Crystal Coast Vacation Rental Show

Last year we bought a coffee pot for our oceanfront rental. A very cool and somewhat more expensive unit than our last one. It looked good in our freshly rehabbed kitchen. This unit allowed me to pick the amount of coffee brewed. I could switch to individual cups with the included attachment. It had a myriad of functions I hadn’t yet discovered. It had been a busy month. I had completely demoed the kitchen and rebuilt it in time to make Beef Wellington for Christmas. That new pot looked good and was a nice final touch on the project.

We knew it might be a bit complicated. So, we laminated the instructions. Then, we hung them on a hook in the cabinet. It was a fine coffee pot. It was in place and in service.

The following fall we went back to the house for our annual two weeks there with family. As is my practice, the first night there I set the coffee pot to brew first thing in the morning. I like to wake up to fresh coffee. It was a struggle. It took me five minutes to figure it out. That’s not long, but it’s longer than it should be. I’m fairly savvy with tech and I was momentarily bested by a coffee maker.

My heart sunk. I knew I had made a crucial error. Worse yet, I knew better.

This was a darn fine coffee maker, but it wasn’t the right coffee maker. Instead, it was the one liked. Which is good, because it’s coming home with me. I know better. In my seasonal work I encounter guests who struggle with a minor issue, whether it’s a TV remote, or a thermostat, or a door lock that is unusual, any number of things. These are smart people. But after hours in the car, often with family or friends, they have no desire to relearn simple tasks. I knew the coffee pot was complicated. Why else would I laminate the instructions.

We can’t insulate our guests from every new little thing. However, we can keep in mind that we’re building a temporary home for them. It’s not for us. That awesome home theater system with six inputs and surround sound is great in a theater room. Less so in a nursery.

The ironic thing is this reminded me of our first short term rental purchase. I fell in love with a house that allowed me to see both the sound and the ocean from the upper floor kitchen. My wife saw the view above and knew a different house was the one. It’s probably obvious which one we chose. (Hint: I took that picture a few weeks ago.) Unfortunately, it took me seeing spreadsheets showing that PEOPLE COMING TO THE BEACH WANT TO BE ON THE BEACH! to catch on.

Know your customer and make your choices with them in mind. You can make your own touches and do some things just for you, but keep that guest close.

It’s a good lesson to learn. Maybe even a few times.