The owners of vacation rental properties may face significant changes to their usual protocols in light of COVID-19. Not only are many guests foregoing travel this year, either for fear of contracting the virus themselves or due to a lack of finances, the guests who still choose to travel may have different needs than they did just weeks ago. You may need to make some changes to your vacation rental to help address COVID-19 concerns. What, exactly, are your guests looking for in vacation rentals during COVID-19? While those needs are likely to continue to change, it’s important to pay attention to the shifting needs of your guests in light of the pandemic and its aftermath. Let’s take a look at some important things to consider in order to make your guests more comfortable in your vacation rental during COVID-19.
1. Guests may be looking for more private amenities on the property.
Vacation rentals during COVID-19 need to pay special importance to privacy. While they’ve rented your property to visit the beach and check out the local area, guests may spend more time on the property than usual during their vacation, especially if social distancing measures continue into summer. As a result, guests may look for more private amenities on the property: pools that they don’t have to share with other members of the community, game tables, and a fully-connected television that they can link to their Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon accounts. Including a few games and books in the rental can also help guests pass the time, especially if they’re worried about potentially busy public locations.
2. Guests need to know that you’re taking hygiene and cleanliness seriously.
Cleanliness is the most important thing to highlight in your vacation rentals during COVID-19. In a vacation rental, guests may be exposed to the germs of the guests that came before them. Take the time to clean carefully between guests. You may even want to put an extra day or two between renters until the pandemic reaches its end, giving you more time to clean and germs time to die on those surfaces. Not only should you take those measures, but you should also let your guests know about them! Include vital information about how you’re working to protect your guests on any communications you have with your renters.
In addition to cleaning the property yourself, you may want to provide guests with access to cleaning supplies. Not only should you increase the hand soap and other options available to your guests, consider leaving cleaning wipes, sprays, and paper towels that they can use to clean up during their visit.
3. Guests may need information about local restaurants and stores.
As guests visit during and after the coronavirus pandemic, they may feel more comfortable eating in the vacation rental than in a restaurant. Provide information that will allow your guests to order in delivery, from the best pizza restaurants in the area for delivery to the nearby restaurants that provide carryout options. Also, consider offering information about local grocery stores, so that guests can handle their own shopping and cooking as needed. Giving guests these options to eat will greatly improve the experiences in your vacation rentals during COVID-19.
4. Guests may want to stay for longer periods of time.
Many guests may be looking for a way to escape from the cares of the world. That’s why vacation rentals during COVID-19 need to be top-notch. Employees in many businesses now have the ability to work remotely, which means that they can take a longer-term vacation with their family while still keeping up with work responsibilities. Others may want the benefits of a long stay to give them a place to stay that doesn’t rely on a contract, especially as they work to recover their finances. Consider offering discounts for longer-term rentals, especially if you notice a continued disruption in the number of seasonal guests who visit your property.
Transitioning your vacation rental to deal with the challenges associated with COVID-19 can be difficult, but it’s well worth the effort. Ideally, you want to be able to continue to bring guests in and provide them with an amazing experience–and hopefully bring them back to your rental for future vacations.
About VacationAtMyPlace.com: We are a vacation rental site serving the beaches of Maryland and Delaware. Property owners can list their properties for free, and guests will pay an industry-low 3% booking fee.
For more information, email us at info@VacationAtMyPlace.com or visit https://VacationAtMyPlace.com/ today!