A vacation rental is a furnished, fully equipped home or other property rented out on a nightly, weekly or monthly basis, to vacationers, tourists or business travelers. Vacation rentals are an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional hotel experience. According to a 2009 PhoCusWright study, 9 out of 10 travelers who try a vacation rental decide to repeat the experience and recommend it to family and friends.
As you browse vacation rental websites, you quickly become aware that you can rent almost any kind of lodging, anywhere in the world, at a range of very competitive prices. You can take your pick from thousands of warm single-family homes, urban condominiums or condo-hotels, attractive house rental, apartments, cozy cottage rentals, as well as relaxing beach houses, cabin rentals, beach rentals, condo rentals and lake rentals… and last-but-not-least, breathtakingly beautiful villa rental. There’s something for every travelers, at every price.
Some of these homes and properties are managed – or owned and managed – by management companies. Others are managed by the homeowners themselves. In some countries, in an effort to attract more tourists, even the government has entered this market, with government-run vacation rental programs.
Depending on the country, you may hear other terms used, such as holiday rentals, villa rentals, self-catering rentals, holiday villas, agritourism or gites – these are all considered vacation rentals. Timeshares are not to be confused with vacation rentals – these are two different concepts. However, timeshare owners occasionally put their unit up for rent through a vacation rental program.
Pros and cons of vacation rentals
Europeans adopted the vacation rental option many years ago, but the idea has been a bit slower to catch on in North America. Earlier misconceptions about vacation rentals are fortunately giving way to enthusiasm as awareness about them is growing among consumers and travel agents. And as more and more travelers hear positive reports from guests and decide to give a try.
To help you evaluate the principal pros and cons of vacation rentals, we put together a comparative chart – Vacation rental versus hotel. We think you’ll agree, after consulting it, that the benefits outweigh any potential negatives, with many vacation rentals offering more space (multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, separate living areas, bigger rooms, patios or backyards), more amenities (fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, private hot tubs), convenient and often more interesting locations (beach, ski-in/ski-out, in real neighborhoods) and greater privacy than hotels – to name only these advantages.
Travelrs are also discovering that, over and above the relaxing, home-like experience, more and more property owners / managers are operating like professional businesses, adopting legal contracts and conditions that reduce risks to you as a renter and assure you a positive experience. Property owners are becoming increasingly competitive with hotels, especially in aspects where vacation rentals are able to offer more advantages than hotels – such as more rooms and overall space, more privacy, more home-like amenities, more flexibility and the ability to eat in (and save money).
To learn more about vacation rentals
Vacation Rentals or Hotels?
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