Social Distancing and Vacation Rentals

Hello,

All of us in the vacation rental space are adjusting the new “normal” in light of the coronavirus pandemic. As an owner of a rental condo in Palm Springs, which served as the inspiration for ConciergeBot, I wanted to share some of my recent learnings and tips regarding social distancing and vacation rentals. 

Keep informed of local rules and regulations (and inform your guests as well)

If you still have guests arriving and staying in your vacation rental, keep informed of the changing situation in the locale of your vacation rental. Many municipalities are banning visitors arriving for purely leisure purposes. Are the guests on your calendar still eligible to stay in your vacation rental? If so, what are the local rules and regulations regarding social distancing? They may be different than the area from which your guest is traveling. What stores are open, and when? What amenities are available (or not available)? It’s important to stay informed of the social distancing status of your locale regarding COVID-19, and to keep your upcoming guests informed of the situation as well. 

Check in with your homeowner’s association

Find out what policies your homeowner’s association has enacted, if any, to enforce and support social distancing on the premises. Are any amenities closed, such as pools and tennis courts? Are there new occupancy limits for public spaces? What changes to routine cleaning, package pickup, etc. have been enacted? Be sure to share these updates with your guests and support staff. 

Help your support staff stay safe and compliant regarding sanitation

In addition to ensuring that your support staff (cleaning, concierge, supply stockers, etc.) are following the CDC guidelines regarding proper sanitation for COVID-19, ask them how you can help support their efforts to stay healthy and properly clean the unit(s) for the next guest. Whether it’s allotting extra time between guest departures and arrivals, or budgeting extra costs for cleaning supplies, it is our responsibility as vacation rental owners and managers to ensure that our support staff have what they need to properly maintain social distancing for our rental spaces and keep guests (and themselves) healthy. 

Start exploring automation and self-service tools

It is likely that the norms of social distancing will be with us for quite some time. This is the perfect time to start exploring automation and self service tools - smart locks, combination locks, key exchange tools, and AI assistants such as ConciergeBot -  to enable end-to-end rentals with minimal need for human involvement. 

While this is an extremely challenging time for the hospitality and vacation rental industry, we will get through this! What do you think? Feel free to send us your thoughts and tips regarding this subject. 

Sincerely,

James Silva

CEO, ConciergeBot