Vacationers' Pet Peeves

It's so important to know what makes your guests' experience in your home a great one so that they write rave guest reviews and return year after year. But it's also important to be aware of some of the most common complaints from vacationers so that you can avoid unpleasant experiences.

In our recent efforts to identify who today's vacationer is and what they want, we also asked them in a survey (2,069 responders in September 2022) about what they DON'T like – what annoys or disappoints them during their experience in renting a vacation home.

Common phrases mentioned in Vacationer Pet Peeves

Here are the top pet peeves from vacationers:

Cleanliness

The topic that stood out the most, not surprisingly, is "cleanliness." Nothing can negatively impact the excitement of arrival and start of a vacation faster than arriving at a rental that has not been properly cleaned. More than 40% of responses mentioned cleanliness.

Owners can help mitigate this by texting guests when cleaners have completed and rental is ready or have the cleaners leave a note or business card. These are simple signals that show care has been taken to prepare the rental for their arrival.

Rental property condition

We traveled over 1000 miles to get to Cape Cod and found it disappointing that we had to pay additional money for sheets and towels and then immediately had to go to the grocery store just to get toilet paper.

In addition to cleanliness, vacationers pointed out some other common conditions:

• Lack of paper products, soap, and basics like salt and pepper, tin foil, cleaning supplies/broom, and kitchen supplies [Read more]
• Mildew/mold (Read more about battling dampness and mold)
• Dirty grill
• Bugs [Read more]

Lack of transparent, accurate advertising

I would make sure that amenities and details match from section to section. I’ve seen listings that say pet friendly, but in the description it will say otherwise, or vice versa.

• Photos/descriptions aren’t accurate or up to date (View our post about the importance of good pictures))
• Inadequate info/photos of bathrooms
• Misrepresented proximity to beach

Rental management

The homeowner this year was flaky and inconsistent with communication.

• Poor inquiry response time Read more
• Lack of or poor communication (Read more about pre-arrival communication with your guests))
• Hovering homeowners who drop in too often
• Unannounced landscapers or construction workers
• Lack of instructions for things like Wi-Fi, TV, washer & dryer, check-in/out requirements and times (Read more about check-out requirements for your guests))

Others

• Poor quality mattresses & furniture (old and worn, uncomfortable, broken)
• Too much owner clutter (Read more about the problem with clutter))
• Inadequate furniture: e.g., number of people home sleeps should match number dining table seats