Do you own a vacation rental website and are asking yourself “which vacation rental availability should I use”? As a vacation rental owner, I had to ponder this question myself. After all, a Google search reveals that there are lots of free and paid options available. But which is the right vacation rental calendar to use?

 

HomeAway (www.homeawayconnect.com), formerly Renters.org, really simplifies the rental of your vacation home and is FREE to use. You can save time with the day-to-day details of your vacation rental, so you can focus on what’s really important- finding the right guests and making them feel at home.

 

Weather you rent a little or a lot? HomeAway Connect can help you.

 

Manage your reservation and payment process with online tools.

Get ideas and advice from a community of vacation homeowners.

Benefit from the experiences of a team of vacation rental experts.

 

 

How it Works

 

Already have an account on Rentors.org, HomeAway Network (A1Vacations.com, CyberRentals.com, GreatRentals.com, HomeAway.com) or VRBO?

No sign-up or registration process is required. You will be automatically upgraded to the new Reservation Calendar.

If you don’t have an account, follow these 4 easy steps to get one.

 

To open your free account, use your email address as your login ID and choose your own password – you’ll need it in order to maintain your vacation rental calendar in the future.

 

 

After you create your account and select the tools you want, you will be assigned a unique Property ID.

 

 

Use your new login ID and password on the HomeAway Connect website (formerly Rentors.org) to update your property’s Reservation Calendar anytime.

 

 

To link to your Reservation Calendar from another website, use the URL (web address) below and replace “[your property ID here]” with your unique Property ID number.
http://www.homeawayconnect.com/calendar.aspx?propertyid=[your property id here]
For example:
http://www.homeawayconnect.com/calendar.aspx?propertyid=9

Please update your bookmarks and links. All you need to change is Rentors.org to homeawayconnect.com

 

 

As vacation rental owners, we use the FREE HomeAway calendar because it allows you enter renter’s information, arrival time and special instructions, and contact information.

 

What is even better, it works across the HomeAway Network that currently includes about 8 paid vacation rental directories and your own personal site, and our FREE Vacation Rental Listing site, Your Travel Buddy.

 

So, when you make a reservation and you update your HomeAway calendar, just ONCE! Your calendar is automatically updated on all sites where it is featured.

 

You do not have to list your vacation home on the HomeAway Network to get a free calendar, but we highly recommend it, as we have our vacation homes listed with them, along with our own personal vacation rental website and our FREE Vacation Rental website, Your Travel Buddy.

 

HomeAway Network and VRBO is the largest network of paid vacation rental services and get receive millions of hits each and every day. The cost to advertise your vacation home on the HomeAway Network is just $299.00 per year.

 

We are not associated with the HomeAway Network, but we know vacation rentals and we use their FREE vacation calendar and paid listing services.

 

Please feel free to list your vacation rentals on our FREE vacation rental advertising website and be sure to include your HomeAway calendar link to your listing. We all could use additional free advertising and bookings.

Vacation Rentals are favorite tourist rest places during their stay away from home. There are many reasons why tourists prefer vacation rentals over hotels. One of the primary reasons is the feeling of “home away from home”. These vacation rentals charge much less than hotels. Let me elaborate a little more about vacation rentals before I focus on Dominican Vacation Rentals. A vacation rental is a house with many modern amenities that one can call luxury. This can be anything trivial from daily maid service to high end luxury like sauna and an in-house gymnasium with a private swimming pool. Dominican Republic is a tourist hotspot from many years. However in recent times tourists from United States, Europe and Asia have been frequenting the place more regularly.

These tourists with substantial amount of money in their pockets prefer staying in a vacation rental with modern amenities. Owner of Dominican Vacation Rentals have responded suitably with many modern vacation rentals coming up in the region. The rates in a vacation rental are generally charged on a per week basis. In the Dominican Republic vacation rentals can have anything from 2 to 6 bedrooms. A family can walk into a vacation rental and get the same feeling of their home. This is what makes vacation rentals better staying options than hotels. Just in the case of hotels the charges of vacation rentals will vary as per the seasons. It is important that tourists do a thorough research before booking their rentals.

There are various offers that are available round the year for Dominican Vacation Rentals. Online portals which list vacation rentals are in a better position to track and inform visitors about the offers. Tourists can get a host of benefits while staying in a vacation rental such as money exchange services, personal assistants, cellular phone rental, concierge Service and many more. These services are comparable with what is offered in a star hotel in the Dominican Republic. It is anyone’s guess that vacation rentals are in high demand during the peak seasons. Therefore tourists planning to visit should make their bookings in advance to ensure that there is no disappointment. The second best option to vacation rentals is studio apartments which cost less but offer a comfortable living to the tourists.

What an average tourist would be looking at is an affordable vacation rental. In the Dominican Republic, there is no dearth of vacation rentals and condos for tourists but in the peak seasons even that is not enough. Without proper branding and a larger umbrella to market their services, vacation rentals are sometimes overlooked by tourists. However, online portals are bringing them closer to customers. Customers simply like it. In the present economic downturn travelers are looking for cheaper options to stay and vacation rentals are the right fit. Seeing the growth many people are jumping into the fray in the unorganized sector. It would not be long before we see active participation from larger players in the vacation rental space.

Sad that you cannot afford a luxury room in a plush resort? Well, there’s no need to shelve your holiday plans just because of that. With the all new craze among travel bugs, you no longer need to dole out more than half your traveling budget on rooms. Inexpensive vacation rentals allow you to enjoy a dream vacation for a very low price.

Cheap vacation rentals are very attractive these days because:

You can easily find the accommodation of your choice for much less than you would imagine. Your vacation rental could be a one bedroom log cabin, a condo, a flat or a 6-room villa.

Private accommodation ensures more privacy, comfortable amenities, more space and good food – all for a song! Most vacation rentals have their own private gardens and a huge array of amenities like washer, dryer, refrigerator, high speed internet connection, spa, fireplace, a private pool and much more. These make your stay more comfortable though inexpensive.

Cheap vacation rentals help you save a lot of money. The convenience of a full fledged kitchen means you needn’t waste money on eating out. A good washer and dryer system is another money saver.

Unlike hotels, vacation rentals have fewer rules. It’s almost like staying at home. For instance, many cheap vacation rentals are pet friendly and they do not have prying eyes following your every move.

In the past, travelers had little choice but depend on travel agencies to find them suitable hotel rooms or vacation rentals. As a result, most travelers had to pay a hefty price even for cheap rentals. Also, there was the element of security. Travelers to a foreign country often felt safer booking with a hotel because they could not see the vacation rental or get any opinion about it beforehand. All that has changed.

Inexpensive communication tools and the internet have made it possible for people to arrange their own cheap vacation rentals. Vacation rental websites are dedicated to offering vacation rentals in a particular area. All you have to do is enter the required information in their search boxes and wait for the listings to appear. Most of the listings come with pictures and testimonials. This makes it possible for you to make an educated decision, in the shortest possible time.

But, the plethora of information on the web regarding cheap holidays and inexpensive vacation rentals can become somewhat overwhelming. So, given below are a few guidelines that help you find the cheapest vacation rentals easily.

Many rental websites offer free services. Of course, they make their profits elsewhere. But the point is this: there is no need for you to join a paid website.

Choose vacation rental websites that are directly associated with property managers, as opposed to individual owners. When you deal with individual owners, the risk you undertake is slightly higher. Also, there are no guarantees on timely response and security. On the other hand, property managers are only too happy to respond to your queries, make suggestions and help you find the facilities you want.

A reputed company is always the best choice when it comes to finding cheap vacation rentals. When you go directly to individual owners, you never know whether the property really exists and whether the pictures are genuine. A reputed company will verify these for you before they list the rental.

It's important to create a rental agreement for your vacation rental business so that you can get everything in writing from your guests.  You should clearly outline the expectation for you and for your renters so there are no disputes down the road. 

Below are 10 must-haves for your vacation rental contract:

1. Maximum Occupancy and Age Requirements. When going through the screening process for your vacation rental guests, you should be able to determine a rough estimate for their age and how many people will be staying in your vacation property. However, your vacation rental agreement should remind renters of your rules for required parental supervision of designated age groups, along with the maximum occupancy of your home in case they are considering bringing any extra guests.

2. Check-in and Checkout Dates & Times. To coordinate your cleaning and housekeeping duties, you'll need to clearly communicate the check-in and checkout dates and times.  In the event of early arrival, the house might not be clean and could result in complaints. If your guests stay too late, your housekeeper might not have time to sufficiently clean your vacation home before the next group arrives. Your renters should be made aware of these important times, and your vacation rental lease should state the penalties if these times are not observed.

3. Cancellation policy.  Your vacation rental contract should spell out the penalties according to the time frame in the event that a renter needs to cancel his or her reservation.  As the date of the reservation nears, it will be increasingly more difficult to fill those dates with other renters. Therefore, the penalties should be higher as the date approaches.

4. Total payment due. You can not rely on your renters to write down prices from your vacation rental listing or during a phone conversation. The total rental rate, including all fees and taxes, should be included in your vacation rental contract.

5. Payment schedule.  Just because the renters know the cost of your property does not mean they know your deadlines.  Your vacation rental contract should provide a timeline for payment due dates, including deposits.

6. Pet Policy & Smoking Policy. It is up to you to let renters know about restrictions regarding pets or smoking at your vacation property. Just because a renter says that he doesn't plan to bring a pet, you should still spell out your rules in your vacation rental agreement in case he changes his mind. Also, it cannot be assumed that people will be simply know to not smoke in your home. Your vacation rental lease should define the penalties if it is determined that a renter has smoked inside your vacation rental.

7. Checkout Policy. As soon as your renters arrive at your vacation home you should tell them what is expected at the time of checkout. Let them know in your vacation rental contract whether they need to wash sheets, take out trash, etc., so there is no confusion on the day of checkout.

8.  Weather policies. Vacation rental owners should use their vacation rental agreement as a form of protection in the event of inclement weather or Acts of God. Spell out your storm and hurricane policy up front to avoid disagreements about refunds later on.

9. Requirements for security deposit refund. When renters pay the security deposit for your vacation rental, they should be aware of what is covered and what is expected of them in order to receive a full refund. Your vacation rental agreement should also explain the penalties for violating these rules.

10. Your contact information. Although it seems obvious, your vacation rental contract should include all of your contact information and emergency contact information, including the address of the vacation rental home.

Your vacation rental agreement should be as specific as possible and include detailed information to protect yourself and your renters.

Are you in the process of planning a trip to Hawaii? If you are, you may be interested in booking a stay at a Hawaii vacation rental. While you will find some variances, Hawaiian vacation rentals are known for their beauty and their privacy, especially when compared to traditional hotels and vacation resorts. Those are just a few of the many reasons why vacation rentals in Hawaii are increasing in popularity.

As you likely already know, you will have a number of different options when it comes to making reservations for a vacation rental in Hawaii. The phrase "vacation rentals," is often used to describe a number of establishments, including vacation homes, vacation apartment rentals, vacation villas, vacation cottages, as well as vacation condos. As nice as it is to have a number of different options, in terms of booking a stay at a Hawaii vacation rental, your options may seem overwhelming. To assist you, five tips that can help you, easily find, the vacation rental of your dreams for your next Hawaii trip are outlined below.

1 - Know What You Want

Knowing what you want is one of the best ways to find the perfect vacation rental in Hawaii. In fact, knowing what you want is the best way to have a great vacation in general.

When examining your vacation wants, it is important to examine the purpose of your vacation. For example, if you are taking a Hawaii trip with your family, you may want affordability and convenience. On the other hand, if your Hawaii trip has romantic purposes, you may be looking more for beauty, elegance, and privacy.

2 - Research All of Your Vacation Rental Options

As previously stated, the phrase "vacation rentals," describes a number of different establishments. In Hawaii, you will find vacation homes, condos, villas, cottages, and apartment rentals available for the taking. It may be a good idea to examine all of your options.

What is nice about researching and examining all of your options is that it is easy to do with the internet. A number of online travel websites, especially those that deal specifically with Hawaii trips, allow you to quickly find a large number of vacation rentals. You can examine pictures and other information to see if you should stay at a Hawaii vacation home, Hawaii vacation condo, villas, cottage, or apartment rental.

3 - Research Some More

In addition to researching each type of Hawaii vacation rental you come across, like vacation homes and vacation villas, it is extremely important that you thoroughly research and examine your final choices. For example, although many vacation home rentals are similar in nature, they are different in a number of ways. That is why it is important that you examine all Hawaii vacation rental listings to see if the rental in question is the perfect match for you. Pay close attention to size, rental costs, additional fees, features and amenities, and any rules or restrictions that may be imposed.

4 - Examine Nearby Activities

Unfortunately, many individuals believe that the most important part of choosing a Hawaii vacation rental is choosing the rental that is the perfect size or price for them. While these are all important factors that should be taken into consideration, you will also want to examine nearby Hawaii attractions and activities. For example, if you are interested in spending your Hawaii trip surfing, boating, or swimming, a beachfront or beach view rental may be your best option and so forth.

5 - Make Your Reservations Early

As soon as you find a Hawaii vacation rental that you would like to book a reservation for, it is important that you do so right away. As previously stated, Hawaii vacation rentals are a popular choice among tourists. If you do not act fast, you may later find that your first choice Hawaii vacation rental is already booked for your intended travel dates.

The above mentioned tips are just a few of the many that can help you find, choose, and book the Hawaii vacation rental of your dreams. While you may not necessarily think about it at the time, your overnight accommodations can have a significant impact on the success of your next Hawaii trip.