Safety and Technology

With the increased number of those vaccinated, the overwhelming urge to travel is becoming more and more popular across populations all over the world. This influx of travel will be quite welcoming for those affected by the lack of travel for the past year and a half, and will bring new things with it. Vaccinations along with new contactless technologies will allow for the safe return of travel.

Pre-pandemic, running a vacation rental business could be boiled down to having a property and the ability to rent it out part-time. Now, these operators are faced with the struggle of maintaining their properties’ cleanliness and guest safety. Technologies like contactless check-in solutions (software and hardware alike) are becoming more popular among new additions to the vacation rental.

These technologies, coupled with guest vaccinations can and will ensure that those staying at your property will effectively reduce the likelihood of transmission to future guests. Topics like vaccine passports or proof of vaccination for travel are becoming increasingly popular as the subject of whether or not those who have been vaccinated can travel is being heavily debated. If passports are issued, there may even be a technology that allows short term rental operators to ask guests for their passport number for confirmation and screening.

As the future is uncertain, one can only speculate what lies ahead for the travel and service industry. Hopefully by the end of 2022, those that are looking to travel will be able to do so freely and without financial or health consequences. If you have any thoughts or questions regarding the impact of technology or vaccinations on the travel industry, feel free to email us at contact@ensoconnect.com

If you’ve talked to others in the rental space or travel industry, you’ve probably heard the term “revenge travel” pop up. You might be wondering what exactly it means and how it could affect your business. In essence, revenge travel refers to the surge in travel demand that comes from people trying to make up for lost time. After being confined to their homes and restricted by travel bans during the pandemic, many people are eager to hit the road, explore new destinations, and reconnect with the world in a way they couldn’t during lockdowns.

As restrictions lift and the world slowly returns to normal, travelers—many of whom have postponed vacations or delayed trips to visit family—are likely to start booking travel more than ever before. This pent-up desire to travel means that short-term rental properties, hotels, and other accommodations could see a significant spike in demand. For your business, this is both an opportunity and a challenge.

On one hand, the increased demand could lead to higher occupancy rates, more bookings, and a chance to maximize revenue. On the other hand, it means preparing your rental to meet heightened guest expectations and standing out in a crowded market. Guests will be looking for properties that not only offer great experiences but also prioritize cleanliness, comfort, and safety.

To take advantage of this revenge travel trend, it’s important to be proactive. Consider optimizing your property listing, improving your amenities, and refining your communication with potential guests. Highlight any improvements or upgrades you’ve made during the pandemic, and ensure your property is ready to welcome travelers who are more eager than ever to get back out there.

Does Revenge Travel Affect You?

So how does revenge travel affect you? Well, if you’re a property owner, manager, or business operator, you can expect to see higher-than-normal occupancy rates when restrictions lift in your area. With increased demand, more bookings, and a surge of guests ready to travel, comes more responsibility and a much busier schedule. You may find that the slower pace you’ve adapted to during the pandemic has altered the way you run your operations. This transition back to high occupancy rates may initially feel overwhelming, so having a solid game plan for managing this influx of guests should be a top priority.

Revenge travel doesn’t just mean more guests; it also brings a higher risk of COVID transmission, as travelers may be visiting multiple destinations. To combat this, it’s essential to maintain the strict cleaning protocols you implemented at the start of the pandemic. While keeping up with the demand and managing thorough cleanings may seem like a hassle, it’s crucial for protecting both your guests and your business. The last thing you want is to be forced to shut down due to an outbreak. By staying proactive and prepared, you can ensure a smooth and safe return to normal operations.

It might feel daunting to face the surge in travel and the large influx of guests at your property, but with the right preparation, your business can thrive in this environment. Implementing a plan of action that addresses increased workload, maintaining sanitation standards, and anticipating guest expectations will prevent your business from being overwhelmed. The key is to remain adaptable, keep your focus on health and safety, and use this opportunity to excel.

By now, lockdowns, closures, and restrictions have become the topic of discussion around the world. Although different for everyone, these restrictions and limitations have changed the way the travel industry now operates, and may operate in the future: gone are the days of one night stays at an Airbnb (for certain areas). What does this mean for short term rental operators and property managers? Considering the old business model is no longer valid, a change is not only necessary but encouraged if wanting to stay ahead of the curve. When determining how to make your properties continue to generate revenue, you must consider where they are located, and the amount of business you are currently seeing. If you’re content with your occupancy, great, however, as time goes on greater restrictions may be put in place, so stick around for possible solutions.

Location

When determining the next steps for managing your properties, it’s crucial to consider their geographic locations. If your properties are spread across multiple continents, adapting to the specific restrictions and regulations of each region is essential. For instance, New Zealand has maintained a robust approach to virus control since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to less stringent restrictions compared to those in North America. Understanding the local rules and requirements will help you navigate and address the unique challenges and opportunities in each market. By tailoring your strategies to meet these regional guidelines, you can better manage the unknown aspects of your business and ensure compliance with local regulations.

Occupancy rate

If your current occupancy rate has remained virtually unchanged by the pandemic, that’s an impressive achievement! However, if you’re among the majority who have experienced a decline, it’s time to reassess and adapt. Even if you’re still receiving bookings, it’s important to understand why guests are choosing your property at this time. If they are booking to quarantine or self-isolate, consider pivoting your rental to cater specifically to these needs. Transforming your property into a safe haven for individuals needing quarantine accommodations could not only attract more guests but also position your property as a top choice for those seeking secure and reliable isolation options. By preparing your residence for such purposes, you’ll likely see an increase in bookings, as the demand for quarantine-friendly accommodations continues to grow.

Strategies

Self isolating guests and those looking to quarantine may not be how you envisioned how your property would be used, but that’s one way of garnering more guests to your properties. If you are uncomfortable with guests using your property this way, then you have to come up with other ways your property will be used. As travel is at a low, and there are no longer any in person conferences, there are fewer reasons for people to stay in short term accommodations. This, however, does not mean your property is DOA. Employees of large businesses are still traveling from country to country to discuss deals and have meetings of their own. Transforming your properties into a business haven could also see your business breathing new life.

Thoughts

However you want to tackle the issue at hand, challenges will be around every corner. Planning out every stage of your business plan will ensure the longevity of your business and will even see new guests staying with you. If you currently have or own a short term rental business or property, feel free to email us at contact@ensoconnect.com to discuss your stories and how you’ve managed to circumvent the restrictions.

Traveling can be incredibly daunting, and mastering it can feel almost impossible after a major excursion. If you’ve ever been on a vacation by yourself or with a few close friends, you know that extensive planning and coordination are crucial to ensure everything runs smoothly. Every detail—from boarding passes and luggage to remembering your wallet—can contribute to a great deal of stress leading up to your departure date.

The process of preparing for a trip, though it varies from person to person, can significantly influence whether a trip turns out well or poorly. Common mistakes, such as forgetting essential items, misplacing travel documents, or underestimating the time needed for airport security, happen to almost everyone at some point. These missteps can turn what should be an enjoyable experience into a stressful ordeal.

However, understanding where things went wrong can be invaluable. By reflecting on past travel experiences and learning from mistakes, you can significantly improve your future trips. Creating a detailed checklist, setting reminders for important tasks, and planning ahead can help mitigate the common pitfalls of travel.

Ultimately, the more you travel and familiarize yourself with the process, the better equipped you will be to handle the complexities of a trip. Each journey is a learning experience that makes you more adept at navigating the challenges of travel, ensuring that your next adventure is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

So what are the common mistakes when travelling?

Forgetting

When you’re in a new place, ensuring you have all the necessary items for your trip can become a significant challenge. While forgetting basic items like a toothbrush or nail clippers might be inconvenient, forgetting something crucial, such as your credit card or a piece of identification, can lead to considerable hassle.

To avoid these issues, it’s essential to create a comprehensive list of items you need for your trip. Start by listing all the essentials based on your trip’s itinerary, such as travel documents, clothing, medications, and any special items relevant to your activities. Review your list against your itinerary to ensure you have everything required for each part of your journey.

It might seem like an extra step or even a bit excessive, but this simple process of reviewing and organizing can provide significant peace of mind. By checking off each item and confirming its relevance to your travel plans, you reduce the risk of forgetting critical items and ensure a smoother, less stressful trip.

Misplacing

If you arrive at your destination and find that you’ve misplaced, lost, or had your belongings stolen, don’t panic. There are steps you can take to minimize the impact and recover from such situations. One effective strategy is to divide and conquer when packing. By splitting up your personal belongings and keeping valuable items in separate places, you reduce the risk of losing everything valuable all at once.

For example, distribute your cash, credit cards, and important documents across different compartments or bags. This way, if an airline loses one piece of your luggage or if your belongings are stolen, you won’t lose all your essentials at once. Keeping a clear idea of where each item is stored can also help you manage the situation more calmly.

Additionally, consider packing duplicates of non-valuable yet important items, such as maps, sunscreen, or travel-sized toiletries. Having backups of these essentials can ensure that you’re still prepared and comfortable, even if something goes awry. This proactive approach helps you stay organized and lessens the impact of unexpected travel hiccups, allowing you to focus more on enjoying your trip.

Time management

Being on time when traveling is something that is incredibly important, especially when venturing out of your home country. The difference between a few minutes can mean you getting on your non refundable train/plane ticket or not. Setting multiple alarms and being proactive when traveling should help with managing your time and will allow you to get to your destination on time without the hassle.

If you’re finding that you are a pro at traveling but have stories of your own that you think would be beneficial to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at contact@ensoconnect.com so we can share them!

Despite travel nearly coming to a complete halt in early 2020, there has still been some activity in this area. Even though travel restrictions have impacted the usual flow of tourists, the curiosity and desire to explore new places remain strong. When traveling, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the myriad of possibilities available in a foreign country. However, it’s common for travelers to miss out on some of these opportunities. To make the most of your trip, it’s beneficial to conduct light research before you go. Identify which attractions are considered tourist traps and which ones offer genuine value. Remember, some attractions may fall into both categories—popular yet worth visiting. By distinguishing between the two, you can better plan your itinerary and ensure a more enriching and enjoyable travel experience.

Planning Sights You Want to See

When I went to the UK about five or six years ago now, I went with my parents to see some of my extended family, but we still made it a goal for ourselves to see some of the most popular sights. One in particular was Abbey Road studios — we really wanted to get that historic picture made famous by the Beatles’ album under the same name. This activity was rather cost friendly, as we were only outside the studio, and certainly made the trip more enjoyable and memorable. This is a key example of a worthwhile sight to see as it was inexpensive and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone in my family. This is purely one anecdotal experience of mine, but I believe it accurately illustrates that if you’re worried about spending money to see an attraction, find the ones where you don’t.

In the same vein of travelling to the UK, seeing and riding on the London Eye is another sought after tourist experience which many flock to year after year.  The difference here is that the prices to ride are substantially higher than any other average ‘ferris wheel’, as the owners and operators know that people will ride it no matter what, thus making it a tourist trap. If you are willing to shell out the money, then by all means go for it! But if you’re strapped for cash, or aren’t willing to wait in line, make it something to see instead of experience.  You’ll still be able to say you saw it, and maybe if you visit another time, you can ride on it. These types of tourist traps are actually quite common. In fact, in my hometown of Toronto, Canada, we have the CN Tower, which pre-COVID-19, was almost always the first sight that travellers would want to see. The Tower, too, is rather expensive to visit, as just like the London Eye, the operators know its worth to visitors.

If you’re trying to determine which sights to see and which ones to experience, I suggest you speak with whomever you’re travelling with and see what their thoughts are on the matter. If it is just one of your members wanting to go, a visit may be more appropriate, but if all of you want to experience it, then I say go for it! If you are however strapped for cash, I also would recommend writing a list of all the places you want to visit in the place you are travelling to, and score them with how much you want to go. This way if you don’t make it to every place, you ended up at the places you wanted to go the most.

If you are unable to visit any sights because of timing, restrictions, or money, I wouldn’t worry too much either. If you’re really feeling like you missed out, I can guarantee you there are videos online (I know not the same but still close enough), and you can hopefully save up for next time. If you have any suggestions about what to do when visiting a new place or any sites to see, feel free to email us at contact@ensoconnect.com for any insights when travelling.

Check out the Top Vacation Rental Management Companies in the UK!

By now, the gradual introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine is old news. Starting in the UK, the first non-trial administration of the vaccine took place in early December, and since then, more and more people around the world have begun to receive their doses. With the vaccine slowly rolling out, the question on everyone’s mind is how this will affect travel restrictions and, ultimately, the short-term rental industry.

As the world anticipates a gradual return to normalcy, it’s only natural to start thinking about how travel policies will evolve in the coming months. For property owners and managers, this is a crucial time to prepare for the changes that are likely to come. While demand for travel is expected to increase, new health and safety protocols will remain a significant factor in how guests choose their accommodations.

In 2021, being proactive about implementing the right protocols for renting out your properties should be high on your radar. With competition heating up, staying one step ahead of industry trends and guest expectations will give you a significant advantage. It’s essential to think about how you’ll adapt to potential shifts in travel patterns—such as increased domestic travel or last-minute bookings—as well as evolving health guidelines.

Now more than ever, clear communication with your guests about health measures, cleaning protocols, and contactless technology will be critical. Guests will still seek properties that emphasize safety, so ensuring your listings highlight any updated practices related to sanitation, flexible cancellation policies, and vaccine-related requirements will be key to gaining their trust and confidence.

By planning ahead and preparing for post-vaccine travel dynamics, you position yourself to capitalize on the expected travel resurgence. Travelers are eager to explore again, but they will still prioritize properties that prioritize their well-being. Anticipating these changes and being ready to adapt quickly will ensure your rental business thrives in 2021 and beyond.

Preparing your STR for future stays

So, how can you prepare for the future when everything at the moment is so unpredictable? When dealing with the travel industry, the first step you need to take is having any sort of detailed plan.  Having this ready, you can then prepare for each scenario. Being able to foresee the future, you gain the ability to accurately adapt to each new obstacle in a timely manner. Take the start of the pandemic for property owners for example: You may have completely stopped taking bookings, and ended up having a loss for those months. As time went on, you realized that maybe short term stays wasn’t the smartest idea or maybe you implemented some new cleaning measures. Just like that you adapted to your situation. What’s great now, is that you now have the hindsight from what happened before so you can better predict what may happen.

With the introduction of the vaccines, some restrictions will most likely be lifted in some areas of your country (if you currently have restrictions) depending on the overall situation. As these restrictions start to lift, cleaning procedures and preventive measures will still be in place. Think wearing masks, and regular sanitization. If you do own vacation homes, we mentioned in earlier posts about the importance of regularly sanitizing your properties in order to keep things in order. These thoughts are still just as valid today, if not more so. After a vaccine is implemented, you are in the preventative stage to make sure the virus does not make any surprise appearances. If you yourself are uncomfortable with cleaning your properties, we suggest leveraging a service cleaning company that can clean and disinfect your property.  We also wrote a post about how you can actually leverage property management software to make this process even more efficient and seamless.

When it comes to cleaning and preparing your property for a post COVID-19 world, there are so many points you have to consider. Making sure you have a plan for the future is the first step to ensuring that your property management business doesn’t see a drop in occupancy, and cleanliness is an important second step to retain current guests and also see more.  If you are still wondering how to better prepare your property for the 2021 year, feel free to message us at contact@ensoconnect.com.

So you’ve decided to rent a short-term rental. But, how do you get to your place of stay? Whether you’re renting in your own country or traveling to a foreign destination, the fundamental question remains: “How can you physically access your accommodation?”

Do you opt to rent a bicycle and navigate your way to the rental, or do you prefer to take a taxi and explore the city that way? While transportation might seem like a basic consideration, it can significantly impact your overall experience, especially when arriving at a new location for the first time.

To ensure a smooth and hassle-free arrival, it’s crucial to determine the most convenient and efficient mode of transportation to your rental. Consider factors such as the distance from major transit points, the availability of local transportation options, and your own comfort with different methods of travel. By planning ahead and choosing the best transportation option for your needs, you can minimize stress and start your stay on the right foot, allowing you to focus on enjoying your time at the rental rather than navigating logistical challenges.

Maps

When in a foreign country, the typical approaches to reaching your rental might involve hailing a taxi, navigating public transportation, or asking for directions. However, there are many alternative methods to consider for arriving at your destination smoothly.

If you’re open to experimenting with different ways to complete your journey, it can be incredibly helpful to download offline maps of the city you’re visiting. This allows you to accurately track your location and navigate your way to the rental with ease, regardless of which transportation method you choose. For example, during a trip to California, I made sure to download the entire map of San Diego onto my phone. This ensured that I could always figure out my whereabouts and plot my route effectively, no matter the mode of transportation.

While this level of preparation can be very useful, it may not suit everyone’s travel style. Experimenting with unfamiliar methods of transportation can be stressful for some, especially when navigating a new city. It’s important to weigh the potential benefits against your own comfort level and choose the approach that aligns best with your travel preferences and needs.

Locals

If you find yourself in a foreign country without access to navigation software or experience with local transportation options, asking locals or fellow travelers for advice can be a practical solution. Locals, with their firsthand knowledge, can often provide valuable insights into the most efficient ways to get around. They may recommend specific routes, modes of transportation, or shortcuts that you might not find on a map or online.

Similarly, other travelers who have recently navigated the area can share their experiences and offer tips on the quickest and most convenient ways to reach your destination. Their recommendations can help you avoid potential pitfalls and streamline your journey, ultimately saving you time and reducing stress.

By tapping into the knowledge of those who are familiar with the area, you can make more informed decisions about your transportation options and enhance your overall travel experience.

Ride share

If you are traveling within your own country, some of this stress is removed. However, the mystery about public transportation still exists.  Depending on your comfort zone and the distance of your destination, think about renting a bicycle (if available) so that you can experience the full effect of your trip when getting to your rental. Even if you don’t end up exploring the way you’ve gotten to your destination, make sure to ask your taxi driver about some notable spots that you’re passing by.  Most taxi companies insist that their drivers learn about key landmarks so that travelers, such as yourself will be given the best experience possible.

At the end of the day, the way you get to your place of residence in your guest location is up to you. However, if you’re willing to experiment, there are many ways that can make your trip quite interesting.  If you’re curious about what modes of transportation are recommended in the country of travel, feel free to do a quick Google search about the country or even the city to get a better idea of the landscape.  If you’re still uncertain, feel free to email contact@ensoconnect.com for any questions regarding this post or others.