Toilet Paper Not Included – Cottage Rental Gone Minimal

I consider myself a professional vacation rental owner in that I consider my guests to be paying travellers who deserve respect and trust.  So it was with a degree of shock that I recently spoke with an owner of a rental property with an alternative perspective on the industry.  His initial approach was to tell me that his renters (he didn’t like the word guests) should bring everything with them, and that he had no intention of providing anything beyond basic accommodation.

When he started out he had supplied a few rolls of toilet paper and two or three garbage bags, but said they had all been used and then objected because his renters complained  that his cottage was ‘too basic’ for the price he was charging.  This owner felt I was leading owners in the wrong direction with my stance on higher standards and delivering service, arguing that this is not a service industry and that his renters should not expect any more than a roof and some beds (without pillows or blankets as renters are expected to bring them too).

While this might be acceptable providing it was advertised honestly and transparently – so guests would know what to expect, and could make their buying choice based on accurate information – this property was marketed with the word ‘luxury’ in the text.  The rental rate also gave the impression the property would deliver a higher standard than it actually does.

Given we are involved in an industry in its infancy, this is an attitude that is troubling, and although extreme, it’s not an isolated example. However, we are all competing in a market that has widely differing standards, and as professional owners it’s our responsibility to be at the forefront of the push for promoting excellence. Let us know your views on this. Do you think these ‘bad apples’ have impact on the bulk of well-run vacation rentals?  Can sites like Trip Advisor work to name and shame poor vacation rentals as they do with hotels?  I’d be interested in your views.