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From Pool Tables to PlayStations: Creating a Game Room at Your Vacation Rental
Give your property a leg up on the competition while adding rainy-day recreation for your guests
Do you have an underutilized room, basement, or garage space in your vacation rental home? Are you willing to go the extra mile to attract renters with families? Whatever your situation, creating a game room promises big rewards for future bookings.
So many homes have game rooms now that it has become a prerequisite in some markets, primarily those catering to families. Additionally, it can help increase the appeal of your rental during  your off season. Finally, in a market where a game room is not currency, it might be the perfect way to differentiate your home from the competition.
For all ages
Game rooms provide entertainment for pre-teens and teens of all ages. Classic games like Scrabble ($20), Monopoly ($20), Pictionary ($30), Trivial Pursuit ($30), Chess ($15), and Checkers ($10) can help bridge the cultural divide that creeps between parents and teens. Relatively new favorites like Apples to Apples ($20), Catchphrase ($25), Taboo ($20), and Twister ($15) can also help parents get involved in games that their kids love to play with other kids. In the evenings of those family vacations or on that occasional and unanticipated rainy day, putting a little thought behind the group games you provide will absolutely save your guests' vacation.
Game room must-haves
Games comprise just a small facet of game room must-haves. A TV (27” or larger) ($400) and a DVD library ($10/DVD) are both crucial. This means you should also have a DVD player ($100). If you are looking to differentiate your game room electronically, spring for an HD-TV ($550) and a blu-ray DVD player ($175). (A trick that a lot of people don't realize is that the old PS3s play blu-ray DVDs, which will save you money if you already have one.) You are guaranteed to awe your guests with a quality movie-watching experience that far exceeds their expectations. To that end, you should also provide comfortable seating options that accommodate the number you sleep. One Owner Community staffer strongly advocates that every game room should have a Wii ($300), as it provides great entertainment for groups of most any size and age.
A different angle
Spending a little money on unique extras can really help differentiate your home from the competition. One owner added a candy machine ($35) to her game room. Guests put coins in the machine for the candy, and the owner used that money to replenish the candy supply. Another unique alternative is a poker table ($100). Poker tables are relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to pricier amenities like pool tables, and they are guaranteed to excite any male over the age of 16. If you really want to make it big with this demographic, supply your own poker set complete with quality chips,  several decks of cards, and an organized place to store them ($30). The “wow” factor
The best thing about creating a game room in your home is that you can have fun with it! What's something that you've always wanted to have in your house? Whether it's something more traditional like darts ($40), a pool table ($500+), arcade games ($1,000+), foosball ($100+), or air hockey ($75+), or something completely crazy like an indoor tree house ($100), ball pit ($300), or secret hideout for the kids when playing Hide & Go Seek ($priceless), you have an opportunity to really stand-out with what you provide.
If you put a little thought into it, it's not that hard to come up with some creative and inexpensive ideas that will delight your guests. It doesn't have to cost a lot to excite kids' imaginations and give parents a reprieve from the stresses of home.
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What do you have in your game room and where did you buy it?
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© Copyright, HomeAway, Inc. 2009. U.090721.CC
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