orlandovacationrental

Florida is just a great place to live and there is so much to enjoy about living here - but don’t take my word, just read almost any travel blog that includes postings about the Sunshine State.

As a former UK resident, I count myself as very fortunate to have escaped the cold and the rain and to now enjoy sunshine, space and a much better lifestyle.  Lots of tourists are also enchanted by the place -  around 50 million each year, I believe - and the fun and sun that almost all enjoy here.  And during my time as a property management company owner and operator I saw first-hand how families enjoyed even more fun when they could live in a vacation home instead of just a cramped hotel room.

But there is another side of the coin, typified by the recent demise of a large booking company, Welcome USA Tours.  This company used to handle thousands of bookings each year and yet, without notice on March 19th, posted the following on their website:

As of March 19 2009 Welcome USA Tours ceased trading

The company’s affairs are being handled by ( . . . . . . )

We would like to thank all of our valued clients and suppliers your for your support and cooperation over the last 20 years and apologise for any inconvenience caused by recent events.

Yours sincerely,
The Welcome USA team.

What this means is that with immediate effect, any bookings for accommodation by this company were highly unlikely to be honored.  As one commentator put it:

There are literally plane loads of clients in the air already from the UK, Canada and Ireland with no idea that the check-in office has a closed sign on the front door.

So at a stroke, families on their way on March 19th to Florida (and those due to arrive in the next few weeks including the peak time of Easter, when most if not all homes are already booked) were thrown into turmoil.  They had nowhere to stay, unless last-minute work-arounds could be sorted out.

What a mess!

So if you’re planning an Orlando vacation in a rental home and you want to avoid or minimize this worrying risk, what can you do?

Well, here are a few thoughts - there are no guarantees, but these are the things that I would do:

1. Insist on paying by credit card.  Some companies or home owners will only accept checks or bank transfers, so in the event of a problem you would be left on your own trying to recover your money.

2. Recognize that the cheapest price may not be the least expensive in the long run.  Some companies and owners are short sighted enough and desperate enough to accept bookings at below economic rates, and eventually the harsh realities catch up with them in terms of poor maintenance and even foreclosure.  Do you want to risk your family’s dream vacation for the chance of maybe saving a few dollars?

3. Try to get a recommendation on homes and companies from friends or colleagues who have previously had an Orlando vacation.

4. Focus on booking with small management companies or even directly with owners.   I admit to a bias - my management company was a small one and I know many other small ones and even though none of them are perfect, the level of service and dedication is a lot higher than I see in the bigger outfits.  Equally, the only bankruptcies I’ve seen have been with the bigger companies and tour operators such as Welcome USA Tours.

5. Don’t rely on the Better Business Bureau.   Some of the least customer-friendly companies I’ve seen in Orlando have excellent BBB records.  Some of the best and smallest ones aren’t even mentioned there.

I hope that helps if only a little, and please bear in mind that the problem vacation home bookings are a very tiny minority.  But for your family’s sake, take all the care you can when booking, just like you would if it were a hotel.

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