You have taken all the measures to ensure that your vacation rental in Palm Springs is the most comfortable one in town. You have brought in the most comfortable beds with the highest quality linens and have made sure all the expected amenities and a few pluses are present inside your investment property.

What about communicating to your guests what is expected of them? Are you confident that guests renting your home for vacation know the house rules of conduct for their stay? It’s very important to state these rules and all that is offered within your home from the very time they inquire about your listing.

You want offerings and expectations to be clearly communicated up front in your listing as well as in correspondence with guests. This helps to set a clear picture of guest expectations from the very beginning and helps to prevent unfortunate misunderstandings.

You don’t want to assume that every guest will just know how to conduct themselves when renting a vacation property. Many times, it is not uncommon for guests that are new to using a vacation rental system to assume that using a rental is going to be very similar to using a hotel.

You want to make sure you let guests know what items they can expect to find and use within your home to help them have a comfortable experience. But you also want to communicate things you would like their help on and maybe any expectations the surrounding community has for vacationing renters within the neighborhood.

Related: Why Buying a House in 2022 is Still a Good Idea

Here are three simple steps to set up guest expectations for your Palm Springs vacation rental

Realize there will be cultural differences

We are all raised in different homes and as such, we all have a different set of values and different thoughts on what proper etiquette and common courtesy are. Here in America, this can vary greatly from one family to the one right next door.

This is good to keep in mind when setting expectations. Look at this as an invitation to learn from one another when it comes to connecting with your guests. When communicating ground rules for a stay think of it as a way to share your wisdom with your guests to help guide them to getting the most out of their stay in your home and in the area.

Don't Answer Questions from Every Inquiry (or you will be answering non-stop)

Suggest that a brand-new guest who has never used your rental listing service take the time to fill out the necessary forms and ask them to carefully read over all of your online listing information. Let them know that you are ready and available to answer any questions about the information shared and about the rental. Encourage them to fill out the information in full if they have not done so before giving them the information, they are seeking from you.

Be Prepared to Communicate Expectations More Than Once

It is a good thing to have a continuous flow of first-time guests (though you do want to try and turn every guest into a return one). With first-time guests, you should form a habit of communicating expectations more than once. You want to begin with clearly worded expectations in your listing information, again in the rental agreement they sign at booking, again in your correspondence messages, and one more time when they are greeted upon arrival at the property.

It is good to get to know each of your travelers and why they are traveling as you go through the booking process leading up to them staying in your rental as well. This helps to build a relationship that makes your customer feel valued, but also helps you to earn your right to be heard with your expectations as someone who wants this to be beneficial for both parties. Not someone that is a bossy stick in the mud.

For more information on available properties in Palm Springs and surrounding areas please contact us any time.