How do you manage your listing while on holiday/vacation?

[Rebecca]

Hello hosts! 👋

I bet that taking a well-deserved holiday can sometimes feel tricky when you have guests to consider. How do you balance your travel plans with managing your listings?

What do you do to make sure your homes are in good hands while we soak up the sun? Do you have a go-to co-host, use automated messaging, or perhaps offer special discounts for guests who can accommodate your schedule?

Share your insights and experiences below! Whether you're an experienced host or just starting out, your ideas could really help someone else. 😊

Looking forward to hearing from you, 

Rebecca 

[Emir190]

Hi Rebecca

what a thoughtful question to prepare us for upcoming 2025 vacations 😊

I haven’t had the chance to take a vacation yet since I’m still in the beginnings but when I do, I’ll make sure to leave my listing in good hands. Hosting is very important to me, so I’ll arrange for a responsible person to be available to assist guests and handle any issues that may arise while I’m away. I’m looking forward to reading what other hosts manage their listings while traveling.—I’m definitely taking notes for when the time comes!

Cheers 😊

Emir

[Rebecca]

Thank you so much @Emir190 😊 

That's great to hear you'll make sure your listing is in good hands. Do you think that'll be a friend or family member, or would you hire a Co-Host? 

If you want to keep track of the replies, head to the top of the post and click 'options'. Then click subscribe and you'll be updated to all new replies 🙌

[Emir190]

Thank you @Rebecca  for the advice regarding the following of all replies. 

I’m planning to leave my listing to my very best friend whom I consider as a family member. This opened topic just made me meet with him today to discuss our vacation plans.

Thanks for that. 

Best,

Emir

[Rebecca]

That's fantastic, I'm so glad! Taking a break is very important and having your best friend there to support when you're away will take a load off your mind. 

Where do you plan to go on vacation? 

[Denise1908]

I haven't been on vacation for years, my budget just isn't there.  I would like to find a roommate  that can stay long term. My room rental is my only income. 

[Rebecca]

Hello @Denise1908 👋

Going on vacation is definitely a luxury! As a family of 5, we often spend some time with family or friends to keep costs down. 

Is it different as a long term host, as you don't need to be there, or nearby to check people in/out?

[Greystone0]

Hi @Rebecca ,

Great topic. Here's our general procedure:

- We are a self managed owner/host listing. We have a local cleaner and a local caretaker.  These team members have been extremely reliable with great response time and high standards. We are fortunate to have them on our team.

- As the owner/host we manage the day to day communication with guests and this is all done remotely. Our capacity to deal with our listing doesn't really change if we are in our typical home or elsewhere on vacation. As long as we have good WIFI we can respond accordingly. Time differences can come into play but this hasn't impacted our ability to respond and when necessary we have shared a quick, 'message received and we'll get back to you with full info shortly as we are traveling, driving, whatever-it-may-be. And we don't have to be on vacation to be stuck in traffic and need a bit of time to get back to someone.

-  If there is an urgent issue we would not hesitate to address and as needed use our local team to help with an issue.

[Rebecca]

That's a very thorough thought out plan @Greystone0- thank you so much for sharing it with us. 

Did you always have a team to support, or did you start off on your own and build up? I'm wondering if this plan came about naturally or if it was something you always had in mind. 

[Greystone0]

Hi @Rebecca ,

- We have always had this really good team.  And we are fortunate that we haven't had any drama, issues or had to replace anyone along the way.

In our market, we are obligated to have a 24hr contact that is less than an hour away. We are too far away to qualify and thus our caretaker/property manager is the resource for this. This is a permit criteria for our local market .  As part of the registration process for this permit, our local municipality manages and publishes a list of contact info for short term rentals. If we weren't obligated to have this we might not have originally sought this out but this has been a very valuable resource for us.

We are also too far to do the cleaning and turnover and so that is managed by a local person as well. Our cleaner is well versed in what it takes to do a stellar cleaning for a short term rental and has seen it all in terms of dealing with what guests leave behind in their wake.

[Rebecca]

It's very interesting how it changes from country/state with the requirements for STRs. Where about in the world are you @Greystone0? 

[Andrea6232]

Buongiorno @Rebecca 

since I don't live near my house in Venice, I have a trusted person who manages my house.

When I'm on vacation I continue to follow my listing remotely in the same way 😉

Andrea

[Rebecca]

@Andrea6232 I remember you saying that you live away from your listing so I should have assumed you had someone trustworthy to manage your listing 😊

How did you find someone and do they work the same as a co-host? 

[Andrea6232]

@Rebecca 

I was really lucky because I found a very nice Venetian lady who lives next door 😁

[Rebecca]

That's perfect then! It's wonderful to have good neighbours. I have a lovely lady next door who always helps us out. She baked me an Irish soda bread the other day for St Patricks Day 😊

Irish soda bread with fennel and raisins