Friday, January 26, 2007

Hotels vs Vacation Rentals Industry

It's time time to fight back at the attempts of hotels to force vacation rentals out of business.
Every year for the past twenty years, we have rented out our condo for transient accommodations. It has been a great time for us. We have met wonderful people who have come back year after year to their home away from home. Yes, it was stressful at times, keeping the place in top shape, but we loved every minute of it.
Our guest book tells a story of fabulous holidays that our guests enjoyed while staying in our vacation rental.
Most of these people, especially those with families, wouldn't have been able to come here because of the high cost of the hotels in our area, and we couldn't have afforded to buy our beautiful condo if we hadn't had the vacation rental income to help with our expenses.
As the big hotel owners continue to build more and more hotels to add to the tremendous number they already have, it just seems they will never be satisfied until they have complete control of the entire vacation industry. The vast majority of people can not possibly pay $500 or $600 a night for a hotel room, so they have to depend on privately owned vacation rentals for their family holidays.
It's time that the hotel owners accepted this, and quit trying to play God by putting pressure on their municipalities to try and discourage vacation rentals. By doing so they are depriving an average family the ability to go on a vacation.
Vacation rental owners collect and pay appropriate city or state taxes and all they ask in return is to be allowed to run their business in a fair and honorable way without being in a competition with hotels.
A home away from home, for those who can't afford the sky high prices of the big hotels is a service that should be recognized and respected. Vacation Rentals need your help.

Read a related article by Christine Karpinski entitled Vacation Rental Bans and Restrictions.

We invite you to leave your comments on this blog, especially if you have related experiences of your own to share.

For listings of vacation rentals by owner worldwide, check out Ideal Vacation Rentals

3 comments:

  1. Hello, Just read your blog and I really appreciate to can leave a comment.
    I am a vacation home owner, in the famous "Tuscany", where probably there are more private home than hotels at this moment.
    In Italy, I pay taxes, on my incomes from the rentals, but I can't have any deductions for the expenses I have for the property, like lights, gaz, telephone and other bills, and I would not charge to my guests.
    To rent has been my choice so I can support the negative side, because I like to accomodate as better as I can, my guests. One thing make me thinking, how an hotel can discounted of 70% his room a day, and the day after make you pay 70% more only because have more request? And he can deducts expensises and extra costs!
    Maybe 70% of range is what he cash from a night paid?
    GWW

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  2. We think vacation rentals are great, they bring a lot of revenue to the cities. We stay in vacation rentals all the time where ever we travel. They are more convinent and private then staying in a hotel.

    Sue and Penny

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  3. Its incredible how greedy hotels can get, with everything that you use in a hotel paid for. I know they are trying to make money and all but for my family of six going on holiday is a logistic and financial nightmare. We tried vacation home program through Let yourself last winter and I estimate we saved about 700-850 dollars, compared to if we had stayed in a hotel.

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