DEL.ICIO.USComfort by contract
For the AJC
Sunday, May 17, 2009
As we head into the summer, the economic crisis doesn’t necessarily mean that the vacation Grinch is destined to foil your getaway plans.
Booking a vacation home is a better deal than ever these days. Rentals (including single-family homes, townhomes, or condos) are discounted from 10 percent to 40 percent, according to industry insiders.
HomeAway.com
‘Villa Horizon 2’ in Holetown, Barbados, features four bedrooms, four and a half baths, and a private swimming pool. It rents from $550 per night.
HomeAway.com
‘Casa de Paraiso,’ this five-bedroom home in the Dominican Republic has a private pool and 24-hour security.
Courtesy of Margie Greer
This house on Tybee Island, Ga., sleeps six and rents from $160 per night.
“This is what we’re calling the year of extraordinary opportunity,” says Gerard Bellino, vice president of U.S. Leisure for CWT Vacations, Carlson Wagonlit’s luxury leisure travel branch.
HomeAway.com, which carries a broad inventory of vacation rentals, estimates that homes can cost 50 percent to 80 percent less per square foot than the average hotel room and can give vacationers more for their money.
“You get all the comforts of home—a kitchen, a yard to play in, a deck to sit on, rooms for each of the kids — and a lot of other great amenities, like a swimming pool, a hot tub, and you may even be able to bring the pets,” says Mike Butler, chief commercial officer for HomeAway.com.
The extra personal space and the ability to split the cost among several people make vacation homes a popular option for large groups and extended families.
For the past seven years, Jennifer Hasty and her husband, Clint, have vacationed on Florida’s St. George Island with 14 friends and family, plus a golden retriever.
“We’re there to spend time with our family, and when we stay in a house, we don’t have to worry about crowds and other people,” says Hasty, a full-time mom from Cumming. “I always make sure there is a pool for the kids, a kitchen that’s big enough for my mother and me to cook in without bumping into each other, and with older people in the family, we always get an elevator. “
Still, things can go wrong.
“We had one incident where raccoons actually pooped in the pool, because on an island where there is wildlife, that can happen,” Hasty says. “We called the rental company, and they were there within an hour. They cleaned and shocked the pool while we were at the beach with the kids, and (the children) never even knew that it had happened.
Mary Elzey, a marketing executive from Decatur, learned firsthand that not all rental companies are as responsive. Two years ago she and her husband, Rob, booked a Caribbean home with three other couples on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“There were major issues with water and flooding,” recalls Elzey. “The rental company manager brought us a bottle of wine and some cheese to try to make up for the fact that it was so disgusting. We were pretty sure we might get Legionnaire’s Disease.
“They offered to move us to another property, says Elzey, “but it wasn’t anywhere comparable to the one we were staying in.”
So the Elzeys and their friends stayed put, but they carefully documented their complaints.
“Make sure that you not only write down the names of people you talk to and the dates, but also take photos of any problems,” Elzey advises. “Look in the guest book, too, because if you’ve had a problem, chances are somebody else has also had it. In our case, some people had written, ‘The house is great, but there is severe water damage.’ “
After writing two letters, the group eventually recouped half the cost of their rental.
Several vacation Web sites are trying to allay fears about property condition and maintenance.
FlipKey.com, which features about 80,000 vacation rental properties, claims the largest collection of verified guest reviews.
Guests are automatically invited to leave a review after they check out, and no one is allowed to post a review if they haven’t stayed at the property, preventing a flood of glowing reviews by owners’ family and friends. Owners can respond to reviews, but they cannot delete them.
Zonder.com, another vacation rental site, offers a full refund if “the property’s location is grossly misstated or the property sleeps fewer guests than represented.” The site also lets Internet users book any of its 30,000 properties directly through the Web site using a credit card, without having to contact individual owners or companies.
While it may be wise to prepare for the worst, vacation rental customers are mostly happy with their experiences, according to PhoCusWright research. Nearly 90 percent of vacation rental guests in its study said they would rent again and would recommend the rental to others.
Even Elzey plans to book another villa in St. John this summer. “It’s much better to stay in a home where you can sit on a deck, drink a margarita and enjoy the sunset with friends versus watching it with 200 strangers at a hotel,” she says.
Tips for renting
Determine the rental’s condition, and ask about recent or needed repairs.
Enquire about amenities. In addition to the standard, you may be able to secure housekeeping, a chef, tickets to attractions, or spa services for an extra fee or even on a complimentary basis.
Google the name of the property/rental company. If there are unsatisfied guests, you might find a record of complaints.
Ask about the security deposit. How much is it? Is the money held in escrow? What sort of damages would be deducted?
Consider sleeping arrangements. Are all bedrooms comparable? What size beds do they have? “If a property sleeps 10 but it’s only three bedrooms, it may have a bunkroom with four twin beds and a sleeper sofa,” Barnes says. “If you’ve got 10 adults, that’s not going to work.”
Find out about booking policies. Many properties require a 50 percent deposit at the time of the booking. Can any of that money be recouped if you have to cancel?
Know your rights. What happens if your rental is double-booked or uninhabitable when you arrive?
Sign up for travel insurance. Coverage options may range from trip interruption and cancellation to medical evacuation, war, terrorism, and rental home foreclosure.
Get a 24-hour emergency number for after-hour service.
Report problems immediately. Document all calls to rental companies and insurance companies, and photograph any unsatisfactory conditions.
Get agreements in writing.
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