Villa Owners - A question if I may...

[georgemac]

Good question and one that I thought may affect us as the kids have grown up, but this year we are all going including my grandson for his first visit. Still that means it's costing me even more! And I'm not sure now we will ever be in Florida on our own.

Generally we have always booked bigger villas than we need -it's nice to have 2 living rooms, especially as the kids get older.

I also have never posted my budget, never really thought about doing it - but my worry would be some owners would not make offers, and I like to get a number of replies then do a comparison. I have found the prices can vary quite a bit for same area/size/quality of property.

Many people I know who rent advise always asking for a discount and haggling, something I have never normally done, and don't enjoy - although I expect some owners now quote with some room to manoeuvre with this in mind.

If we were ever going on our own, don't think I'd mind the communal pool, and I've been very impressed with some of the townhomes/condo's I have seen.

I may even be tempted to stay onsite on a DVC resort if we were on our own!

[PerksP]

Townhouses at Windsor Hills have good sized splash pools and are really close to the main pool so a good option for a smaller party

[fruitbat18]

We are a couple and have stayed in some villas where the owner does a discount as there is just the two of us. I suppose there is less wear and tear for a couple but then each family is different so depends on the owner really. I usually just ask the villa owner direct when I enquire about a quote. Sometimes when they have some dates they want to fill they also give discounts. No one has ever locked off any rooms though.

[fruitbat18]

just another thing I thought of! - We have always stayed in villas until our last trip where we had a 3 bed condo in Reunion Resort. We rented from an owner and got a good deal. There were two pools really near to our condo and it was pretty quiet most of the time, it has changed our ideas about the villa holiday now and we will certainly be back to a condo in future. We are two adults and we didn't really use the pool as much as we first thought when we had the villa. We have had many reasonable quotes for 3 and 4 bed villas in the past though so I am sure you could find something to suit especially for September when it is a bit cheaper.

[nhyw]

Originally Posted by steve@mac155.f

For me personally I would leave the home empty as it does mean less wear and tear on the home and a bigger saving on the utility bills.

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Ditto.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by florida buff

Off course you may ask it is a reasonable question.

We give a loyalty discount to returning guests and may sometimes have little flexibility on costs for small parties or a free late checkout early arrival if it is available..

We do often have couples or smaller single family parties that like the space but I understand it might be frustrating to want a certain standard and not “need” the space. Have you tried town homes with splash pools.

I have seen one villa that does just what you suggest locks rooms off. I would feel really strange living in a property for a couple of weeks that had some of the rooms locked off, I wouldn’t like it but that is me personally. I like an airy feel all the doors open I even do that at home.

As the others have said there really is very little difference in running costs with smaller parties maybe less TV's and lights on but the aircon and other costs remain the same you cant switch it off in the empty rooms.

Our house gets a full clean no matter how many have stayed and we get the same charges from our management company. In order to maintain and refurbish on a regular basis you do require a reasonable income. I am sometimes and I know this is said often amazed at how low some owners can drop their rates. Unless they are regularly supplementing the villa I cant see how they can afford to keep standards up.

We visit at least twice a year and each time we renew towels, sheets, bedding etc as well as crockery kitchen equipment washers, dryers repairs and refurbishments etc. We often spend hundreds and sometimes into thousands a lot of time is spent in DIY stores like Lowes and Home Depot. I am always on the look out for things that would be useful in the villa.


I think rather than deep discount I would leave the home empty as “rest period” and use the time to have some work carried out that cant be done whilst guests are in. We have just had our pool deck repainted you cant close the pool area when people are staying.

Alison

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I think Alison has explained extremely well and I fully endorse her comments. We are a 3/2 and 2100 sq ft under air, so spacious and our costs to run are pretty much fixed. We have set our rates accordingly to enable us to replace and update on a regular basis to keep the villa in tip top condition. We often have just couples or families of 4 stay, it is a rare occasion for 6 to stay maybe once or twice a year. I do tend to feel it would be very unfair on guests who have paid the advertised rate to then discount to a guest following them in; but maybe that is just me. We do offer a returning guest discount, a good business model in my opinion and we do have many loyal returning guests. We also run a referral program which I revamped and re-introduced last year. This does provide vouchers towards stay at the villa and is proving popular, so some may see this as a form of discount but again I see it as a good business model. I think at the end of the day each owner must figure out what works for them and go from there.
Have a great trip when you go and enjoy New York a fab city.

Rotonda Girl

[Alison]

There are also some 2 bed/2 bath villas around. They are few and far between but they are out there and are a little cheaper - we ways start by looking for those as we only have one child. I know it's still bigger than you need but it is another option.

[rnoon]

Originally Posted by georgemac

I also have never posted my budget, never really thought about doing it - but my worry would be some owners would not make offers, and I like to get a number of replies then do a comparison. I have found the prices can vary quite a bit for same area/size/quality of property.

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I really don't understand this. Why wouldn't you mention a budget if you have one? If anything you may get a slightly larger discount so that an owner just manages to get within your stated budget. And for those owners that are way outside your budget it means they don't waste time replying.

Cheers,
Loz

[DIBBadmin]

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