Bill's Bountiful Blog

May I keep you posted on my thoughts, ideas, observations, and silliness?. Am I serious? Is it relevant?. Does anyone care? Probably not much.

But in today's age of everyone has something to say, why not me? And who can blame me for jumping into to the pool? For speaking up For laying it out?

"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." - Thomas Wiley, Journalist

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Political IQ's Maui Housing - Lodging Newsletter May 31, 2024

By Wm, May
Published: 05/31/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Hawaii, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

The list of politicians who cannot connect the dots to make good decisions just keeps growing. Read more

Working With Leavenworth VIP Getaways

By Wendy Thomas
Published: 04/11/24 Topics: Guest Behavior, Guest Management, Interview, Leavenworth WA, Lodging Management, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Icicle View Vacation Rental Home - Leavenworth Getaways

Mike, a retired attorney and the owner of Icicle View Vacation Rental Home in Leavenworth, agreed to sit down with Leavenworth VIP Getaways, a member of the Vortex VIP lodging managers group, for a few minutes this week.

For over 20 years, Mike and his family have owned Icicle View. They’ve spent weekend, holidays, and New Years there. Their daughter’s favorite childhood memories have been at the house, and the entire family has enjoyed seeing the California Quail and Grouse in the backyard. A special event for this family of birdwatchers.

Deer have even taken advantage of the carport to cool off during the summertime.

VIP: Mike, thank you for speaking with us today. We’re so glad you are trusting your house to us. What made you buy it 23 years ago?

Mike: The location was very important for us. We wanted to be out of town, but have the benefit of town water. We love the views of the hills, the night skies, and the sunrises and sunsets from our quiet hillside.

VIP: As a resident, what are your favorite things to do in the Leavenworth area?

Mike: Golfing at the Leavenworth Golf Course is one of the hidden gems for golf in Washington State. We love to hike up in the Alpine Wilderness area in the Enchantments by Colchuk Lake. Icicle Ridge Trail is beautiful. We’ve enjoyed cross country skiing here. There are three courses in and around Leavenworth. Leavenworth is halfway between Stevens Pass and Mission Ridge for downhill skiing.

We love going shopping at Apple Annie Antique Gallery in Cashmere, and there’s a diner there we enjoy named Café Jazmin. It’s a 50s themed diner that we enjoy.

To enjoy the natural features of the area, we go to Ohme Gardens and overlook Wenatchee, Dry Falls beyond Wenatchee. We love the geology of the area.

Another great way to enjoy the beauty of the area is to rent inner tubes from Adventure River Tubing Leavenworth. You can spend an entire afternoon floating down the Wenatchee River, right by downtown. Some people bring food and drink and have a picnic along the way, or get out and stop for a while, then restart.

VIP: That’s amazing, Mike. Thanks so much for sharing all of that. Sounds like you’ve been loving the area for a while. When did you start putting your house in the vacation rental market?

Mike: It was during Covid. July of 2020.

VIP: Did you rent it yourself, or did you use a management company?

Mike: We started with Vacasa. But we didn’t like how they handled it. The house wasn’t consistently cleaned, and some of the guests we had were worrisome. There was a fight in the house where there was quite a bit of damage.

VIP: That sounds awful! We’re glad we are able to help you!

Mike: Bill said we’d have better clients, and you’ve kept your promise. You’ve positioned the house well and marketed so we don’t have any more problematic guests. We want to keep the house in our family for years, so making sure we don’t have guests who ruin it is very important to us.

VIP: How do you like our local manager, Michelle?

Mike: She’s good. We have a dedicated housekeeper who has been with us for years, and she and Michelle have a good working relationship. Michelle is very businesslike, and it’s good. She has been very helpful.

VIP: Thank you so much for speaking with us, Mike. We appreciate you taking time out of your day.

Mike: It was my pleasure.

Continuing Versus Continuous Education

By Wm, May
Published: 02/29/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Lodging Management, Lodging Newsletter, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Many professions requiring "continuing education" which are courses on fundamental skills as well as new developments that help practitioners stay on top of their craft. No such requirements exist for lodging property operators and this article explains why they are not needed. Read more

Vacation Rental Politics - Lodging Newsletter April 30, 2024

By Wm, May
Published: 02/29/24 Topics: Education, Employment, Government, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Good Manners - Lodging Newsletter November 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 11/30/19 Topics: Behavior, Lodging Newsletter, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

What a lovely, enjoyable industry we are in. Tens of thousands of guests going to thousands of unique and interesting vacation rental homes, Inns, Resorts and other specialty lodging. Read more

Inch by Inch - Lodging Newsletter October 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 10/31/19 Topics: Channel Management, Lodging Newsletter, Photography, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Whether building a house, a space ship or a winning basketball team, the direct and efficient way to achieve greatness is to approach projects inch-by-inch. There are no short cuts. Read more

What Guests Want - Lodging Newsletter September 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 09/30/19 Topics: Advertising, Channel Management, Dynamic Rates, Employment, Lodging Management, Lodging Newsletter, Photography, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

The only trouble we have with giving customers what they want, so we can produce absolute maximum income for owners is pleading with and even begging owners to do the little things necessary. Here is what guests want. Read more

Dispatch Magic - Lodging Newsletter August 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 08/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Help us help you by reading the ins and outs of what has become a very intricate intense industry. Read more

Doctors Diagnose Disease - Lodging Newsletter July 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 07/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

It's not bad news, usually it's good news, but it's always news. Read more

Surprising Internet - Lodging Newsletter June 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 06/30/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Online Travel Agents (OTAs), Search Engines (Google, Bing, Safari), Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

We have now spent a dozen years building software used for many reasons, but one is just to fight the war for more advertising visibility. Here are just a few challenges we work on every day. Read more

Quick Tips - Lodging Newsletter May 31st, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 05/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

- How many hours does it take to self manage? Experts say 520 hours per year. - Will I make more money self-managing? No. - Why would I self manage? You need an unpaid hobby. - Should I limit occupancy in my place? Absolutely. Read more

Who Owns Your Property? - Lodging Newsletter April 30th, 2019

By Wm, May
Published: 04/30/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Owners of every Inn, Resort and Vacation Rental work to offer unique and wonderful properties and when they hire a management firm a big question is "Does that manager promote themselves or do they focus on the property?" Read more

Rates & Pricing - Lodging Newsletter March 31st, 2019

By Wm. May
Published: 03/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

- Who sets the rate, the owner or the manager? - What would the nightly rate be for my home? - How many nights will it rent? In the simplest form, answering those questions may sound a bit too glib. "No one sets the rate. The market sets the rate". or "The number of nights will be dictated by the rate." Read more

Did you know? - Lodging Newsletter February 28th, 2019

By Wm. May
Published: 02/28/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Here is a mish mash of "Did You Know" facts, figures, statistics, and plain ol' good wisdom we have picked up over time. DYK - Our definition of "Hospitality Clean" is defined as cleaner that most people leave their homes just after they've done a deep clean. Guests demand clean above all else. Read more

Rain Rain Snow Snow - Lodging Newsletter January 31st, 2019

By Wm. May
Published: 01/31/19 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

Vacation rentals are a seemingly simple industry. How tough can it be? Run some ads, take reservations and money, give keys to the guests, find a housekeeper and do it all again. But a day in the life looks little like that. Read more

Want the Money? - Lodging Newsletter December 31st, 2018

By Wm. May
Published: 12/24/18 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vacation Rentals, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

DO YOU WANT THE MONEY? If getting the money is not your goal, you may find even the smallest aspects of landlording might make you uncomfortable Read more

Central Reservation Lentini - Lodging Newsletter April 13th, 2015

By Wm, May
Published: 04/12/15 Topics: Lodging Newsletter, Vortex VIP Comments: 0

After a bit of a delay, the Vortex Insider resumes in great haste. Purchase of Ocean Reservations and OceanShores.com. Jackie Martin returns. Michael Bradham moves New folks - Nick Warner, Jessica Vance, Trina Flanagan, Mark Root, Nathaniel Jumper, Emailers are in the mail. Read more

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