To say that the vacation rentals industry has exploded over recent years would be an understatement. At one point it looked like it would be hotels and only hotels that would form the basis of travel, yet from nowhere vacation rentals have made a return and taken back some of the market share.
The reasons for this are aplenty; there are now platforms to quickly filter through these properties, while in some ways they have caught up and started to match the benefits that hotels have always been able to offer.
For a lot of people, they are still something of an unknown quantity though. While brands like Elan Vacations might be gaining sterling reputations in the market, for the Average Joe who hasn’t yet tried a vacation rental it’s still an area which poses questions. Bearing this in mind, let’s look at the industry in full and highlight what you can expect if you opt for this method of accommodation.
What sort of accommodation can you get?
There’s a lot of misconceptions around regarding the types of information available. Previously, it was just large houses suited to large groups, but now the market has expanded immensely. It means that pretty much anything goes and whether it’s a small apartment, a beach house or even a tree house in some cases, almost anything you can think of is available.
What are the benefits?
There’s a reason why vacation rentals have experienced such a surge in growth over the last few years; they offer a lot of benefits in comparison to the other options.
As we’ve just said, there’s lots of types of accommodation available, but whatever you get your hands on is likely to be more spacious than the hotel alternative. Most of the time, you’ll be gifted a whole host of extras as well, with the likes of a kitchen and washing machine just two to think of.
We should also erase another myth here; you don’t have to be out in the middle of nowhere. In other words, you might still be placed in a resort, in the middle of golf, spas and all of the other facilities that you might enjoy if you were part of a hotel. On the subject of the ‘hotel factor’ again, most properties will provide all the standard items like towels and soap, meaning that the service has become very similar.
How long can you stay for?
Once upon a time this may have been something of a grey area, or something that some guests considered a downside with the vacation rentals market. Now, things are changing.
While some resorts might have minimum stay requirements, on the whole there’s a great degree of flexibility (notice how we’ve used that word before?). Ultimately, you’ll be able to pick dates subject to availability and you aren’t restricted to say a 7-night or 4-night stay, which may have once been the norm with the initial vacation rental properties.