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Really Bad Rental Listings - What Are They Thinking?

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I felt compelled to write this after spending an hour or so surfing the web for Ontario cottages. In no more than 10 minutes I'd found half a dozen listings for cottages with photos so bad I am surprised they ever get a booking. One in particular was beyond belief.  A bathroom papered with newspaper pages (or so it looked); a picture of a cluttered bookcase; another of a set of unattractive 70s vinyl chairs around a small table, and a stark looking and unappealing bedroom. And at a rate of just under $2000 per week, I really think that guests deserve better.

The exterior photos were better and hinted at something so much nicer than the interior images are portraying. This makes me wonder if the owner relies on the waterfront to ‘sell' the property, and couldn't care less about the look of the inside.

In other listings there were bedrooms with bare mattresses; a kitchen with dishes piled on the countertops and dishtowels lying in piles on the floor; living rooms with toys and books strewn about, and so many toilet photos.  I  particularly dislike toilet pictures.  I understand that potential rental guests want to see what the bathrooms are like in a vacation home they are considering renting, but seeing a toilet with the lid raised is probably the most unattractive and repellent image I can imagine.

What is the point of spending money on a vacation rental listing if no time is spent making the place look appealing? Maybe it rented really well in times past, but this is a very, very competitive market and owners like these may find their lack of attention and scant regard for their guests, is a costly error.

For those of us who are passionate about standards and work hard to create delightful accommodation for guests we care about, there is a cost too. The bad apples have a tendency to spoil the rest in the barrel, and bad press is not good for this emerging market. I wonder if vacation rental sites are doing enough to monitor their customers listings? Should they?

Rant over for the day………….. but please, no more open toilet shots; they do nothing for me as a prospective renter, and I think I might be speaking for the wider market here.