Prepare Your Vacation Rental for the Gen-Xers

As a vacation rental owner one very important aspect of setting your home apart from the crowd is providing amenities travelers expect. This year (2007) the Baby Boomers have been replaced by the Gen Xers as the largest group of both business and leisure travelers. Gen Xers are fond of leisure travel and spend more per trip than their Boomer counterparts and have higher expectations for the level of service, amenities and quality in their accommodations.

Gen Xers although individuals, have a number of common characteristics they look for when choosing their accommodations. Here is a list of preferences as they relate to travel decisions:

1. They love electronics and gadgets and they expect freebies such as internet access. Is your rental set up for wireless access? Most Gen Xers travel with laptops.

2. Gen Xers respond to promotional offers as they make vacation plans. They are always looking for discounts. Do you offer specials to fill you calendar? They often make plans last minute taking advantage of airline specials.


3. Gen Xers are more oriented toward family life and more leisure trips. Expect 3-4 day getaways to become more prevelant. Do you have a minimum stay of 7 nights? If so, reducing the required number of nights can help to increase your bookings.

4. They consistantly value three things: service, security, and a comfortable bed. Are you receiving good feedback from previous guests in this area?

6. Common with other groups, the Gen Xers appreciate the "personal touch" what better way to show your guests you appreciate them than by greeting them with a welcome gift upon their arrival from Welcome Your Guests Gifts.

In summary, like most vacationers the Gen Xers are looking for luxury, value, and relaxation. Take a look at your vacation rental from the Gen Xers point of view and see if you can improve in any areas. The benefits to you in the end will be a full calendar of happy travelers.

How to Pamper Your Guests

The vacation rental industry, in general, caters to more sophisticated travelers seeking luxurious accommodations with the comforts of home. It's important that your home stand out from the competition by giving them an accommodation they'll never forget.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Start pampering with your first impressions- these are your website, e-mails, phone manners and brochures. They should reflect warmth and the quality of your home.

2. Be sure to list all your amenities even the small stuff! Guests have many choices for their lodging and you never know what is important to each individual.

3. A simple "Thank You" goes a long way.

4. Provide extra pillows, blankets, towels for your guests.

5. Make sure guests have information with whom they should contact should they require assistance during their stay.

6. Provide information about the local area such as things to do, shopping, restaurants, brochures of local attractions, etc.

7. Offer to help plan a local itinerary.

8. Greet your guests with a "Welcome" gift with a personal message. Such as one of the themed gift bags from our gift service Welcome Your Guests Gifts

Vacation Homes More Fun With a Themed DVD Collection

In addition to offering vacation rental homeowners our popular gift bags at Welcome Your Guests Gifts, we blog about other fine touches you might apply to personalize your holiday home toward increasing renter loyalty.

For example, our Squidoo lens site showcases several fun DVDs you might choose to stock in your vacation home. You could theme your DVD selections based on the climate in your vacation town and the lifestyle interests typically associated with people who travel there.

Specifically, homeowners running vacation rentals in the Aspen or Vail areas, for instance, might stock up on DVDs offering ski instructions. And those of us who house travellers in Florida or the Caribbean might make available a few hit movies that were filmed in our vacation "backyard." Which means that a James Bond classic would qualify as a great DVD to keep in your vacation home in...

Well, let's just see how well you know your 007 trivia!

Vacation Rental Homeowners' Gift Service

Vacation rental homeowners from Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas to Colorado, Pennsylvania and Texas are facing more intense competition these days. Regardless of whether your own a beachfront or ski resort home, attracting and keeping loyal renters to a vacation property is becoming increasingly more challenging.

The stakes are high. Few can afford a decrease in annual bookings for their vacation properties -- not with expenses soaring for services such as painters, plumbers, property taxes, property management, and landscaping for investment properties. The point is, vacation rental homeowners must work smarter, but not necessarily harder, to maintain and hopefully increase their property bookings.

That's where Welcome Your Guests Gifts comes in...

With your unique challenges in mind, our hospitality service provides vacation homeowners an easy-to-use welcome gift solution. Imagine how special your renters will feel when greeted by high quality "goodwill gifts" such as our Tea Time and Nature's Good Stuff gift bags (pictured in side bar).

• Our elegantly packaged gift bags feature two very exciting product lines -- the Naked Bee and the Portsmouth Tea Company. Suitable for gift-giving in warm and cold climates, either gift helps distinguish your home as a place of distinction and launches a high-value stay.

• Homeowners who live out-of-state, or even out of the country, particularly find our service easy-to-use and extremely convenient. We deliver on the personal touch they know is important, but simply falls through the cracks due to distance and other life priorities.

• Our gift bags are clear-wrapped and finished with a sheer organza bow. We also can include on the gift tag a personalized greeting message bearing your name.



• Our gift bags come elegantly packaged and are shipped to your property manager, who can store them in your owner's closet and easily set one out prior to the arrival of each vacationing guest.


• Wonderfully priced under $25, our quality gift bags also are tax deductible for most vacation homeowners. What's more, purchase 22 or more items and you'll receive our Deluxe Homeowners Set of the same fine products, valued at $50!

For more product information, an FAQ, or to order gift bags to start impressing your guests, visit us at WelcomeYourGuests.com.