Apartment Sharing or Red Herring?
“Lots of space, great savings over hotels, and I don’t feel like a tourist.” That’s why A.J. decided to rent a vacation apartment in France. A.J. doesn’t want his full name published but he does want to caution other senior travelers to do their homework before booking. Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
Noisy sleepless nights, vandalism, no hot water, waiting in the rain in a nearby bodega after dark for the owner to arrive with the key… like A.J. older travelers have been subjected to everything from rattled nerves to broken hearts. Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
He and his wife looked at dozens of photos before settling on a beautiful French apartment. But after weeks of planning and anticipation, they arrived to a noisy flat. A.J. says “the traffic and fumes were very intrusive.” And that was the least of it. A.J. is in good physical shape, but stairs are stairs. The owner had assured him that getting up to the second floor apartment would be no problem. The so-called second floor was up 53 uneven steps. That’s a long way to walk and a very long way to haul heavy suitcases.
Travelers can find a lot of holiday apartment options on websites like Airbnb (www.airbnb.com) and Homeaway (www.homeaway.com) But the problem with those sites says Jules Kragen, President of a new Senior oriented vacation apartment rental company called Scertified Stays (www.scertified.com) is that “there is nothing to protect you from omitted facts, aggressive selling and even outright fraud such as posting fake positive reviews.” He says there are hundreds of on-line agencies competing for business and it isn’t in their interest to tell older travelers why their choice might not be the best one.
Satisfaction with where we stay can make or break an entire holiday. And for many, renting a holiday apartment can be roll of the dice. A deep sleeper may enjoy the bustle and location of an apartment on a busy boulevard. This would be a disaster for a light sleeper. Nor do any of the big sites look at things like local crime statistics, interior noise levels, graffiti or empty shops in the neighborhood, basic accessibility, or the pros, cons and idiosyncrasies of each apartment they offer.
Unfortunately, no one is regulating the vacation apartment rental industry. And with growing competition, more apartments being available does not mean better apartments are available. Airbnb and a dozen other top apartment rental agencies offer over a million vacation apartments. I looked at ads for 300 one and two bedroom apartments in popular destinations like Miami, London, and Paris. Not one of the ads I looked at said something like, “this apartment may not be suitable for mature guests.” In fact none of them suggested that even in some circumstances the fit might not be right.
I saw one big difference with Scertified Stays. Next to every listing they talk about what might not be suitable for older guests. Noise on a busy boulevard, poor lighting and security, difficulty finding public transportation, bad conditions in the neighborhood – all of these things add up to the success of a vacation. According to their website, they inspect up to sixty senior-centric features in and around every apartment they offer. They use both technology and old-fashioned checklists to assess noise levels in bedrooms, graffiti in the neighborhood, local crime rates, building security, property management and dozens of other features. They even back the accuracy and relevance of their assessments with a money-back guarantee. Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
Vacation apartments can add real value and flexibility to your holiday plans. But when you select your holiday lodging, if you aren’t given all the information you need to guarantee a successful stay, then it may be best to move on. Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
by Ron Bolton, Guest Blogger Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
Ron Bolton has been writing about travel and entertainment for over two decades. His work takes a fresh look at matters of special interest to independent and intrepid travelers.
Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
Surprises for Seniors Who Rent Vacation Apartments
