Off-Season Visitors
No, we don’t want to know if you can bend down and touch your toes, we mean with your rental rates and fees. It’s off season, your rooms are vacant and except for a few stragglers here and there not many guests come stay during mid-week. Weekends are steady with guests looking to take advantage of the low season crowds, but during the week, in general your rentals are typically not occupied.
Flexible Guests
While traveling recently, we experienced a situation that truly boggled our minds. Hoping for flexibility and sensible customer service, we were looking to spend four nights in the Texas Hill Country. We planned on doing some work and talking with local vacation rental managers and owners. We wanted to tube down the Guadalupe River…something that we have enjoyed dozens of times while we lived in Texas. In late April and early May the temperatures are great and the crowds haven’t shown up yet, which allows for an enjoyable, relaxing time on the river.
Budget minded travelers
Having our budget planned for lodging, we did the usual online search using websites like Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor and a few others. But due to the season and last minute travel plans (sometimes we just like to “wing it”), it was difficult to line up lodging. We thought we could arrive in the area and find a getaway rental that would accommodate our travel needs. We requested to book a cottage on the river two days in advance from an Airbnb host and never received a response. That was disappointing. Typically, we have had very good experiences with Airbnb, with quick response times, but we were not as fortunate this time.
Canyon Lake, TX and the Guadalupe River
It was low season in the Canyon Lake, TX area, and Sunday afternoon we made a road trip from Houston out to the Texas Hill Country, with the expectation that finding a rental that afternoon might be a bit of a challenge. However, as we drove around our familiar old stomping grounds, the adventure grew less fun. We began to get discouraged with our options. Offices were closed because it was late in the day. WiFi was scarce so online booking options were not feasible, but we pressed on.
Real-time Rental Property Booking
After driving around for an hour or two and passing several condos, cabins, cottages and travel lodges with one or two cars in their lots, we stopped at a lodge right on the river. The phone number for after-hours check-in was posted on the office door. It was the owner’s number. After speaking with the owner we felt that the rates were a bit beyond our budget. As it was getting late in the day, we drove to another travel lodge close by that we had stayed at a few years ago with our extended family.
Discount Packages?
We knew this location was probably more expensive than we wanted, but we figured they might be willing to work with us since they had a vacancy sign up, we were repeat customers and there was not a single vehicle in the parking lot. Their office was closed, but we happened to catch a woman on the cleaning crew driving around in a golf cart. We told her what we were looking for and she knew of a cabin that would suit us. She insisted we have a credit card and she kindly called the owner from her cell phone to get us a price quote. It was 40% higher per night than the first property owner’s price. We counter offered but they would not adjust their price.
We thanked the woman for her help and drove away. We then called the previous owner back and asked if she had any deals that would help reduce the cost of our four-night stay (Sun – Thu). She promptly met us at the office and was a pleasure to talk with. After an enjoyable 20 minute check-in experience, we received 4 nights for the price of 3 with an upgrade to their largest vacant suite. We had spacious accommodations right on the river with a beautiful patio to lounge on. That is flexibility and customer service! Let us help you promote the appeal of your discount packages so you can delight you customers.
What your guests have to say…
Property reviews are a key factor in people looking for lodging these days. We question why property owners would not reasonably offer an off-season pricing package, particularly to a previous guest. Also, it did not make sense why a vacation getaway rental property would be willing to leave rooms unoccupied for over half a week. Treat your guests special! They will tell their friends and family…and they’ll come back and give you great reviews.
Think outside the box and…Be Flexible!
Be flexible, hospitable and prepared to offer discount packages in to improve your occupancy rates. RoomtoBoom would love to help you promote your getaway packages to help you maintain and grow your occupancy rates.