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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Good Manners & Questions - Lodging Newsletter December 15th, 2024

Published: 12/31/24 Topics: Newsletter Comments: 0

In the television mini-series "Lonesome Dove" the two lead characters elderly former Texas rangers often encounter bad people who display bad behavior.

In one particularly violent scene, character of Captain Woodrow F. Coll, explained by actor Tommy Lee Jones, confronts such a man and afterword fairly says, "I hate bad behavior in a man. I won’t tolerate it."

Of course, no one can condone violence, but today does it seem as if bad manners have become the norm. while rational discussion, the give and take of ideas, and conclusions are a thing of the past.

Behavior psychologists study behavior and point to a trend of rudeness that has been increasing for many years starting with the telephone that allowed people to assail others remotely. Email accelerated the trend because anyone can write a scathing message at anyone in the world with no immediate feedback. (let call the argument, even of the polite kind)

Next the trend increased with online reviews. At one time businesses espoused the philosophy of:

"If you like our products tell your friends. If you don’t like our products tell us."

Now anyone in the world can besmirch anyone else from far and anonymously. Its like road rage without the car. And truth be damned if you can’t control your thoughts, your behavior and your temper, you can attack without repercussions.

In particular, those psychologists point out how so-called "Social Media" is nothing of the kind. While in person meetings produce ____ In a person’s blood stream, online meetings (think zoom) produce none of the same chemicals that induce reasonableness. The lack of in-person feedback is simply not enjoyable.

Are you one of those who have taken up the crusade to verbally assault others by phone, telephone, email or social media?

Blog #: 1005 – 12/31/24

Holly Jolly Hi-Tide Resort & New Years?

By Ron Lee
Published: 12/16/24 Topics: Comments: 0

Holly Jolly Hi-Tide Resort

Santa just announced he will be flying in from the ocean directly over Hi-Tide Resort on Moclips Beach Washington. So rent one of the condos just 100 feet from the sand.

Rent 2 nights and get 3. Rent 3 nights and get 5. Rent 4 nights and get 7. All in our peaceful location and if you want a fancy dinner and shops, Seabrook town is just 5 minutes away ...

Book online or call us at 360-276-0000

Seagrass Condo #01
One Bedroom, Sleeps 4

Featuring stunning views of the surf and dunes, Seagrass Condo is the ideal weekend getaway at the shore. It’s perfect for a romantic couples vacation or even a small group of friends. The ocean awaits you!

Sanderling Condo #15
One Bedroom, Sleeps 4

Sanderling Condo is your perfect coastal escape, whether you’re visiting for clamming, sunbathing, or storm watching in the winter.

Whale Song Condo #29
One Bedroom, Sleeps 4

A leisurely stroll from this second-story condo and across the dunes, puts you on beautiful Moonstone Beach. Here you can enjoy the surf, fly a kite or sit back and listen to the waves.

Tax, Cleaning, Extra Guests, and fees are extra. Go online for a quote or call.

4890 Railroad Avenue - PO Box 1534
Moclips, WA 98562 USA USA
Voice: 360-276-0000
Fax: 888-628-0839
Email: Info@Hi-Tide-Resort.com
Website: Hi-Tide-Resort.com

Conditions: Offer good for new bookings only, for all dates through January 31st, 2025. Can not be combined with other promotions. This offer has no cash value. Offer may be withdrawn at any time, with existing bookings honored.

Author: Ron Lee – Holly Jolly, Hi-Tide Resort
Blog #: 1004 – 12/16/24

Sponsor: Hi-Tide Resort – There is nothing really like it on the Coast of Washington State. 32 beautiful Condominimums directly out on the beach Nestled next to the Moclips River. Become one of our long-returning guests who love this place as much as we do – Hi-tide-resort.com

Give Thanks for Pumpkin Pie & Ice Cream Too

By Ron Lee
Published: 11/01/24 Topics: Cooking, Events, Goldener Inns, Hi-Tide Resort, Inns, Moclips Beach WA, Ocean Shores WA Comments: 0

Hi-Tide Pumpkin Pie Thanksgiving

Come for a relaxing stay during Thanksgiving week, and we’ll treat you to a fresh and fantastic pumpkin pie for dessert. Or pick apple pie if that’s your taste better. AND we will even provide the fresh vanilla ice cream to slather on top.

Hi-Tide Resort is really truly right out on the beach. Marvel at the mighty pacific ocean, the wild life, and the sparkingly sunsets, even this time of year. Click here to see Webcam Now.

Book online or call us at 360-276-0000

Pelican’s Perch #32
One Bedroom, Sleeps 4

From $179/nite

Newly remodeled and boasting the best view at Hi-Tide Resort, Pelican’s Perch features wraparound windows that offer panoramic views of Point Grenville to the north and the endless Pacific Ocean to the west.

Merganser Condo #07
One Bedroom, Sleeps 4

From $159/nite

Merganser Condo is a wonderful and tranquil place to make your headquarters for your excursions all over the coast of Washington.

Triton Condo #5
One Bedroom, Sleeps 4

From $159/nite

Great for 2 people or put the kids on the sleeper couch. Views forever and ever. Panoramic actually. Maybe even see the sun sink below the horizon. Like all Hi- Tide condos, fully equipped and ready for your arrival.

Tax, Cleaning, Extra Guests and fees are extra. Go online for a quote or call. Be sure to tell us.

4890 Railroad Avenue - PO Box 1534
Moclips, WA 98562 USA USA
Voice: 360-276-0000
Fax: 888-628-0839
Email: Info@Hi-Tide-Resort.com
Website: Hi-Tide-Resort.com

Author: Ron Lee – Pumpkin Pie Purveyor, Hi-Tide Resort
Blog #: 1003 – 11/01/24

Sponsor: Hi-Tide Resort – There is nothing really like it on the Coast of Washington State. 32 beautiful Condominimums directly out on the beach Nestled next to the Moclips River. Become one of our long-returning guests who love this place as much as we do – Hi-tide-Resort.com

Everything Instant - Lodging Newsletter September 30, 2024

By Wm. May
Published: 09/30/24 Topics: Education, Investment, Lodging Management, Newsletter, Profit, Selling, Vacation Rental Management, Yield Management Comments: 0

Long ago with some partners, we made an offer to purchase (of all things) a radio station.

The partners had experience at managing radio stations, but no experience at the process of actually closing a business purchase that included a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license application, tangible and intangible assets sale, engineering evaluation, and how to write all the necessary contracts.

The attorney engaged to facilitate the closing, had dozens of questions, when one partner innocently said, "Well, how long will it take for you to prepare the documents so we can close the deal?"

He informed us that he could have the first-draft of the closing documents in about week, then it would take the FCC about a month to review our application.

The partners were crestfallen. What could possibly take up to a week to type up some papers? The attorney was cordial in saying that this time is shared among numerous clients and, more importantly, the work must be done carefully and it must be done completely.

Overtime, with the advent of overnight document delivery services, then email, then mobile phones, and now texting, consumers and even business people have come to believe that everything little thing can be done immediately. But smart businesses still benefit from knowing when and when not to make things instantaneous.

We like to quote John Wooden, the head basket ball coach at UCLA from 1947 to 1975, won the NCAA national championship 10 times (7 consecutively). No other coach has come close. Many experts consider him to have been the best sports coach (in any sport) of all time, famous for admonishing his players to perform:

"Be quick. Never hurry."

That is especially helpful guidance in today’s era when more communications methods have caused everyone to want everything instantaneously.

Later in life, Coach’s players admitted they not only fully understood the wisdom at the time. It helped them navigate life ever since.

============================

In the vacation rental and lodging management business, the list of duties, tasks, and obligations is long and varied. Of course, it is necessary to maintain and clean the physical properties, to assist guests in every way they may need, and to communicate with the property owners.

Over decades, the list of obligations continues to increase. Create and maintain websites. Continually invest in technology to synchronize rates, dates, and information with "Online Travel Agency" (OTA’s) websites (such as VRBO, AirBnB, Expedia). Produce web-optimized still photos, drone aerial photography, 3D Tours, and even floor plans. Utilize devices to monitor guest behavior, while also being available 24-7-365. And help with government permits.

Along the way, an unexpected burden has been imposed.

Communicating in new ways is a good thing. Years ago bookings came in by phone, with confirmations sent by mail, or even fax (remember faxes??). The arrival of email was helpful. Online bookings facilitate bookings. Mobile phone ordering convinced guests to book on the go, and also helps coordinate housekeeping. Texting allows guest and manager to reach out and touch at any time.

But is that all good?

More communication methods have actually decreased personal communications. OTA’s interfere between guests and managers. SMS texting makes for overly short words, requiring much back and forth. Guests demand to text at 3AM with non-essential questions. Owners install security cameras to surveil guests (who just hate that).

So to provide top service to everyone we embrace that John Wooden quote, "Be quick. Never hurry".

No one method takes preference. Bookings, phone calls, emails, texts, online chats, are parsed to determine priority. Quick - guest onsite property services. Quick - weather and utility interruptions. Quick - housekeeping and maintenance scheduling and tracking. New bookings ae processed quickly, depending on arrival date.

All the other hundreds of duties, questions, and requests come after those. Accounting is scheduled. Advertising is planned far in advance. Owner reports are periodic, but not daily. For owner questions about projections, accounting, or other inquiries, time is taken to ensure that responses are accurate and complete.

Coach Wooden also advised, "It’s the little details that are vital."

So by following prioritized communications, we can achieve the best outcome for owners, guests, and staff alike.

Author: Wm. May – Administrator, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 1000 – 09/30/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Frozen Guests - Lodging Newsletter August 31, 2024

By Wm. May
Published: 08/31/24 Topics: Education, Investment, Lodging Management, Newsletter, Profit, Selling, Vacation Rental Management, Yield Management Comments: 0

For twenty years, visitorship of vacation rentals has been on a steady increase. But it has not been a straight line. Always upward, but erratic, too.

Short, medium, and sometimes long-term trends have slowed the industry. The dot com boom, 9-1-1, of course, and the 2008 real-estate depression. These large scale events squeezed bookings, rates and sales.

But there is good news. Every time, eventually, the vacation rental industry rebounded and the upward creep continued. All because vacation rentals are a better "product" for certain travelers, at certain times, who have certain goals.

Then an upward event further revealed good volatility, when there was a revenue surge never seen before. To escape "cabin fever", consumers flocked to private vacation rentals to get some enjoyment, while avoiding other people. (Hotels suffered.)

Even long-time lodging advertising experts were astonished. Never had there been a splurge of buyer (guests) frenzy as big and as fast. Beginning in late 2022, 2023, and now in 2024, as vacation rental demand returned to what might be called "normal seasonal" levels.

In 2024, the softening nationally has continued for many reasons. But most pundits fail to voice a trend which has returned every four years, since our first office opened in 1964 and, of course, that would be the presidential elections.

The downturn affects many industries, not just travel, as each candidate and each party screams at consumers that the end of the world is near unless they vote for one candidate over the other.

And when people feel fear they "freeze", stop making decisions, put off purchases, travel less and become enamored with the battle. It may be sacrilegious to say, but the sky is never falling as fast or as much as presidential candidates want to make consumers believe.

In this month’s newsletter, let’s explore why humans are so easily manipulated.

================

Even with a degree in advertising, a first career in an advertising agency, and decades of ad management, the study of advertising still confounds me because it is directly tied to consumer psychology.

First my excuse - In business, we are only trying to get guests to buy our products instead of something else. We are only asking them rent our houses instead of the other houses.

We aren’t hurting anybody but the same cannot be said for politicians, who have always used proven advertising techniques to scare the hell out of people.

Exaggeration - It is not enough to say "my opponent is wrong", but instead "Voting for that other clown will be the end of the world." But a biologist once said. "Humans are so self-centered. After an atomic war the cockroaches will be celebrating the feast they find." Humans are laughably self-centered.

Superlatives - It is not enough to be a good person, smart, well meaning, and hoping to represent voters well. Instead, the words are "Very motivated because (fill in the blank)", "Extremely intelligent" and "First in the class, the professional, the community."

Tribalism - People all want to be part of something bigger - a country, a state, a town, a club. They feel, "the other people are fools if they do not look like them, talk like them, dress like them.

Personality - Strange to say, but no one likes everyone else. Mostly we appreciate people like ourselves. Or the opposite - the beautiful people, athletes, celebrities and people who have what we do not. We are fan boys and fan girls and seldom understand why.

Contemptibility - Contrary to feigned sincerity, politicians have always found their opponents foolish, knavish, and devoid of intelligence. Some say it softly, but they all say it.

Voters fall into this trap because, as the comedian George Carlin said, "Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that."

Loyalty - In wars, every soldiers wants their fellow soldiers to be loyal to their cause. In politics, it is the rare voter who can separate their intellect from their loyalty. Once you join the team, you seldom switch teams out of loyalty.

Scarcity - Every party says, without us you won’t do as well. Then they paint a picture of utter doom should you be stupid enough to vote for the other person. There will be no jobs, no money, no stability, and even your friends will desert you. It’s not true, but it sells well to voters.

You Too - If you believe it is only the "Other party" using manipulation to woo voters, sorry to say you have been wooed and manipulated. From the modest to the momentous, getting elected has always required despicable adverting techniques. Students of advertising recognize it. Should you?

Prediction - If politicians and parties would stop using despicable methods, then consumers would thaw out and get traveling again. I predict they will never drop the methods.

But the good news is - it will be over in a few weeks and then consumers can get back to life as usual. For lodging there will be an upturn. No one knows when but there always is. Let’s call that optimism.

Author: Wm. May – Administrator, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0999 – 08/31/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Allison & Chase Discover Family Skiing at White Pass!

By Wendy Thomas
Published: 08/06/24 Topics: Dog Friendly, Family, Interview, Mount Rainier WA, Packwood WA, Things To Do, Vacation Comments: 0

Allison, who works in inventory management, and Chase, who is active-duty military, are currently stationed in Port Orchard, Washington. They wanted to take a skiing vacation within Washington State and chose to stay in the Cowlitz Manor house vacation rental in Packwood Washington. Theirs was a full house, with Allison, Chase, their two kids, two friends, and their dog, Magnolia.

------

Packwood Properties: What made you choose Packwood and Cowlitz Manor House?

Allison: Chase is an avid skier, and we wanted to take a ski vacation to someplace new. We’d never been there, but he wanted to try the White Pass area, and the house looked beautiful and the location seemed to be amazing. Plus, it had a hot tub.

Packwood Properties: Did you use the hot tub at all?

Allison: Oh yes. The kids took skiing lessons, so after spending a day skiing, it was great. We used the gas fire pit upstairs as well, especially when the power went out!

Packwood Properties: Oh no! Sorry about that. I hope that turned out to be okay in the end?

Allison: It was. Packwood Properties kept us up to date about when the power would come back on. We had the gas stove inside and the gas fire pit outside, so we were fine until the power came back to the street in the evening.

Packwood Properties: What was your favorite thing about the house?

Allison: We loved the front porch facing the river. We spent most of our time there. And, of course, the hot tub after skiing. We used the fire pit quite a bit. Especially with the power out! We liked how close it was to the White Pass Skiing Area, only a half hour drive. The house was big enough for all six people plus Magnolia to spread out. It was beautiful. Just like the pictures showed.

Packwood Properties: I hope we’ll be able to host you again in the future.

Allison: It was one of the better Airbnbs we’ve stayed in. We will definitely stay here again, if available!

Author: Wendy Thomas – Cowlitz Manor House, Cowlitz Manor House
Blog #: 0977 – 08/06/24

Wallowa Valley - Lodging Newsletter July 31, 2024

By Wm. May
Published: 07/31/24 Topics: Education, Investment, Lodging Management, Newsletter, Profit, Selling, Vacation Rental Management, Yield Management Comments: 0

After decades in lodging management we have learned a few things. Actually many things. More accurately, hundreds of things. Maybe even thousands. All are valuable to clients.

They could be called "Best Practices" or "Proven Policies" or "Operating Procedures." But we like to call them "Fingers in the Dike" because, if you know where the holes, are you can prevent a flood.

That is why we approach every new question, issue, idea, compliment or even complaints in this way:

First - Solve the problem, issue, or new (never been seen before) situation. ASAP.

Second - Formalize solutions into training, documentation, and actions, so if an issue comes up again, everyone here knows exactly what to do well before they need to do it.

That second point takes us extra effort, time, and sometimes money, but it saves that amount over and over again.

As a young man, I did not stay in Boy Scouting long, but I did memorize their motto. And over the years I have come to realize it is exactly what is needed to run a business, take on life, and even manage vacation rentals:

Be Prepared

Our competitors range from small local companies, to giant corporations, to newbie free-lance title "Co-hosts". So, it is surprising how ill prepared all of them are.

It is enjoyable to explain how our advertising, marketing, reservations, rate setting, photography and other skills will generate more income and profit for owners than the other managers can hope to do.

But most of all, owners need us because we have been-there, done-that, and are fully prepared with what may come.

================

Many variables are at the owners discretion, but we will always chime in with which finger should go where in the dike. Here are just a few:

Instructions - It is not enough to just provide the address. Emailed, mailed, or online instructions assist guests in flying, driving and finding the property. Even so, staff must answer phones 24-7-365.

Arrival - Whether using elocks or keysafes for entrance a toll-free phone number must be posted for guests who forget their code, can’t turn a key, or are lost in the dark.

Guest Books - It is fun to read that visitors love the house as much as you do. But not so fun when they complain about the weather, or draw in nasty photos. (It does happen.) Instead a professional handy "Welcome Book" that thanks guests, gives them home details, and mentions area attractions is better.

Signage - The old slogan goes, "Tell them and then tell them you told them." A few professional strategic signs inside houses called "Notices" pleasantly remind guests of the rules.

Pet Friendly - Allowing dogs (no other pet type) will increase income. Accidents are rare, and visitors willingly pay a pet cleaning fee. If you reject dogs, but bring your own, people will presume the property is dander-free when it’s not.

Support Animals - Federal law prohibits refusing service to people with support animals. A few qualifying questions are allowed, but intimidating questions result in large penalties. Don’t question those people. (Currently, emotional support animals are NOT required to be allowed.)

Wine Basket - A bottle of wine sounds hospitable. But that is not legal, and eventually a wine snob will give you a bad review no matter quality. The solution? How about a bottle of Martinelli’s non-alcoholic cider? Everyone loves it. Kids can drink it. And it’s far cheaper.

Water Craft - While providing kayaks, paddle boards, or even boats sounds like a surefire way to attract guests, that presents a huge liability risk. And surprisingly, it won’t increase occupancy, rates or net income. Don’t include photos of anything that will not actually be provided, or the guest will demand a credit.

Games - Jig-saw puzzles are a joy for families, but soon pieces go missing, prompting a guest to leave a snarky review about that. Puzzles without pieces are best.

Door Web Cameras - Surveillance must be disclosed in writing to guests. But they won’t get approval from their invitees. So some will scream murder when they feel spied upon. If you must, limit cameras to those mounted high and facing the driveway only.

Guest Monitoring - Incidents of misbehavior are very rare, but newly developed noise and Wi-Fi monitors help managers monitor occupancy and keep neighbors happy.

Telephone - Yes, everyone has a mobile phone, but they may not be reachable or may turn them off while on holiday. Installing a "land line" can be done inexpensively and your manager can always reach guests.

Author: Wm. May – Administrator, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0998 – 07/31/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Vacation Rental Greed - Lodging Newsletter June 30, 2024

By Wm. May
Published: 06/30/24 Topics: Education, Investment, Lodging Management, Newsletter, Profit, Selling, Vacation Rental Management, Yield Management Comments: 0

In the movie "Wall Street", actor Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gekko proclaims:

"The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit."

In 2015, the "U.S. Open" Golf tournament took place near Tacoma, Washington. Promoters said it would be a massive boom for tourism. But they failed to say - only if you know what you are doing. With our first office having opened in 1964, we have watched how many events affect lodging. Our advice? If you don’t have sophisticated yield management to maximize profit, greed will cause pain.

Normally, clients are not allowed to set rates for the very reason that played out at the U.S.Open. But in this case, a large client insisted his rates be raised ten-fold. To our later chagrin, we gave in.

But by now you may have guessed what happened: It seems that the golf watchers prefer to stay in hotels where they can gossip with like-minded golfers, and maybe rub elbows with pros. The privacy of a private home is not what they come for.

Then the owners of usually non-renting homes, on and near the course, arranged to move out of their houses to offer rentals during the tournament. The market became flooded.

Although our property was very nice, it was far away from the action. Attendees wanted to avoid driving back and forth several times a day for a whole week.

As the championship week approached, our client panicked and screamed "Drop the rates! Let’s get some bookings, any bookings." We did not say, "I told you so." But we could have.

But it was too late. Event travelers plan far ahead and there were no guests to be had. While the property could have earned $10,000 that week, instead the owner made zero, zip, nada.

Setting proper rates is difficult even for skilled experienced managers who have research on rates, dates and competition. Clients do not, so they should drop their ego, ignore the greed, and let the pros make maximum profit for their homes. Sometimes the author Ron Rash, is correct:

"A small profit is better than a big loss."

Making a profit is good. Being greedy is dangerous. Here is how we pursue profit.

Authority - Let us do our jobs for you. Accept Yield Management as the powerful tool that it is - even if it seems not to work to you at times. Follow our recommendations, approve our ideas, and invest in the little things that make a difference.

Pride - Swallow it during seasons when no one is coming to town and as rates drop. Remember rates will soar during high seasons and yes, even during events. The telemetry we buy considers past, present and future events. It reacts quickly to changes such as weather, travel challenges, and everything competitors are doing - hotels, motels, inns, resorts and vacation rentals, of course.

Doll It Up - It is an old phrase my father was fond of as he "dolled up" his business, his car, his garden, and his 3 boys as he dressed us up for Church every Sunday. As a six old boy I swelled with pride as our teacher reminded students to see "Billy’s garden on the way home. His father grows the most beautiful roses." Dolling up a rental home is more than just good amenities, it is special touches that make a difference.

Buck Up - Ok, here is another phrase from my dad. Because rentals deal with consumers, accept that someday some guest will hate your town, your neighborhood, your resort, your house, your furniture, or even your manager. They are wrong of course, but the best defense is to make your place very nice and keep it that way.

Wise Up - I mean this as no disrespect, but this is the third phrase my Dad trumpeted - be wise. We pay attention, we study, we watch the competition, but we also search for new and innovative ideas. To operate properties tightly, advertise widely, and generate the best results.

Digest - Owners are subjected to the neverending hype about vacation rentals, even as the market supply grows and even if demand does not keep pace. Our team members spend countless hours mastering this seemingly simple industry and all so that our clients don’t have to do so.

Cooks - Yes there can be too many in the soup. And yes my dad told me that too. Repeatedly. It is wonderful to receive tips and ideas about the industry. Keep us posted as we spend overtime working for each and every client.

Do Your Part - Keep your home in tip-top condition, with upgrades, replacements of textiles, kitchen wares, and more. Or you can just call and authorize us to spend money where necessary. Every day, every owner competitor is improving steal your guests. If your place looks a bit worn, your income will drop. Guests won’t return. Or they’ll leave a negative review.

Passion - This last one from my Father is the most important. Tiring of how everyone tells young folks to find something to be "passionate" about, he said. "That is the wrong. He said that success is easy if you are passionate about everything. Do your best. Give a damn. Find the joy. Work your patootie off. Be good at what you do. That is the joy."

We can promise every client. That is what we do here. Thanks to all clients for allowing us to work on your homes. The best is yet to come. It always is.

Author: Wm. May – Administrator, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0997 – 06/30/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

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

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

Hiring competent employees has always been a challenge. Today, diligent employers conduct multiple interviews, check references, and secure background checks before giving anyone a job.

Unfortunately, when citizens "hire" politicians ("vote") they never have an opportunity interview them face to face and they rely on the media to check a candidate’s background, even though today’s news pundits seem determined to push their own agendas, rather than simply reporting the facts. (That is a topic for a much bigger forum than our little newsletter here.)

But the risk of stupid decisions may actually be greater for town mayors, council members, and county council members than for national politics. Wikipedia says there are 89,000 local jurisdictions in the United States which may go by the terminology of city, town, township, borough or village.

With 3,143 counties in the U.S. and presuming an average of 3 commissioners for every county and just 3 council members (likely low) each city or town, that means there are around 276,000 people elected to govern their subjects.

Virtually none of those have been as intently tested as McDonald’s does when they hire high school students to flip burgers.

Unfortunately, those 276,000 people are allowed to make decisions for which they have no experience, no training, and who seldom become experts on a subject before opining about it.

There are certainly far more important subjects for politicians than warring about our measly little "Vacation Rental" industry. But if those same officials show the same stupidity toward all challenges as they do stealing away property rights, it is no wonder those bigger problems are getting bigger.

This old joke applies. "What do you call a person who graduates last in their medical class?" The answer is "Doctor" and one may be your doctor, but you will never know.

Same thing for elected city and county officials, unfortunately.

===================

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

Maui, Hawaii - The latest candidates for IQ testing is Richard Bissen of Maui County in Hawaii. As you have undoubtedly heard, in August of 2023, the island suffered a catastrophic fire that burned the entire town of Lahaina and killed 100 people. Thousands were left homeless.

Help came from the state, the county, not-for-profits and even celebrities who own homes there, including Oprah, the Rock (Wayne Johnson), and Mick Fleetwood (Of Fleetwood Mac), offering cash, food and other necessities.

But now, Mayor Bissen has decided that he can help local residents by stealing property from other people. He plans to prohibit short-term rentals in 7,000 condos, in hopes those homeowners will rent them out long-term and cheaply.

Surely, many condo owners would forfeit then own occasional use for a year or two or three, presuming, of course, the government would pay for them. But no - Bissen is not planning to pay, instead by reversing the County’s long held policy allowing short-term rentals, he plans to cripple owners so they will have to sell out cheap and, presumably, to local folks.

Everyone who loves Hawaii, including the owners of those 7,000 condos, feels terrible for resident losses, but the mayor’s action will not work. It will years or even decades to work through the courts and will not create housing for many years to come.

The Beat of Hawaii website (www.BeatOfHawaii.com) reports that the mayor’s knee-jerk reaction was actually in the making long before the fire. Now he is using the fire as a scapegoat to get what he wanted all along. It panders to residents and ignores second homeowners who don’t get to vote.

The annual negative effect of killing 7,000 rentals on Maui would be $3.25 billion dollars, a loss of $707 million County tax dollars, and will eliminate 14,000 jobs from the very people Bissen pretends to help.

His disjointed reasoning is that removing vacation rentals would "Force" visitors into hotels. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many hotel rooms and, as has been proven elsewhere, when guests can’t rent vacation homes, they simply go elsewhere. Maui loses. Hawaii Loses. Visitors lose.

Like so many places in the U.S., the housing that Maui needs could have been accomplished long ago by eliminating the 23% of building costs that cities, counties, state and federal government extort from building projects by ignorant and unnecessary rules, regulations, inspections and permitting fees.

Remove those and developers will come in droves to build what Maui wants.

When Bill Gates was a youngster, in a biography, it was reported that his mother after summoning him repeatedly to come to diner, finally yelled up to his room, "What are you doing up there?" He retorted "I am thinking mother. You should try it some time."

Well, Mayor Bissen, it is time to do some deep thinking and cancel such a stupid thing as killing jobs on Maui, devastating its economy, and actually making things worse instead of better.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0996 – 05/31/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Sycophants Invade Vacation Rentals

By Ron Lee
Published: 04/22/24 Topics: Government, Legal, Lodging Management, People, Regulations, Software, Vacation Rentals Comments: 2

Vacation Rentals have been around for centuries often called by many names: lodging, sharing, vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and now short-term-rentals.

It has only been in recent years that cities, counties and homeowner associations have conspired to attack rentals and all without logic, reason or adherence to the bundle of real estate rights codified in the U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and other laws for 250 years.

Did you know that property rights are the most mentioned right in the Bill of Rights? Because without being able to protect those rights, all other rights can be further trampled on. For example, you can’t have freedom of the press, if government can take away your right to occupy your property.

The reasons for those vicious anti-rental attacks are false and found to be based solely on another age old situation - Xenophobia - the fear of others. The incidence of noise, parking, and even garbage collections are so statistically small as to be non-existent.

Def: Xenophobia [noun]

Aversion or hostility to, disdain for, or fear of strangers.

Synonyms: Bias, Bigotry, Animosity, Classism, Hatred

Now, however, governments have found new sycophants to help them batter responsible private homeowners and, as might be expected, it is none other than Artificial Intelligence software developers taking up the war.

The dictionary points out the threat of these:

Def: Sycophant - [noun]

A self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite.

Synonyms: flatterer, fawner, flunky, toady

In the war on property rights, governments are turning to profiteering software soldiers to encourage neighbors to spy on neighbors and to report them for any perceived slight, real or imagined. (Neighbors hating neighbors is nothing new, but now governments are rewarding that hateful conduct.)

One participant in the war on vacation rentals is Deckard Technologies of San Diego, California. Their website, (www.Decard) fosters the idea they are mainly in the business in helping local governments with "tax". But parse their words more closely to learn that Deckard is in the "compliance" business. In other words, governments hire them to control humans.

That makes them sycophants for the same reason court jesters bowed and scraped to kings. It is all for the money. Deckard says governments can fine neighbors using their expensive software to bust them.

With those software contracts costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for cities and counties struggling to balance budgets, those governments will learn that this kind of A.I. ("Awful Intelligence") generated system produces complaints that won’t hold up in criminal court where rules of evidence abide.

And yet counties fall for any pitch that says it won’t cost them anything. Even if they then suspect, and later learn, that the huge cost of such software can never be recovered.

Even if officials admit there is no pay-back for that software, busting people for gossip appeals to government officials who don’t base their decisions on fundamental concepts like property rights.

To see how their xenophobia functions, substitute their words "Vacation Rental" or "Short-Term Rental’ with the names of minority groups to make their rational sound just like what it is, just another form of hate crime.

With apology to the people of south Africa, and the terrible harm they suffered for so many years, it can be seen that segregating vacation rental property owners and guests is used by people who insist on oppressing vacation rental property owners and guests. They steal their rights while allowing others those same rights.

Def: Apartheid [noun]

Rigidly segregating and economically and politically oppressing people.

Synonyms: Segregation, Bigotry, Chauvinism, Injustice, Intolerance

On the Deckard company website, Nick Del Pego CEO claims to be a mathematician, a seasoned corporate senior leader and a U.S. Air Force SpecOps veteran. Isn’t that the service branch who can be called in to attack people with no regrets?

Del Pego and his software soldiers make it easy for neighbors to hate other neighbors who use their Constitutional right to share and rent out their homes.

Plus, his software makes it comfortable for nosey neighbors to report people anonymously, as if they were Peeping Toms. And the penalty for false reporting is - you guessed it - nothing. No liability, no accountability.

In his novel 1984, George Orwell warned about a society where government watched over every little thing done by every little citizen.

And now Del Pego’s Deckard Technologies gets paid to help cities and counties do exactly that.

It must be asked, why would Craig Brown, Greg Rose, Jess Flanagan, Chloe Sasson, Tom Hemmings, Tony Moriarty, Matthew Duggan, Dr. Victor Xie, Loren Vasquez Rivera, Vicki Lane, Dustin Reilich, Stacey Kurtz, Rob Piskorowksi, Dave Brown, Melissa Mijia, Faith Chaza, Dana Lormer, Branden Reese and all the cronies at Deckard agree to help him do it?

Perhaps, they enjoy facilitating gossip and think hate mongering is good. Probably it is that, like everyone else, they just need a job.

Maybe those employees should look for employment in a more reputable industry, where their actions do not deprive others of their basic property rights. There are many worthy causes. How about ending poverty, feeding the poor, volunteering at charities, working to end war, etc.?

Of course, those kinds of jobs don’t pay as well as promoting Deckard’s hateful service.

Teaching Students How to Steal

By Ron Lee
Published: 04/19/24 Topics: Copyrights, Education, Photography, Reputation Comments: 0

How students are being taught has always been important but has been prominently in the news for some time. There is controversy in all grades from pre-school to college, undergrad and grad degrees.

People on the right say students of all ages are being indoctrinated or brainwashed with woke, socialist, or even communist ideas.

People on the left say there is no such thing. Their lessons are intended to teach better ways of seeing the world and the right is out of touch.

No matter the viewpoint, it would be good to hope there could be foundational knowledge on which all ends of the political spectrum could agree.

But not a guy we’ll call "Mr. Smith" for this story.

He promotes himself as an educational consultant of some sort, paid handsomely to consult and advise teachers and schools. Unfortunately, his behavior reveals he is teaching students to cheat and steal by his example.

By contrast, Robert Fulghum became a respected author and educator by writing the book "All I need to know I learned in in Kindergarten." He espoused valuable wisdom like, say "please" and "thank you", tell the truth, and admit mistakes.

Apparently, Mr. Smith did not read the book, because when caught stealing he used every trick in the book to get away with his crime.

Using his ill-gotten gains as a supposed educator, Mr. Smith invested in real estate. He was happy when another company covered the cost of having some technically sophisticated photos taken of his properties, for their own use.

Mr. Smith liked the photos, so much so in fact, that he had his assistant ask if he could buy the photos in his real estate advertising. But upon hearing the price of a license for the photos, he refused saying that the price was too high.

At this point, Mr. Smith had not yet showed his lack of ethics. Only later did the photographers discover that Smith was using dozens of the copyrighted photos on websites to rent out his properties and make large income from them. He may have used them free for years without any remorse for his theft.

So what did Mr. Smith do when he was caught red-handed? When the photos were discovered online? Did he follow Fulghum’s advice to tell the truth?

Of course not.

Instead, Smith hired an attorney to dream up every devious legal trick, to cheat, and to lie, in hopes of letting Smith off scott free. Finding himself in court, of course, Mr. Smith fabricated excuses:

I thought I paid for them.
I thought my assistant paid for them.
The assistant stole the photos, not me.
She downloaded them thinking they were free.
It has been been far too long to pay for them now.
The devil made me do it.

OK, he did not claim that last point, but maybe he should. Because Mr. Smith fabricated all the others while raking in dough from his real estate.

The outcome of this theft has not been determined, but it must be expected that Smith will do as he has done before. He will lie, and twist, and blame others instead of taking responsibility. What a bad example for students.

Hubris causes supposedly sophisticated people to look down their noses at creative people like photographers. That is nothing new. High income individuals consider themselves superior and treat artists as inferior. And they try underpay them or not pay at all

It is sad that the photographers must pay court and lawyer fees to force Mr. Smith to fess up and to pay up, for what he so clearly stole. But sadder still for the world of education.

Mr. Smith will continue to promote himself as an expert on education. People will continue to hire and pay him at a much higher rate than photographers, and they won’t even know that Smith is a theft and a liar.

That means Mr. Smith will continue on his life-long journey to teach kids and other students how to be a thief. That is sadder than any story Politian’s could argue about education.

Author: Ron Lee – Contributor, Signatours Photo Team
Blog #: 0988 – 04/19/24

Two Faced Copyright Attorney Lies to Photographers

By Staff
Published: 04/19/24 Topics: Comments: 0

Some intellectual property rights attorney find it rewarding to protect writers,. photographers, videographers and other artists because they love and recognize creativity, while often being in capable of such greatness themselves.

But other copyright attorneys are solely in the copyright game to fatten their own pockets. They could care less about the starving artists who make far less than what fat cat attorneys rake in. They gleefully play both sides of the fence even if it means skewering artists. Anything for a buck.

Photographers anxious to protect themselves from copyright thieves are warned to stay away from attorneys who promise to protect their work while, at the same time, serving the thieves who steal that work. They are anxius to devour well meaning artists every chance they get

Take one "Esquire" who we’ll call "Mr. Jones" in this article, whose website boasts of his copyright legal credentials. That website won’t be quoted verbatim because God forbid this article would infringe on his writings which, of course, he so carefully and prominently marks as "Copyright" and will surely contest as deviously as he fails to do for artists.

Laughably Jones quotes the old adage that "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." But of course mistates it because he is ignorant of literature, didn’t bother to research it, or does not want to give credit to Oscar Wilde iwho n 1892 wrote it in this play "Lday Winderme’s Fan."

By the way, the quote continues ". . . that mediocrity can pay to greatness" which is precisely why this charlatan attorney finds it necessary to represent infringers.

With devious intent attorney Jones admonishes photographers to protect what is theirs by filing a copyright. Although copyright is effect the moment it is created, and can be filed by the artists with a small fee to the U.S. Government, Mr. Jones frightens artists into engaging him him to do the simple filing, and only so he can fleece them for large fee.

His website also proclaims the he can help photographers win damages against infringements, and supposedly get paid, by avoiding court and settling quickly. But only if they pay him of course.

But on the other hand be warned, if an infringer is to hire Jones, this attorney more than willing to throw lies and innuendos, and fabricate every possible excuse to help the infringing thieves avoid paying.

Perhaps the most obvious way to show this attorney’s incompetence is to watch his video online, It is poorly written, amateurishly performed, and terribly produced. Bad video, Bad Audio, Bad graphics, Bad lighting.

It is no wonder that such a hack finds it necessary to take any an all clients. even the grossly guilty guilty infringers. Rather than protecting innocent artists with shallow pockets, he flip-flops to represent wealthy copyright thieves because he needs the dough.

It is a mystery why some attorneys, in copyright and other legal disciplines, have such distasteful behavior. Is it their upbringing, their families, their friends, their religions, their culture, or their financial plight?

The answer will never be known.

What can be proven is that no photographer, videographer, writers or other creative artist should ever hire an attorney who is willing to aid and abet the very people who will steal their work. Doing so is like dealing with the devil. They promise the world to rope you in, but happily throw other photographers into the fires of hell. And all because they have no morals.

So when an artist searches for an attorney to represent their copyrrights look only for one who represents only artists. At least you’ll know which side of the war they are on.

Author: Staff – Contributors, Signatours Photo Team
Blog #: 1007 – 04/19/24

The First - and Maybe the Only - Honest Copyright Infringer

By Staff
Published: 04/19/24 Topics: Comments: 0

When an expert copyright attorney phoned his photographer client, he found himself chuckling. Something strange had happened, something that had never taken place during the attorney's decades of litigating against business people who had stolen copyrighted photos.

"What’s so funny?" asked the photographer.

"Do you remember the real estate broker who copied dozens of your photos for use on his listings?" asked the attorney. "I sent him a cease-and-desist letter. In most cases, the thieves respond with all kinds of nonsensical excuses."

"Well, today, that broker called me. As soon as I picked up the phone, he introduced himself and said, 'Hey, I am the guy who stole your photos. My bad. What do I owe you?'"

Now the photographer laughed saying, "Well, he can afford to pay because our photos have helped him sell several million-dollar houses on which he made huge commissions. But why is that funny?"

"Because in all my years of pursuing people who copy intellectual property, like photos, that is the first honest person I have ever spoken with," said the attorney. "And for that kind of honesty, I think we should go easy on the damages he should pay."

But why did he fess up?

"Thieves usually claim ignorance," the attorney continued, "calling it an accident, or unintentional, or they blame someone else, or say they couldn’t help take the photos because they were so beautiful."

Or they hire an questionable attorney who knows their client is "guilty", but uses every trick in the book to reduce or eliminate the damages their client should pay.

Of course, those are not defenses for theft, but somehow people feel that stealing copies of someone’s work is less dishonest than stealing money. Attorneys who help them complete the crime are as just as culpable.

"When I asked him why he decided to be helpful and honest, here is what he said, 'My father taught me to take responsibility for errors and not to lie about them,' said the broker. 'In fact, it's easier to fess up than lying to myself and disappointing my dad.'"

Too bad most cheaters don’t have a father who teaches them to respect others, even if it's just about a few photographs.

Author: Staff – Contributors, Signatours Photo Team
Blog #: 1009 – 04/19/24

Working With Leavenworth 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 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 23 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.

Author: Wendy Thomas – Contributor, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0985 – 04/11/24

Birthday at Pintails Lodge

By Wendy Thomas
Published: 03/06/24 Topics: Dog Friendly, Family, Hood Canal, Interview Comments: 0

Heather, an elopement photographer from Seattle, wanted to celebrate her birthday with family and friends. She and her husband, their toddler, her childhood best friend, and her two rescue dogs headed up to Port Ludlow for a vacation.

The Port Townsend area has a special place in her heart, as it’s where she and her husband got engaged. It’s not their first time staying in Port Ludlow and they know and enjoy how quiet and restful it is. She chose to stay at Port Ludlow Vacation Rentals company, a member of the Vortex VIP lodging managers group.

______

VIP: What made you come out to Pintails Lodge for your birthday?

Heather: We chose it because it was dog friendly, it was on the water, it looked so cozy and inviting, and it’s close to Port Townsend.

VIPs: Glad you thought it looked cozy and inviting! Was it that way in real life compared to the pictures?

Heather: It was. It was so welcoming, well appointed, it had great energy, it was cozy, and we loved the water views.

We also hadn’t known about the carriage house. It was such a great set up for us. My best friend stayed there, and my toddler didn’t wake her in the morning. The floor plan was great.

VIP: What activities did you do while you were in town?

Heather: This trip we just chilled together after a really busy season, but the next time I come down I’m bringing my paddle board.

VIP: You have your own paddle board?

Heather: I really love paddle boarding. Because the house is right on the water, I’ll bring my own and I’ll be able to go paddle boarding as much as I would like.

VIP: Sounds like a great plan! I hope even without the paddle board you left your vacation feeling relaxed and rested?

Heather: Oh my goodness, yes.

VIP: You said “the next time”. Do you think you’ll come back?

Heather: We’re already planning to book again with my parents in May or June.

VIP: Thanks, Heather! Can’t wait to have you back again.

Author: Wendy Thomas – Pintails Lodge, Pintails Lodge
Blog #: 0981 – 03/06/24

Lodging Newsletter 20240229 Noel Coward Snake

By Wm, May
Published: 02/29/24 Topics: Advertising, AirBnB, Marketing, Newsletter, Self Improvement, Selling Comments: 0

Sir Noel Coward, the playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, was known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise."

When asked his advice for young actors, he said, "Speak clearly, move about the stage gracefully, and falling back on the playwright is always a good idea."

Why is it that in some careers that some people just do the basics, some become reasonably competent and still others become exemplary, like Sir Noel?

In lodging management, vacation rentals in particular, the playing field is now littered with managers and individual hosts at every level. And all feel they are successful. Mostly because they don't know the facts, because they don’t study.

AirBnB and VRBO enticed people by proclaiming how easy it is to buy a vacation rental, get some bookings and live happily every after. That pitch works because, indeed, if a home is listed on a single website, it will get some bookings. Not necessarily a lot, but at least some bookings.

Unfortunately, that gives every participant confidence that they are doing things right. But in fact, if a home is only listed on one or two advertising websites, it is leaving money on the table.

The rule we were taught in college is that advertising is a matter of reach, frequency, consistency and messaging. It is a simple formula.

To get more sales, get more inquiries
To get more inquiries, get more visibility
To get more visibility, advertise every way you can afford

There are hundreds of duties necessary to achieve maximum income. The most fundamental is to advertise everywhere always. If you don’t know how, you need a professional full-stack manager.

- - - - - - -

Lodging Newsletter

by Wm. May, for February 28, 2024

Property owners hire professional vacation rental managers to do the work they don't have time to do, or don't know how to do, or that they may feel uncomfortable doing.

A recently retired Colorado manager explains to owners that managers take on sophisticated tasks to propel vacation rental success, (such as guest services, wide ranging advertising, personnel training, and guest services) but often they pay managers "to scrape poop off toilets."

Over decades of managing homes in various locations, from beaches, to lakes, to cities and mountains, our staff have invested tens of thousands of hours mastering every duty, from the lofty to the mundane.

SNAKE OIL

As the vacation rental industry has grown (and as happens in every popular topic - think Pickle Ball!) the industry is now rife with so-called experts.

These "experts" speak at every conference, author bland blogs, write never-ending articles on websites (like LinkedIn), pontificate on podcasts, and own paid, member-only forums. Some of these have some good information, but many have the kind of headlines that have always come with get-rich-schemes.

"Get rich working only 4 hours a week!"

"Become a manager in just 30 days!"

"Make your vacation rental a money machine!"

"Slick ways for easy rentals!"

And all these riches will be yours by buying their product, book, or seminar from people with insufficient knowledge and experience. If you think this sounds like a late-night infomercial for hair-growing vitamins, you are correct.

Unless you spend many hours every week mastering the industry, you will never maximize your income. The trouble is that snake oil sales people are providing 10% facts and 90% nonsense that harms readers by promising far more than they can deliver.

Benjamin Franklin said "Freedom of the press should be restricted to those who can afford one." But now the internet has made everyone a author, broadcaster, editor and publisher. How can you know who is really an expert? You can't.

The American Idol TV show is famous for promoting tone-deaf singer auditions, because the signers believe they can sing. How sad for those contestants. And how sad that homeowners are being led astray by experts who aren't.

It was once said, "That those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." But today those who can't, just say they can.

Better advice for vacation rental home owners is to heed dear old Sir Noel Coward, rely upon the author. For vacation rentals, that is to hire a competent, consistent, always learning, full-stack, professional manager.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0982 – 02/29/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Continuing Versus Continuous Education

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

How would you rate the teachers you had in school and professors in college?

Like all professions, there are people who perform well and those who do not, with the majority sitting somewhere between those extremes and with most doing well or good enough.

After formal schooling, most workers find there are continuing education requirements for their chosen career. Doctors, Dentists, Accountants, Lawyers, Real Estate Agents and many other professions require participants take courses to learn fundamental skills and periodic classes to brush up or learn new and improved methods.

Long ago, formal requirements for continuing education were unusual. Today, Federal, State and even local governments, along with professional organizations (such as the Legal "Bar") set standards and demand practitioners take classes and pass exams. States have hundreds of licenses. You'll need a training to operate a cemetery, sell cars, or operate campground sales.

In a prior career as a mergers and acquisitions intermediary selling mid-sized companies, having a real estate brokerage license was required. Taking the classes was not a burden, but provided zero instruction on how to market, structure and sell corporations.

Unfortunately, the by-product of excessive licensing implies that people who have a certificate are qualified to do the work for which they have a license. For example, it implied that someone who has taken only 60 clock hours, is qualified to help a corporation sell out. That is dangerous for business sellers and buyers. So such a requirement deceives consumers.

Lodging operators of inns, resorts and vacation rentals have no such requirements for continuing education. But meetings, seminars, and conferences have sprung up where participants can hear from experts, learn techniques, and even argue about best practices. Like many other industries, lodging education has become dominated by vendors to the industry, who have something to sell, rather than the people who are actually out running properties.

So how is a property owner to know which managers are qualified and which are not? The answer is to look for managers who are committed to continuous self-education, not just continuing education. This month's newsletter provides a guide for doing just that.

- - - - - - - - - -

Lodging Newsletter

by Wm. May, for March 31, 2024

There are vast differences in the competence of lodging managers. Education is helpful, but does not reveal the manager's commitment. Technology affects income dramatically, but do they have the correct tech? Experience is helpful, but not if the manager does not apply lessons hard learned.

In recent years, AirBnB has suggested owners could just hire a nearby neighbor to manage their homes. Or find another self-managed owner and entice them to take on your house. Unfortunately, using amateurs is risky because they know not the whole picture.

Ours is a seemingly simple industry, but saddled with hundreds of tasks, and requiring knowledge that has changed dramatically almost every month for decades, and should be expected to continue to continue to morph forever. Think of these things when interviewing prospective lodging managers.

Needs: Fully outline your expectations and needs. Do you want a manager to hold your hand on a daily basis or one who performs their duties well and reacts swiftly to changing demands like rates, competitors and, even, the weather.

Knowledge: Admit what you already know and what you do not know. Ask managers about their procedures for each and every little thing. Then, let the manager perform.

Questions: Ask manager candidates deep questions. Require that they have proven policies and procedures for most anything you can imagine. If its not written down, they do not.

Continuous: Ask how they learned their craft, how long they have been doing it, and how they continually educate themselves and staff members. Without that your house is at risk.

Commitment: Are they are available 24-76-365 for guest and property needs? While after-hours requests are rare, you want leaders who always step up and take charge. Most managers do not.

Attitude: You may find this idea unusual, but in a consumer facing business, managers who are up-beat, unflappable, and happy to serve elevate your property above the rest. (It is not easy.)

Managers who are newer will be unable to answer every question, and may be unable to answer most questions. Experienced, leader-type managers will have seen about every possible scenario when it comes to managing homes. Such as:

Guests who arrive early before the home is re-cleaned or leave late, cutting cleaning time. Storms that flood roads. Counties that fight rentals. Advertising websites that act irresponsibly. Guests who try extortion a free stay. Credit cards that bounce.

Professionals who already know how to handle those situations are primed to take care of them without fuss. These are the managers who will produce the best possible outcome for your property.

Cost: The first question that most property owners ask managers is, "what is your fee?". While that is important, there are dozens of other questions that will affect the property's profit even more. Rates, advertising, reservation staffing, accounting and, even, legal staff. Balance them all to get success.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0986 – 02/29/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Vacation Rental Politics - Lodging Newsletter April 30, 2024

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

Politics and Vacation Rentals make strange bedfellows. That makes sense for lodging where providing "beds" is the name of the game. But for politics, the operative word is just plain "strange".

Politicians have been known to praise tourism as good for local economies, all while they are hand cuffing travelers with excessive taxes, lodging promotion contributions, and repugnant regulations.

The latest incursion on travel is where naive local politicians attempt to circumvent the traveling public's wants, by profiting from vacation rentals or burdening them with unnecessary and poorly conceived regulations

Marketing of any product is simple - "Ask consumers what they want. And then you give it to therm." Businesses don’t tell consumers what to buy. They give it to them. That is especially true for travel.

Politicians like to ignore that undeniable truth, by dreaming up more ignorant ideas, all of which will cut travel in their areas and, thereby, cut those locals jobs that support their constituents.

The latest stupidity is how Chelan County Washington fabricated laws that add costs for visitors and saddle homeowners with unnecessary costs. Worse yet "Drop Dead" clauses permanently strips owners of their Constitution bundle of real estate rights for any imagined violation.

Washington State lawmakers want to allow cities and counties to add an additional whopping 10% to the sales and lodging taxes. They figure if consumers are stupid enough to pay the current 10 to 14% tax, they are dumb enough to pay 20 to 24%.

Consumers know when they are getting ripped off. They disappear never to return. The gossip mill warns other visitors that they are not wanted in Chelan County.

On top of all that, Chelan County's egotistical Community Director fools spent $300,000 for a software system to encourage neighbors spy on visitors, only later to admit that any traveler fines won't be enforceable to offset the cost.

There are bigger problems in the world than what vacation rental owners face. But if governments approaches all problems as they have for rentals, is no wonder they fail to solve those bigger issues.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Here is an open letter to the Chelan County Commissioners. Sounds like they believe their super citizen role gives them the right to ignore fair play and smart thinking.

Dearest Commissioners & Bureaucrats:

If you myopically thought that soaking visitors with never ending taxes would not decrease tourism, congratulations - you have fooled even yourself. Why be surprised that County Lodging contributions have dropped hugely?

If your goal was - To decrease sales for every business that relies on visitors, you should be congratulated for crushing commerce in the county.

If your goal was - To increase unemployment by causing those companies to cut jobs, you should be congratulated for hurting the very people who you are supposed to be protecting.

If your goal was - To get rid of all those pesky out-of-town land owners, you should be congratulated. You did it and devastated those people who don’t get to vote in your election. Smart really.

If your goal was - To trick people into thinking second homeowners would rent them out as affordable housing, thereby prohibiting their owner's use, congratulations on an idea that has never worked anywhere else.

If your goal was to - Kick people out of the county, who have owned there and loved it (As you do) for decades, congratulations for that kind of apartheid.

If your goal was - To pander to those citizens who hate everyone and everything, you should be congratulated for creating your own kind of hate crime.

If you goal was - To make those people hate heavy handed government, you should not be congratulated for tricking and treating people like fools.

If your goal was - To rake in more unnecessary taxes and increase costs, adding layers of paper shuffling bureaucrats, congratulations, now you have more people sucking money for no valid reason.

Can you ever comprehend that responsible people are entitled to take care of their properties without more mind-numbing rules, regulations, risks and abuse? You should be congratulated for doing the opposite.

Can you admit - That right now is the time to cut the vacation rental regulations down by 90%. Have a simple form to ensure everyone pays taxes, has safety equipment and lists how to contact owners if there is an issue.

Of course, all the haters in the county will castigate you for prohibiting them spewing their hatred. But it is time to do the right thing, so that maybe you could be congratulated for standing up for fair play.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0992 – 02/29/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

Outdoor Preschool Director Finds Classic Cabin

By Wendy Thomas
Published: 02/26/24 Topics: AirBnB, Cooking, Crystal Mountain, Interview, Mount Rainier WA, Vacation Comments: 0

Justin, the director of an outdoor preschool in Denver, stayed true to his likes when he and friends booked a trip to Mount Rainier. They wanted to be able to hang out together and ski, coming together from their homes across the United States.

______

Crystal Cabins: What made you choose Lindgren Haus and the Mount Rainier area?

Justin: The price was hard to beat for the weekend. It was an awesome location and had classic cabin kind of vibe. We wanted to go skiing at Crystal Mountain. That was the biggest driver of where we stayed. I’d been to Seattle a bunch of times, but never up to Crystal Mountain before.

Crystal Cabins: Did you and your friends enjoy the cabin?

Justin: It was great for hanging out with friends. It had a nice layout and everything was provided.

Crystal Cabins: Were the amenities ok? What you were expecting?

Justin: We were surprised by a TV and DVD player. We hadn’t realized that they would be there. We hooked up our Switch to the TV. The kitchen was well stocked and we were excited we didn’t need to bring in anything. Soap and towels were already there. That was great for those of us who flew in.

Crystal Cabins: Was your favorite part of the trip the skiing?

Justin: That was definitely part of it. It was phenomenal skiing. But all of us hanging out in the cabin at night was the best part.

Crystal Cabins: You skied and you stayed at the cabin. Sounds both fun and relaxing. Did you feel you had a good trip?

Justin: Yeah, we got everything we wanted and more out of it. It was an awesome stay. If we can get everyone together again, we’d like to come back.

Author: Wendy Thomas – Editor, Lindgren Haus
Blog #: 0979 – 02/26/24

Who's Confused - Lodging Newsletter January 31, 2024

By Wm, May
Published: 01/31/24 Topics: AirBnB, Booking.com, Channels, Expedia, Newsletter, Online Travel Agents (OTAs), VRBO.com Comments: 0

Five years ago, we last visited the question - how can I find my listing on all those giant vacation rental websites?

As usual, those websites continue to change at lightning speed.

Can there be anyone in the country who doesn’t use the internet?
But who of us truly understands how the internet really works?

For two decades, our engineers have been working to keep our vacation rentals dominant on hundreds of websites. That is because advertising on websites continues to become more convoluted.

Invisible: Property owners love to see their listings on those giant websites and are needlessly worried when their property seems to be missing.

But there is good news - your listing is not gone, it has just been intentionally hidden from you by those same websites you might presume are there to help you gain bookings.

The reason - how can those massive websites show millions of listings on itsy bitsy screens?

The answer is they cannot. SO they use algorithms, filters, variables and even Artificial Intelligence (AI) to guesstimate, predict, estimate and display listings in some order (and on maps) to generate the highest possible revenue for themselves - not for property owners.

Try this exercise - open up a website and look at the map. There you may see maybe 20 "push pins", one per home. Then zoom in to still show 20 pins while some of the original pins fall off the side of the map. Zoom in again and you’ll still see 20 but not the same properties as on the first screen.

The websites cannot display all the push pins or the entire map would be covered. So which units are displayed? Those that the software guesses are most likely to sell, but not necessarily yours.

This month’s newsletter summarizes more about searching, how we work within that maze and what owners can also do to improve visibility.

- - - - - -

Lodging Newsletter

by Wm. May, for January 31, 2024

Visibility of VRBO, AirBnB, Booking.com, Expedia and other vacation rental websites are affected by three main categories - (1) Technical (2) Editorial (3) Product.

Technical - Advertisers have no control over the hundreds of variables that channels use to rank listings, nor their algorithm or AI. The websites are very vague in describing their systems and they change it frequently for fear someone will figure it out.

For example: In general the website looks for location (country, state, city, neighborhood and even resort), quality, popularity and price. (They admit they want listings to be cheap.) How about waterfront, ski-in and close to restaurants? Good reviews and preferred status help, but they look for words like "love", "perfect", "charming" in reviews guests leave.

Homes fitting popular filters do better, such as having hot tubs, fire pits, fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, parking, dog-friendly, child-friendly. AI looks at how often the home is saved to "wish lists", but drops priority if those guests never book.

Channels love dynamic pricing that ebbs and flows with the market, presuming you are trying to be less than competitors. (Not good for you, but good for the channel.) They like it when guests stay longer, making you more visible for new bookings.

Editorial - Overtime, we have proven that certain techniques help make a home more visible. Here are some we feature: High quality photos and lots of them. Well written descriptions with valid content. Rapid response to guest inquiries and questions (during the stay).

We list every possible amenity and remove any if they are no longer there. We include tags in descriptions, such as mountain, riverfront, close to pool. We maintain high hospitality-grade cleaning.

AI loves "instant booking", which we always use and we do then talk with guests to assess their qualifications. Conversely, the algorithm hates cancellations (even if for valid reasons). We use catchy headlines (some channels disallow headlines).

Homes get points for rapid customer service and professional messaging. (We do all of that.) And we include specifics of the location and benefits. We don’t presume the guest has been to the area previously.

Product - While admitting that the channels care only about themselves, logic does say there are things owners can do to improve their odds of being seen and of being booked.

Adding bedrooms, beds or occupancy are sure winners. (Remember families of 4 often rent a home that sleeps 8 with 4 beds.) More bathrooms means more bookings. Upgrade amenities regularly - linens, towels, pots and pans, etc. Nothing lasts forever.

SUMMARY: Owners can help make their homes more popular and we as managers are using every tool to boost visibility. In the end, the house itself is part of a very large system in which an unknown algorithm decides how visible a property is and when.

Author: Wm, May, Vortex VIP
Blog #: 0980 – 01/31/24

Sponsor: Vortex VIP – – VortexVIP.com

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