that as the months go by, we’ll have more exciting updates to share with you! In the meantime, if you have suggestions, we’d love to hear those as well.

Taryn Collins is a FlipKey owner services specialist and vacation rental marketing expert. Her bi-weekly blog, Ask FlipKey, aims to answer the difficult questions that vacation rental owners and managers ask every day. Submit your questions in the comments!

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