December 22, 2014

Decorate Your Vacation Rental For the Holidays

December 22, 2014

Decorate Your Vacation Rental For the Holidays

If you've got guests coming to your vacation home this week, it's because they've chosen your home to spend their Christmas holiday. This extra special time of year is very significant for many families, and making them feel even more welcome can give everyone the warm fuzzies. Part of that is preparing your home specifically for holiday guests!

Holiday guests love to see a home dressed for the holidays. You don't need to go all out if the home isn't also your primary residence (or if your family isn't of the same denomination and wants to keep the decorating to a minimum). But a little something to commemorate the season will likely be much appreciated by your guests. Here's how to create a perfect holiday theme without breaking the bank or changing the look of your home too much.

  1. Lights: Instead of the extra-large Christmas bulbs that blink, opt for simple white lights. And instead of stringing them up around each nook and cranny of your house, simply lining the yard or a single line over the roof line makes the right statement. These two tips alone should give your guests a holiday feel without causing you significant costs, time, or changes to your home. 
  2. Oh Christmas Tree: To tree or not to tree, that is the question. When in doubt, ditch the tree. Depending on your specific vacation home situation, the cost of the tree, the care of the tree, and the removal of the tree all are cause for concern. Instead, decorate the main rooms with Christmas ornaments! To do so, you'll need a few household items, such as push pins, fishing wire, patience and creativity. Then, find places (we chose a ceiling in the living room) and simply attach ornaments to fishing line on one side, and on the other side, fishing line to the push pin, and insert the push pin into the ceiling. This will give the room a decorative and celestial element. Guests have left rave reviews on a home we've done this with. 
  3. Gifts: We always aim to have a welcome gift for our guests at time of check in, usually a dessert or flowers. This time of year we're in the giving spirit, so we opt for a combination of the two items all wrapped up. A recent gift basket we put together included a bottle of wine, bag of coffee, an assortment of cookies and a wreath. It was a major hit and it made the holiday stay even more special!

Take these 3 steps prior to your holiday guests arrival and make it a holiday your guests will never forget. Your online review profile will appreciate it too! Share with us how you make your vacation rental a home for the holidays for your guests. 

Happy Holidays!

Image: Flickr