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Compliments & Suggestions

Check our feature based on Jeff’s actual travel experiences as a guest at vacation rental properties. Here we review the places we stayed with compliments followed by suggestions. Both categories of review are broken down by the 10 STEPS TO HOSTING SUCCESS. We do not give a rating here in these articles; the point is not to judge but to give positive reinforcing feedback for the pluses and recommended suggestions for any perceived minuses.

Stay in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Compliments

Step 1: Fantastic Finds

• WOW, this was a fantastic find. A totally private adobe in the rear of a small cluster of other adobes and wanna be adobe lookalike properties. The place was a TRUE adobe replete thick walls and short arched doors! We slept in Summer with the windows open. So nice to have fresh air all day and night. The multiple outdoor sitting and dining areas were used extensively.

Step 2: Innovative Improvements

• The decor was delightful and thoroughly reinforced that one was in the depths of a New Mexico experience. Colorful blankets and pillows accented the distressed antique desk, chairs, and comfy pullout sofa in the living room. 
• Checkout the dining room! A long farmers table spanned the entire room creating an intimate space for a large group. Those same type of tasteful pillows in various sizes adorn the long dining seating bench. Add in a candelabra with other candle holders and your mind races with the future family experiences shared around food and drink.
• LOVE the small touch of the cheese board with the name of the vacation rental etched in with poker-work.

Step 6: Clear Communication

• The collection of local attraction info is better than ANY chamber of commerce – I have never seen so many brochures in one wire organizer ever. Thanks for sharing those and all the ideas you personally described.

Step 7: Special Service

• I took pics of the bathroom spray (Waterworks Fresh Linen), shampoo (10 Thousand Waves Yuzu), shower gel (Trader Joe’s Citrus), hand soap and dish soap (both by Meyer’s). These products are the best. I intend to use those for myself and cycle those in to my vacation rentals going forward.
• The late checkout was MOST appreciated especially after you offered complimentary tickets to a local festival to enjoy the a.m. of our check out – you went above and beyond and we really appreciate it!

Suggestions – please remember that the items we highlight with a higher step number are much easier to remedy the lower step number – for instance, acting on communication items (Step 6: Clear Communication) is easier than minor construction items (Step 2: Innovative Improvements).

Step 2: Innovative Improvements

• Kitchen was missing some minor items but since I was staying 2 weeks and because the Dollar Tree is next to the Trader Joe’s – I was able to purchase Ziplocs, tin foil, ice trays and a fresh spatula – these were mine for $4 + tax. I also decided the Teflon frying pan had seen better days so added one of those from the local Ross. In the end, we donated all the items for the next guests.

Step 6: Clear Communication

• It was fabulous that my host actually lived next door and was a total doll but…..some folks may feel that the host is ‘watching’ them. Also, by next door, it was like a duplex situation with a shared wall – a shared adobe wall. I had no issues but she may want to mention that in the listing as it came as a surprise to me; again, it was a bonus as this host was the most!  ?

Step 7: Special Service

• Totally appreciate that my host wanted to ‘improve’ the rental with central A/C but it was a bad plan to do it during my stay. Glad my host decided to postpone it. Again, it was comfortable to live in that adobe and sleep with the windows open. Of course, we needed a fan sometimes, but to ‘rough’ it in a historic adobe was an experience of a lifetime – although, I insist to repeat this experience again soon! What a great stay!!!!