I recently stayed in a hotel in San Diego vs renting a vacation rental this summer and I was overwhelmed when I got the bill. Not only was I charged the typical nightly rate, but I was also charged a city tax, a state tax, parking, and a resort fee. My 275.00 a night hotel room turned into 350.00 per night. I was shocked! Since I'm in the vacation rental business, I immediately thought, WOW this is a good incentive to rent a vacation rental vs a hotel! I could have found a VR for less with a kitchen and more room. The other major bummer was that the card keys the hotel gave us didnt work well. We had to use it in the elevator, to get in the pool, and to get into the workout room. After too many failed attempts for it to work properly, I had to go to the guest service counter twice and get new card keys. I was so frustrated, that I almost checked out, but realized they probably would have charged me anyway. So, I just let it go....but I certainly didnt forget. So, if you manage a vacation rental, do some homework of your surrounding hotels, see what they charge, not just nightly, but all the other add on fees that are not negotiable. Use this as a selling tool to promote your VR! Let your guests know that there are no surprises when you checkin or out of what is being charged. I think vacationers will see this as they begin to stay in VR's more and more, then venture back to a hotel and realize WOW that was more expensive than I thought it was going to be.

Happy Renting!