For luxury travelers now is the time to plan that yearly winter ski vacation.  Sure, it may be warm now, but in a few months, when the temperatures drop and the golf clubs are retired back to the garage, it will be time to dust off the ski equipment, gather the troops and escape to altitude.

The Society’s newest property manager partner, Aspen Luxury Rentals, has provided over 130 luxury vacation rentals in Aspen and Snowmass that are almost too good to be true.  Plan a family reunion, corporate event, or just bring a group of friends to one of these masterpieces and enjoy a true luxury ski vacation.  Aspen has long been considered a haven for the rich and famous, and it is no wonder that Aspen Luxury Rentals is also prepared to arrange private jets, chefs, catering, nannies, snow equipment rentals, childcare services, etc…

Some of these exquisite homes are even right on the slopes for direct ski-in/ski-out access.  Take “Little Nell Home” for example.  6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, gourmet kitchen, right by the gondola, family friendly, pet friendly…perfect for your next family getaway.  Check out the rest of these beautiful rentals here.

With an increasing number of homes entering the rental pool, competition for guests is becoming more and more challenging. An added service here or a luxury touch there could very well be the difference between a booking or a vacancy.

“As unsold vacation homes swell the supply of houses on the rental market, growing competition for tenants is driving out the chipped dishes, tacky bedspreads and sagging couches,” says June Fletcher of the Wall Street Journal. She continues on to outline many of the amenities now being offered in her article titled, “The ‘Five-Star’ Beach Rental”.

Luxury rental properties continue to close the gap with five-star hotels and in many cases have surpassed them in terms of service, amenities and destinations. Conversely, luxury hotels have a difficult time matching the privacy and expansive group or family spaces found at a luxury rental home or villa.

Villa Antigua was inspired by the 300-year old Spanish Colonial homes of Antigua Guatemala. This new, 5600 square foot, 5 bedroom, 6 bathroom compound is just steps from Jaco Beach and beautifully decorated by Banagas Design. It is available as a vacation rental with a three night minimum–fully furnished and equipped. To view all of the great properties offered by Mead Brown, check out their profile.

Its summer time, and many of us have dug the sticks out of the garage, dusted them off, and stocked the bag full of ProV1’s, but now what? “The Caribbean has not traditionally been viewed as a standout destination for exceptional course design, but in the last 10 years, advances have made golf more viable on the islands. If a golf vacation is in your future, imagine playing in the jungle with ocean and mountain view and playing along the coast with palm trees swaying.” With over 800 luxury villa rentals available on TheSociety.com, there are no more excuses. So, if you’re home course is starting to get a little too familiar, begin planning a golf trip for the ages, and look to the Caribbean to deliver a memorable experience.

Forbes Traveler published an article listing the top 10 Caribbean golf courses. Check out the list below, and read the full article here.

• Green Monkey at the Sandy Lane Resort in Barbados
• Punta Espada at the Cap Cana Resort in the Dominican Republic
• El Camaleon at the Fairmont Mayakoba Resort in Playa del Carmen
• Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic
• Temenos Golf Club in Anguilla
• Westin Rio Mar in Puerto Rico
• Ocean Club at One&Only Resorts in New Providence Island, Bahamas
• Caye Chapel in Belize
• Four Seasons in Nevis
• Cimmamon Hill Ocean Course at Rose Hall Resort in Jamaica

Check out these luxury rentals in Barbados, Anguilla, Nevis, and Jamaica to complete your vacation.

In life and in business receiving negative feedback is never a crowning achievement. For many, the first instinct is to quickly sweep it under the rug and minimize the damage to your reputation as quietly as possible. The problem with that approach is often failure to acknowledge and resolve the issue at hand.

Many property managers have expressed some concern (and rightly so) over how negative feedback is handled at The Society. In brief, we feel it’s our privilege and obligation to provide our affluent travelers the most trusted information available regarding our luxury rental properties. If negative comments should arise, it’s the responsibility of the property manager to address the concerns quickly for two reasons:

1. The particular problem will be fixed. A negative comment suggesting your hot tub was cold could alert you to an ongoing issue sure to influence future guests.
2. Each time you publicly respond to a past guest, you are advertising your responsiveness and willingness to resolve problems to future guests.

Carrie Hill from Blizzard Internet Marketing Inc. had a few suggestions when responding to poor reviews in a recent article titled, “A Guide to Answering Negative Online Reviews”. Additionally, Andy Beal from MarketingPilgrim.com blogs on managing reviews, click here to read.

In the smallest of instances you may come across feedback making unreasonable claims. Many times the claims are so outrageous or wild that the reviewer often discredits themselves. For example, one homeowner I spoke with received negative feedback because a bear had frequented the area and the guest caught a glimpse of it one day. The guest made it a point to bash the homeowner for providing unsafe vacation conditions. Well of course this guest is right… its common knowledge property managers can control nature!!

In any event, handling negative feedback can be viewed as an opportunity to showcase your customer service, locate potential ongoing problems with a property or respond with added services. A little bit of attention here can lead to what we all want, POSITIVE reviews!