A Vacation Rental Review – Okay

The best thing about this place is the private pool. The home decor was fine, but the home is showing its age (needs paint and carpet refreshed). It could have used a bit more attention to detail regarding cleanliness. The owner is very responsive and may even overcommunicate.

• Stars 3 out of 5
• Property BOV
• Stayed May 13, 2022
• Submitted May 26, 2022
• Posted To VRBO By Guest
• Guest Kurtis O.
• Home Location Colorado Springs, CO
• Reservation ID 9916662

My Response:
Well… I guess I’m about to ‘over-communicate’!

This is a disappointing public review, as we would never consider 3 stars acceptable.

Our guests are very important to us and we genuinely want all of them to have the best experience possible. Sometimes this can’t occur if the guest’s expectations are unreasonable, or their disappointment is misdirected.

I believe we are being unfairly punished with this review, based on comments the guest provided elsewhere, which included the following “Overall, we enjoyed our time here and wouldn’t hesitate to return.” Later, after the guest was refused a refund for departing early, came comments about cleanliness, the condition of the home, and value.

A home that sleeps eight people will never be a ‘good value’ for only two. If a couple books our home, we expect it is because they want all of the additional space and amenities that our home provides. Most couples who stay with us (and many do) love their experience.
1) We will unlikely be economical compared to SOME hotel rooms (although in truth we very much are, to most in the Orlando area).
2) We are not responsible for the VRBO Traveler Service Fee, and required County and State Taxes which will apply no matter where a guest stays.
3) If a guest chooses to leave our vacation rental a day early, for whatever reason, there is absolutely no way for us to book that night with another guest, unlike a hotel which may have twenty or thirty guest change-overs in a day, with some arriving last minute. We can not provide a last-minute refund for the night the guest booked, but did not use, because we can’t possibly rent it to anyone else. The refund the guest requested would put us at a loss on their entire stay.

The guest’s later concerns regarding cleanliness were reviewed in detail by myself, our property manager, and the cleaning supervisor, and were for the most part found to be without merit. But most importantly, if a guest ever arrives (as this one later claimed after the fact) to find anything unsatisfactory from a cleanliness point of view, we trust that they will contact us immediately to let us know, just as we ask them to in their pre-arrival information. We absolutely will make things right, in a manner that will make a guests head spin, such that there can be no doubt of our standards, attention to detail, and concern for our guest’s experience.

Simply put, had the guest let us know of their issues at the time, they would have been immediately resolved beyond anyone’s reasonable satisfaction. Or if it was found to be without merit, recorded as such.

We take GREAT care of our guests. Since the guest’s stay, the carpets have been refreshed, and the home interior is scheduled to be painted this fall.

Between the pandemic, and our very busy booking schedule for this cherished and high-demand home, it is absolutely true that these things would normally have been done more promptly than recent circumstances have allowed. Your understanding is greatly appreciated.

I would much rather be overly responsive and informative, than run the risk of being the opposite. But I am always very conscious of leaving our guests alone to enjoy their stay with us, and most never hear anything from us at all during their stay.

We’re glad you enjoyed the pool! It truly is wonderful! 🙂