Just a year ago we were looking at some worrying figures as we faced something new – the changing nature of traveler behavior.

Guests were booking later and for much shorter periods and we began looking at our decades-long practice of only offering weekly rentals in high season.  How times change.

Within a few short months of a pandemic crisis the constant ask is for a month, or two months or longer.  The behavior accompanying long-established personas has radically altered.

When Koryn Okey joined Flipkey in 2008, the world of vacation rental was very different.  The big listing sites as we know them now were in their infancy, and owners and managers had control over their businesses.  It was a time of massive growth as our accommodation type was slowly being accepted as moving into the mainstream. And, of course, we know the rest of the story.

Trip Advisor acquired Flipkey; HomeAway went on a spending spree absorbing well-known (and loved) vacation rental companies, and the brash newcomer, Airbnb made its noisy entrance.

Along the way, the nature of traveler behavior changed too.

Urban tourism became more of a thing as guests were encouraged to experience the fabric of a neighborhood from within, rather than looking out from the sterile interior of a Hilton or Marriott.  The concept of living in a complete home in any part of the globe became more attractive to families.

And the quickly expanding OTAs wanted more of the pie.

Not content with earning money from owners and managers through subscription advertising, they saw the benefits of selling guests a form of protection from fraud, by charging a service fee.  And so it began.

And then, just like that – the world changed.

Now we are dealing with changing demographics and personas and it seems like a whole new ballgame.

I read an article on the Breeezeway blog about this and wanted to get Koryn’s take on it from her extensive experience in this industry from a vendor perspective.

Just as a reminder – we only share and endorse products and services we have either used ourselves or have received enough referrals to know they are exceptionally good.

In this episode Koryn shares:

• How guest expectations have changed and what we should be prepared for
• What owners and managers can expect now the doors are mostly open again
• The fears and concerns we all have about re-opening
• What we need to convey to guests about making a place safe for them
• The best ways for a remote host or manager to monitor processes
• What Breezeway does to simplify processes
  ‍

Go to the Breeezeway Resources page to download their New Vacation Rental Cleaning Checklist.

Contact Koryn Okey directly at koryn@breezeway.io