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When you think of a vacation home, you think everything will be perfect, like most luxury hotels. In reality, most of the time, it’s not as great as you build it up in your mind. There are always little things you think of that could have made your experience better. Let us help you get a head start when designing your new vacation home. We have the most important details to bring your remodel to the next level!
1) They go cheap
When buying for a vacation home, materials, and manufacturing quality matter. You don’t want guests sitting on Ikea furniture. Your home is going to reflect you. If they feel like they are going to easily break something or the furniture is uncomfortable, they are less likely to stay with you again. Choosing reliable, durable, long-lasting and classic pieces will help you in the long run instead of having to replace a cheap couch or chair every 6 months to a year. Don’t forget, it’s not only the expense of purchasing a new item, it’s also the downtime for your rental when repair work and upgrades are going on.
2) Buying a matching set
Yes, it’s easy but it lacks character. If the guests wanted that type of experience, they would have just booked a hotel. Part of what gives a room character is finding those perfectly paired pieces that fit so well together and complement each other. Buying matching sets will make your room look dated and guests will not get a truly original experience. Each piece that you choose should match your end goal for your design. Once you have chosen the big-ticket items like furnishings, you can layer in other decorative pieces. Pay special attention to adding accessories and art items that reflect your unique area and are sourced from local artists when possible. If you struggle with getting the right mix or just don’t have time to source all the unique items, hiring a local interior designer can really help to make the experience fun while someone else takes care of making it all happen
3) They forget about the housekeeper
You know you will need a housekeeper to take care of things when you are not there. If your housekeeper has less than six hours to completely turn over a house with every guest leaving a different cleaning experience, it’s important to make the home as easy care as possible and set your housekeeper and property manager up for success. Do not make their job harder with added multitudes of décor items and pieces to dust will not likely get done often when there are 4 loads of sheets and towels that need to be cleaned. You will also need to think about items and textures that are hard to clean like high-pile rugs, non-washable pillows, or comforters. If you are redoing the floors, consider an easy care porcelain tile in a larger size for fewer grout lines. Our Vacation rental design secrets eBook has easy care recommendations for every room.
4) They go with generic décor from big box stores
Put some effort into representing your area, and I don’t mean lots of “beach” signs. Who are your guests, why did they come here? How can you share with them a little bit of what is unique and special about your home? Guests don’t travel somewhere to see a piece of décor they have already spotted from Home Goods or At Home. They want to experience local culture, and part of that culture is the décor you choose for your home.
5) They choose colored and patterned bedding
Here’s where you want a hotel-feel, in the bedding. If you’re thinking that buying a dark color will be a good idea because it hides stains, then that’s exactly what guests will be thinking too. Go bold and buy all white bedding then nobody will doubt that it’s fresh and clean. Add color and character with a few throws and a bed scarf and you’re good to go! To shop some of our favorite white hotel bedding basics pop over to our linen supply shop.
