Revolutionizing the Travel Industry
Have you ever booked a hotel and, upon arrival, discovered that the pictures weren’t accurate and dealt with the nightmare of a dirty room, poor customer service, a pool that doesn’t work or rates that compound with services fees and taxes? Likely. It happens more often than not because chain hotels primarily use staged photos built by designers at corporate, and they don’t often update them to reflect the actual condition, arrangement or style for each property. And while your level of comfort probably lies in your trust that, like Starbucks, each chain is going to offer you the same experience as the last time you’d stayed because of their ‘recipe’— that doesn’t hold true with hotels. This is why platforms, like AirBnb and VRBO, have increasingly been gaining traction over the last decade.
We are experiencing a revolution.
Technology has advanced to allow us real-time updates on almost anything, and it is forever going to change our relationship with travel and local economies. In the same manner that developing the iPhone gave users information at their fingertips and exclusivity in apps and media, privatizing the travel industry will forever change the way we interact, initiate and perpetuate travel. From anywhere in the world and at any time of day or night, using your laptop, smartphone or tablet, you can preview a room or home to accommodate your travel party, read raw experiences from people who’ve stayed in the past, and view photos of the place. It’s better than a website containing a bunch of comparable hotel listings! You can compare amenities, style, and comfort all in one, user-friendly platform.
The vacation rental industry is finally giving power back to the people.
No more monopoly on the hotel industry, no more old money dictating what we sleep on, how we will enjoy our stay or what amenities we can (or cannot) enjoy while we are on the road. These vacation rental owners are hard-working individuals, families and investors who have now become small business owners who are leveraging their second homes to earn a profit. Many of them partner with local artists, photographers, property managers, copywriters, self-employed freelancers, as well as local businesses to incentivize travelers to ‘live like a local’. Not only are they staking their claim in the vacation rental industry, they are pumping money back into the local economy. They work to ensure that their vacation rentals are in working order, clean, and stocked with amenities that will make your stay comfortable and welcoming. As a traveler, you can see all of the different options that properties offer on one, simple to read platform and you can rest assured that someone has curated your experience— you’re booking with the business owner, not the receptionist.
If you own a local business, I strongly encourage you to market partnership opportunities to local vacation rental owners. They love offering their guests exclusive access to the best businesses and experiences around! It’s a well-known fact that viral marketing (word of mouth) is one of the most successful methods of earning business, and you should leverage it whenever you can—but especially with vacation rental owners because they already have a personal relationship with these travelers.
If you own an AirBnb, VRBO, or other vacation rental, you should partner with a management company who is dedicated to maximizing every aspect of your property, so you can exercise a ‘hands-off’ approach to operating your vacation rental. And a strong management company will be your central hub for all of these local business partnernships. Your management company should want to see the local economy thrive, in addition to your vacation rental business, and that is where bnb smart host goes above-and-beyond in their service offerings. We are committed to success because “our success is based solely upon yours”. We are locally-owned, Veteran-owned and heavily invested in aiding growth of the Spokane economy grow for years to come.