With Christmas just around the corner, The Society has some remarkable travel packages available with some of the finest rentals in Tuscany, Italy.  Take a look, and inquire now to reserve your perfect rental home for the holidays.

-Christmas Package 2008 at Luxurious 10 Suite Villa near Florence - S3035:

What better way to enjoy the festive season than by staying at this gorgeous villa in Florence. Discover one of Italy’s most charming cities as well as the Tuscan cuisine created by the villa’s private chef accompanied by the estate’s produced wines. Celebrate Christmas around a cracling fire, under an elegantly decorated Christmas tree. Not to mention having a beautiful spa at your fingertips as an oasis of relaxation and rejuvenation!

Offer includes Luxurious private villa accommodating up to 18 people, scrumptious buffet breakfast daily, bottle of Chianti Classico and Amedei Tuscan chocolates in room upon welcome, Complimentary Traditional Christams Eve dinner for the family including estate’s wines, Christmas gift compliments of the villa (placed under the lovely, adorned Christmas tree), and a festively decorated villa!

Minimum stay of 3 nights
Daily Rate of $7,016
-Bravo Winter Bliss Special at Exquisite Stone Villa in the Val D’Orcia Region - S3023:

Stay at this villa this winter for a blissful vacation in the ancient spa town of San Casciano dei Bagni!  This spectacular villa offers an escape from the ordinary and an entry to the sublime. The property is just steps from the famed therapeutic thermal spring spa for further pampering and relaxation.

In a recent news release, TIA and YPartnership published findings on ‘Home-Based’ vacations (aka “staycations”). They found 14% of American leisure travelers took a staycation in the past 6 months and 9% expect to in the next 6 months. I’d guess the slight drop is due to the fact summer is over and kids are heading back to school. But there were some other insights into what is driving staycations and what they are doing…

In a surprising revelation, among those adults planning to take a home-based vacation during the next six months fully one out of five (22 percent, or 5.1 million adults) expects to stay in a local hotel, motel or resort at least one night on their “staycation.” This suggests that many Americans still plan to “get away” even if their destination is local. Lodging establishments and other tourism-related businesses will clearly benefit from these unexpected and previously-unreported expenditures.

“People taking ‘staycations’ are not necessarily entertaining themselves at home,” said Roger Dow, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Travel Industry Association. “On the contrary, many are participating in travel-related activities that generate significant revenues for restaurants, attractions, theme parks, as well as hotels and resorts.”

TIA and YPartnership article

I have nothing against local motels and hotels, and they are perfect for many types of travel; however, if you’re going to take off for a week (or even a 3 day weekend), it’s worth checking out a vacation rental. Enjoy the benefits of having private space, a kitchen, a dinning room and more. Not to mention, a vacation rental is typically less expensive per head than any hotel.

Published August 7, 2008, an article featured in the Great Homes and Destinations section of the New York Times featured one of The Society’s most esteemed Luxe Alliance partners.  Peak Properties, Inc., the premier provider of luxury vacation rentals and services in Vail, CO and host of our open house in late July was spotlighted for their design efforts as they prepare for a busy winter ski season.

Joseph Sobin, marketing and media relations manager at Peak Properties, explains how eco-friendly design is becoming a large draw for luxury rentals in Vail.

Most other companies talk about fine linens and Viking stoves, and the reality is these are standard in luxe homes.  We are trying to also push the green aspect of the home and the decor.

Peak Properties is setting a standard that we appreciate so much from our partners.  They are rewriting their house descriptions to include green details and add another layer of value for travelers to appreciate.

Nicely done, Peak, and we encourage all of our partners on The Society to refine their information, take one step further and find value adds that can deliver truly exceptional vacation experiences.

Read the full article here, and gain some insightful tips to make your rentals stand out in an increasingly crowded market…(Step 1 is having your rentals showcased on The Society, of course!)

For travelers considering a trip that is somewhat out-of-the-norm, EthicalTraveler.org has released its list of the 10 Best Ethical Destinations for 2008.  Ethical travel is a term given to travel that is thought to “support international goodwill and promote cross-cultural understanding,” and there are many developing countries that are offering superb vacation experiences and who have made wonderful strides for environmental protection, social welfare and human rights in their efforts to draw in tourists.

Ethical Traveler encourages people to “step off the beaten path” and consider some of these fantastic locations for their next vacations:

1. Argentina
2. Bolivia
3. Bulgaria
4. Chile
5. Costa Rica
6. Croatia
7. Estonia
8. Namibia
9. Nicaragua
10. South Africa

The highest rated Ethical destination is undoubtedly Costa Rica.  With “a very high level of overall environmental health, excellent water resources, biodiversity, air quality, sustainable energy, civil liberties, and the highest rated score in the Freedom in the World 2007 report,” Costa Rica is a leader in sustainable tourism.

The Society continues to support sustainable and ethical travel, and we will continue to bring you viable vacation rental options to plan your own ethical trip.  Check out The Society’s hand-selected vacation rentals in Costa Rica for your next vacation.

As a recent Forbes.com article explains, the offering of travel packages through charity auctions in not a new trend.

For travelers, it is such an excellent way to take a trip and give something back at the same time.  For businesses it is an opportunity to “wrap their brand in a halo,” as Kelly Fiore, Founder and CEO of CharityFolks.com put it.

For property managers in the vacation rental industry, it may be worth considering, as there is the potential for many benefits as well.

* Doing a Greater Good
* Exposure to Targeted Audiences
* Appealing to Trusted Guests

Contact The Society for help if you are interested in donating some time at your vacation homes.

The Society would love to hear from travelers and property managers alike.  Submit a comment, and leave us your thoughts on charity travel packages.

In the last few weeks I’ve had several partners, property managers, colleagues, and friends ask me for recommendations for (internet) tools that I use to make life easier. Here are some of my answers:

Resources to check out:

“How do you find time to twitter? and how do you get it on facebook?”
For the twitters out there that have mobile phones it’s time to download TwitterBerry (http://www.orangatame.com/products/twitterberry/). It’s also worth downloading twirl for your desktop. It saves time, energy, and organizes your twitter life quite nicely. Regarding getting your tweets on Facebook, just download the Twitter App (on facebook) and enter your ID and PW. Pretty simple http://apps.facebook.com/twitter/. Of course, if you don’t tweet then you probably don’t care. If you’re wondering what Twitter is then check out my profile on the site http://twitter.com/McFads.

“Any secrets in writing blogs?”
In terms of content, that’s up to you. As far as writing/posting blogs, download ScribeFire (for firefox) and I quote ‘post to your blog without ever leaving Firefox.’ Warning: you might start blogging too much because it’s that easy! Please note I’m writing this blog from the ScribeFire tool.

“How do I know about my SEO?”
There are many tools out there to check out your SEO. I’m a big fan of SEO Quake (also for Firefox). It embeds a toolbar in your browser that displays critical information about every site you view. It was developed for webmasters but I think everyone that has a business presence online should have it. SEO Quake “allows user to obtain and investigate many important parameters of the internet project.”

A new luxury poll taken from 278 American Express Centurion card holders brings to light some emerging trends of affluent travelers.

* “Two thirds (66%) seek destinations that are entirely private and secluded to take them away from the crowds.”
* “72% are demanding bespoke, personalised experiences, catering exclusively for their needs.”
* “76% want to gain new talents and a sense of individual achievement during trips.”
* “A big driver in the growth of tailored travel is the need for security and privacy.”
* “If you want to see things off the beaten track and experience views few get to see, doing this without the crowds is what really makes it a truly luxury experience.”
* “The continued growth of luxury vacation rentals, yachting, and private plane businesses is a testament to this overarching desire for exclusive and private experiences.”

As so many of us have realized, this is the beauty of enjoying a vacation in a luxury rental rather than a high-end hotel.  Luxury rental homes combine the concierge/services typical of 5-star hotels with the seclusion and comforts of a private estate.

You can read the entire article here, and to begin a search for your perfect rental home, start 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.

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.

“Are Luxury Hotels Recession Proof?” In an article by Market Metrix posted by HospitalityNet, Jonathan Barsky and Lenny Lash provide evidence that suggests Luxury Hotels are not falling victim to price sensitivity during the economic downturn. This news bodes well for luxury vacation rentals and the luxury travel market in general, as it appears, “Affluent buyers aren’t particularly affected by rising interest rates and mortgage related problems. So luxury hotel (and vacation rental) guests have the ability to absorb the cost increases rather easily.” See some insightful excerpts below, and read the full story here.

Price Sensitivity by Hotel Segment

“Luxury hotels typically cater to a distinct kind of guest, often wealthy individuals to whom price is less of a factor in selecting a hotel.”

“At least part of the price strength of luxury hotels can be explained by the size of this segment - there are not many luxury hotels and the number of guests able to afford luxury accommodations has risen dramatically in the past few years. This positive relationship will continue as long as the number of new luxury properties does not grow faster than the number of persons willing to pay their premium prices.”

“International tourists, taking advantage of a weakening US dollar, are looking to the US as a prime vacation spot and are spending more money, often upgrading to higher-end, luxury accommodations.”

“A lack of price sensitivity should not be viewed as a green light to raise luxury hotel prices. Excessive pricing in this fragile economy can create ill will and tarnish a brand.”