If you have small children in your family, you know how difficult it can be to plan and enjoy a vacation along with them.  A vast majority of guests who use Short-Term or Vacation Rentals are families with kids.  If you want to attract large numbers of guests to your property, like people with children, it is imperative that you make your properties family-friendly.  Families look for a place where they can feel at home, enjoy, and relax during their stay but have the peace of knowing that their kids aren’t going to be stuck in a “touch-free” zone.  You know, “Don’t touch that!  Don’t touch that!”  Yeah, a “touch-free” zone.  Here are some useful tips to make your vacation rental Family Friendly.

Provide Safety and Security

Families with small kids are always worried about the safety and security of their children. If you want to attract families, it is important to make your...

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Outdoor spaces in a property, whether it is in a mountainous region or near a beach, allow guests to have more fun during their stay.  You can score more bookings by adding these outdoor amenities to your property.

What type of Outdoor Areas can attract Guests?

Swimming Pools in warm areas.

Jacuzzi and hot tubs in both, warmer and cooler climates.

Gardens, like a zen garden or just some chairs to chill.

Outdoor playgrounds for children or lots of toys for the pool.

A place for our four-legged furry friends.  If you allow pets, have a space outside (and in!) just for them!

An eating area is fantastic and if you can add a grill, it's even better.

Also, place these features prominently in your listings!  You want things in your title and on that first picture so you can get potential guests to look deeper into your property. 

NOTE:  Don't allow fear to dictate whether or not...

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Many Guests pay particular attention to the security features of the property as much as their own comfort during their stay.

01)  Ring Security Cameras

02)  Surveillance Cameras 

03)  Security Screens from Security Screen Masters

04)  Screen Door Bars and Locks

05)  Door and Window alarms (See link with 10-pack for $14.97)

06)  Replace Ordinary Doors & Locks with Strong Ones 

07)  Motion Sensing Lights (Solar don’t need hard wiring) 

08)  Reinforce Window Treatments

WHAT PRODUCTS  OR SERVICES WERE MENTIONED...

Please use our Affiliate Links whenever possible and help support the show.  Thank you!

https://www.securityscreenmasters.com/

Recommended Article or Blog Post Related to This Week's Podcast:

Cheap Security Upgrades Your Guests Will Love

https://www.shorttermrentalrevenue.com/blog/cheap-security-upgrades-your-guests-will-love

Get This Episode's Show Notes in...

SHOW NOTES & LESSONS

WHAT CAN A GOOD NEIGHBORS DO FOR YOU?

01) Provide Safety & Security for you & your Guests.

02) Help with things like a dead car battery, allowing maintenance men in, keep spare keys, sign for packages, and stocking your inventory.

03) Communicate with guests when you can't.

04) Give you peace of mind.

05) Advocate for you with HOA & other organizations.

06) Stop loud parties, too many people, things getting stolen, or other strange activities.

07) Increase your Network: people you know.

WHAT THINGS CAN YOU DO TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR?

01) Do things for your neighbors like mow their lawns, bring over fresh baked goods, or get them souvenirs from your travels.

02) Show pride of ownership & take care of your property & theirs.

03) Be respectful & polite at all times.

04) Add rules so your guests are respectful, too. No pets or parties.

05) Let them know the Comings & Goings. Keep them informed.

06)...

Running a vacation rental business seems attractive and easy but it is not a cakewalk for most owners. You must be prepared to face stiff competition from not just hotels and hostels in your area but other vacation rental owners in attracting guests to your property. You must spruce up your property and provide amenities that appear attractive to potential guests.  

Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when launching your vacation rental business.

Use More Than One Platform

I use two platforms for my properties.  One is great in the west and the other is better in the southeast.  The success of your vacation rental business depends upon whether you can reach your target group of guests or not. By using different platforms, one at a time or more, you can make sure that your property becomes visible to all tourists coming to your area whenever they conduct a search online. In addition to listing your property on Airbnb and other short-term...

If you are running a Short-Term Rental Business, your focus is always on providing comfort and safety to your guests, along with any amenities that you can provide.

It’s obvious that many guests book vacation rentals based on the price listed.  Others book based on amenities offered.  Location is always critical in the majority of our bookings.  What you may be ignoring or overlooking is the concern of the guests for their safety and security.  Many pay particular attention to the security features of the property as much as their own comfort during their stay. Here are some inexpensive security upgrades that your guests will love and which may help increase your bookings.

Replace Ordinary Door Locks with Strong Locks

You may not think much of the blocks on the doors of rooms, but your guests get a very safe feeling when they see strong door locks on strong doors that are difficult to break in.  On the other hand, nothing makes...

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First, a lesson on Capitalism.  What is Compassionate Capitalism?

A wonderful book by Rich DeVos that describes how True Capitalism promotes growth through competition. 

Donut Shop #1                  Donut Shop #2                  Donut Shop #3

Amazing Taste                     Average Taste                     Lousy Taste

Priced Higher                       Priced Lower                       Priced Higher

First, Capitalism allows competition by allowing anyone to own a business.

Second, products and service determine whether or not a business...

FACT:  THERE ARE MORE SLAVES IN THE WORLD TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE

Slavery is alive, well, and thriving in the world today.  It is thriving in the world of Human Trafficking and your Short Term Rental may be a target for the criminals of the third largest and extremely profitable of all Illegal Industries, Human Trafficking.  Every 30 seconds, someone's child is taken and becomes a part of this dark and unspoken world.

The three most profitable crime industries are:

#1 - Drugs

#2 - Weapons

#3 - Human Trafficking

Why would a Human Trafficker be interested in my Short Term Rental property?

It is becoming a world of surveillance and in the crime industries, that's not a good thing.  Cameras in hotels and motels are more and more common for security purposes but this makes it difficult for pop-up brothels to run their businesses across the US and the world. 

Tens of thousands (that's no exaggeration and possibly an underestimation) of...

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Find out more about Garrett Sutton at his website, CorporateDirect.com.  You can pick up his free guide, The High Cost of Cheap Corporations, there.  Also, you can apply for a free 15-minute consultation. 

Garrett is also the author of several MUST-HAVE books for your library.  My favorite is Loopholes of Real Estate but I don't think I would be anywhere without Own Your Own Corporation, Buying and Selling a Business, and Writing Winning Business Plans. 

WHAT BOOKS, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, OR LINKS WERE MENTIONED...

Also, if you would like to try  WAVE Financial, you can go to their website, WaveApps.com, and check them out.  

Please use our Affiliate Links whenever possible and help support the show.  Thank you!

Here are just a few of Garrett Sutton's amazing books that Michelle referenced in today's podcast. Note, these are...