Area: Gatlinburg, TN 

Expert: Shawn Spiezio

Years living in Gatlinburg: 8 

Company: Aunt Bug’s Cabin Rentals

Subject: Gatlinburg Cabin Rentals

What makes Gatlinburg a great destination to visit and rent a vacation home? 

Gatlinburg is quaint small town within a short driving distance to most of the Eastern U.S.’s population and is one of the main entrances to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Over the years, the 11 million annual tourists have become accustomed to staying in Gatlinburg vacation rentals up on the mountain ridges, tucked away in the woods, or nestled on the river.  The cabin rentals offer affordability, luxurious amenities, & the comforts of home which are great for a romantic weekend getaway, family reunion, and corporate retreat.  After a long day of hiking, shopping, or nothing, a little relaxing in a hot tub feels very good.  There is something for everyone in Gatlinburg.

What are the top things to do (attractions, activities, events, etc.) in the area?  Are there any hidden gems that people may not be aware of?  

Most tourists enjoy the Smoky Mountain National Park, Ripley’s Aquarium, Dollywood, Dixie Stampede, music theaters, shopping, golfing, hiking, fishing, whitewater rafting, and horseback riding.  Cades Cove is an early pioneer area in the national park that is great for biking, hiking, and sightseeing for bears and deer.  The Herbert Holt park in Gatlinburg is tucked away on the Little Pigeon River with picnic tables and a kid designated trout fishing area.  The Arts & Crafts area is home to beautiful galleries and local artisans honing their craft.

What are the top 5 ‘must-try’ restaurants in the area?  

The Pancake Pantry is a must for breakfast enthusiasts.  For lunch, I would recommend the Pottery Barn Café and the Bullfish Grill.  For dinner, try the Cherokee Grill, The Apple Barn farmhouse, and the Peddler.

What popular entertainment/nightlife options in the area would you recommend?  

If you don’t feel like shooting a game of pool or relaxing in the hot tub at your cabin, Gatlinburg offers a variety of nightlife options.  The Smoky Mountain brewery has live music and lots of tvs(I like their micro-brew Velles Helles.)  Many locals enjoy Hellbenders Grill, Jared’s Grill at the Ship, and TGIFridays.  If you feel like dancing, Blaines restaurant doubles as a club at night.  Also, Gatlinburg is host to the Smoky Mountains Tunes and Tales event in the summer which offers free musical entertainment and storytelling that appeals to all age groups along the streets of Gatlinburg. 

You rent homes to hundreds of guests each year….so you must have a funny story or two about people that visit Gatlinburg?  

I’ve got a few.  Originally called White Oak Flats, there are many stories as to how Gatlinburg got its name, all involving a controversial figure who settled here in 1854. Radford C. Gatlin opened the town’s second general store and when the post office was established in his store, in 1856, the town name changed to Gatlinburg.  Legend has it that if he left town for good, he could keep his life and the town would bear his name. 

Many people that come on vacation are looking for a little R&R.  Instead of following directions or a map,  people have become spoiled by their GPS devices.  One of our homeowners who was from Alabama and has been here a million times programmed his GPS for Gatlinburg TN.  At a stop, he hit a button on his GPS and followed its directions.  Several hours later, he realized he was in Missouri!!   

Citing a PhocusWright study, FlipKey highlights over 350K second home owners queued to begin offering their vacation homes to travelers more frequently

January 15^th Boston, MA:  With the vacation rental market estimated at $24B, the growing and popular lodging sector motivated PhocusWright – a leading travel research firm – to conduct the industry’s first ever dedicated market study.  Co-sponsored by 14 industry players including FlipKey.com – a leading vacation rental site featuring the industry’s largest collection of verified guest reviews – the study estimates 1.26M second homes are available for rent in the U.S. for families looking for an alternative to hotels and other lodging options. 

The study identified that 56% of the vacation rental market is represented by rent-by-owners with the remaining 44% of vacation rental homes managed by professional property managers.  Encouraging for the growth of the industry, the study highlights 50% of rent-by-owners are casual renters, offering their units primarily to friends, family and through word-of-mouth.  As the economy continues to place additional financial burdens on second homes owners, FlipKey expects more of these casual renters to become increasingly active, working independently or through a property manager to offer their home more frequently and to travelers beyond family and friends. 

“Although there are 1.26M vacation homes that have been rented, it doesn’t mean they were made available to the general traveler,” stated TJ Mahony, CEO of FlipKey.com. “When we pealed back the layers of the study we estimated there are 350K casual renters that don’t necessarily make their home available beyond their immediate friend and family network.  It’s reasonable to assume the current economic environment will help motivate many casual vacation rental owners to become more active.”

FlipKey defined an ‘active’ renter as an owner that markets their home to travelers beyond their family and friends network.  Mahony summarized, “if an owner actively markets their property online and rents their unit to two or more people completely outside their personal network each year we consider them active.”

When renting a vacation home its imperative vacationers feel comfortable and confident in the home and manager/owner of the property.  Vacation homes overseen by property managers and active owners often provide strong customer support, clear check-in / check-out processes and other support services consumers value.   Mahony concluded, “Given the economy and growing support and marketing services available, there is a clear opportunity for more of these casual participants to become more active, renting their homes more often, yielding increased rental income.”

About FlipKey

FlipKey^™ is a leading vacation rental service featuring the world’s largest collection of verified vacation rental guest reviews. FlipKey believes reputation, trust and feedback from past guests are the best resources to ensure consumers find the ideal vacation home. FlipKey currently features more than 60,000 vacation homes offering vacationers the unique advantages of more personal space, superior amenities and ideal locations throughout the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico. FlipKey is majority owned by TripAdvisor, LLC, and is a member of the TripAdvisor Media Network, attracting more than 32 million unique monthly visitors* across 12 popular travel brands. FlipKey is available at http://www.flipkey.com

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, May 2008

© 2008 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved. 

From apartments to mortgages, credit scores are already heavily utilized in real estate. Since owners/property managers are always trying to mitigate their risk against bad guests, perhaps it is time we leverage them in the vacation rental market as well.

While credit scores are a great indicator of financial risk, the truth is that credit has predictive power across many industries. For example, according to Insurance Information Institute, people with higher credit scores are much less likely to file an auto insurance claim and their claims and are lower when they do.

As demonstrated by their financial patterns and insurance data, people with good credit scores are generally considered more responsible suggesting they will be more responsible guests as well.

But how do you target or verify guests with good credit scores?

Target Advertising on Sites That Attract Consumers With Higher Credit Scores:

According to Credit Karma MSN and Google attract visitors with higher average credit scores compared to sites like AOL.

Ask Guests to Take a Screenshot of their Credit Karma Score

 

Second home owners are always concerned about ‘who’ is staying in their home, so why not deliver some piece of mind.  If you are a detailed oriented owner or represent owners that are keenly interested in ‘who’ is staying in their homes, why not offer guests $10 off if they share a screenshot of their Credit Karma score?

CreditKarma.com is a relatively new service that offers completely free credit scores, no strings attached, in return for displaying targeted ads to its member base. Unlike other “free credit score” sites, CreditKarma is truly free, so as long as your prospective guests have two free minutes and want to save a few dollars, why not give them a small discount to pass on some piece of mind to yourself and/or your owners?

The following is an excerpt from a recent Instant Software client newsletter.  To read the full article click here.

——————- ISI Insider Newsletter—————–

ISI Clients are Increasing Booking Conversions with New Integrated Guest Review Service Powered by FlipKey

Instant Software and FlipKey launched an integrated seamless guest review service during RezFest 2008. In less than three weeks since launching, 35 property management companies have successfully begun integrating guest reviews through ISILink. Over 4000 reviews have already posted on 1500 properties with an average rating of 4.32 out of 5. Getting started with guest reviews is quick and easy…and it’s also FREE.

WHY COMPANIES ARE USING FLIPKEY / ISI GUEST REVIEWS

Research shows that recommendations from prior guests have a dramatic effect on booking conversions. According to Compete, Inc., 78% of vacationers say they are significantly more likely to book a vacation home if they can read reviews from past guests. TripAdvisor notes that hotel websites have doubled their conversion rates after incorporating guest reviews into their websites. Why? Because they remove the uncertainty and unpredictability often associated with a potential accommodation.

Not only will guest reviews likely increase your booking conversions, but through FlipKey, you will also increase your marketing distribution. In 2009, TripAdvisor will begin promoting vacation rentals that feature FlipKey reviews, giving you the opportunity to promote your properties to more than 24 million visitors per month.

MANAGE YOUR REPUTATION – NO REVIEW IS A BAD REVIEW

Some property management companies have expressed concern about potentially negative ratings. However, 81% of guest reviews are positive to very positive with an average rating for ISI clients of 4.32 out of 5. In fact, only 4% of guest reviews are negative and these minor cases are critical in establishing the credibility of all your positive reviews. Research has shown products featuring at least a few critical reviews convert better than products featuring only positive reviews. 

To read more click here.

Mermaid Cottages – a Tybee Island, GA vacation rental company has recently added FlipKey’s “Property Widgets” to its website.

In their own words, Mermaid Cottages offers:

Whimsical, funky cottages, historic, classic homes, pet friendly, complimentary high speed and wifi internet, comfy, cozy, welcoming places to nest, relax, re connect and simplify. That’s what the Mermaid Cottage Vacation experience is all about.

With FlipKey Widgets, the Mermaid Cottages Vacation experience is being confirmed by their past guests.  Mermaid Cottages has a history of happy and enthusiastic guests and is a pioneer in leveraging FlipKey guest reviews to harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing and trusted guest recommendations.

Click here to see a great example of the guest reviews featured for Doodlebug Cottage.

By adding the FlipKey Property Widget across its website for individual vacation properties, Mermaid Cottages is able to let their guests promote the Mermaid Cottage experience.

“Thank you for having this great service, I’ve already had a couple of guests reserve homes because of the great reviews!!”

- Diane Kaufman, Owner Mermaid Cottages

FlipKey Widgets are provided as a free feature to all FlipKey users to help vacation rental managers easily add guest reviews to their website to attract and convert more guests.

• 78% of consumers indicate they are significantly more likely to rent a vacation rental if they can read reviews from past guests that stayed in the property. (Source: FlipKey / Compete, Inc. Vacation Rental Research Report – Issue II)
• Hotel websites have documented a 100% increase in online conversation rates when website visitors read a guest review.  (Source: TripAdvisor, Hayes & Jarvis Case Study)

I recently had the opportunity to visit Big Bear Lake, CA and meet with several of the leading property managers in the area. I had never been to Big Bear Lake, but I understood the area as a unique skiing getaway for local Los Angeles residents. As I was visiting in the middle of June I assumed the town would be in hibernation as it waited for the ski season to ramp up… I was wrong.

To my surprise, Big Bear Lake features a vibrant summer community. Featuring a comfortable 75 degree breeze off the lake, I found many Palm Springs, LA and Ontario residents frequenting the area to escape the heat and bustle of “sea level California.”

I was able to secure a vacation rental home through Big Bear Vacation Rentals and spent the night sharing laughs and drinks with Nick Lanza and Cheri Scott (the owner and marketing manager of Big Bear Vacation Rentals, respectively). Within a few hours we had taken a boat ride around Big Bear Lake, enjoyed a wonderful meal at a local lakeside restaurant and then finished the evening with some games of pool and nightcaps at a neighborhood house party. When the night was over it was hard to believe that it was only Tuesday.

Big Bear Vacation Rentals:

I have since recommended the area to my family that lives in the Los Angeles area and have a new sense of appreciation for the year-round advantages certain vacation rental destinations maintain. I am looking forward to visiting Big Bear again this winter, but I’ll be sure to keep this in mind as a recommendation to friends and family for an excellent vacation spot anytime during the year.

Thanks again to my wonderful hosts at Big Bear Vacations… Click here to read my FlipKey review of my Big Bear Lake vacation rental experience.

Back patio of my Big Bear Vacation Rental:

Reputation is the opinion and public perception of an individual, a group or an organization/company.  In the vacation rental market reputation is created by the opinion of prior guests’ experiences with the rental properties and underlying hospitality services of a specific rental manager.  If you run a great vacation rental company, telling people your product and service are wonderful is of little consequence.  Let’s be honest, what else would you say?  The only effective way to let future guests know how great your vacation homes and guest services are is by letting the words and experiences of past guests do the talking for you.

To help our users maximize the impact of their guest reviews FlipKey offers free “Extension Tools” that feature our FlipKey Verified reviews directly on the manager’s website.

Mermaid Cottages of Tybee Island, GA recently added the FlipKey Reputation Widget to their ‘Questions?’ page.  The widget automatically updates (no coding required!) as Mermaid Cottages collects additional reviews through FlipKey.  Visitors who click the widget are taken directly to Mermaid Cottage’s FlipKey Profile where they can read specific reviews of individual properties.  With 150 guest reviews and an average star rating of 4.75, Mermaid Cottages is effectively leveraging their guests’ experiences to communicate their strong reputation.

FlipKey offers a number of different tools that allow our manager users to extend FlipKey Guest Reviews directly to their own site. We will report on additional examples and tools in future posts.

FlipKey’s mission is simple – help increase the presence of vacation rentals as a mainstream lodging option. At FlipKey we have managed our own vacation rentals and we have stayed, as guests, in other’s vacation homes. Our intimacy with the product is acute and we are confident that, in most circumstances, the vacation rental experience is superior to alternative lodging options.

The problem is that vacationers demand ‘predictability’. When consumers plan a trip with a hotel stay there is no pre-booking anxiety. Consumers are confident that there is staff on site for check-in, a standard TV with basic cable in the room, clean towels and a phone that with a press of the “0″ button connects them with the front desk if there are any problems. Inherently, the vacation rental experience is not afforded the same consistency and predictability.

Prospective guests want to know:
- Is the home as nice as the advertisement claims?
- How do I get my keys?
- What happens if something goes wrong?
- Is there a deposit? How much is it? How do I get it back?
- Who manages the home?

Vacation rentals are a unique product with a unique consumer process. The industry’s uniqueness is it’s strength and advantage. The missing piece of the equation is the voices of past vacation rental guests singing the praises of not only the vacation rental experience, but of the specific company and home they stayed in. If consumers want predictability, then lets provide them with the most powerful resource we can offer – “honest words and reviews from our past guests”.

Third party guest reviews (via TripAdvisor) have been cited to increase hotel conversion rates by 100% (click here for more info). If a hotel can yield higher occupancy from reviews of its simple and predictable product, imagine what trusted reviews can do for vacation rentals!

FlipKey has begun to offer the vacation rental industry the power of transparency and the increased consumer confidence that comes with it. By offering the first advanced guest review platform specific to the industry, FlipKey is helping vacation rental managers collect robust guest reviews from verified guests and helping future travelers discover the vacation rental experience.

FlipKey is a relatively new service, but in the 30 days since opening our doors, a number of the industry’s leading management companies have begun using our free guest review and management tools. See some examples below:

Wondering where a great vacation rental is available in the Disney, Orlando area? Read the reviews collected by these Orlando/Kissimmee based vacation rental management companies:
All-Star Vacation Homes (Orlando, FL)
Escape 2 Florida Homes (Orlando, FL)
Imagine Vacation Homes (Orlando, FL)

Planning to get a few families together for some golf and seaside fun in Myrtle Beach, SC? See what guests (including me) had to say about specific homes managed by Surfside Realty:
Surfside Realty (Myrtle Beach, SC)

Ski season may be over, but homes are already being reserved for the fall foliage in Franconia, NH. Read some of the reviews from the vacationers who have stayed in the large family homes managed by Franconia Vacation Rentals:
Franconia Vacation Rentals (Franconia, NH)

Looking to escape the hustle and bustle of Boston and enjoy some rest and relaxation by the beach? Cape Cod is your spot for beaches, golf, shopping, whale watching, deep sea fishing and more. Take a look at what past guests had to say about Cape Cod vacation homes:
Cape Cod Rentals (East Orleans, MA)

Ever been to Northern Michigan? Holiday Vacation Rentals in Harbor Springs manages wonderful places to stay while visiting one of the most beautiful resort towns in America. Miles of Lake Michigan beaches have been called the “Riviera of the Midwest”. Check their homes with guest reviews here:
Holiday Vacation Rentals (Harbor Springs, MI)

Carolina Mornings not only boasts reviews from pasts guests, the owners of the properties have been involved as well. What better way to understand exactly what a property offers than hearing directly from the owner?
Carolina Mornings (Asheville, NC)

This is only the beginning of how powerful verified guest reviews will be for the vacation rental industry. By offering tools for collecting, managing and distributing guest reviews online, FlipKey is here to help educate consumers on the incredible experience of a vacation home rental. If you are a property manager looking to get started leveraging guest reviews with Flipkey, apply for the FlipKey verified program here.

Don’t get me wrong, work is work, but I will admit that working in the vacation rental industry has its perks:

• The opportunity to visit various vacation destinations.
• Meeting property managers and their staff.
• Staying in the homes these companies proudly represent and professionally manage.

FlipKey’s most recent visit to Royal Palm managed by Surfside Realty was all of this and more, check out the full story and pictures of our stay here.

Despite the wonderful accommodations, there was one small hiccup I had when getting settled in the house. Specifically, I realized the shirt I was planning to wear to the conference I was attending was, lets just say… not as clean as I remember it being.

“No Problem”, I think to myself, I will throw it in the in-unit washer and dryer and be ready to go in two hours. At that moment I realized I wasn’t washing anything, doing any dishes or shampooing my hair without a quick trip to the local store to pick up some supplies that I overlooked when packing for my trip.

Following my stay, I left a note in the “My personal tips” section of my review on FlipKey to remind future guests to bring things like dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent and small kitchen and bath amenities. See below:

With this experience still fresh in my mind, I came across an interesting concept offered by Outer Beaches Realty, on Hatteras Island in NC. All homes managed by Outer Beaches Realty are provided with starter supplies of all of the things mentioned above in my personal tip and more!

Check out a screen shot from their website below:

I wouldn’t expect a rental management company to provide all their guests with full supplies of these items, but a starter supply… BRILLIANT! These small conveniences, which are often overlooked, further emphasize the advantages of vacation rentals and promote vacation rentals as predictable mainstream lodging options. FlipKey applauds Outer Beaches Realty for pushing the envelope!

We are excited to announce that FlipKey will be a featured speaker at this year’s Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association (FVRMA) Annual Conference & Tradeshow.

:: Session Title and Summary

Social Media & Internet Based Reputation – Changing the Face of Vacation Rental Marketing

Reputation is the opinion and public perception of an individual, a group or an organization. In the vacation rental market reputation is created by the opinion of prior guests’ experiences with your rental properties and underlying hospitality services. Great reputation yields highly qualified guests through recommendations from family and friends. Poor reputation or, more appropriately, a lack of reputation forces the industry to re-market itself with every new guest. Your reputation and the word-of-mouth buzz it generates is your most powerful marketing asset.

At the FVRMA conference, TJ Mahony, CEO of FlipKey.com, will review the impact of social travel sites and will highlight new services and strategies that are available to vacation rental managers to help attract more guests and command higher nightly rates.

Please Join Us:

If you haven’t registered it’s not too late.

Click here to visit FVRMA’s online registration!

There are a number of interesting speakers and events at this year’s event. We hope to see you there.

2008 Highlighted Speakers / Sessions:

Trent Blizzard, Founder/CEO, Blizzard Internet Marketing
“Internet Marketing Training”

Dale Brill, Director, Office of Tourism, State of Florida
“State of the State address”

Regina Ebert, Ascent Processing
“Credit Card Pitfalls”

Lee Hughes, CSA Travel Protection, and Barbara Worzella, AIG
“Travel Protection for All”

Rita Craig, The Craig Group
“Solutions to Ensure Future Success”

TJ Mahoney, FlipKey
“Social Media and Internet-Based Reputation”

Nancy Friedman, Telephone Doctor
“How to Be an Island of Excellence in an Ocean of Mediocrity”

Lisa Hogan, Resort Rating Specialists
“The Bar Has Been Raised: Tips on Evaluating Vacation Rentals”

Round Table Sessions:
“ROI/Increase Income; Internet Marketing; Housekeeping/Laundry Services/Maintenance – Focus on Efficiency & Quality; Guest Services/Niche Marketing – Increase Your Repeat & Referral Business”

AND MORE!