What's In A Property Name?

With so many new vacation rental properties being listed for rent, it's fun to look at the names and to give some thought as to the impact a name may have on a potential renter.

Names tend to fall into clearly defined brackets. There are the animal names: Beaver Creek Cottage; Moosewood; Squirrel's Leap; fishy ones: Trout Leap, Salmon Run, Pike Cottage; those that describe the surrounding woodland: Pine Break; Tamarack Lodge; Mapleview  and those with more esoteric connotations such as A Whisper in Time and Almost Heaven.  If it's likely that someone looking to book a cottage may be swayed into choosing one that has a great name, then the selection of an appropriate name may be very important.

Finding an evocative name that appeals to everyone can be a challenge but a lot of fun too. Here's a few things to think about before you commit to the expensive hand sculpted sign:

A fancy sounding French or Spanish name may seem a great idea, but you could lose a few enquiries since some people don't want to sound silly if they mispronounce the name, so they won't make the call.

Some people will relate the name to the cottage and may see something more in it than you intend, so avoid the funnies like Skunkz, Raccoon's Retreat, or The Sunny Dunny (seriously they are there folks!)

Whispering Pines, Sunset Cottage, Water's Edge, and The Beach House are nice names but a little over-used. Nothing wrong with them and many other well used names, but with a little creativity I am sure you can come up with something more unique and special to you.  Here's some I particularly like:

Antler's Rest

Bala's Secret

Suncatcher

The Edge of Esson

Smilin' Moose

Dragonflies

If you are stuck for a name, get together with some family and friends and do some brainstorming. Get a large sheet of paper or a whiteboard and let the ideas flow. I'd love to hear what your properties name is, and where the inspiration came from.

Photo by Lepti