Having a vacation rental department is like running a hotel except that your rooms are not in one building but all over town. By creating a system, you will have an easier time of running your “hotel.” For example, if every property has the same white bedding, it can all be washed together and redistributed back to the different locations.

Vacations are all about enjoying time off. When people choose a vacation rental over a conventional hotel, they are looking for all the comforts of home, away from home. If you've ever vacationed in accommodations that didn't meet your expectations, you understand the importance of having everything you need. You also know how not having those conveniences can change your vacation experience for the worse.

In addition to meeting a guest's expectations, anticipating their needs and having the basic necessities can help protect the property. For instance, putting a corkscrew in the kitchen drawer will prevent the guest's need to improvise by using a knife instead, thereby avoiding injury to the knife and the guest.

Many vacation rental companies require certain items in all of their rentals. (See Appendix A for a list of suggested items in a vacation rental.) You will also discover certain things that work well regionally, such as sleds in mountain communities or water toys at the beach.