Poll - Checking Rental Villa Availability Online

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 10:02 am

yeah but Rick .. are you responsible for the changes to the Food Network site? I'm not happy with them

Kentuckygirl · Post by **Kentuckygirl** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 10:41 am

I voted. Very important! Although we did use bookitvi (no availability calendar) for our trip in May, and we were very happy with them and their service.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:03 am

I votes somewhat only because I don't trust the calendars. We have experienced both sides, thinking a certain villa was available when it wasn't AND nearly excluding one when the calendar showed it as booked when it really wasn't.

Chickadee · Post by **Chickadee** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:32 am

Online availability is critical to me. A very flexible search feature on a website is also very useful.

I, frankly, don't like calling or emailing the agencies for information for a couple of reasons. (1) It often takes several days or more to hear back from them, (2) When I'm in the planning stages I don't want to hear a hard-sell and (3) I don't want my personal information out there before I'm ready to do business with a particular place.

That said, sometimes I REALLY do appreciate being able to call an agency, tell them what I want and when I need it and have them return a list of possibilities.

snorkelqueen · Post by **snorkelqueen** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:05 pm

I agree that Caribbean Villas has the best site but I am also becoming aware that many of their villa pictures are YEARS old and don't really reflect the condition of the villa or the density of homes (or on-going construction) in surrounding areas.

Jan&MikeVa · Post by **Jan&MikeVa** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 2:52 pm

VERY important, the companies that don't have calendars frustrate me. I've never booked with one that didn't have the availability info.

Plus I do most of my searching "off" business hours. But if there was a villa that I REALLY wanted I'd make the necessary phone call.

(that sounds lazy)

RickG I agree with you, Caribbean Villas website is excellent!

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:23 pm

snorkelqueen wrote:I agree that Caribbean Villas has the best site but I am also becoming aware that many of their villa pictures are YEARS old and don't really reflect the condition of the villa or the density of homes (or on-going construction) in surrounding areas.

Yep, mostly YEARS old. However, I checked their listing for Sunset Beach - while most of the pictures are pre-2001, there is an updated picture that shows the house that was built next door in 2003-2004. This was a pet peeve on this property that has been remedied!

Another pet peeve is that a lot of realtor sites do not show enough pictures of the house. Destination St. John is one these sites, which is a shame since most of their houses are VERY nice.

Cheers, RickG

traveler22 · Post by **traveler22** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 5:35 pm

Ditto to anything RickG says! with caribbeanvilla.com
you put in your dates and every villa that's available is instantly shown.
Scott

VaGirl · Post by **VaGirl** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:41 am

Very important to me. Usually I'm the trip planner for my group and it helps to know right up front when I'm looking at villas whether it's a "go" or not.

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 2:52 pm

I really like being able to check online, even though I know it might not be completely accurate. It's just easier than emailing back and forth, and I hate talking on the phone so...

St. John Lover · Post by **St. John Lover** » Sat Aug 04, 2007 11:58 pm

Just voted. VERY important to me to be able to see it right away online. As someone else said, usually the calendar indicates the last date it was updated (at least sites like vrbo and homeaway, not sure about the agency sites).

Again, similar to what others have said, once I'm in vacation planning mode, I want to ACT on what I decide. It's sometimes difficult, especially when traveling with other people, to coordinate flights & appropriate rentals etc. So the online calendars help me with quick initial planning.

Once I'm ready to book, I'm ready to BOOK!

I don't want to wait a few days for someone to get back to me. I've noticed a lot of the St. John rental agencies don't have ANYONE working on the weekends, which is exactly when I have the time to book, not usually during the week when I'm busy with work, family, etc.

My 2 cents...

Coden · Post by **Coden** » Sun Aug 05, 2007 8:24 am

Very important!! I look at the calendar first to see if my dates are available. If not, then I move on.

usvi-on-line