Hi everyone! I hope your rentals are going smoothly. Last weekend I had a bit of a panic when I looked at the calendar and realized that I only have two weeks until I leave for vacation! Well, as you know, we (vacation rental owners) can't just pick up and leave. There are a lot of things we have to set straight with our rentals first.

Normally, I let all of my guests know that I’ll be on vacation and that my response time to their calls or emails may be delayed. But…since I’m going to be out of the country for three whole weeks and will be seven time zones away, this time it’s not going to be too feasible (or desirable) for me to deal with any rental issues while I am away. If I want to have a relaxing break truly away from all work (including my VRs) I have to set systems in place before I leave. Here’s my running to-do list of pre-vacation tasks:

• Schedule my VR friends (other owners who own near my properties) to answer my inquiries/take bookings while I am away.
• Notify all my housekeepers and let them know I will be mostly inaccessible during my trip, and give them emergency contact numbers for me and my VR friends.
• Send an email to every guest who is scheduled to check-in while I am away and let them know who they can contact in my absence (my housekeepers and my VR friends).
• Make sure that all my renters have their directions and key instructions.
• Make sure to notify anyone who is due for a payment while I will be away.
• A day or so before I leave, add my VR friends email address as “contact email” and “contact phone number” for my ads on VRBO, HomeAway, and VacationRentals.com.
• Change my answering machine greeting and email auto-responder to give instructions to call my VR friend.
  

As long as I take all of those steps, I should be able to have a problem-free vacation. Cross your fingers for me!

Christine

Setting up an E-mail Auto-Responder for Your Inquiries Reassure potential renters until you're able to craft a personal response The Benefits of Networking with Other Vacation Rental Owners The best resource for your vacation rental business might be right next door How to Be a Good Vacation Rental Neighbor, Even From Afar How to develop relationships with the most important neighbors you (almost) never see Sample Emergency Contact Sheet for Your Rental Guests Make sure your renters know who to call if something goes wrong

© Copyright 2009 Christine Karpinski