Villa rental companies

[djmom]

I was just reading the newest trip report with a dirty pool-ugh.

Which got me thinking. How do you know the difference between companies?

I know you can often rent the same houses through different companies.

But there has to be one company "in charge" of that house.

That is the "one" I want for whatever house I get. How do I identify those?

Or does it matter.

We have used Vacation Vistas in the past, I am sure they are that kind-Lisa does a fabulous job and unfortunately she has nothing available in our price range that week (there is one but we have been there before and like trying something new).

Any help in identifying these would be appreciated. And if any of them stink-well feel free to PM me with that info. Your chance for revenge

I know every company has a bad day or two, but I am talking serious problems or promises not kept. That is what really irks me. Anytime there was a problem with Lisa's villas, someone was sent out that day, we were shocked (in a very good way) at the quick response.

(see good service pays off! ya get good service, you tell LOTS of people!)

Thanks!

[waterguy]

I always ask if they hold the calender for the unit I'm intrested in.

[liamsaunt]

I think your best bet is to go with a management company that has their staff located on the island. That way if there is an issue, you have a good chance of getting it resolved quickly.

Off the top of my head, I can think of Vacation Vistas, Destination St. John, ViVacations, Seaview Homes, Catered To, Carefree Getaways, Windspree, Private Homes for Private Vacations...Mystic Properties is a new on island management company--the folks from the Banana Deck are running that one. They don't have many houses yet though.

Caribbean Villas has the largest inventory of homes, but they are based out of Maine. I think they are also the company with the largest number of complaints on this board (though many people have reported great experiences with them too!).

[Puddlejumper]

Djmom,
liamsaunt has a good list above.

Talk about your concerns with your choice of villa management companies to gauge their response. Ask them directly if the house you are interested in is 'their' house if you can not tell from their website. Each guest has some issue or issues. I know personally the management company owners are trying very hard to make each stay as close to perfect as can be made. You are right, some have a bad day, but hopefully not at your expense! Let me know if you have any questions.

[Margy Z]

It’s an interesting business. There are direct managers and then there are wholesalers. Wholesalers mostly maintain a website advertising the villas and get a percentage of the rental (Island Hideaways, VillaFish, Where to Stay). Some owners take bookings through wholesalers, their direct manager, and also maintain an ad on VRBO - some of the ads on VRBO list tel numbers for the manager, not the owner. Some managers wholesale villas that they don’t manage directly (like McLaughlin Anderson on other islands than STT and Viva on STJ). I like the way Viva does it – they disclose which villas they manage directly. I prefer to deal with the direct manager but have booked through Denise Wright at Online Vacations with really good results. She is on-island and has a really good working relationship with the managers and some of the owners and she is not just done with you once the booking is made – she is a point of contact on island. I am not a fan of Caribbean Villas – we rented Cinnamon Ridge through them twice and we were not impressed with the condition of the villa when we arrived or with their response when we had problems. We probably wouldn’t have booked the second time but CV is the only rep for CR and we needed a five bedroom with a lot of room to spread out and the view from CR is just unbelievable.

Good luck navigating the villa maze!

[samoka]

We rented direct from the owner - Starlit Escape - the villa was beautiful and VERY clean - although it has 4 bedrooms they only charged us for the 2 we used - it was comfortable and had everything we could possibly need for our week in paradise - samoka

[Pia]

Just wanted to say "hi" to Samoka - it's great to see you "over here"

Pia

[samoka]

Thanks Pia - I love reading about my favorite island through others eyes - samoka

[pipanale]

Based on my rediculous experiences, my suggestion is to try to have on-island management. It makes a bog difference. Also, see WHO manages the actual property. Is it a company or the owner or someone down the street?

Knowing who to call when things go boom is HUGE!

[Bill Hoffman]

One rental agent/property manager not mentioned is Great Caribbean Getaways. We use them now for our own house (Skyflower), and had used them for 18 years when we were renting other houses. Nice to deal with, good listings, take wonderful care of their properties. We are totally pleased.