As you probably know by now, we report on most of the fraud cases we come across in the vacation rental industry. We do not support the frauds in any way, and the only reason we report on them is because we want build awareness about this problem since it is one of the biggest issues our industry is facing at the time, if not the biggest.
If you are a frequent reader of this blog, then you know we have over the last 4-5 months reported on 2011 looking like it will be a great year for the vacation rental industry. If you haven’t been a frequent reader of the blog, and this happens to be your first visit here, then we suggest you spend some time looking at some of the other articles we have posted, in addition to reading this one.
In order for you to be a successful vacation rental company in today’s very competitive market, it is crucial to increase your repeat customer base. By repeat customers we mean people that have come and stayed with you at some point and then keeps coming back year after year. The question is how do you increase the number of repeat customers? Sure, a few will keep coming back because they know the owner of one of the properties you are managing, and some will come back just because they love the area. However, there are a few things you, as a vacation rental company, can do to take matters into your own hands and increase your repeat customer base.
Key West rental properties join the long list of properties that have become the target of online rental scams. According to recent news, some rental properties in Key West have been advertised by someone else than the owner or authorized representative.
Southwest Florida was hit hard by the recession; real estate values plummeted, construction of new homes was non-existent, and the island has had its fair share of failures, including self-dealing and fraud. However, thanks to the vision of and marketing efforts of its businesses and political leaders, Anna Maria has been able to recover better than anywhere else in Southwest Florida.
In the last issue of CRM Magazine there was an article called “ The Feminine Marketing Mystique.” The purpose of the article was to demystify the purchasing behavior of women. Why is it important to understand the purchasing behavior of women?
MSNBC reports that more than 1 million websites have been hit by a hacking attack that injects code into sites that redirect users to a scam-looking software sales operation. Experts claim that this attack is the largest of its kind ever seen.
Last week, LeisureLink, Inc released its Vacation Lodging Demand Index for February 2011. The data show that demand for the leisure lodging industry increased significantly in 2011 compared to the same period in 2010. The index showed a year over year increase of 15%, and a big reason for this is that consumers are gaining confidence and are again willing to spend money on vacation travel. “We are finally seeing strength in fly-to markets, such as Hawaii,” said Steve Reich, Senior Vice President of LeisureLink, Inc. “Consumers are committing to longer, more expensive trips, and this is a very healthy development.”
You may be aware of the fact that the price of linens has recently risen dramatically. Steve Craig of VRHP has the answer to why:
