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When Do Your Guests Form Their First Impressions?: Part 1
Hint: It's not when they first arrive at your home.
| It's 11:30pm. For the last 3.5 hours, you've been on an airplane in the middle seat sandwiched between two individuals with questionable hygiene. The rental car company gave someone else your reserved SUV and left you (and your family of 5) with a sub-compact. The kids are hungry, so you stop at the only restaurant in sight—a McDonald's—and you hate McDonald's. |
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As you pull away from the drive through, enjoying the aroma of greasy fries and secret sauce, you refer to the directions to the vacation home you rented to find that the homeowner detailed the way to the home from every direction—except from the airport. As you pull into a gas station to buy an area map, you grumble to yourself: “This had better be the nicest vacation home I've ever seen…”
The “travel” part of traveling isn't always fun—especially if you have kids in tote (or a spouse who gets grumpy when hungry). While you can't control every aspect of a guest's vacation, you can ensure that your part of their vacation experience is as seamless as possible.
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The Traveler Experience Begins… with Your Listing
Long before a traveler even send an inquiry, they've assessed your vacation home as it appears in your listing, and in turn made a judgment about you as the homeowner. If your listing has no descriptions and features photos with 1986 date stamps, a traveler may decide that perhaps you're not very serious about renting your home and may skip to the next listing. Conversely, if your listing features lovingly staged photos and carefully crafted descriptions that not only note the size of the bed in each bedroom, but the color and thread count of the sheets, a traveler is more likely to conclude that you're an owner who will take care of them and their family or group.
As a homeowner, we never know how many travelers view our listing and seriously consider our home, but never send an inquiry.
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| When a Traveler Sends an Inquiry They Expect a Response… in a Timely Fashion The typical traveler sends anywhere between 2 and 10 inquiries and guess what? They expect owners to respond. And what‘s one of the most common traveler complaints that we get here at HomeAway.com?: “I sent out 9 inquiries and didn't get a single response.” Respond to inquires even if you're booked or the traveler is asking for a ridiculous discount and you never know—the traveler may be willing to switch their dates or pay your advertised rates. Either way, they'll definitely appreciate the effort and may keep your home in mind for future vacations. |
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Refer to Miss Manners… Talking to Potential Guests on the Phone
Since you may never have the pleasure of meeting every guest face-to-face, talking to them on the phone will be your best chance to get to know them—and for them to get to know you. When you speak to a potential guest on the phone, put on your customer service hat and be cognizant of your tone and your surroundings.
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If possible, try to give prospective guests your undivided attention and be prepared to play travel agent a little bit if the traveler is unfamiliar with your area. By forging a connection with the traveler, you'll be much more likely to secure the booking and you may even earn yourself an annual renter.
Continue to Part 2
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© Copyright 2008 HomeAway, Inc. U.081029.KD
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