How Guest Expectations Have Changed For Vacation Homes

• 2023-06-22

The vacation rental industry is booming today, with an estimated 450 million people now using vacation homes and Airbnb units worldwide. Not only are more people than ever choosing to take their vacation while staying in a short-term vacation home, but they’re remaining for longer stays. A fastest growing segment of the vacationing and traveling public, it seems, enjoys and appreciates the feeling of being away from home while on their long-awaited vacation.

It's important for property managers and homeowners in the short-term rental industry to recognize that guest expectations have changed. At home, guests have every amenity they need. As a result, when they pay to stay in a fully furnished luxury vacation home, they often want some of those same amenities to be available to them.

Guest expectations are shifting in other ways. To keep up, property managers need to be ready for a host of specialized requests that each guest or family may have, and the best way to do that is by partnering with a business such as Honest Sherpa. We provideproperty managers and homeowners with an extensive list of top quality rental gear that’s available seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Our experienced team does all the work, from processing the orders to delivering the items before the guests have arrived and handling the pickup when they’re on the way home.

To get a better sense of how this kind of service can benefit your vacation home, it’s important to recognize how guests are coming to vacation homes today with very different expectations than when they stayed at hotels.

How Profitable Has the Vacation Home Industry Become?

The vacation rental industry is a significantly fast-growing market today and has been since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Families discovered they got more space in a private vacation home than at a crowded hotel, and that helped accelerate the popularity of the short-term rental. This field is growing, and there are now an estimated 1.9 million professionally managed vacation rental properties across the U.S..

This is a worldwide phenomenon. While 20% of the global vacation rental properties are in the United States; 35% are in Europe, and today 70% of vacation rental companies are small start-ups or homeowners that manage one to 20 properties. Another 20% of all vacation rental companies are medium-sized, managing 30 or so units.

An additional 10% are large companies managing 100+ properties.

As more of these properties become available and the public has lots of options for where to stay, the vacation rental industry’s market value rose by 22.76% between 2020 and 2022. Surveys showed that 86% of consumers said they planned to book a vacation rental some time that year.

This appears to be a long-term trend. That’s been made clear by surveys showing that Millennials and Generation Z consumers are the ones most likely to choose short-term rentals instead of hotels for their stays. In addition, 81% of Gen Z travelers report having already stayed in a vacation home at some point.

More options also means guests can be far more selective about what they’re looking for, including location, size of the home, cost and special perks available at each property. Unlike hotel room guests expecting a coffee machine in the room, internet access and a pool on the property, guests in the vacation home industry have much higher expectations today, surveys indicate. Travelers returning to their favorite vacation rentals often make it known that their needs and expectations have changed since the last time.

What Are Guests Expecting During Their Vacation Home Stay?

Why have so many families made the shift in recent years from posh hotels to vacation homes? Surveys indicate they’re recognizing numerous advantages, including:

►   71% of travelers with children say being able to cook their own meals is a significant reason they choose a vacation rental.
►   Because of the comfort of a large vacation home, the average length of a vacation got longer in 2022
►   Travelers want separate bedrooms, privacy, and features such as smart  home technology
►   Vacation homes can be far more accommodating for families with pets than hotels are
►   Guests have much higher expectations for cleanliness at a vacation home compared to a hotel, with 56% of travelers reporting that cleanliness is the number one factor contributing to a 5-star vacation rental experience.

Vacation homes have become popular for another reason: it’s the ideal location for a big family get-together. A growing number of families are opting to either travel in large groups with their extended family members or invite relatives to visit them during their stay. Rentals with large communal spaces have made a big difference to these families.

Families choosing vacation home rentals also put a high emphasis on communication. Unlike hotels, where they may only communicate with a front desk clerk, guests at short-term rentals are more likely to speak directly with the homeowner or property manager if they have questions or concerns. The more seamless your communications are, the stronger the impression. There are considerably heightened expectations for your customer service today.

As a result, guest expectations are driving standards up across the board for the entire vacation rental industry. Property managers are feeling the pressure, studies indicate.

►   76% of property managers now actively communicate with their guests, up from 40% in 2021
►   31% of property managers say heightened guests expectations have made it more challenging to deliver the kind of services families want
►   54% of property managers report higher demands from guests in the past two years

These may sound like challenges, but they’re actually great opportunities. There are always smart ways to improve the guest experience at your short-term rental property.

Working with Honest Sherpa Is a Good Solution for your Vacation Home

If you’re eager to improve the experience your guests have at your vacation home, start a partnership with Honest Sherpa. Every guest is different and has their own unique interests and wants, which is where we come in.

Our extensive list of high-quality rental gear gives your guests plenty of options while they’re staying with you – and it means you don’t need to stock extra items such as outdoor grills, baby cribs, extra furniture or walkers in the event that a guest requests one.

We can launch a landing page on your website with our inventory, guests can review the list and order what they want, and our experienced team delivers those items before the guests arrive. We also pick up those items when they leave, so the property manager or homeowner doesn’t need to do a single thing. We handle it all.

Contact Honest Sherpa today to find out more about how a partnership with our team can help improve your guest experience and make your job easier and more profitable.