Here I sit, a cocktail in one hand and my computer on my lap.
I NEED a find a great cabin rental and don't want it to be a run of the mill, hotel or motel destination vacation.
In the past, I always went to sites like hotels.com or expedia.com. It was easy peasy - pick a destination and get served up a buffet of venues in all shapes and sizes!
Enter big business. Really BIG business.
In 2015, Expedia purchased VRBO and HomeAway for 3.9 BILLION dollars! Yikes!
Vacation rentals and North Conway cabin rentals were catapulted onto the stock exchange and suddenly, wayyyy more money needed to be made with every transaction.
How does this affect me, you ask? I'm just the gal to tell you...
If you book direct by searching for an alternative to VRBO, you will save ALL the fees described below!
Expedia laid down a ton of money and now it was time to earn it back. Enter Guest Service Fees.
For some unknown reason, Expedia decided to make money by charging guests a Service Fee for the use of their websites to book a vacation rental. At the very least, their business model is very unusual!
Expedia isn't the only online listing site that's charging GUESTs a Service Fee! Add Tripadvisor, Airbnb, Flipkey, Booking.com, Homeaway and many more!
The Service Fees you'd pay if you booked on one of the online travel agencies like Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and more.
Check out the table below for sample Service Fees and remember if you book direct, you won't pay these fees!
The sites like VRBO that I would recommend are more regional and niche type sites or take a complete departure and search for a homeowner of a vacation rental site.
There are many single venue vacation rental owners that have wonderful properties and have created websites that showcase their properties.
Finding and renting from these folks can save you big bucks!
You'll save Service Fees, Booking Fees and you can even save the credit card fees!
Here at Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch, we do not do online bookings or accept Book It Now requests. We communicate by phone and email with our guests and book directly.
Personally, I like to utilize social media. There's nothing like getting a recommendation from someone I know when renting a White Mountain cabin rental.
If you post a request and add a catchy photo, you'll be surprised by how many folks are excited about recommending North Conway cabin rentals that they have enjoyed!
There are many other ways to search for the perfect cabin rental...
Check out the infographic below for 5 ways to avoid Service Fees when renting a cabin rental near you!
1. Do a Google Image search - Load google.com and click images. Drag and drop and image into the search box.
Try this image: (I bet it will result in the BEST North Conway cabin rental - Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch!)
2. Do a Facebook search. Gather the owners name, name of the vacation rental and location and search for it on Facebook.
3. Do a Google search. Type in owners name, name of vacation rental, number of bedrooms, unique amenities, and location.
4. Ask friends. A recommendation from someone who has vacationed at the cabin rental is priceless.
5. Niche websites. There are many regional, specialty and niche websites listing cabin rentals with no added Service Fees.
OK, let's wrap this up!
I've given you lots of ways to rent a family cabin rental near where you live without having to pay the huge service fees on sites like VRBO.
If you do some research, you'll be rewarded with a wonderful North Conway cabin rental.
If you rent Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch you will enjoy booking directly every single time.
I look forward to meeting and hosting you at the best cabin rental in the White Mountains!
Teena
Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch
603-662-5391