Orlando Vacation Homes Rentals

posted by orlandovacationhome on Oct 7

Some of the most popular web sites on the internet offer Orlando area vacation homes for rent by owner. Although most owners are highly reputable, it can be hard for the customer to screen the owner, and thus may offer hidden risks. As they say in latin “caveat emptor”, let the buyer beware.

Recently, it is no secret that a significant portion of the Orlando vacation home market is in some stage of foreclosure. We have even heard of some rental guests being served foreclosure notices during their stay and some even getting the power turned off when the owner has failed to pay all the bills in a timely manner.

In addition, homes that are not professionally managed could be exposed to quality issues with regards to cleanliness and furnishings.

Why a Professional Management Company?

Orlando vacation home management companies that are established typically manage all aspects of the vacation rental process, greatly reducing the risk often associated when renting directly from the owner.

The great advantage renting from a credible Orlando vacation home management company is that a little light screening is easily possible (i.e. they have been in business several years, manage multiple homes, and are members in good stead with both the local Better Business Bureau and the Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association). If one is at all concerned, ask for references. A credible company would always be happy to provide them.

Orlando Vacation Home Management Company

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Sep 17

Checking the latest data on the Orlando CVB web site, indicators show that hotel rates are dropping at a much faster rate than occupancy.

In a market where lodging products have become commoditized (little or no differentiation), it is important to understand that there are significant differences between hotels and vacation home communities (see our reviews on the right).

When hotels drop their rates, it typically has a treacherous impact on their profitability. Some credible news sources now claim that as many as 1 in 5 hotels are in some stage of foreclosure. Vacation homes have also seen huge amounts of foreclosures, but such issues can be largely prevented by renting a home from a larger reputable management company.

Bargains now abound in Orlando as the competition for the consumer lodging business grows fierce. However, for the price of a decent hotel room, you can typically rent an entire house with your own private pool. If arriving with a family, it can be much more enjoyable for everyone to have their own bedroom and television as well enjoy large common spaces such as kitchens and living rooms.  This may be contrasted to staying in a cramped hotel room. Many Orlando vacation homes also come with private pools and full garages.

In conclusion, if you are planning on coming to Orlando, consider renting a vacation home from a well established and reputable management company. Consult our unbiased vacation reviews and profiles and details of various vacation resorts in the area.

Orlando Vacation Homes

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Aug 7

Those who have enjoyed vacation rentals are amazed that more people do not stay in vacation homes given the size of a typical cramped hotel room.

As we have indicated in prior posts, positive awareness of renting vacation villas spreads primarily through positive word-of-mouth referrals. Although vacation homes continue to become more mainstream, hotels continue to hold market share especially in destination locations such as Orlando. At this point in time, hotel brands are much more recognizable to the American consumer.

Why is this the case? In many foreign countries such as Italy and Spain, vacation villas are the first choice for many travelers. Europeans have been positively exposed to vacation rentals as a mainstream alternative. In America, the power of large household brands through repetitive advertising is very strong. Americans often don’t feel comfortable booking without some reassuring feeling of a brand name. In Orlando and other markets, a major factor people trust when booking a vacation home is the community they will be staying in. Thus, the actual resort community becomes part of the brand for vacation homes in Orlando and elsewhere.

Orlando is a unique market for vacation homes. There are well over 80 community subdivisions, and as we have indicated, the quality can change significantly between communities.

The quality of home maintenance may vary within an individual community, but the location, overall quality of homes, amenities and maintenance of the common areas typically remain constant, positive or negative in effect. Good examples of “vacation home brands” with a strong following include the Windsor Hills Resort , Windsor Palms , Bahama Bay Resort, and the Emerald Island Resort.

This website rates and reviews the major resort subdivisions in the Orlando, Kissimmee and Davenport markets on several important factors. This helps one evaluate the price-value-quality equation to determine what brand (i.e. community) you wish to book. This is a “brand” new way of looking at vacation homes that is unique in the industry.

Vacation Home Brands

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Aug 3

Some friends of ours from the UK rented a vacation home in Orlando recently, and were shocked at the calibre of service. A few examples for the holiday rental included:

1. They were called in the afternoon after checking-in (by the management company) to make sure everything was okay with their home.

2. There was a welcome kit waiting for them in the house that included:

-Complimentary tea, milk and a pack of “Rich Tea” cookies

-Three UK stamped blank post cards to send to their friends back home

-A personalized welcome letter, guidebook and contact information

3. Two weeks after their stay they received a “thank you for your business” card in the mail from the management company plus a Christmas card six months later.

After a long flight and drive from the Orlando airport, it was a delight to see friends taken care of in such a thoughtful manner. Hotels could learn a lot from this. As always, booking with a great local Orlando vacation home management company can make for a great experience. Choose your management company wisely.

Orlando Vacation Home

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Jul 29

The group travel segment which has been the core of the hotel industry in Orlando has discovered the operational and financial benefits of staying in Orlando vacation homes. Group travel insiders are embracing vacation homes as a viable alternative to Orlando.

For example, a baseball team from Puerto Rico that we are personally familar with has booked a hotel in Orlando every year for the last 17 years. This year the coach booked a vacation home. The coach explained that he has 18 people in his group, and they would normally book 7 hotel rooms. Last year this cost him $420 a night. This year they booked a seven bedroom vacation home in Emerald Island for $270 a night. This saved the team $150 a night over 6 nights or approximately $900 total.

Next, the coach explained that rather than eating out for breakfast and dinner, they buy groceries and cook together in the home’s spacious kitchen. This saved the team he estimated another $116 a day.

Bottom line, he estimates that the group saved $1600 +/- over the 6 night stay by booking a vacation home.

We inquired as to how the team liked staying in the house and he explained: “The kids loved it, all the rooms had televisions, they could swim in the pool and visit the amenity center clubhouse and on the last night we did a great barbecue”.

As the benefits of vacation homes become understood, more and more groups are booking them. We have seen family reunions, religious groups, sports teams, high school bands and this year many high school groups from Latin America switching to vacation homes instead of traditional hotel rooms.

Group Bookings - Orlando Vacation Homes

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Jul 16

Like promoting any hospitality product, having great vacation home video and photography to highlight benefits are a must for any vacation home owner.

However, we always recommend the vacation home rental consumer check several reviews from the vacation home and/or community before they book in addition to reviewing the photography and video available. Today there many review sites on the internet.

It is easy to market Florida with pictures of beautiful blue skies, clear blue pools and great camera angles to make a standard holiday rental in Orlando look palatial. However, you want to make sure that what you see is what you get. Get on-line and check out the rental reviews.

One additional way get some assurance you are booking a great product is to reserve with a credible and reputable vacation home management company. Ask for references and check out their professional memberships and affiliations on their website.

Vacation Home Photos - Check out the Reviews First and Book with A Credible Vacation Home Management Company

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Jun 25

We recently sat down with a senior Orlando hospitality executive and were stunned that they had almost no understanding of the “new media” and its impact on tourism.

As an update to our post on Growth Opportunities for Orlando Tourism, the World Bank has cut its 2009 global growth forecast down 1.2% (from a 1.7% decline to a 2.9% decline) .This roiled many financial markets amidst sharp asset price drops.

The wild card among all of this news remains to be high levels of unemployment both domestically and abroad. As we indicated on the last post, forecasts are subject to changes at any time. Unfortunately, the continuing rise in the employment is driving down tourism forecasts.

Assuming these downward forecasts to be accurate, it portends continued weakness or stagnation for Orlando travel and tourism. Although there will be pockets of growth, the Orlando travel market will be challenging for the foreseeable future.

With shrinking tourism budgets, what will the strategy be in this negative travel climate?

Our contention is that all levels of Orlando (and Florida) travel and promotion will need to be innovative and resourceful in getting the message out to maintain market share. Gone are the days of inefficient allocation of expensive resources that reap relatively little direct benefits to area businesses and taxpayers.

From a private sector standpoint, Disney has thankfully opted to provide additional value to area visitors rather than cut services or attractions. This helps improve the value proposition for any potential visitor and increases the chance that tourism volume losses can be kept to a minimum.

We hope to do our part by blogging and podcasting about Orlando travel, and by specifically promoting the benefits of staying in Orlando area vacation homes.

Our belief is the “new media” is one of the most effective means to get the benefits of visiting Orlando out in a targeted way. A good example is the fact the Universal Theme Parks have created a “Vice President of New Media” position to creatively promote its parks. In addition, the new media can be an effective tool for the public/private funded travel promotional areas if it is used in a creative, adaptive and strategic manner.

Orlando Tourism

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Jun 2

Vacation homes and rental homes in Fl are an important part of travel to Florida.

In a landmark 2008  study commissioned by the Kissimmee Convention and Visitors Bureau, research indicates that vacation home owners and guests spend over $384 million in one county (Osceola) alone.

Vacation home rentals continue to be a more accepted means of accomodations and gain market share, but the industry has no formal organizational means of tracking economic impact statewide.

There are three major vacation homes markets in FL. These markets include Orlando, Miami and Destin/Panama City. There are also two secondary markets for rental homes in FL including Tampa/Clearwater and Jacksonville. It is difficult to extrapolate the total number of vacation home visitors statewide, but based on the report mentioned above, Osceola County drew 1.2 million visitors staying in vacation homes alone.

Although awareness of vacation homes for travel to Florida is on the rise, more consumer and economic data and information is needed. Holiday rentals in Orlando are a great way to enjoy the area.

Vacation Rentals in FL

This website focuses specifically on the Orlando vacation homes market to disseminate that needed consumer information. Over 80 resort communities have been independently rated and profiled which should give consumers a greater sense of trust for what they are booking. These vacation reviews are viewable on the main page of this website. The reviews section includes such premium resort communities as Emerald Island Resort and Windsor Hills Resort. Orlando FL is a great destination for theme parks, golf, restaurants and other attractions.

Rental Homes in FL

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Apr 1

Orlando Vacation Homes Go Mainstream – A Force to be Reckoned With?

Hotels in Orlando have gone into shock. In February 2009, hotel revenues were reportedly down dramatically (1).

Orlando vacation homes, although affected by the economic downturn, have some very powerful factors now in their favor.

1. Of the 200 +/- hotels in Orlando, there are as few as 400+/- full time sales managers at the property level promoting their product.
2. With 30,000 +/- vacation homes in the Orlando market, each owner becomes their properties’ best sales manager. You could argue there is an army of 30,000+/- part time sales managers/owners promoting Orlando vacation homes all over the globe on a daily basis.
3. Tour operators are now selling Orlando vacation home product with as much fervor as they do hotels. Such premium accommodations as Emerald Island Resort and Windsor Hills Resort are well know for their quality amenities.
4. In Orlando, there are hundreds of vacation home management companies aggressively promoting vacation home rentals for owners. The databases of management companies also include thousands of satisfied consumers who refer potential renters.
5. Orlando vacation home rentals have become very competitive in rate, and can often offer a better value proposition than a traditional hotel. Hence, their popularity with travelers.
6. Once the domain of Europeans, the domestic American consumer is becoming very educated on vacation homes and the benefits they offer including the ease with which the homes can be booked.

Orlando vacation home marketing has become organically powerful and has so much “hidden” muscle that a significant gain in market share against the hotel industry looks inevitable. The Orlando vacation home idustry segment is  now a force to be reckoned with.

Orlando Vacation Homes

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posted by orlandovacationhome on Mar 25

Orlando Vacation Homes, Condos or Townhomes: What’s the difference?

When picking a vacation home in Orlando, Kissimmee, Davenport or Clermont, we discuss the various types of accommodations available to vacation renters along with the advantages and disadvantages of each.

1. Traditional Florida Vacation Homes

Florida Vacation Homes

Advantages

• These homes can come in various sizes typically from 4 to 8 bedrooms and can sleep 8 to 18 people comfortably.
• Privacy
• Most often comes with private pool
• Private garages
• Detached homes – less disturbance by neighbors

Disadvantages

• The amenities of these communities can vary significantly from fully gated and guarded with resort amenities, to communities with no amenities at all.

2. Orlando Vacation Condos

These are more apartment style in nature (called flats in the UK) and are generally in three to five floor mid-rise buildings.

Orlando Vacation Condos

Advantages

• Typically you can check in at the on-site clubhouse.
• A tendency to have better community facilities
• Simple and easy to use
• Tendency to have more social interaction with fellow vacationers at the pool, common areas and clubhouse

 Disadvantages

• If you have noisy neighbors, this can be a problem
• No private pools

 3. Orlando Vacation Townhomes

Townhomes are typically two story in nature, and often have 2 to 4 bedrooms.

Advantages

• Compact
• Can have a private garage
• Simple and easy to use

Disadvantages

• Noisy neighbors can be a problem
  

  Orlando Vacation Townhome

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

• Although some homes may have a private pool, many townhome style homes do not.

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