It’s the time of year when thoughts turn to Spring Break and as an owner, it is time to prepare your Gulf Shores area vacation rental for the onslaught of happy travelers ready to say goodbye to winter and hello to the beach. At Alabama Beach Vacation Rentals, we have had years of experience with Spring Break, picking up a few tips here and there that will help prepare the rentals we manage, but if you haven’t yet signed up with us for your property management needs, no worries. We are passionate about providing a good time for the guests that stay in our properties, and we love to share. This guide to preparing your rentals for Spring Break will give your guests a vacation experience they will never forget.
The Rules
We, as property managers and homeowners, have a complicated relationship with Spring Breakers. We love their exuberance, the way they fill all the beds during the month of March and being able to share the beauty of this part of Alabama with them, but there are downsides. Spring Break can be a euphemism for PARTY, and the demographic that it appeals to are well known for their partying skills, so our first suggestion, if you want your home returned to you in the same manner it was gifted to the tenants, is that you should make your rules very clear. Post a sign in the property, on the listing, and maybe reiterate the rules during email communications; no parties, no exceeding guest limits, and what time quiet time begins and ends. Whatever your rules may be, ambivalence is not your friend!
Invest in Smart Technology
Following along with the above topic, guests may know the rules, but that doesn’t always mean they will follow them, so investing in a few cameras and placing them in a few strategic spots can be advertised as a security measure while also helping you keep an eye on your rental. Obviously, there are rules as to where you can have cameras, and when you do place them in the approved spots, you must be transparent with your guests, letting them know that cameras are monitoring arrivals and departures and backyard areas.
Concierge Services
On the other hand you want your guests to have a great time, just not a destructive time, and working as a concierge of sorts can be helpful. Involving nothing more complicated than supplying a list of where some parties they may enjoy are taking place, perhaps detailing the closest night spots may be, and providing info on where your guests can rent jet skis, boats, SUP equipment and whatever else you feel may enhance their vacation experience. Also, don’t forget to mention the Hangout, located at 101 E Beach Boulevard, as being a place where the party never stops, offering live music, delicious food, and fantastic drinks.
Provide Beach Gear
Providing some of the gear your guests may need for the beach is an amenity you can provide year-round. Nobody wants to lug chairs, umbrellas, or body boards halfway across the US, and if you offer a closet filled with those items, maybe even a wagon and a cooler as well, they are going to remember your kindness when they decide they want to come back with the family on summer vacation. Repeat business is one of the cheapest and most impactful forms of advertising!
What You See Is What You Get
Nothing is more depressing than arriving at your vacation accommodations and discovering that the pictures on the listing you fell in love with are outdated or misrepresented key amenities, so before Spring Break season starts, why not update the pics you have on your listing? This is something that should be done on a regular basis anyway, especially as word of mouth works the other way; studies show that unhappy people will tell 10 times more people their issues with your rental than they would when they are happy about it, and no one wants bad word of mouth affecting their ROI.
Consider Teaming with Alabama Beach Vacation Rentals
There is a lot of work that goes into getting your place Spring Break ready, and you can do it all yourself if you like, or you can relax and enjoy your own Spring Break getaway, knowing that Alabama Beach Vacation Rentals has it all under control. We love to ease the burdens of our owners while providing their guests with a magical vacation experience they will never forget and although it keeps us busy, there is nothing else we want to do in life, unless it is making our owner’s ROIs higher than ever before. Explore all the ways we can make your Gulf Shores area escape the most popular Spring Break sanctuary on the beach. Give us a call today!
