Vacation Rentals in San Diego: How to Enhance Guest Experience

Learn How to Pamper Your Clients With Hotel-Like Concierge Service & How To Increase Your Returns 

If you own a vacation rental in San Diego and are looking for ways to offer exceptional customer-oriented services, you have come to the right place. In this blog post we will show you how to create genuine, unforgettable guest experiences where every detail is carefully crafted to meet the specific preferences of every guest.

Various Types Of Enhanced Guest Services

There are countless services and products you can offer to your customers to make their stay unforgettable. However, make sure you don’t overwhelm the guests with too many offers at the same time. For this reason, it is particularly important to understand your guests and their preferences.

When you know the reason for their visit (business, pleasure, adventure, romantic gateway, etc.), you will be able to personalize special offers better.

Here are some of the most popular services to enhance guest experience in vacation rentals:

Concierge services

Concierge service is certainly one of the most desirable services among the travelers. Concierge can include anything from providing basic information about local sights to booking restaurant reservations, local transportation, or tickets for various events. The main purpose is to stay at customers’ disposal throughout the stay and assist them with special requests.

Service like this will make their experience remarkable. By providing outstanding service that exceeds their expectations, you can create a loyal clientele base and distinguish yourself from the competitor hosts.  

Arranging local tours

If you want to increase repeat bookings, you have to offer something truly special.

One of the best ways to enhance guest experience is by helping them plan their trip better and give them the best taste of local culture. Try including a variety of activities, such as guided city tours, boat trips, kid-friendly attractions, museum visits, wine tours, or cultural excursions to the San Diego area.

Partner with local tour guides, travel agencies, and tour operators for exclusive and discounted tours. Certain affiliations will be profitable as you can get commission for every package you sell.

Special experience packages

Special experience packages are themed packages designed based on guests’ interests or special occasions. For instance, you can have a ‘Romantic getaway’ package that includes a wellness package for two, a bottle of champagne upon arrival, or dinner reservation at a romantic restaurant. Team up with local businesses to be able to offer unique activities, classes, or themed tours.

Airport transfers

Give your visitors the option of having a chauffeur waiting for them at the airport upon landing. They will be taken straight to your door, for the epitome of style and luxury transportation. Their vacation will be on a good start without the hassle of looking for a ride or losing valuable time while doing so.

Early check-in & late check-out

Early check-in gives visitors a chance to access the property before the standard check-in time, which is typically 3 pm – 4 pm.

This add-on is especially useful for guests who are arriving early during the day and want to unpack and settle as soon as they arrive at their destination. The best time to offer early check-in is approximately several days before arrival, when travelers are already in the process of getting ready for the trip. When they realize they are flying-in early, they will most likely purchase this option as it will solve their problem.

Late check-out lets vacationers stay on the property after a designated checkout time, which is generally 10 am to 12 pm. The possibility of remaining at the property for a longer time can enhance vacation experience. Lots of guests are willing to pay extra for the convenience and flexibility of a longer stay. The best time to offer a late check-out would be the day before the actual check-out, when they are getting prepared for the departure.

Personalized welcome kit upon arrival

Another fantastic idea is to arrange a customized welcome kit that will wait for the guests at check-in. You can include a welcome letter, fresh flowers, fruit, snacks, or refreshments. Add things that might be helpful during their stay, like a local guidebook, a city map, or brochures of local attractions and restaurants.

Alternatively, leave a basket of toiletries as a special touch. To make the best welcome basket, inquire about guests’ preferences and reasons to travel at the time of booking. That way you will have enough time to prepare gifts that will entirely suit their needs.

Pre-stocked fridge and bar

With flights getting delayed or canceled, there’s a chance that your clients will arrive late and miss a chance to eat as planned. You can provide them with the option to have a well-stocked fridge and bar upon arrival. That way they will not have to think about where to get food and will have a hassle-free arrival.

Grocery shopping

Grocery deliveries became popular during the pandemic. Adding this service to your vacation rental experience can add significant value to the stay of certain types of travelers, especially to those traveling with young kids.

For an additional fee, guests could opt for grocery delivery (same-day or next-day delivery), including fresh produce, dairy, meat and seafood, as well as other household necessities. Partner with a grocery delivery service to have items delivered right to your door upon guest arrival.

Locally sourced food and beverages

One of the main reasons why travelers book their stay at vacation rentals rather than traditional hotels is because they prefer to have a home-away-from-home type of setup. This gives them flexibility, convenience, and freedom to choose whether they want to eat out, order delivery, or cook at home. Therefore, there are a lot of options to offer in short-term rentals when it comes to food and drinks.

For instance, for guests who are arriving early, you can offer a bundle that consists of early check-in and breakfast. Otherwise, you can supply local coupons and specials, dining recommendations, local product gift baskets, a minibar concept, etc.

This is why you have to partner with local food and beverage industry companies and aim to get discounted rates, partnership memberships, cross-promotional benefits, and so on. Try cooperating with companies from the neighborhood (coffee shops, fast food places, restaurants, places of interest).

Gourmet dinner on-site

Enhance your guest experience to a 5-star home-like stay by organizing in-rental cuisine experience with personal chef included. This option is ideal for all types of celebrations, romantic couple dinners, and those individuals who want to avoid cooking. With a professional chef preparing a meal at home, everyone can concentrate on spending time together or celebrating a special event without worrying about finding a good restaurant. Most importantly, cuisine guest experiences do not have to be over the top, because their main purpose is to bring unique local flavors to your guests.

Daily and on-demand housekeeping

Daily or on-demand housekeeping service can be a fantastic add-on for families, larger groups, but also for leisure guests who appreciate daily cleaning services. Furthermore, those guests who are staying for a week or longer will most likely pay extra for a mid-stay housekeeping service.

Sports equipment rental

People today like to pack light for traveling, so they avoid bringing their sports equipment with them. Regardless, they still want to explore the local area on a bicycle or ride the waves on a surfboard.

By introducing the sports equipment rental possibility you will enable your guests to travel light but still be able to take advantage of sports and activities in the area. This gives them both flexibility and convenience.

You can invest in purchasing smaller sports equipment like balls, nets, racquets, snorkeling gear, etc. For larger equipment like mountain bikes, surfboards, canoes, kayaks, or paddleboards, connect local rental shops with the guests. Level up your game by assisting them with reserving tennis court or golf time so they can have a memorable vacation.

Discounted rates for extended stay

Another great idea for enhancing the guest experience is to offer discounted rates for extending the stay. For the travelers it means more vacation time for less money, and for property owners it means filling in weekday gaps or turning a two-night stay (weekend) into a 3 or 4-night stay. Ultimately, it is easier to get an existing customer to extend their trip than it is to get a new booking.  

Exclusive celebrations and special events

In case your guests want to organize a small celebration or a surprise birthday party during their stay, have local contact numbers ready at their disposal.

You may need to provide numbers for the following services: bakery & pastry shop, party supplies store, florist, wine shop, balloon delivery, or even catering services. For others that want to have an intimate celebration, you can suggest a romantic package that includes a bouquet of roses, a bottle of Champaigne, artisanal chocolate, and strawberries.

Enabling your clientele to celebrate special events at your property the way they would celebrate at their own home will definitely wow them and make them want to come again.

Help guests have an authentic local experience

Traveling like a tourist and not getting familiar with the lifestyle of locals is a thing of the past. People today are interested in how locals live and local experiences are evolving as the gold standard in the vacation rental industry.

People will pay extra money for services that will enable them to find out more about the natives’ lifestyle and help them immerse into the community they are visiting. They crave to learn about local tradition, so make sure you share lots of information and offer guidance on whatever they might be interested in (attractions, restaurants, excursions, workshops, classes, etc.). Upon getting their booking confirmation, offer to reserve a table for dinner at a local restaurant. The majority of guests will accept the offer and appreciate your gesture.

Family-friendly experience

Since people want to travel light, particularly when they are travelling with kids, you can use this opportunity to enhance their experience by providing some of the essentials for families, such as cribs, high chairs, strollers, baby gates, children’s books, toys, local nanny service, and so on. All of these will go a long way and make a family’s stay memorable.

How To Implement Enhanced Guest Services

Personalized services are the easiest method of improving vacation rental guest experience, which, in turn, increases your profit and boosts great reviews. In order to accomplish these targets, you must have a proper strategy in place.

Some of the things you should familiarize yourself with are buyer psychology, understanding your guests, creating affiliations with professional businesses, and so on.  

There are several key areas you have to practice if you want to successfully implement add-on services:

Effective communication

Ensure your customers are well informed of the extra services you offer. Be clear and transparent and use various channels to get the message through to them. You can use your website, booking platforms, welcome kits, email, texts, or convey the information in person.

Knowing your guests: understanding and anticipating their needs

In order to best meet your visitors needs, you should gather important guest information in advance and customize your services according to their preferences. Collect guest data shortly after booking confirmation to have more time to prepare adequate services. Ask about the reason for travelling, age, hobbies, etc. Knowing whether your client is a digital nomad, a luxury vacationer, a business traveler, or an adventurer will greatly help you serve them better.

Smooth purchase

Today’s guests want quick and user-friendly contactless experience from beginning to end. Ideally, you can set up all add-ons to be purchased through your website or booking platform, as nothing beats a one-stop shop. It allows vacationers to purchase anything they want exactly when they want it, without having to waste time searching for it on the web.

Pick the right time to offer your add-ons

It is important to extend your extra services when the excitement about the trip is up. This is typically about 1 to 2 weeks prior to traveling. At this time they are already visualizing the holiday and are more open to purchase upgrades.

Feedback and Adjustments

Make sure to regularly gather feedback from guests and use this information to improve and adapt to their ever-changing preferences.

• Increased profit – Apart from profits made by selling accommodation, enhanced guest services are the easiest way to raise revenues.
• Advantage over competitors – In an overly saturated rental market, providing unmatched experiences can distinguish your property from the competition, making it more attractive to potential customers.
• Marketing advantages – One-of-a-kind service can be fantastic marketing content. You can share it on your website or social media to attract more attention and bookings.
• Repeat clientele – By enhancing guest stays, you will increase guest satisfaction and be able to establish stronger relationships, creating a sense of loyalty and increasing the chance of guests booking their next vacation with you.
• Better customer ratings – Exceeding guests’ expectations will incline them to leave positive reviews and 5-star ratings, which can greatly improve your online visibility and appeal.

How Much Money Can I Make by Introducing Special Guest Services?

Although there are a lot of variables that will influence how much money you can gain, we will take a simple example to illustrate how enhanced services bring more profit to you.

For instance, if you have one property with 6 bookings a month, and 4 guests decide to book a late check-in for $50, that is $200 extra per month. In addition, imagine you can get all 6 parties to purchase early check-in for $50, that’s $300 more. In total, you would be making an additional $500 a month, or $6,000 a year.

For Your Further Read:

1. Unlock Success in San Diego’s Thriving Vacation Rental Market: Expert Tips from Rental Managers
2. Rental Property Maintenance Checklist Every Landlord Needs
3. A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Advertise Rental Property Effectively
4. 10 Game-Changing Benefits of Using a Property Management Company
5. What Is a Property Management Company & Why It’s Crucial in Rental Business Success

David Miller is Real Estate Advisor at Swell Property. Whether you’re eyeing a new home, an investment property, securing the best mortgage, or aiming to enhance your property’s value, my focus is on providing personalized guidance and strategy for your success. I listen to your needs attentively, ensuring that my expertise aligns perfectly with your real estate goals. My clients’ satisfaction and referrals are the true measure of my success in San Diego’s dynamic real estate market. If you’re searching for a real estate professional who’s deeply committed to your success, I’m eager to demonstrate my expertise and win your trust. Let’s connect and start this journey together.