8 trending amenities that luxury buyers want

brown wooden table near swimming pool

The home has become the center of the universe for many of us during the pandemic. In 2021, and going into 2022, buyers are seeking unique amenities that make living and working from home exciting and comfortable. Here are a few.

Excerpt via Inman

T hroughout the pandemic, we have witnessed a huge shift when it comes to the amenities our clients prioritize when purchasing a home. The amenities that used to fall under the “would be great to have” category have now become nonnegotiable.

More than ever, the home has become the staycation, the office, the gym — you name it. In today’s world, home life is everything, and staying abreast of the latest and greatest amenities on the market is key. Here, we’ve outlined the amenities our clients are seeking when house-hunting in 2021 and 2022.

Are you a luxury home buyer or seller looking for the right-sized home in South Puget Sound or Souther California? Schedule a consultation call. We look forward to hearing from you!

1. Outdoor is king

While under lockdown, we have spent more and more time outdoors. The need for outdoor amenities has skyrocketed with buyers. From upgrading outdoor living and dining areas to installing state-of-the-art outdoor kitchens and barbecues, clients are hard-pressed on finding the perfect outdoor area for entertaining safely.

brown wooden table near swimming pool
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

A perfect example of this is a client of ours who installed a retractable roof at home to capitalize on the incredible Southern California weather and provide the ultimate indoor-outdoor experience.

2. Kid-friendly features

With everyone working from home and homeschooling becoming a part of everyday life, the desire for more kid-friendly amenities has increased exponentially.

From large playrooms and outdoor half courts that can be used for basketball, skating and scooter rides to incredible jungle gyms, sandboxes and swimming pools, having kid-approved amenities has never been more important.

3. Work-from-home spaces:

The home office has become the go-to amenity for homebuyers. Clients are seeking spacious and quiet office spaces that are ideal for working from home. Aesthetically pleasing rooms that double as beautiful Zoom backgrounds are also a priority.

brown and black office table and four black cantilever chairs
Photo by Damir Kopezhanov on Unsplash

4. Sporting areas

During the pandemic, buyers have taken up new hobbies — including sporting activities. From batting cages to basketball courts and indoor simulated putting greens, clients want to have these amenities accessible to them at home so they can work on their game whenever they choose.

5. Home gyms

With many fitness centers and gyms still closed or open with limited hours and capacity, buyers are seeking state-of-the-art home fitness spaces. From the latest Pilates equipment to expertly crafted weight rooms, fitness rooms have become very important to buyers in this market.

6. Salons

Luxury buyers have become accustomed to at-home salon visits, with nail technicians and masseuses going directly to them for regular grooming. We’ve witnessed buyers seeking built-in salon spaces they can dedicate to pampering themselves within the comforts of home.

7. Kitchens with storage

The kitchen is truly the heart of the home, and buyers are now seeking kitchens with extra-large pantries or adjoining storage rooms where they can keep their essentials stocked, should any shortages occur.

8. Sanitizing amenities

Sanitizing stations in mudrooms, air filtration systems throughout the home and even guesthouses that can be used for quarantine purposes have all become the new normal for buyers in this market.

Overall, the home has become the center of the universe for many of us during the pandemic. In 2021, buyers are seeking unique amenities that make living and working from home exciting and comfortable. We look forward to seeing how these client needs evolve as the market continues to progress throughout the year and beyond.

 

Best Vacation Rental Sites for Owners – Beyond Airbnb

Excerpt via Lodgify

Many owners and managers choose to use vacation rental listing sites to complement the activity they’re already doing on their own websites. In fact, there are many benefits to using both your own page and external listing sites for your vacation rental. After all, a good short-term rental business is a diversified one.

One thing that doesn’t always get talked about, however, is the cost of using listing sites. While there are some vacation rental sites with low fees, others come with a hefty price tag – usually at your or your guest’s expense.

That’s why we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to all the major (and specialized) vacation rental websites out there, complete with guest fees, host fees and listing costs. Take a look at the full guide below to choose the best vacation rental site for your business.

Why should you list your property on vacation rental sites?

If you already receive a significant amount of direct bookings, you might be wondering what’s the point of listing your property on an OTA in the first place. After all, there aren’t many vacation rental sites without fees and every host wants to keep as much of the grand total as possible. If you zoom out and look at the bigger picture, you’ll see that adding your property to vacation rental listing sites will actually increase your profits, fees and all.

Free Publicity

As you read on, you’ll see that the traffic from some of these OTA’s is enormous. Vrbo, Airbnb, and Booking.com are household names. Having your vacation rental brand associated with these companies will provide you the benefit of their fame. A lot of guests who are traveling to a new area or aren’t familiar with the vacation rental industry might only know about these major platforms. With that in mind, having your business be a part of a bigger brand will put you in touch with these guests.

Further, a lot of the vacation rental websites we discuss below feature properties and owners in their own publications, marketing materials, and on the front pages of their websites. Vrbo’s Instagram alone totals up to almost 400,000 followers. Imagine if your property was to be featured in their next post! Remember that the publicity from these OTAs extends far beyond the website alone and having your property listed with these superstars can group you in their fame.

Diversify your pool of guests

If your vacation rental business is only known to a certain audience like retirees or couples, you’re missing out on potential reservations. You don’t want to get stuck in the cycle of only booking a certain type of client by limiting the places you publish. While it’s true that there are certain guests to avoid, not using vacation rental listing sites could hold you back from a variety of clients who could enrich your hosting experience.

Some listing sites have personalities of their own or they are known for attracting niche audiences (we’ll dive a little deeper later), so if you’re trying to move towards a new clientele or just attract a variety of guests, you might want to consider which sites best suit the clients you’re seeking out.

Make your business legitimate

When you buy from widely known brands, be it clothing or holiday packages,  you know what to expect from that company. When a brand is well established, so are its patterns, behaviors, mission, and overall operations. People who book with Airbnb or Vrbo know more or less what to expect. These key players have been in the business for quite some time, proving their legitimacy.

Having your vacation rental affiliated with those names makes your business appear legitimate by proxy. Most guests know that OTAs and vacation rental listing sites maintain high standards for their hosts, so your business being on there consequently means that you adhere to those levels of quality.

Reach a wider, global audience

You can have the best beach house in the whole Outer Banks, but that still won’t help you to tap into a global market if you aren’t properly advertising your property. When you list your vacation rental on local sites and global listing pages, you help to scale up your business to reach guests from all over the world who might be more than interested in staying at your property!

Top Vacation Rental Websites

Airbnb

Founded in 2008 from a San Francisco bedroom, Airbnb is now one of the biggest vacation rental websites in existence. Worth about $85 billion, Airbnb now boasts more than 150 million users, including some 4 million hosts. This company pioneered the path for vacation rental sites and continues to be a huge player in the industry.

It’s no surprise, then, that according to data from SimilarWeb, Airbnb is now the world’s top-ranked website in the accommodation and hotels category. Due to its massive notoriety, it makes perfect sense to have your property listed on Airbnb.

Understand that because the platform is so huge, each location is chock full of listings, so how will you make your Airbnb stand out? As you consider whether you want to list your vacation rental on this platform, also keep in mind how you’ll use this OTA to increase your visibility and get more bookings.

Airbnb Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Most guests pay a service fee that is under 14.2% of the booking subtotal (everything excluding taxes & fees). Approximately 3-5% to cover transaction fees, but it may vary depending on the country or if hosts have a Super Strict cancelation policy. No are no listing fees for joining.

Vrbo (previously HomeAway)

The seemingly ever-expanding family of vacation rental websites belonging to the umbrella company, Expedia Group, have much to offer when it comes to listing properties. With over a million listings in more than 190 countries, Vrbo’s companies (HomeAway, Vrbo, VacationRentals.com to name a few) are some of the biggest out there.

Vrbo gained its popularity by offering a wide range of entire-home accommodations instead of single rooms. The platform is perfect for vacation rental owners focused on the house rather than the host. As the platform has continued to boom, the variety of properties has followed suit and, consequently, some of their offerings include unique stays like treehouses, cabins, or houseboats. You can find just about every type of property on this site; make your property one of them!

Vrbo has acquired many other the top vacation rental sites such as TravelMob, TopRural, and Homelidays, just to name a few, so some of your existing guests from these sites might have already migrated over to Vrbo making it that much more important that you get your property listed on this mega OTA. What’s more, by using Vrbo vacation rental owners and managers will gain exposure to over 44 million travelers each month!

VRBO Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Guest service fee is usually between 6-12% of the booking total. Dependent on listing plan – pay-per-booking subscriptions will pay a percentage (starting from 8%) on each reservation total.
Annual subscription owners will not incur any additional host charges.		 Pay-per-booking
If anticipated income is less than $10,000 per year per listing, this option is suitable. Just pay a commission on the bookings you take, starting at 8%.
Annual subscription
For year-long rentals, paying annually makes sense. Prices start at $499.

Booking.com

From a small Dutch start-up to a huge, international enterprise, Booking.com is undoubtedly one of the top websites for travelers everywhere. Every day, more than 1.5 million nights are reserved on the online travel agency. It’s also hugely global – the site is available in over 43 languages and offers an inventory of over 6.2 million homes, apartments and other unique places to stay in over 227 countries.

While Booking.com doesn’t cater solely to vacation rentals, the offerings for this section of the website are constantly growing, making it a fantastic vacation rental website for owners and managers to list on.

The search engine layout highlights internal ratings, the overall price for the vacation rental, and frequently an enticing deal or slash of the old price for a new offer. If you regularly run promotions for your vacation rental, this might be a good platform for you to promote your business and lure in new guests with incredible savings.

Booking.com Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
No reservation fees for guests. Hosts pay commission on a per-booking basis (can range between 10-25%, depending on property location). Invoiced and paid monthly. Booking.com offers a commission calculator to help you know exactly what the cost will be for your property There are no listing fees for Booking.com

TripAdvisor

The travel website, TripAdvisor, has built its strong following based on showcasing reliable reviews on just about everything travel-related. That includes hotels, restaurants, activities and you guessed it, vacation rentals.

It’s no surprise that TripAdvisor has made the jump to the vacation rental industry. Their already clear fame in travel and tourism made it an easy step into the short-term rental world. Because they blend a number of vacation-related products, it’s a great platform to use for businesses in an “experience-heavy” location such as Orlando, for its theme parks, or Bali, for its outdoor activities.

The latest figures show over 340 million travelers use TripAdvisor per month, and there are more than 800,000 vacation rental properties listed on the site. Active in over 200 countries, TripAdvisor automatically translates any property listings to appear on its 26 sister sites including FlipKey, HouseTrip, HolidayLettings and Niumba.

TripAdvisor Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Travelers are charged a booking fee, which TripAdvisor uses to run the platform, and this varies from 8% to 16% depending on reservation total. Hosts pay a 3% fee to TripAdvisor on every booking they take, deducted from the guest’s booking total. There are no listing fees for TripAdvisor

Expedia

Expedia has been a big name in the travel industry for over two decades. A big advantage of becoming an Expedia Partner (and listing on their site) is the localized sites that are available in 33 countries worldwide.

Their directory of more than 590,000 properties worldwide makes it an important channel for vacation rental owners to be part of. In addition, their award-winning app and platform allow travelers to bundle accommodation services with flights, car rentals and activity bookings. You’ll have the chance to pull in clients who were maybe initially just looking for a flight or car rental, but stumble across your property and fall in love. A wider audience means more clients and bookings for your vacation rental business!

Expedia Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
No reservation fees for guests. Similar to Booking.com, hosts pay commission on a per-booking basis (can range between 15-20%, depending on property location). Amount is invoiced and paid monthly. There are no listing fees for Expedia

Niche vacation rental websites

The world of travel has grown in a way that tries to be a little bit more accessible for all types of travelers, be it disability-accommodation, kid-friendly, or any other needs you may have. The beauty of renting a vacation rental instead of a hotel is the customization and touch of detail that hosts add for their varying guests.

BringFido.com

Holidays are no longer just for a select few. The trend has shifted to where travelers are bringing everyone along, pets included! If your vacation rental allows dogs, cats, and other furry creatures with open arms, consider listing with BringFrido.com. When guests see just how accommodating you are to all members of the family, they’ll be ready to leave a stellar review for your open hospitality.

More than just a vacation rental website, BringFido.com is a one-stop shop for all things necessary when it comes to planning dog-friendly getaways, be it restaurant searches or accommodations. Search their 250,000 pet-friendly vacation rentals by price, rating, pet policy, or region!

BringFido.com Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
No booking fees are charged when making a reservation. Plus, guests get a free gift (such as a t-shirt, sticker etc.) when they arrive home from the trip. BringFido.com usually takes a small commission from bookings made through the platform. If the owner already has their own website or listings on HomeAway, VRBO, Airbnb or TripAdvisor, BringFido.com will use the link to create a listing free of charge.

Otherwise, individual property listings start at $249 per year.

misterb&b

Founded in Paris in 2013, misterb&b is a travel and vacation rental website that primarily provides accommodation to individuals from the LGBTQ+ community.

The idea of creating a gay-friendly niche travel website occurred to misterb&b’s founder after staying in an Airbnb in Barcelona, whereby the owner started reacting badly upon learning he was gay. misterb&b is now the largest gay accommodation provider on the internet, with more than 210,000 hosts in over 135 countries.

There’s so much to love about this platform. Misterb&b offers members a community to connect with other users on their trips, they offer vouchers and travel credits, they were featured on the famed Rupaul’s Drag Race, and a portion of their proceeds go to LGBTQ+ nonprofit organizations.

misterb&b Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
misterb&b charges a 12% guest fee on the gross amount of the rental (e.g. rent+cleaning fee). Cross-border transactions are subject to another 3% charge. misterb&b charges 5% commission on each booking taken on the platform for the processing of guest payments. There are no listing fees for Misterb&b

Coolstays

The Coolstays vacation rental website allows owners to list and travelers to book unique destinations and properties worldwide. With a stunning design to inspire travelers into booking something a bit more exact, the website matches guests with a property that would be a perfect fit for their needs – whether that’s wellness or history, glamping or accessible offerings.

For each property listed, owners can detail what makes their property special – allowing the rental to be marketed for specific categories across the site. This site offers all kinds of “cool” accommodations such as chapels and churches, boatels, or just generally quirky stays!

All properties are vetted by Coolstays to make sure they comply with the category they choose and that they’re up to standard. Because their collections are curated, you must apply to be listed on the site.

Coolstays Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Coolstays charges a 10% guest fee on top of each booking. Coolstays has four subscription plans and pricing varies depending on your purchased plan and property size. Coolstays has four subscription plans and pricing varies depending on your purchased plan and property size.

Luxury vacation rental websites

If your clientele is more high dollar or you’re aiming for that market, it’s vital that you target this specific type of guest on sites that cater to their needs. Luxury clientele aren’t seeking the top promotion or a big price cut in red, they want smooth and sophisticated.

Certain websites specialize in pairing high-end hosts with luxury-seeking guests through curated collections, sleek web design, and customized service. It’s not necessarily easy to break into this field, but if your property fits the mold, it should be listed accordingly.

VillaRental.com

VillaRental.com has been listing luxury holiday villas for 20 years and offers stunning properties in Italy, Mexico, St Martin and the US Virgin Islands. The Concierge Team helps create a memorable experience for guests and provides excellent customer service to travelers and owners alike.

VillaRental.com Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Guest fees are customized depending on the property and guest needs Host fees are customized depending on the property and guest needs Listing fees are customized depending on the property and guest needs

Home & Villas Marriott

Even the hotel industry is getting in on the vacation rental action. As renting private homes grows in popularity, other chains and hospitality companies are figuring out ways to bridge the two. Marriott sought out this opportunity by creating Home & Villas Marriott, under the umbrella of the larger Marriott International group.

What’s so great about this listing site is the ability to monetize off what would otherwise be hotel-only traffic. Loyal customers of Marriott and the hotel industry at large now don’t have to stray, as they can book private homes with a company they’re already familiar with. Marriott even allows guests to use their Marriott points towards vacation rentals listed on their site. Bonus!

Home & Villas Marriott Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
The guest service fee varies depending on the stay and duration but the cap is 10-15% per booking. Home & Villas Marriott charges a customized host fee depending on the stay. Home & Villas Marriott charges a customized listing fee depending on the stay.

Airbnb Luxe

You’ve definitely heard of Airbnb, but are you familiar with their sister brand Airbnb Luxe? With a focus on high-end homes and quality-driven villas, Airbnb Luxe offers a selection unlike any other. Personal and bespoke travel just got that much more appealing with the Airbnb Luxe brand. As a part of the 2017 acquisition of Luxury Retreats, Airbnb Luxe continues to grow and so does its clientele.

All the offerings on this platform must pass a strict evaluation across 300+ criteria to meet the rigorous standards for both design and function. Guests and hosts alike know the bar for quality is quite high here, so gaining the rite of passage to Airbnb Luxe would surely grant you access to upscale clients.

Airbnb Luxe Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
The guest service fee varies depending on the accommodation, but the fee typically runs about $1,500 per guest, per night. Airbnb Luxe charges a customized host fee depending on the stay. Airbnb Luxe charges a customized listing fee depending on the stay.

Vacation Rental Sites Without Fees for Hosts

The age-old question, “What vacation rental sites are free for hosts?” can aptly be answered with none, but don’t fear just yet! There’s no such thing as a completely free vacation rental site because, at the end of the day, these companies need some cut of the booking to keep their operations running and continue to promote your business. It can be seen as more of a trade-off; you pay a percentage for having your listing shown on their site and they get your property more visibility and help to increase your bookings.

The upside is that there are some vacation rental sites with lower fees or platforms that have no barrier to entry. If you’re just getting your vacation rental off the ground, it’s best to stick with sites that don’t have a listing fee. Fortunately, there are a couple of options to choose from for listing fee-free or host fee-free sites.

Agoda

Agoda started off in Asia in 2005 and was acquired by The Priceline Group, a world leader in online travel and related services, in 2007. Agoda offers over 1,250,000 accommodations, ranging from luxury hotels to budget hostels and private rooms or entire properties.

They pride themselves on reaching a global audience with an Asian focus, so if this fits your property, consider signing up. Whether your listing is in Asia or if you mainly attract guests from Asia, this site offers you plenty of exposure.

Their biggest selling point is that they take a minimal amount of your earnings as compared to its competitors. Sign-up is free, listing is free, and all of the onsite tools they offer are also free.

Agoda Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Agoda retains a fee to cover the costs of each reservation, such as customer service costs. This varies depending on location and property. There are no fees whatsoever for using Agoda to list your property. There are no listing fees for Agoda

HomeEscape

HomeEscape makes it easy to find and compare vacation rentals worldwide, without booking fees or processing fees. HomeEscape is commission-free for both owners and guests, making vacation rentals more affordable for everyone.

Through HomeEscape, property managers and owners offer a large selection of vacation homes with extensive amenities, including more space to relax and enjoy their stay, at a fraction of the cost of traditional resort accommodations. Their commission-free model means that no matter how many reservations you get, you’ll be turning a full profit. If you don’t get the guaranteed minimum of 6 reservations made through their site, you’ll get the next year of membership for free.

HomeEscape Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There are no guest fees for HomeEscape There are no host fees for HomeEscape HomeEscape offers a limited-time promotion for new owners, who can sign up for an annual subscription of $199 per property (instead of $350). Besides this, owners and property managers can upload an unlimited number of properties for free, but they will not have access to the payment processor and will only get a maximum of 25 reservation requests.

Tripz.com

Tripz.com is an innovative vacation rental marketplace that aims to be the number one low-cost provider of rental accommodation. Now, this is a good sell for owners seeking a free vacation rental listing site!

Their commitment to low cost is demonstrated through their pricing models. It runs on a no-booking fee basis – meaning neither travelers nor owners have any extra costs to pay. It also allows guests and hosts to communicate directly via an email messaging service.

They operate on a subscription basis. You’ll have to pay for a membership, but you’re never charged a commission for host, guest, or hidden fees. One flat cost with unlimited booking opportunities.

Tripz.com Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There are no guest fees for Tripz.com There are no host fees for Tripz.com Owners can start listing their properties on Tripz.com from $4 per month for the Basic plan and up to $89 per month for the Premier plan.

General

9flats

9flats is a vacation rental listing website that offers over six million properties worldwide. They have a number of listings in some of the top European cities like Rome, Berlin, and London at competitive prices that help you to attract more clients and fill those empty slots on your reservation calendar.

Although the site has been successful, they have earned some negative reviews due to payment and customer service issues, so do be careful when listing your property there.

9flats Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
The guest service fee tends to be around 10% per booking, but may vary depending on the length of stay and total cost. 9flats takes a 12-15% commission on the booking total. There are no listing fees for 9flats

atraveo

Founded in 1997, atraveo is part of the TUI Group and has over 300,000 properties from all over the world listed on its website, with a particular focus on Europe. Its affiliation with TUI helps to bring in a huge client base of all-inclusive travelers and higher-spenders. If you want in on that clientele, we recommend you list with atraveo.

atraveo remains a very international platform, with a website available in more than 10 languages, and a user-friendly owner area available in nine! You can now complement your own multilingual vacation rental site with a listing page that reaches an equal amount of international visitors.

atraveo Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Around 15 to 20% of the reservation amount. Hosts on atraveo pay a 15% commission on confirmed bookings. There are no listing fees for atraveo

Only-apartments

Only-apartments specializes in apartment rentals for short and medium stays across the globe. They have an instant booking feature that could help to increase your last-minute reservations as well as on-demand customer support if you have problems. Their website currently lists more than 150,000 apartments in 120 countries throughout the world.

Only-apartments Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Guests pay a service fee of 15% to 18% of the booking total. There is a 1% management fee for hosts with a payment policy that includes payment in advance. In this case, Only-apartments takes care of handling the payment on their behalf and applies a fee of 1% over the amount charged to the guest (commission excluded).There are no host fees for Tripz.com There are no listing fees for Only-apartments

Vacationstayz

Vacationstayz is a vacation rental listing website letting travelers choose their perfect vacation pad from 20,000 destinations. Vacationstayz focuses on the guest experience and is completely free for travelers.

Vacationstayz Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There are no guest fees for Vacationstayz Hosts pay a commission on a per-booking basis when they’re a free member. Vacationstayz doesn’t charge any listing fees for the free membership.

There is, however, the option to pay $199 a year for full membership, which includes SEO optimization, listing management and one featured listing.

Owner Direct

As implied by the name, Owner Direct provides a platform that bridges the communication between host and guest for smooth, transparent bookings. Founded in 1994, Owner Direct has over 25 years of experience in the industry and offers thousands of vacation rentals from all around the world. The company also prides itself on its usability, efficient customer service and transparent fees. You’ll never be thrown off by outrageous hidden costs.

Owner Direct Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There are no guest fees for Owner Direct Owner Direct takes a 10% matching fee on successful bookings. There is an additional $100 fee if you’ve received more than two bookings during the financial year, to cover set-up, maintenance and marketing costs. There are no listing fees for Owner Direct

Europe

Abritel – France

Now part of the HomeAway group, Abritel is one of the leaders of the vacation rental sector in France. They maintain a global portfolio while keeping a focus on their French audience. Customer support is readily available with French natives and a multitude of other languages if you or your guests have any questions. If your clientele is mainly based in France or French-speaking countries then this is the platform for you.

There are over two million properties listed on the website, with tens of thousands in France, and many more in Spain, Italy, England, Brazil, the US and other locations.

Abritel Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
The guest service fee is around 6% of the rental amount, excluding the security deposit and additional taxes. There is an 8% fee consisting of: a 5% commission of the rental amount, and a 3% credit card processing fee. Listing your property is free, but you have to pay a commission on each booking. You can decide to choose the annual subscription instead: €249 with online booking and €399 without.

FeWo-direkt – Germany

FeWo-direkt continues to lead and conquer the vacation rental industry in Germany and many other German-speaking countries. FeWo-direkt is also part of the HomeAway group and has a portfolio consisting of over two million properties around the world, including over 200,000 in France, 150,000 in Italy, 50,000 in the UK and 7,000 in Germany.

If you’ve got a castle in the outskirts of Munich or a chalet in the Swiss Alps, FeWo-direkt will perfectly target the audience you’re hoping to book. This European powerhouse for vacation rentals will help you to attract European clients and fill up your reservations.

FeWo-direkt Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
The guest service fee is usually around 6% of the rental amount (excluding the security deposit and additional taxes). There is an 8% fee: 5% commission of the rental amount, including any fees, plus a 3% credit card processing fee charged on the total payment, including taxes and refundable damage deposits. Listing your property is free, but you have to pay a commission on each booking. You can decide to choose the annual subscription instead: €249 with online booking and €399 without.

Casamundo – Western Europe

From castles to igloos, there are over 700,000 homes listed on Casamundo – mostly in Europe and some in the USA, as well as Morocco and Turkey. Casamundo focuses on themed holidays, offering guests the opportunity to book a fishing trip or a getaway with their furry friend in a pet-friendly accommodation.

Casamundo recruits and selects some of the top vacation homes in the world by working with local specialists and maintaining a high level of quality and guest satisfaction. If you want to get listed with Casamundo, reach out to their support number or email listed on their website.

Casamundo Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There are no guest fees for Casamundo
Casamundo charges owners an advertising and placement commission of 12% (plus VAT) of the rental fee per booking. There are no listing fees for Casamundo

Flat4day – Western Europe & Turkey

An official partner of Tripping, Flat4day offers vacation rentals and holiday homes across the globe.  They offer a variety of accommodations for European vacation dreams, but also extend their reach to the Middle East and Turkey, unlike its competitors.

Their website features gorgeous accommodations from over 1,000 cities in 80 different countries. Their most popular destinations include Istanbul, Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, Barcelona and Prague so if you’ve got a vacation home in one of those hot destinations, you can expect to gain some good traffic from this platform.

Flat4day Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
The guest service fee may vary, but it is usually around 25% of the booking total. This covers the costs of keeping the site running.
There are no host fees for Flat4day
There are no listing fees for Flat4day

Holiday Lettings – United Kingdom

Holiday Lettings was the UK’s largest independent vacation rental website when it was acquired by TripAdvisor in 2010. They maintain their focus on very English-esque stays like tudor-style homes and old manors tucked away in the countryside. Today, Holiday Lettings advertises 600,000 cottages, villas and apartments in over 150 countries worldwide, including nearly 55,000 in the UK.

Holiday Lettings Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Travelers are charged a booking fee, which typically varies from 8% to 14.5% depending on the rental rate. Hosts pay a 3% fee on confirmed bookings, deducted from the guest’s booking total. There are no listing fees for Holiday Lettings

Niumba – Spain

Founded in 2005, Niumba was subsequently bought by TripAdvisor in 2013, becoming a part of its 25-website network and offering holiday properties to rent short or long-term all around the world.

Niumba maintains its uniqueness by focusing on a local client base in Spain. They have offerings through all parts of Spain from the heart of Basque Country to the rocky coves of the Canary Islands. Niumba prides itself on being a south of Europe expert and its client base is a reflection of that.

Niumba Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Travelers are charged a booking fee, which typically varies from 8% to 14.5%, depending on the rental rate, and is automatically added to the total. Hosts pay a 3% fee per booking, deducted from their total. There are no listing fees for Niumba

North America

TurnKey Vacation Rentals

TurnKey was founded in 2010 and focuses exclusively on the U.S. market. They have a couple of requirements that must be met for a vacation home to make their list. The rental must be: a distinctive home, professionally cleaned, offer 24/7 guest support, have a fully-equipped kitchen, Wifi, and easy check-in.

Because their standards are consistent and demand high-quality, you’ll get top-notch guests in return. If you meet the minimum requirements, consider adding your vacation rental to this listing site to tap into a solid clientele that will responsibly look after your home.

TurnKey Vacation Rentals Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There is around 10-12% charge for taxes and fees per booking. For all these services, TurnKey charges a 3-4% commission on bookings – half of what most of their competitors charge There are no listing fees for TurnKey

Australasia

Bookabach

Founded in 2000, Bookabach is New Zealand’s most trusted resource for finding and securing vacation rentals and offers with more than 50,000 properties to stay in for a holiday. This is a company run by New Zealanders for New Zealanders. Although they have since been acquired by Expedia Group, they still keep the Kiwis in mind. Locals choose Bookabach because they know that the platform specializes in their needs and vacation desires.

At a time where people are staycationing more than ever before, tap into New Zealand’s local market and get your property listed with Bookabach.

Bookabach Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Generally, guests pay a service fee of between 6-9% of the booking total, but it can be higher or lower depending on the booking amount. There is a 5.75% commission on bookings made using Online Booking. There are no listing fees for Bookabach

Stayz

Part of the HomeAway network, Stayz is the number one website for vacation rentals in Australia. Stayz has conquered the Aussie vacation rental market for years and continues its commitment to keep the locals in mind no matter how global they become. There are more than 40,000 properties listed on the site in over 2,000 unique locations.

Stayz Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
Guests on Stayz pay a service fee of 2%. Hosts pay a 7% commission on all successful bookings and a 10% commission for bookings paid for offline (e.g. via bank transfer). There are no listing fees with Stayz

Asia-Pacific

Tripvillas

Founder, Roshan D’Silva, wanted to bring the world of vacation rentals to his hometown in India and decided to create Tripvillas. This platform came to life in 2009 and remains a leader in the vacation rental sector in Asia-Pacific and offers over 200,000 properties to choose from, including over 2,500 homes in the Philippines, 5,000 in India and nearly 3,000 in Thailand. Tripvillas also lists international properties from all around the world.

Your vacation rental property will benefit from Tripvillas Asia-centric base, but international targeting. Their inventory continues to grow as the amount of international travelers climbs too.

Tripvillas Fees

Guest fees Host fees Listing fees
There are no guest fees for Tripvillas Hosts can either pay a 20% commission on all successful bookings, or pay an annual fee to avoid extra charges. Annual Tripvillas subscriptions cost $299, and come with the added benefit of not having to pay any fees on bookings.

Which listing site is best for vacation rental owners?

We’ve listed about forty vacation rental listing sites for you to choose from. While it’s always advisable to list on multiple platforms to get more bookings, it’s still nearly impossible to get your business published on every site (even with a robust channel manager!). Each platform has its own characteristics, pricing, and audience so it can be difficult to decide which will generate the most bookings for your business. There are a couple of factors that will help you narrow down your search and choose the best vacation rental sites for you and your business.

Consider your audience

At the end of the day, it all comes down to who you’re trying to attract. If you’re a budget vacation rental, you might not want to publish your listing on a luxury travel website. Likewise, if your stay isn’t actually kid-friendly don’t publish on family-oriented listing sites. When you aim for the wrong audience you have a couple of consequences that could end up being quite detrimental to your business.

When you don’t take your audience into consideration, you probably won’t get many listings. Let’s take the example of the budget vacation rental. Maybe your business offers a lot of year-round promotions and a stellar price for the area. If you’re advertising to high-end clientele, they won’t care what the price is, thus preventing you from targeting the people who actually want to book your stay.

Even if they do make a reservation with you, they’re not going to be happy because it’s not the type of accommodation they’re looking for. By targeting the wrong audience, you will have guests who are unsatisfied because you weren’t able to provide them with what they’re looking for. There’s a vacation rental out there for every type of traveler. Make sure you’re connecting with the one who will find your home to be a perfect fit.

Flat fee or commission-based

Even if you do target the right audience, how many bookings do you anticipate getting? If you have limited availability and only keep your home open to guests for a couple of weeks out of the year, a flat, subscription-based fee might not be right for you.

Alternatively, if you get a lot of bookings with a large earning, you might be giving away too much of a cut by choosing vacation rental sites that operate off commission. Take a look at the average amount of bookings you had in the past year and see which option would have given you a greater return. If this is your first year operating a vacation rental business, stick with a commission-based platform with no listing fee, like Airbnb, so you don’t risk losing money by not getting enough listings to cover the cost of a listing site subscription.

Seasonality

Who is going to help you maximize your peak season? You can run promotions all day long, but if your listing site isn’t helping you get noticed during the best time of the year, who will? When you’re selecting the sites to list with, keep a couple of general year-round options in mind as well as ones that especially shine during your peak season. If you own a beach rental, get listed on a villa site or local listing platform that advertises during your best moments. Likewise, if you’re located in a top ski destination, your listing should be easily found on a winter-focused platform or one that specializes in cabins and chalets.

Five Key Trends for 2021 & Beyond: Lifestyle & Interiors

Excerpt via WGSN

Accelerating forward into 2021 and beyond, these are some of the overarching trends that will influence lifestyle and interiors, from digital colour and pets to reframing how consumers will interact with their furniture and spaces. When combined, these trends are all about a growing sense of digital-cozy that will develop in the coming decade

1. Back in the room

One of the long-term learnings from lockdown is that open-plan living quarters and airy lofts are far from ideal when multiple people are trying to work, live and play from the same space. Instead of taking walls down, architects will be asked to put them up and design separate rooms, with extra noise insulation.

Consumers will hack their own rooms within rooms using partitions, from homemade study and work cubicles to room dividers and decorative screens that provide visual separation from others.

Luxury will be having a room that does only one thing: a workout room, powder room, personal office, library and maybe even a room to host other people…

 

 

 

2. Cleaning with light

As hygiene has risen to the top of the agenda for consumers during the pandemic, the long-term need for sanitation stations at home will go further than soap and wet wipes.

Zapping germs and viruses with UV light is already happening in the public sphere – sanitising hospital floors and transport – but UV light remains dangerous to people. However, scientists have discovered a new type of Far-UVC and if further research demonstrates it could be harnessed safely, we will witness it moving into the home, evolving into gadgets that will give consumers a clean conscience, with all the wow effects of a lightsaber.

Moving on from the self-cleaning water bottles we have today, we will see decorative boxes and lamps where we can place our keys, phones and small objects for safekeeping and sterilisation. Our clothes will be stored in specialised wardrobes to be washed with light while we sleep. One day, we may enter homes and public spaces through UV light portals worthy of a science-fiction film – emerging not only clean, but with something of a halo effect. Light housekeeping at its finest.

3. Robot pets

To combat lockdown loneliness, consumers have sought out new companions: plants, pets and even robots.

With solo living on the rise, electronic companions are set to grow, providing social connection and someone to come home to, without any of the long-term commitment of a real furbaby.

Robots will increasingly become part of the family household, too, as consumers move from relating to their robot vacuum on a first-name basis to having a full-on robot friend at home who can balance writing shopping lists with keeping elderly parents company and supporting kids’ emotional wellbeing. For this reason, tech will be built with personality, with animators and psychologists brought on board to design character and empathy into machines, taking the human-robot relationship to the next level.

4. A.I. Aqua

It’s perhaps no surprise that our Colour of the Year is digitally friendly. Back in March 2019, with our sister brand Coloro, we forecast that A.I. Aqua would have key relevance in 2021. Our tech-inspired hero colour to watch (Coloro: 098-59-30) is a truly versatile shade. It can look simultaneously sporty and trend-forward, making it suitable for fashion and activewear, but is also a fresh take on blue that’s suitable for interiors and tech products.

A recent survey of the tones used on the world’s biggest websites found blue easily outstripped others, and shades of blue, which are used prominently in tech, are set to become more immersive and important. In a digital age when we’re able to curate our identities and our online personas are as important as our offline ones (if not more so), we expect this hue to resonate broadly with consumers and have strong appeal across all design categories and demographics.

5. The deconstructed sofa

Static sofas are so last decade. This year we’ll be seeing more flexible and completely deconstructible sofas. Each cushion able to live its best life as a pouf, a daybed or an imaginative pillow fort, depending on customer needs and whims.

Taking modular furniture to the next level, the Nugget sofa has saved many a family, with its soft, sleek and easily washable and interchangeable cushions in huggable geometric shapes that can be transformed in an instant into a pirate ship, a playground or even a Christmas tree. When kids prefer playing with a sofa to staring at a screen, you know the product has a bright future. Perfect for students, young families and conceptual artists. And also bringing a whole new meaning to couch surfing.

Coming Soon—A Next-Gen Surfing Resort Built in the Desert Near Palm Springs 

Sounds like no matter the location, the surf will soon be up.

Excerpt via AD

 “We didn’t know what that perfect wave[,] with all the settings and all the programming – looked like from day one, so we made a system that can do just about anything, In doing that, we also created a system that can make just about any wave you want.”
– Michael Brown, SurfLoch Technologies

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage, many folks are heading out west. To Zoom towns, yes, as well as to other wide-open natural spaces. Now, it seems that Palm Springs, one of California’s most popular non-coastal destinations, is destined to get another appealing tourist attraction in the form of a high-functioning wave park. But don’t worry—it sounds much cooler than its 1980s predecessors.

The Palm Springs Surf Club plans to open its gates to visitors sometime next year. With a former water park as its clean-lined architectural base, and veteran surfer Cheyne Magnusson as its in-house expert, the venture seems to be poised for success. And while skeptics are likely to question who exactly might visit such a place, Magnusson’s prior experience gives a fairly clear sense.

Previously, Magnusson was employed at a water park in inland Waco, Texas. He notes that despite its arid location, the majority of the visitors hailed from California. The southern portion of the state is something of a surfing capital—meaning that a regional destination like the Surf Club could do very well. Consider too that surfers are well accustomed to traveling to catch the right wave, and that unlike the coast, Palm Springs is nearly devoid of fog, and it seems like a match made in sports travel heaven. What is more, Scott White, who heads up the tourism organization responsible for marketing the Coachella Valley, seems to have full faith in the venture.

Nonetheless, it’s the nature of Magnusson’s work that just might be the most interesting component of this story. With “Chief Hydro Officer” as his cheeky title, his role can be best summed up as “wave DJ.” As Magnusson commented to KCRW, “There’s probably like five guys who do what I do in the world, and the rest of them have Ph.D.s. I’m just like this guy who surfs.” Come opening day, he will be able to send out waves at different intervals through his iPad, while controlling for other variables such as pressure.
Magnusson isn’t alone however in his efforts. On the horizon are additional manufactured wave ventures, such as the DSRT Surf resort, and those in the works thanks to SurfLoch Technologies.

The Future of Kitchen Design Is Hands-Free and Smartphone-Activated

Touchless technology, voice automation and app-controlled appliances are bringing kitchens into the digital age

Excerpt via WSJ

 “My ovens are almost more advanced than my computer.”

Douglas Gilman chose a speed oven that combines convection and microwave technology.

Eating may still be analog, but kitchens have taken up residence in the digital age, as designers and appliance makers increasingly rely on a host of technological innovations to update the traditional tasks of cooking, storing and cleaning up. Kitchen-appliance categories haven’t changed much since the 1970s, when microwave ovens began appearing on ordinary countertops. But cameras, sensors, artificial intelligence and newfangled materials are now turning those appliances into ultrasophisticated hardware, while smart functions and connectivity are recasting the Cloud as the latest kitchen accessory.

As the pandemic draws new focus to the kitchen, with families forsaking frequent dinners out for daily home-cooked meals, players in the industry are noticing an uptake in sales—accompanied by a greater interest in high-tech options. Even induction stovetops, which can be a hard sell for gas-loving Americans, have seen demand rise by 35% in the U.S.

Phoenix Homeowner Dean Heckler relies on sensors in his Miele coffee maker to measure the cup size of his latte, and uses Apps to adjust the lights in his kitchen, monitor solar-power production for his house and adjust his living-room thermostat. VIDEO: Steve Craft for The Wall Street Journal

Buyers of Miele’s new G7000 series dishwashers never have to worry about running out of detergent. When the machine runs low, a sensor prompts their smartphones to reorder the brand’s trademark detergent disk from the company’s online shop.

Mr. Gilman’s West Village dining room, just off the kitchen, has a high-tech LED fixture from Austria’s Kaia Lighting.

Meanwhile, Bosch, Miele’s competitor in the luxury dishwasher market, has introduced Zeolite, an alkaline mineral compound, in its new dishwasher series. Among other tasks, the compound helps plastic items dry more efficiently.

The Hecklers of Phoenix have a kitchen that features a sensor-equipped Miele coffee maker, lights controlled from a smartphone app and a Dekton composite countertop that resists heat, light and scratches. A nearby TV has the option of an app-created camouflage screen when not in use

Elsewhere in the kitchen, cameras in refrigerators can be called up on smartphones, allowing you to look into your fridge from the grocery aisle to see what you need to buy. For European homeowners, Bosch’s new Cloud-accessing system has a fridge camera to suggest recipes based on what you already have on-hand.

Has the pandemic made you rethink your kitchen’s design? Let us know. Schedule a consultation call or get in touch.  We look forward to hearing from you!

Covid-19 is changing homeowners’ basic expectations for the kitchen, according to a new survey compiled by the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Companies are seeing soaring requests for items that help keep the cooking area more sanitized, such as touchless faucets and antimicrobial surfaces.

Kohler, the Wisconsin-based plumbing company that specializes in luxury finishes, says a majority of homeowners recently sampled are starting to regard the touchless faucets as must-haves. Kohler now combines voice automation with their touchless feature, allowing you to command your faucet to pour exact amounts of water. Homeowners can go so far as to customize voice orders by recipe. Daniel Markham, a Utah-based influencer who has Kohler faucets in his new home, shouts out “mac and cheese” for just the right amount of water for the recipe his family of five uses.

Thermador, the California-based luxury appliance brand, offers an extra-low simmering feature that, the company says, lets you melt chocolate on a paper plate. Thermador users can hook up all its appliances categories to the same app, which will alert you that the fridge door is open, let you preheat your oven, or adjust the temperature of your wine cabinet to accommodate an unusual varietal. On its high-tech to-do list: finding ways to digitalize its luxury gas stoves.

Designer-kitchen makers are also going high-tech. This year, Italy’s Boffi introduced its high-performance ceramic-like material, called MDI, which can be used for a range of kitchen surfaces, including countertops and filler space around appliances. Nonporous, as well as crack- and stain-resistant, it is much easier to clean, and therefore more hygienic. A high-tech alternative to other materials, such as stone and stainless steel, it has a grain-like finish that is soft to the touch.

Ultimate Summer Dinner Party Playlist

By John-Paul Shiver for Modern Properties

Listen up friends, baked bread alone just won’t cut it anymore. Rye flour can go pound sand. It’s summer already. The best way to show affinity and share communal good times is through a properly designed dinner party. Even if it’s a socially distant Zoom gathering. Reach out to friends, share recipes, get the drink list together. Most importantly, be equipped with the Ultimate Summer Dinner Party Playlist.

What does a successful Dinner Party exude? Authentic interconnection and warmth.
Gathering up a little shindig to share new grub with old friends calls out for a low-key music hang component. In the midst of designating simple cocktails, and getting all the preparatory cooking done early, sometimes the music gets forgotten. That’s not a good look for the host. I know all you want to do is circulating with a full glass of Geyserville Zinfandel blend. But we’re building a community here. So, you want a playlist of mostly new music from 2020, keeping everybody alerted that it’s been a great year for song stuff, underpropping the buzz of polite chatter.

Getting right to it, Eddie Hazel’s “Frantic Moment” kicks off the evening with restrained verve, swirling harmonies, and mellow bump. The Parliament-Funkadelic guitar virtuoso provides lyrical guitar mood with sparse words. It’s been a long day. Let guests do that head-nod ponder for a moment. Social distancing ourselves from the vanilla “how was your day”. Kicking up the guitar power a bit-just supplemental for talking-is the ultra-rare 1979 version of “I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man” by Prince followed by the jangle bliss of Galore with “Lemon Tea” from their self-titled June debut. This SF Bay Area outfit, flush with mid-90’s cool and discordant twee, will trigger friends to spill about their own thrift store clothing mishaps from the past.

“Neon Skyline” by Andy Shauf, moves us into the main course section of the evening with balanced frequency. The former Saskatchewan resident who enunciates in a peculiar warbled brogue decorates his “grab a cold can” tales with ’70s AOR arrangements, laissez-faire grooves, and freaky-folk concoctions.

If you miss the narrative over wine talk, his orchestrations keep things cozy. At the end of the day, you want dinner with friends to be familiar. Continuing the retro-sentiment “Time (You and I)” by the Houston three-piece Khruangbin, feels otherworldly and Talking Heads all at once. Not really disco-but never not unfriendly- it hits on time, waking everybody up from that digestion pause in the night. Get happy, or just get up. It’s the desert and coffee roll out folks. Maybe a Lil dance or two step in the moonlight?

Finally, after a complete night of conversation, revelry and humble dance moves, those strings at the top of “90% Percent of Me Is You” by Gwen McCrae, is the Uber call for departure. You don’t have to go home, but this function is over. We all have East Coast time Zoom calls in the morning.

What “shelter” means in the new normal

Excerpt via Dwell

As the new coronavirus continues to spread, cities and countries around the globe have ordered citizens to retreat to their homes—and stay there. As we shelter in place, the rooms where we once spent few waking hours now encapsulate our entire existence—and this short-term recalibration may have long-term effects. Find out what the COVID-19 pandemic means for the future of home design.

The pandemic is already reshaping our ideas of home to emphasize wellness, hygiene, and work/life balance.

 “In the process of being sequestered for such a long period of time, clients and designers will think anew about making environments that are comforting, efficient, and safe. Over the last few decades, with more days on airplanes, nights in hotels, and meals on the go, home for many people had become a place to drop your bags and sleep a few nights a week. If anything, this pandemic has forced a widespread consideration of domestic environments.”

As more and more people work from home, we need to find ways to combine living areas with work spaces—but we should be careful not to decrease the quality of either space. Since space is limited in most homes, flexibility is key—for example, a dining room table can be transformed into a work space using flexible partitions.

While working remotely is now routine, it will take discipline to adjust to conducting design charrettes—an intense, collaborative problem-solving process—while home alone. Juergen Riehm, cofounder and partner with David Piscuskas at 1100 Architects, says,

“The outcome of this crisis may be a renewed sense of appreciation for domestic space.”

In previous crises, the home was a refuge, a place to retreat to. Now, it’s quickly becoming a place that people are looking forward to leave on a regular basis. I wonder if private space will take on some of the dimensions of the public space that so many of us are missing. At the same time, I think that the crisis has laid bare the shortcomings of our social fabric and safety net. Certainly in New York, there is the near-universal awareness that public schools not only educate our children, but also feed them. I hope that this awareness informs how schools are resourced and designed in the future

Patrick Lam, founder and creative director of Sim-Plex Design Studio

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