The Art And Science Of Responding To Vacation Rental Inquiries - Part 1

So what's so complicated, you say, about providing information and answering questions from potential vacation renters? After all, as an owner, you certainly know your property well. And it's not like it's rocket science or something. Or is it?

As you will see in this issue and the next, responding effectively to inquiries - in a way that maximizes your chances of securing bookings - is a well-balanced cocktail of technology, behavioral science, intuition, good communications and experience.

How Your Computer's Auto-Reply Capability Can Become an Ally

You're not always in front of your computer when inquiries arrive. And responding to all those inquiries can be quite time-consuming. But you've learned that not responding in a timely manner is not an option - it may mean losing bookings. On the positive side, your quick turnaround tells a potential guest that you'll be just as responsive in dealing with any problem that may arise during his stay. So what's the solution?

You've probably noticed those automatic computer messages that business people generate to confirm reception of email when they're away from the office for any extended period of time. You too can put this tool to good use in your rental business. Setting up an auto-reply message can help you manage your initial contacts with your potential renters. The technical procedure is pretty straight-forward, but if you can't figure it out, ask a technician or friend for help.

Start by deciding what level of information you want to provide in this first correspondence - which will be your second chance to make a positive impression. Renters will have already viewed your property listing, which means your auto-reply message should include some additional useful information. However, it's important to avoid overkill at this stage - it's often better not to tell all until you have a better idea of your renter's needs, desires and personality. So save the detailed explanations and the answers to his questions for your next communication. With experience, you will get a sense for how much info and which precise details to include in this first communication, and how to work up from there. You might want to include some of your own questions, to help you screen the renter.

Some owners have simplified their lives and that of their renters by setting up a Web page that provides standard, high-quality information to renters. Your first communication with your potential renter could simply be a referral to your Web page. If this is your approach, make sure that you still sound warm and personal in your email message and not distant or mechanical.

While you're thinking about what to include in your first communication, why not set up today a warm but professional auto-reply message such as this one:

We're so pleased that our property caught your attention! We're very much looking forward to telling you more about it and our exciting region and answering all your questions. We promise to get back to you within 24 hours. Please tell us where you learned about our property and if this is your first trip to our area.

Remember to provide your name, contact info and the name and reference ID of your property on third-party Web sites so that the renter who has been exploring several properties can remember yours. If you have a web page, add your link as well as a link back to your property listings on those other sites. Make sure you know how to activate (hyperlink) these links in your email (see Insert menu). Reiterate the dates to avoid confusion later.

The Fast-and-Dirty Response

When you're ready to sit down and answer those inquiries, start by glancing through all of them to identify those that can or should be handled urgently - there are at least four types in this urgent category.

* Last-minute bookings: If a renter has decided to organize a last-minute vacation, there's no time to lose - you'll need to give priority to his request.

* Dates and pricing: Many renters start their search by sending off messages to several potentially interesting property listings. All they are interested in at this point is availability and pricing, so don't waste their time or yours by providing a lot of information they don't want at this time. Two exceptions: If you're booked out on the requested dates, do provide alternate dates - this might turn things around. And don't lose an opportunity to invest in the future: Add a "hook" - some tidbit of info that could work to keep you high on the renter's priority list, if not for this vacation then sometime soon.

* Poor match: With experience, you'll be able to identify renters who are unsuited to your property. These situations will be easier to handle if you have already taken the time to determine exactly who your target clientele is and what kind of renter you want to avoid. Matching the inquiry against that list - and against your rules and regulations - should allow you to screen. Remember to send these people a thoughtful email thanking them for their interest and telling them why your property is not the right one for them.

* Scams: Watch out for suspicious emails - among tell-tale signs are offers to pay by wire transfer or other unusual payment methods, confusing or contradictory information or multiple grammar mistakes. A quick phone call to the supposed renter or a reverse phone search will help confirm your intuition. If you are pretty sure that the inquiry is a scam, delete the email and warn the sites on which you list your properties.

To be continued in "The Art And Science of Responding to Vacation Rental Inquiries - Part 2"

References
1. Bridget McCrea & Stephen Spignesi, Second Homes for Dummies (Indiannapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2007)
2. RentalSeal.com

Tags : Vacation rentals, vacation rentals by owner, vacation home rentals, vacation homes for rent

About The Author

Michael Canson
PR Specialist
http://www.rentforyourvacation.com

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/travel_and_leisure/article_4348.shtml

The Top 5 Burlesque, Cabaret and Comedy Clubs In London

London’s Top Burlesque, Cabaret and Comedy Clubs

Making a list of the best burlesque and cabaret clubs in London is in part a fools errand. The requirements of say a middle aged American tourist from the Mid West is going to be very different from that of say a young metropolitan burlesque aficionado or a hen /office party for that matter. And that’s before getting into supper club vs theatre style club vs bar style club, gay vs straight or the whole traditional vs neo burlesque debate. Below are what I call my five “best of breeds”. I make no attempt to crown one “best of show” – continue my canine simile – because to do so would be errant nonsense.

Madame Jojos

A must for everyone not just because it is the Daddy of the burlesque cabaret scene but because through its superlative programming it caters for almost everyone from my American tourist (go for the weekend shows) to my burlesque aficionado hipsters (go for the showcases and some of the midweek shows) not to mention having some rather good club nights (but that’s for another article). If anything the only groups not well catered for I would say are UK hen and office parties who might find the weekend shows too dumbed down (well you try and find humour that can encompass 20 different nationalities – including Japanese - that isn’t!) and the midweek show / showcases a mite inaccessible. Wonderful architecture and a convenient location caps off a great overall package . Other grumbles might be the high prices and the so so food and drinks but that’s not really the point is it. My main criticism is that it leans far too heavily towards traditional burlesque /cabaret forms and is looking increasingly dated for it relative to its more avante garde rivals – shades of The Royal Academy of Art there perhaps in the mid 90s which go so left behind by the likes of Goldsmiths College with the whole Brit Art thing. Still should one expect a venerable Grande Dame to be anything else – I mean would you want your Great grandmother to be break dancing and “getting it on” with the kids Particularly well suited for tourists

Volupte

Again situated conveniently in the West End albeit in a somewhat uninspiring (but well decked out) basement Volupte is my preferred London supper club. Escellent burlesque programming with a good range of both traditional and neo burlesque performers and for that matter a great website too with not a flash of err flash. What I especially like about the programming is that its both sophisticated and accessible at the same time something which from my own experience is quite hard to achieve. Everything is just right from the ever so crisp white linen table clothes to the faux Edwardian table lamps. Good food and drinks service too with a large stage (albeit somewhat obscured behind pillars for some tables so do make sure to check when booking!). Grumbles unfortunately as a supper club the atmosphere can be bit restrained to say the least and with a Holborn address very office party dominated (the yards of white linen only surpassed by the acres of white shirts and ties of the office workers who descend pack like) so the audience is somewhat less sophisticated than the shows (the management by the way are to be complimented for ignoring the “I want more tits and arse” brigade). I am not a great fan of the standing tickets either and as with all West End venues yes the prices are high. An excellent late licence caps off a great night out. Oh and please do avid expensive imitations like Pigalle’s which I have heard nothing but bad reports about (Vince Powers should really stick to rock and roll!)

Vauxhall Tavern

The legendary gay cabaret haunt which has launched just about every gay /transvestite crossover TV comedian and host in the UK and beyond for the last 20 years which tells you something of the quality of the acts here. All this in a venue unparalleled anywhere in the UK for its grossness from the sweat stained black walls to loos indescribable in their filthiness - all which of course provides the perfect backdrop for the b*tch queen from hell style of acts that predominate here (hecklers beware!). Unfortunately this venue is strictly gay so not accessible for the majority of us. People often write of how Lost Vagueness, avante garde performers like Leigh Bowery and clubs like Torture Garden helped spark off the neo burlesque movement . However I suspect the Vauxhall Tavern had a far greater indirect influence than any of these. So for any gay or bi sexual people from overseas visiting London don’t leave till experienced at least one night at The Vauxhall Tavern. But a word of warning do avoid the legion of cheap and expensive imitations from Clapham to Camden – none of them are the patch on the real thing. Finally the Vauxhall Tavern is obviously much more a cabaret than burlesque venue – you won’t be seeing too many girls in feathers not unless they are drag queens that is. Grumbles its gay only and really could do with a tiny bit of a clean and maybe a tiny bit of air conditioning too without of course wanting to in any way change the character of the place. Oh No! Particularly well suited for metropolitan gay and gay friendly customers

Bethnal Green Working Mans Club.

I am not entirely sure why I am including this venue because its not actually a burlesque or cabaret venue at all - it is as the title suggests a working mans club in a really rather unpleasant part of London. It’s also rather unpleasant inside although possibly of interest to sociologists as you do feel you are walking back in time to the 1950s - from the ancient cashier at the front door to the aging beehive haired harridans who pass for bar staff (serving some of the most uninspiring drinks I have seen. Lets just say the mixology revolution forget to get off at Bethnal Green tube) not forgetting vinyl and carpets so decrepit that you wonder it does not stick to your shoes (oh and does on busy nights). The programming is however inspired and its home to some of the best roving neo burlesque club nights (Wham Bam Club for one) and performers (Chocolate Delicieux for one). However do check listings in advance and do ring in advance too or when you arrive you might be very disappointed when you find there is no show and only warm beer in plastic glasses and checkers for entertainment. Particularly well suited for metropolitan sophisticated burlesque aficionados and clubbers

Peacock Bar http://www.the-peacock-bar.co.uk

Now I have to confess to some bias here as I book the club and helped create it. However in my defence Peacock Bar has been rated Top London Burlesque Club, Top London Cabaret Club as well as Top Birthday Party venue by ViewLondon [plus won just about every other award under the sun in the last six months including Top London Small Venue from Function Fixers. Our programming is very much neo burlesque – really musical comedy sketches /social commentary in the finest Kinks style. We also specialise in being interactive and bringing audience members on stage with a lot of improve as well as being a bar club rather than a supper club. All of which we believe creates a much livelier, exciting and dynamic atmosphere than you get at either supper clubs (although we do of course provide food) or traditional burlesque shows (well just how many girls in feathers can you see in a lifetime). We also try and program seasonally so for Christmas we are presenting “ Christmas Lunch and Christmas Dinner with a difference with free burlesque and cabaret – put your boss on stage and humiliate him! Particularly well suited for birthday party, Christmas party, hen party and stag party bookings.

That completes my review of the Top Five Burlesque and Cabaret Clubs. Please feel free to contact me with any criticisms or praise and also with any venues I may have missed

About The Author

Lawrence Merrett is the booker and co founder of Peacock Bar, the award winning London burlesque, cabaret and cocktail bar club nightclub venue. Rated Top London Burlesque Club, Top London Cabaret Club,Top Clapham Nightclub, Top London Hen Party Venue, Top London Stag Party Venue and Top London Birthday Party Venue 2009 by Viewlondon. Copyright property of Peacock Bar. For more information seehttp://www.the-peacock-bar.co.uk

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/travel_and_leisure/article_4345.shtml

New Years Eve Restaurants in Nottingham

Nottingham becomes alive on New Year’s Eve. Nottingham is famed for its vibrant night life and there are hundreds of options for any New Years Eve revellers, the question is what to do? With the largest concentration of bars and pubs in a mile radius in the whole of Europe party goers can enjoy a huge range of stylish bars and then go to one of the many clubs and dance the night away.

The Lace Market is home to a number of stylish bars from Living Room to the famous Pitcher and Piano converted church, or perhaps West of the city towards the castle and the cobbled streets is for you. There are a good number of restaurants in Nottingham that will cater an amazing 3-5 course meal and then provide a range of post meal entertainment so you and your guests won’t have to worry about a thing! Having a meal with friends and family on New Year’s Eve is the perfect way to chat about the highs and lows of the year and indeed set those New Year’s resolutions. After all isn’t New Year’s eve about celebration, those you care about and reflection on the year just gone.

Go dine are already taking bookings for New Year’s eve and as everyone knows, those who prepare early tend to get the right offering, venue and even the best table; as the year progresses we shall be adding New Year’s Eve menus and putting these all in one area for you.

Vienna - Situated just of the Market Square in Nottingham city centre Vienna would make the ideal venue. Beautiful surroundings, in house bar, and if you want to join the crowd gathered in the square simply step outside.

Harts - Nottingham restaurant awards winner 2009, Harts will ensure your New Year’s is memorable. Exquisite food, fantastic champagne, perfect service, in-house bar, the list goes on, ooh and why not stay in the fantastic rooms within the hotel... the list is endless at Hart’s.

Home Bar and Restaurant- If you want to be slightly away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre Home Bar is a perfect venue. Home Bar is literally that, Home from home. Enjoy a fantastic menu cooked by one of the finest chefs in Nottingham and then why not sit back in one of Home’s leather sofas.

Check out New Years Eve restaurants in Nottingham.

About The Author Mark is a passionate promotor of Spanish restaurants in Nottingham and online restaurant booking. The author invites you to visit: http://www.godine.co.uk Article Source: http://www.articlecity.com/articles/travel_and_leisure/article_4346.shtml

How To Close A Vacation Rental Deal Like A Pro

In previous article, The Art and Science of Responding to Inquiries, we discussed how to instruct your computer to automatically respond to a prospective renter's first email request, how to handle your next communication with him using the "fast-and-dirty response", how to build a FAQ to save time and energy, and when to communicate by email or phone.

Now that you've carefully and enthusiastically provided your prospective renters with clear, honest and comprehensive details about your wonderful property and region, how can you make sure that all that investment of time and effort will translate into firm bookings? In other words, as the sales specialists put it, how do you "close the deal"?

In this article, I will also provide some tips on how to screen your guests before firming up your bookings.

Benchmark and track

Let's begin this discussion by taking one step back. Start keeping statistics now so that you'll have a clear picture of where you stand. Benchmark how you are doing today, and over the coming months, track your progress - number of inquiries vs. number of bookings - as you integrate the communication techniques laid out here. Every time you lose a booking, try to figure out why and what you could do better.

Target the right clientele for your property

If you're losing bookings today, the problem may simply be that you are not aiming at the right renters for your particular property. Have you taken the time to thoughtfully reflect about what profile of renter your property would naturally attract? Have you stood back to look at your property objectively, in conjunction with your region, through the eyes of a renter?

You cannot hope to have a high ratio of bookings vs. inquiries if you're shooting too wide, as with a bee-bee gun - you may hit a few birds but because there is nothing strategic about your approach, you're wasting precious ammunition (your time and energy). It's well worth it to take some time to position and brand your property, so that you can attract the right renters through fine-tuning your communications.

Here is an exercise to guide you through this process:

1. Start by studying the profile of your past guests - describe that group, in writing. What do they have in common? Review what they told you they appreciated about your property - these elements may prove to be points you'll want to highlight in your communications.

2. What type of traveler normally visits your region? You should be able to obtain statistics and a visitor profile from your local tourist office. Visit regional tourism Web sites and inventory the type of activities available in your region - are they aimed at families, sports-minded couples, culture freaks?

3. To whom would you really prefer to be renting? For instance, you may decide you prefer to rent to couples with no children, or to small groups even though your home can accommodate a larger number.

4. Examine all the features of your property - to whom are they best suited? A "romantic spa" and a "high-tech gourmet kitchen" might not send the same message as a "kid-friendly swimming pool in a large, safe, fenced-in back yard".

5. Your rental rates help position your property within your particular vacation rental market. How do your rates compare to those of other properties in your region? Inflated rates limit the pool of interested renters while rates that are too low, compared to similar properties in your area, can create suspicion (what's wrong with this house?) and attract bargain-hunters. Investigate regional rates and make sure that yours are appropriate for your target clientele and region.

6. Have you thought about growing your renter pool by rethinking some of your policies - to include pets, for example?

Revamp your communications to fit that target clientele

Now that you've done this important positioning work, you're ready for the next step: Examine your current communications with your renters - ads, FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), email and verbal communications - and make the necessary adjustments to content and language. Ask yourself questions such as:

- Is my content and specific choice of words working to attract my target clientele?

- Are any of my claims confusing or contradictory for this target group?

- How can I present my offer so as to discourage renters whom I have excluded from my target group?

- This is a work-in-progress, so you'll need to review your communications on a regular basis and keep making adjustments. You'll discover that it is more profitable to cut back on the number of undesirable inquiries in order to make more time to invest in potentially agreeable, profitable business relationships.

Play an active role in your renter's decision-making process

Don't just wait passively for a renter to take his decision. There are several ways you can influence that decision in your favor. When a renter is faced with two or three equally interesting options, it's often going this "extra mile" that can swing the situation in your direction.

- Respect best practices: Remember that you are competing with other property owners who take their rentals as seriously as you do. So handle all inquiries in a timely and professional manner - review our compilation of best practices in our April issue. Your renter's comfort level will be affected by your overall approach and your personality.

- Like a good scout, Be Prepared! Always be ready for that call - which of course will come in at the most inconvenient moment! Keep your FAQ and booking calendar up to date and handy - near your home phone, with you in the car, in your briefcase at work - so you can quickly say whether the week requested is available or not. Be prepared to propose other dates.

- Always follow up: So many property owners don't take the trouble to follow up on inquiries. If they don't hear back from the renter, they assume she has chosen another property - which may not be the case.

Take a moment to reflect on how you yourself react to a renter's silence… Isn't it possible that the renter may simply be overwhelmed at the office, preoccupied by a child's illness, or is waiting for her procrastinating husband to give feedback on a short list of properties? Your timely, thoughtful call could tilt the balance in your favor because it will bring you and your property back top-of-mind and give you another opportunity to remind the renter of all the advantages of renting with you. In short, your call might just save the day by making it much easier for your renter to take her decision. If you can create a comfortable, trusting relationship with her during that call, your chances of closing the deal within a few hours are multiplied.

- Provide your guest with a decision-making tool: Now that you've spoken with your prospective renter and have listened to her carefully, especially her subtle in-between-the-lines messages, you have a much better understanding of where her hesitations lie. You might want to try a homemade decision-making tool such as the one below. Send this chart along with a note: "Hello, Jane. Following our conversation, I gave some thought to the concerns you expressed and have prepared this little chart for you, in the hopes that it might help you take your decision more comfortably. Let me know if I can be of any more help."

Continued in "How To Close A Vacation Rental Deal Like A Pro - Part 2"

References

1. Christine Hrib Karpinski, How to Rent Vacation Properties by Owner, 2nd Edition (Kinney Press Pollack, 2008)

2. Bridget McCrea & Stephen Spignesi, Second Homes for Dummies (Indiannapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2007)

3. OwnerCommunity.HomeAway.com 

About The Author

Michael Canson
PR Specialist
http://www.rentforyourvacation.com

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/travel_and_leisure/article_4347.shtml

How To Rent Out A Holiday Home

The important steps involved are described in this article; if the advice given is taken and you do the necessary work (some effort is necessary for what is, after all, a major investment), there will be no problems and you will maximise your marketing potential. However - and this cannot be emphasised too strongly - if you are lazy and think that good renters are going to rush to book your beautiful villa while you sit waiting for the phone to ring, you will be left with an expensive, empty investment.

The property obviously needs to meet local health and safety regulations, to be clean, well-maintained and furnished/decorated to a standard that fits what you expect to receive in rent (simple and neutral respectively is normally appropriate). It should not be cluttered by lots of personalised artifacts, such as family photos and all kitchen/bathroom utensils, etc, should be out of sight. If when guests first arrive they are welcomed by a basket of essentials (tea, coffee, milk, rolls, butter and mineral water, etc) and fresh flowers they are more likely to relax and come again next year. You should also make sure there is an up-to-date and complete file of useful local information for each new visitor.

You need to decide what dates you want to rent it out to holidaymakers and then what are the seasonally-based rental prices you should set to attract renters - based on researching prices asked for similar properties in similar locations.

Positive consideration of how the property will be maintained is necessary - if you are there, this can be controlled by yourself (covering such things as meeting guests to hand over and collect keys and formally agree the condition/contents of the property before and after and listing who to call on when the air conditioning or plumbing fails), otherwise you need an agent or a reliable person (make it a business, not an informal, arrangement) to take care of these things.

It should go without saying that you need to find out about legal and tax issues in the country where your property is located and, indeed, with your own country's taxes associated with overseas rental income. This means consulting the appropriate departments or professionals.

Then possibly the most challenging job is that of advertising. There are many ways to do this, such as in newspapers, magazines, local agents, your own website, through relatives and friends and of course via reccommendation. None of these ways are likely to generate enough bookings to make it worth your while. They would cost you a lot of time and money to control and the option of having your own website is a non-starter, because it will cost you from £500 to £1500 for a designer and your website will not be found by searchers.

On the other hand, there are many well-organised holiday rental search type websites, that have other properties on their books and that attract many visitors via the search engines (importantly, they have already made the investments needed to develop a website and promote it using various search engine optimisation, ie SEO, techniques). Some of these websites offer free advertising, some are free to advertise but take a percentage of any rentals and some simply ask for an annual fee, which varies widely but is usually proportional to how big they are. Many in each category charge extras, eg for highlighting an advert or for entering advert details. It is suggested that the free ones do not offer a very professional service, in which properties are presented too simply in advert-bound and cluttered pages. It is further suggested that the very big ones are expensive and are simply overwhelming for searchers (with thousands of options that can quickly lose a visitor).

The best option is undoubtedly to use any and all professional-looking websites with a nominal annual fee, eg £30, noting that some offer a free period (which should be grabbed with both hands!). Some work is necessary to enter details and upload photos, etc; but that's all part of the work needed to promote your property rental. Some websites do that work for you for a price, if you already have your own website to extract details from or you provide them details in some other way.

One website that you must use is http://www.solapartments.co.uk, who are free up to 1/1/2010 (then £29.99/year). Importantly, this is a very professional website that is uncluttered and provides a clean, full-featured property advert page with 16 photos in a distinctive Flash gallery, an interactive map, an availability calendar and direct owner contact details. It also features a wide variety of travel aids via seperate menu selections (not mixed up with property search and property advert pages!). They do not make you pay extra for anything, even if they have to enter your details for you.

On the website(s) you enter your property details, it makes sense to 'sell' your property in the most effective way you can imagine, to attract bookings in what is a very competitive market - good, clear photos of every room, every outside feature and interesting local attractions such as the beach or golf course; a pricing structure; complete and grammatically-correct details of the property and its surrounding areas, including all facilities (air conditioning, TV, broadband internet, kitchen appliances, etc) in the property; what there is to do in the area (horse-riding, sailing, sightseing - you name it).

You can outline terms and conditions in your advert, but you should have a rental agreement already prepared, so that this can be emailed to a renter. The agreement needs to clearly define the deposit required and when it is due, when the balance is due (before they arrive), what the refund and cancellation policy is, what additional costs there are such as for cleaning after they leave, if smoking or pets are allowed and how the condition of the property will be established before and after the rental (to decide if any damages or losses need to be paid for out of the deposit).

Most importantly, when you receive an enquiry you should respond promptly and in a professional and friendly manner (they won't wait more than 1 day - they're anxious to plan their holiday somewhere now not next week and they will be keen to establish a rapport with the owner - they need to feel they can trust you when they send you a deposit) and be prepared to be flexible and helpful with such things as the price, times of arrival and departure, minimum stays, help with airport transfers, etc - just make sure you get that booking!

About The Author

Dave Stuttard writes for the blog in the http://www.solapartments.co.uk website, where you can confidently advertise (currently free in 2009!) and search for holiday rentals (mainly in Europe).

Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/travel_and_leisure/article_4349.shtml