Independent owner support for the vacation rental industry

Running a successful vacation rental property in today’s competitive climate can be a complex business. So where can independents look for owner support?

Owner support was something to be only dreamed of when Homes and Rooms founder Barry Sacks took on ownership of his first vacation rental property more than a decade ago. Few could have guessed just how much the ‘industry’ would expand and change. Then it was very much a cottage industry with independent owners managing as best they could. With the rapid progression of the web, everything has changed. Knowledgeable owner support for independent vacation rental owners is essential to enable them to operate effectively and fully enjoy the exciting opportunities offered by our industry.

Newcomers face particular challenges

For newcomers to ownership particularly, some aspects of managing a vacation rental will provide challenges. Owner support would no doubt be appreciated. But where to look for this? Start right here at Homes and Rooms. Our founder Barry and others on the Homes and Rooms team have first hand experience of the issues, problems and difficulties you face as an independent vacation rental owner. The services we provide have been developed with owner support in mind. To save you time and to help you more effectively manage your vacation rental.

Established blog with large archive

First off, Homes and Rooms has this established blog that ranges far and wide across most aspects of owning and running a vacation rental. Everything from furnishing and decorating it, through promoting and advertizing it to helping you fill your reservations calendar. For subscribers, there is a whole range of ‘how to’ blogs about getting the best out of the Homes and Rooms services. Try it. You might find the answer you need in its sizeable archive. Likewise, take a look at founder Barry Sacks’ independent blog. Here Barry considers and comments on current  issues and industry developments which affect the independent vacation rental owner. Guess who’s side he’s on?

Industry news and information

Not only is the worldwide web a great source of bookings but it also provides a mine of information about the business for vacation rental owners. Try the Vacation Rental Managers Association website, particularly their blog, for news and information affecting the industry. LinkedIn has a variety of private groups focused on vacation rentals such as the Vacation Rentals Professional Network which has a lively forum. You can apply to join to discuss issues and share ideas with industry professionals. This could be especially useful for owners with more than one vacation rental property.

Some of our favourite blogs

As you would expect from an industry that is something of a hidden giant, there are many blogs covering vacation rental issues and offering owner support. Our personal favourites include Heather and Mike Bayer’s The Cottage Blogger which describes itself as ‘An information resource for vacation home owners with marketing suggestions, ideas for maximizing occupancy, and recommendations for increasing rental bookings.’ And of course, for the finger on the industry’s pulse, Matt Landau’s lively and informative Vacation Rental Marketing blog with its prestigious Inner Circle subscription forum. For hot industry news, Skift, which offers ‘global travel intelligence’ is hard to beat. For news and information with the emphasis on travel technologies try Tnooz, which bills itself as a ‘global provider of news, analysis, commentary, education, data and business services to the travel, tourism and hospitality industry’.

Eager to help you

The team at Homes and Rooms are always eager to help with owner support where they can. Try the Live Chat service on our website or tweet us on Twitter. We’d love to hear from you. Last, but not least, if you want to know more about Homes and Rooms, try our helpful FAQ pages.