Vacation Rental Orientation!

Relax in this modern art loft in San Francisco

Welcome fresh Rentinian!

We are happy that you have begun your vacation rental business via Rentini.  We trust that you are also excited about this venture.  To help you get started, we’ve written up a few considerations to assist you with your business.

Mark Twain famously said, “Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”  Indeed, he was right.  Human history has taught us that it is of utmost importance how we treat ourselves — and each other.  Furthermore, when business depends on it, consequences can hit the pocket book.  So treat your future guests as you would want to be treated.  Well, easier said than done, you might say.  Treat guests well?  What does that even mean?

First, smile! 🙂  Wait, you might say, I might not even have to see this person face-to-face, why do I need to smile?  Smiles come across in the tone of your interactions, whether they be by phone, via email, or face-to-face.  In other words, smile and smile like you mean it!  If genuine, the person on the other end will feel your warmth.  After all, the fact that this person is a potential customer is reason enough to smile.  In the end, it’s simply good practice.  Be the person you want to be: friendly, courteous, and professional.  Your guests will appreciate it.

Tied into this advice is the need to communicate clearly and to respond to questions and emails in a timely manner.  Promptly reply to inquiries.  Allay any concerns or doubts your guests might have.  You may want to have canned responses, or already prepared email messages, to reply quickly to questions or messages that you’ll likely get on an ongoing basis.  This will help build your reputation and will likely reward you with more business.  

Another tidbit of advice as you start, is to be a transparent Rentinier.  Transparency is a long-standing expectation in this business.  All content on your listing should accurately represent your property.  Hidden fees and costs are anathema to you, your granny, and me!  Why include these excess variables?  Cut them out of the equation.  Photos, pricing, and amenities should be consistently accurate.  Rentini helps you do just that.  Give your guests the vacation they deserve!

Rentini is here to facilitate and help you organize your business.  We’ll provide you with the tools and open the door for you.  It’s up to you to walk through it.  We’ll be here every step of the way.  

What do I need to do to have things ready on my end?  Prepare the home!  Be sure to have maintenance and cleaning services on call.  Find a reliable and dedicated house cleaner that will make your rental clean and presentable for guests.  Find a good maintenance person to make any necessary repairs.  Bring out your interior design vision–furnish your home for the type of guest you want to attract.  Have the check-in/check-out procedures and entry details ready for guests.  Create a property inventory and safely lock away any personal items not for guest use.  

Wow!  Is that all?  Not quite.  You’ll have to make sure your rental business complies with the law of the land.  Rentini will provide additional information on business licenses, and short-term rental laws that apply to you.  However, ultimately your taxes are your own business.  

Don’t fret!  Remember that success is a journey, not the destination.  By completing your profile on Rentini, much of your vacation rental work is already done for you!  You’re on your way!  We wish you the best.  

Please feel free to check out the feedback page and give us your two cents on our site!

Best regards,
Your friends at Rentini

©RENTINI

Traveler Orientation!

Welcome fresh Rentinier!

If you are planning a vacation, one of your first questions these days is, Which accommodation should I choose?  Should I stay in a Hotel or try a Vacation Rental?  The answer to this depends entirely on you and what you want. In order to help sort out what’s right for you, we’ve written up a few of the pros and cons of each.  Our goal isn’t to be impartial.  Rather, we just want to give some credit to each side of the “divide”.

A Resort Hotel or a Vacation Rental?

On the one hand, Vacation Rentals naturally tend to feel homier than hotels. Given that a rental often has the luxuries of a home, such as an entertainment system complete with a collection of films, music, video games, board games, and reading materials, many people find it easier to settle in to a rental.  Space is a biggie, too.  Instead of booking multiple rooms ,a rental will have the openness and connectedness of a home where everyone hastheir space, including the common area and yard.  In fact, the great advantage of vacation homes is that they tend to have more room than hotels. This is partly why so many people swear by the value of a vacation home. For families, groups, and couples, the vacation home is often exactly what they want.

On the other hand, many hotels offer services that aren’t typically included in arental.  While some vacation homes include a concierge on duty, a daily cleaner, room service, a driver, and other outside services, these are more commonly found within the realm of resort hotels.  Many people enjoy the freedom and ability to prepare a meal using the full-kitchen and grill at a rental; others may prefer to have a professional cater meals to them.

If youprefer personnel at your service, a resort hotel might be right for you. You spend your life at home doing chores, minding your own business,having everything catered to you just might be the break you’re looking for. Many luxury hotels typically have a fitness room, spas and pools,restaurants, stores, information desks, and plenty of staff available. Some even have nannies, cigar rooms, and a host of other services. Think the full package deal whereby you can go and choose what you wantand when you want it.  Tourist activities are on call.

This is great, you say.  At a hotel, a cleaner will come in, change my sheets, andmake my bed every morning!  While it is nice having a change of sheets and fresh towels everyday, this luxury has a hidden cost. And it isn’t exactly good for the environment, either.  Hotel washing machines are often perpetually in motion, utilizing precious resources like water and electricity.  At a vacation rental, you can decide how your bed looks.  There are usually spare sheets and extra towels there anyway.  But if need be, you can always wash sheets and towels along with your clothes in the laundry room.

Vacation rentals are often private, do-it-yourself affairs.  If you want to get all the services of a luxury resort hotel, a little more planning is necessary.  

True,  many vacation homes also have pools.  Some include country-club access. On Rentini, you’re told up front what amenities are included and what activities are “nearby” that you can access on your own.  We like to think of it as empowering the individual — you — to search and select what you want.  

You have the freedom of choice, the ability to decide for yourself, on your own terms. If you want to throw a little gathering, you can do so.  In the end, you’ll likely end up saving more than if you had chosen a luxury hotel.

Vacation rentals also have the added cache of getting some local flavor.  You’ll likely be staying in a family-owned home instead of a corporate-owned hotel. The decor will reflect the individuality and personality of the owners aswell as local ambiance.  At a rental, you can bring your whole family, ora group of friends.  Often, the pets can come too.

The decision is yours.  At Rentini, we’re here to help you find what you’relooking for.

Best regards,
the people at Rentini

©RENTINI

Private Helicopter!

©RENTINI Some people ask, “Does Rentini have their own jet?”  Not yet.  But we do have a private helicopter made by New Relic!  Just one at the moment, but it brings us plenty of joy.

On the way to Jericho!

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“A desert is a place without expectation.”  —Nadine Gordimer

Iguazú Falls!

©RENTINI “A journey of the spirit only starts with somewhere wondrous.  It continues wherever we are, through the doors that wonder has opened.”   —Pico Iyer

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Antigua, Guatemala!

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“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

Jerusalem’s Temple Mount!

©RENTINI “Considered sacred ground even before Biblical times and bitterly contested in our own day, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is one of the most fascinating and important places on earth. Few places in the world have enjoyed such religious significance. According to Jewish, Christian and Muslim doctrine, it was here that Adam was buried after being expelled from Eden. This is also the site where it is said Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, where Solomon built his Temple, and where Muhammad ascended to heaven.” from the Biblical Archaeology Review

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