Hi Everyone!

Hope you had a nice Fourth of July.

Last month, I did a fair amount of traveling. When I'm in a city for a day or two, I generally stay at hotels—yeah I know it's bad, but often I can't find a vacation rental for one or two nights.

Anyhow as I hopped from hotel to hotel, I made some observations. Since the vacation rental industry and hotel industry are similar, I couldn't help but think there are a few things that we can all learn from the hotels.

I forgot my toothbrush. Thankfully the front desk had a supply of toothbrushes. This made me think—I bet this is a commonly forgotten item. I could easily supply some extra toothbrushes too (of course make sure they're individually wrapped).

The air-conditioning vents were gross. I was thoroughly disgusted by the air-conditioning vents. They had a coat of furry dust on them. I couldn't help but think about the molds, germs and bacteria that must be living on them. You bet I called my housekeepers and reminded them to check the vents in my homes.

Were the duvets covers clean? Many of the hotels have moved away from bedspreads and are now using duvet covers. Overall I like them better, but it did leave a question in my mind…were they cleaned after each guest? I don't use duvet covers in my cabins or condos but if I did I think I'd reassure my guests that they are cleaned after each guest (assuming they are).

Throw pillows might end up on the floor. Many of the hotel rooms had throw pillow on the beds—they really create a nice look. But when there wasn't a chair right near the bed I found myself tempted to just throw them on the floor.

I prefer the towel bath mats over a bath rug. When stepping out of the shower, I preferred stepping onto a towel bath mat over a bath rug. I felt like it was cleaner.

The shower sprayed all over the place. In every hotel I was in last month, I noticed that the shower heads were in desperate need of cleaning or replacing. No matter how hard I tried to pull the shower curtain all the way to the wall, water still ended up on the bathroom floor—when was the last time you replaced your shower head?

I love the new curved shower curtain rods. A couple of the hotels had the new curved shower curtains. Even though I am not a big person, I appreciated the extra space that the curve added to the shower.

Coffee is key! Each morning I would wake up and the first thing I'd do was start the coffee pot. I think a $3 or $4 can of coffee is a nice thing to supply for each guest.

The next time you're traveling, take note of the things you notice, and take those observations. Remember it's all the little things that we do that creates a memorable experience for our guests—and keeps them coming back!

Happy Renting by Owner!

Christine

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