Full-service management is essential for vacation rentals

Listing a vacation home online has never been easier, but the volume of options can often equate to quality control issues. Without the oversight of a full-service vacation rental management company, how do you know that your home will be well cared for and that your guests will enjoy their stay?

“From a short-term rental perspective, there’s a lot that goes into booking a guest, impressing them during their stay and having them leave a great review,” said Meghan Lutterman, director of community association management at Vacasa, North America’s largest vacation rental company that cares for more than 13,000 homes around the world.

Vacasa opened in Summit County in 2012 — it now has offices in Copper Mountain, Keystone and Silverthorne — and immediately stood out in a market where short-term rentals are plentiful. The difference between Vacasa and online listing sites is that Vacasa is a full-service property manager and takes care of everything for its homeowners, from marketing and booking, to cleaning and maintenance, to regulations and permitting. And now, the company is taking that experience one step further with Vacasa Community Association Management handling short-term rental-focused HOAs. Guests who stay in a Vacasa property, like one of the cozy condos in Snake River Village, can rest assured that their stay will be a consistent and positive experience from the moment they enter the lobby.  

Here are some of the reasons why hiring a full-service vacation rental management company can set your property apart, delight your guests and earn you more rental income.

The professional property management difference

Sites like Airbnb and VRBO are known as peer-to-peer sites — homeowners or property managers list properties and renters can book them directly, but the quality of the stay is not guaranteed. The housekeeping, for example, might be done by the homeowner and not a professional housekeeper or the homeowner might be there to greet you versus accessing the unit independently.

“When guests show up, is the home clean and comfortable? Is it a high standard of clean? If there’s a problem, is there someone locally who can get there quickly?” Lutterman said. “These are all things guests should consider when deciding which company they’re going to book with.”

Vacasa ensures the quality of each home is maintained with hotel-like standards, so guests never have to question whether the home they’ve chosen for their vacation is clean and well maintained. Even the pillows are carefully selected for quality and comfort.

Guests can also rest assured that their homes are well stocked. Are there enough wine glasses stocked in the cabinet? Are there hotel-quality linens and towels? What about kitchen necessities — is there a can opener available? These are the kinds of details that can get overlooked without proper vacation rental management. A guest in a Vacasa home doesn’t have to worry about what the home may or may not have, but if they do, customer service is more than happy to answer questions prior to the stay.

“We make sure the home is fully equipped so you can come in and start to relax at the very beginning of your stay,” Lutterman said.

On the maintenance side, Vacasa is proactive about preventative property maintenance to reduce the likelihood of emergencies, but if something does go wrong, someone will be there in an instant to get it fixed.

Community Association Management

Summit County was one of the first two markets in which Vacasa launched its community association, or HOA, management services for short-term rental-focused HOAs. Vacasa Community Association Management provides associations with local team support with a dedicated property manager, front desk guest support, housekeepers and maintenance specialists.  This means Vacasa manages the entire experience for guests who stay in a short-term rental building from the front desk, to the common spaces and amenities, and into the unit.

“It’s a one-stop shop,” Lutterman said. “As a homeowner or guest, it can be frustrating if all of the details — parking, snow removal, maintenance and other services — are managed by different companies. We’re able to serve our homeowners better by creating competencies on all ends of the experience.”

Vacasa also provides HOA boards of directors with administrative guidance and accounting services as part of its management services. Each HOA is unique and has different needs, which is why Lutterman and her team develop a specific operating plan with each HOA partner. The HOA retains its authority while increasing peace of mind for all residents thanks to Vacasa’s support services.

“We guide them to make sure we can help them with planning, upkeep, accounting and maintenance,” Lutterman said. “We want to make sure it’s a good fit for owners, the HOA and Vacasa.”

Retaining Top Talent

A company that takes care of its people is able to attract and retain the best employees. Lutterman said when she started at Vacasa in 2014, she clearly saw that Vacasa is all about its people. In Summit County, where housing is expensive and jobs can be seasonal, Lutterman is proud of the fact that Vacasa offers many full-time, year-round positions with generous benefits and pay.

“We have very low attrition and our homeowners really benefit from that,” she said. “Companies that don’t create good work-life balance often see leadership leave, which is often followed by good employees departing. We build our teams with people who are making a commitment to the local area and are in it for the long-term”

Vacasa’s services

• Full-service vacation rental property management
  • With industry-leading technology, global expertise, and dedicated local teams, Vacasa empowers thousands of homeowners to make the most of their vacation rental properties.
• Community association management
  • Vacasa offers HOA assistance with all administrative and financial matters including budgeting, dues collection, reserve management, and covenant enforcement, as well as provides local dedicated property managers, front desk guest support, housekeepers, and maintenance specialists, tailored to an association’s needs.
• Vacation rental real estate
  • Vacasa brings unique industry expertise to the specialized market of vacation rental real estate, whether an individual is looking to purchase an investment property or sell one for the best possible price.
• Interior design
  • Vacasa’s interior design team has more than 20 years of combined professional design experience to expertly style and furnish vacation homes and urban rentals managed by Vacasa.

via:: Summit Daily