A long busy season can cause wear and tear on a vacation rental and its supplies. With the end of the winter season nearing for some and the spring hustle looming for others, this is a great place to start to get your home dialed for the next round:
1. Freshin' Up Your Linens
I'm a bit of a freak with linens. It's these details that can make a great stay exceptional! One of the biggest differentiating factors is giving your guests the best night sleep they've had since forever… it will keep them coming back, for sure. As such, make sure your sheets, pillows, towels and mattresses are refreshing and in great shape. After the busy season or a few weeks before the new season (giving myself time to make adjustments), I tend to stay at my vacation homes for a weekend to get a true feel of things and replace linens at the first sign of wear and tear. It's also a great time to change your linens for a more seasonally appropriate option; LL Bean flannels to something with light, natural fibers allowing for circulation during the summer.
2. Double Down on a Deep Clean
In larger vacation rentals, it can be hard to do any variation of deep cleaning during the busy season, so put this at the top of your end-of-season list to keep your home in great shape. Clean out junk drawers and the closets; it's amazing at how much stuff people leave behind. Pull out appliances and large furniture, scrub baseboards and walls and make a list of what needs the attention of handyman, before it could become a bigger problem (leaks, wiggling porch stairs, and so on).
Again pay attention to the details; rewash everything from the silver wear to crockery. Wash out all the cupboards, drawers and the refrigerator in the process. Guests notice the difference.
3. Stock Up On Complimentary Items
I leave an array of complimentary goodies for my guests. Spices, coffee, crackers and other local luxuries are nice touches, but even in small individual packages, they can go stale. Always check them between seasons (or more frequently, if possible).
4. Replace Utility items
Make sure these items are in working order and that there are additional replacements. Lightbulbs (and the working condition of lamps) tend to be overlooked as well as batteries. Think of all the flashlights, smoke detectors, remotes and electronic key entry systems that are battery operated. All are essential to the flawless functioning of your home.
5. Update Your Welcome Information
This includes your house book, local magazines, and the travel brochures you provide. Make sure they are current, seasonally relevant and in good shape (no one likes coffee stained or crinkled materials!). Many guests rely on such things, so be generous with your stash and thoughtful of the activities for your location.
This guest post was written by Kris Getzie, Founder & Principal Consultant at Volo. She is a vacation rental expert and author of the recently published Vacation Rentals For Newbies.