Five Reasons not to Book Your Vacation Rental through VRBO or AirBnB

 Once upon a time..

Theresa had a beautiful vacation home in sunny Perdido Key, Florida. Wanting to help with the cost of ownership, Theresa decided to make her home a vacation rental. She loved the area so much, and loved the idea of sharing with fellow lovers of the Perdido Key area. Theresa discovered a family owned vacation rental company, right smack dab in the middle of Perdido Key. She entrusted this company with managing her vacation home for her. When potential guests called in to inquire about renting her home, they were greeted with friendly voices of locals who lived in the same area as her vacation home. Guests usually booked directly through the company by credit card or check. 

One cold dreary day in Colorado, Karla decided it was time for a change of scenery. She decided it was time to take a trip to the beach. She was always fond of the sunshine state, and decided that she was going to head to Florida. She had heard great things about staying along the pandhandle, so she decided to do a quick web search and came across a little town called Perdido Key. Karla found a website that listed Theresa's amazing vacation home. She called the number listed on the site, and spoke with Ms. Katie, who loved Perdido Key so much, that after vacationing here for over 10 years, she decided to make it her home. Karla had a few questions about the best spots for seafood, and how to rent a kayak during her trip. Katie was able to give her favorite seafood restarauns, and also gave Karla the number for the best kayak rental company in Perdido Key. Katie also gave Karla information on how to book the vacation home, and gave her her check-in instructions.

Once upon another time..

 Theresa wanted to offset some bills, so she decided to make her beautiful vacation home available on an online vacation rental listing site. (known as an OTA or Online Travel Agency). Instead of buying the listing outright, she must now agree to pay a commission on every reservation (at a much higher rate than she used to pay for her ad). She must also agree that she will use only the OTA's payment processing system for all reservations. 

Karla decided to take a trip to the beach along the pan handle of Florida. She logs onto an OTA and starts her search. Karla is met with hundreds of vacation rentals - motels, vacation homes, rooms in peoples homes, and more. She decides to search one area - Perdido. The results are a little more managable, she shes one property and it looks perfect. 

Published on Thursday, March 22, 2018