Posts by author
Kristen Martinelli
10 Ways to Attract Travelers to Your Vacation Rental
What do guests look for when booking their vacation rental? Knowing the answer allows rental owners to market to their target audience. For instance, did you know that travelers book their…
Meet Jeni, Futurestay’s UX Product Developer
While you may know our Rental Advisors, Founders, and C-Suite, do you know the people who build and maintain Futurestay? They’re our product and tech team. You’ve met Faber and Kevin…
Top 8 U.S. Locations for Vacation Rental Investing 2018
Why You Should Get Involved in Vacation Rental Investing Vacation rentals are a type of short-term rental properties which have the added benefit of acting as your second home. They…
Futurestay Featured in Skift’s Top Travel Startups to Watch 2018
June 6, 2018 | By Sean O’Neill Skift’s Excerpt: Better, faster, stronger. Skift pinpointed 20 venture-backed companies — mostly young — that promise breakaway potential. These startups prove that innovation is…
Ladram Bay Holiday Park | Otterton, UK
Futurestay is excited to feature our third property spotlight! The vacation rental entrepreneur for this week is Mary Borlase. She owns a rental in Landram Bay Holiday Park, with breath-taking views…
Futurestay at VRSS 2018
For the past three years, Heather and Mike Bayer have planned and hosted the Vacation Rental Success Summit (VRSS). Their goal for creating the conference was, “To create the first fully…
Four Seasons Lodge | North Conway, New Hampshire
We’re excited to feature the Four Seasons Lodge in North Conway, New Hampshire as our second Property Spotlight! Teena has been the owner and manager of Four Seasons since before…
Futurestay at UPitchNJ 2018
“UPitchNJ is sponsored by the New Jersey Collegiate Entrepreneurship Consortium, which represents the entrepreneurship education programs at New Jersey’s four-year colleges and universities.” This year, Montclair State University hosted the UPitchNJ competition. 14…
4 Ways to Spend Your Free Time on Hospitality
Futurestay was built with the purpose of removing the manual, administrative tasks of running a rental business. If you’ve joined the Futurestay community, then pat yourself on the back! You…
The Breeze | Terrell, Texas
Futurestay serves over 80,000 rental entrepreneurs in 130 countries. Which means we interact every day with amazing individuals. We see their love for their business and hospitality. Inspired by our rental…
5 Unique Urban Accommodations | Airbnb
We realized from our previous 7 Unique Rural Accommodations post, that not everyone on the Futurestay team likes rural locations. This time, we’ve decided to research a list of unique,…
Meet Faber, Futurestay’s Principal Systems Architect
As you might’ve read on the blog, we introduce our newest team members through interviews. But what about our other team members? Now you can get to know them too.…
7 Rural, Alternative Accommodations | Airbnb
When we think about vacation rentals, the go-to accommodations may be mansions or traditional homes. But as we know from Airbnb’s properties, anything can be a vacation rental. We decided…
Meet Kevin, Futurestay’s Front-End Developer
Futurestay has updated and expanded our product and features. This also means we need more team members to make this happen. Kevin first joined Futurestay as an intern and has expanded…
7 Best Vacation Rental Industry Podcasts
112 million people of the US population have listened to a podcast. The average podcast listener subscribes to at least 6 shows. With the increase in audio-engagement for information, other…
The 9 Best Vacation Rental Entrepreneurs to Learn From | Websites & Blogs
It’s time-consuming for vacation rental owners to search the internet for resources. Whether that’s for website help or product information, it’s hard to know what information is reliable. To solve…
Automation & OTAs | The Biggest Opportunity in Vacation Rentals
Sometimes it’s difficult to understand how industry news relates directly to your vacation rental business. We decided to start with the Wall Street Journal article called Expedia & Priceline Hone in…
Futurestay at the 2017 Phocuswright Conference
The Phocuswright Conference annually attracts over 1,600 decision makers and C-level executives, representing dozens of countries from every travel, tourism and hospitality sector. No other conference provides access to such…
Futurestay at the 2017 EDC Summit
2017 EDC Summit On November 3, 2017 on the campus of NJIT, the Enterprise Development Center (EDC) will once again bring together the investor community of the Tri-State region for…
Futurestay ranks #30 in “Top 75 Vacation Rental Blogs”
Top 75 Vacation Rental Blogs & Websites For Rental Owners And Managers October 26, 2017 | By Feedspot A vacation rental is the renting out of a furnished apartment, house, or professionally…
Meet James, Your Rental Business Specialist
Last week we introduced one of our new team members, Laura. This week, our new Rental Business Specialist is James. Read his interview below to learn more about his work…
Meet Laura, Your Rental Business Specialist
With Futurestay expanding its product features, office space, and sales, it is necessary to increase its team. Our goal at Futurestay is to automate the pieces of a vacation rental…
Futurestay’s CEO Discusses the Importance of Vision in Team-building
Coffee With Startups – Tuesday, August 1st, 2017 | 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Join KettleSpace and New York City Wired for a breakfast event aimed at teaching startups how to grow a business…
Futurestay CEO Teaches Market Segmentation at Morgan Stanley
Futurestay CEO S. Philip Kennard shares his insights on market segmentation. Newark Venture Partners, GitLinks, Landit, and Trigger Finance join Futurestay at Morgan Stanley. Are you interested in market segmentation? Check out…
The Self-Renting Home featured in NYC Wired
Futurestay Website, App Pushes Real Estate Rental Innovation Beyond Airbnb June 27, 2017 | by Monica Link Excerpt: Property owners with limited time could struggle with placing advertisements and signing up…
Futurestay Settles into New Headquarters | An Interview with CEO S. Philip Kennard
Beginning July 1st Futurestay moved into its new headquarters in New Brunswick, NJ. This interview discusses the journey into a private, branded office. From the psychology behind the move to…
From Mexico to New Jersey: Abbi at Futurestay | An Interview
With Graphic and UX Design experience totaling 9+ years, Abbi was searching for “a place in a company where [she] could put [her] current skill-set to work, while having the…
The Top 5 Fall Rental Locations (2017)
With summer coming to a close, travelers begin planning last minute vacations. Summer rentals wrap up for the season, fall rentals gain popularity. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Halloween draw autumn…
5 Marketing Tips for Your Vacation Rental Lake House
If you could stay in any type of vacation rental what would you choose? From hammocks in the islands to multi-story mansions, every rental has unique marketing opportunities. Successful rental…
Designing a Vacation Rental Website Part 2 | Developing a Brand
First you’ve learned about the available websites to get your rental website started. But what makes your website different from other businesses? Personalized and intentional design choices develop your brand.…
Designing a Vacation Rental Website Part 1 | Getting Started
You already learned about the importance of professional photos and writing property descriptions. These are some of the basic components for a vacation rental business. The next step is to…
How to Rent Your Home as a Weekend Rental Property
Do you live in your property all year round? Would you like to earn extra money? Consider renting your home as a weekend rental property. If you have two homes,…
Everything You Need to Know About the Vacation Rental Industry | Part 2
Part 1 of this article gave an overview of the industry’s development. Such as technologies’ influence on vacation rentals, the use of the telegraph and internet that propelled vacation rentals’ popularity.…
How to Identify Your Vacation Rental Target Audience
Why is it important to identify your target audience? Renters searching for a property look for specific details. Such as the property’s location, price, amenities, and more. Use these details…
Instagram and Your Vacation Rental Business
Social media platforms allow you to market your vacation rental and brand. You can use Instagram, personal blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, to name a few. What you may not know, is that…
How to Write a Successful Vacation Rental Property Description
Are you starting a vacation rental business? Is your business established and you want to increase your bookings? Crafting an accurate property description is the first step with marketing your…
The Benefits of Owning a Pet-Friendly Vacation Rental Property
It’s difficult to travel when you own pets. Pet owners have to hire someone they trust to stay or visit their home. This person is paid to feed, walk, and…
How to Get a Vacation Rental Business Started
Do you own or have recently purchased a property, and want to start a vacation rental business? Below are the steps and suggestions for getting your property on the market.…
What Items You Should Provide for Your Vacation Rental Kitchen
A TripAdvisor study found that 83% of travelers thought a kitchen was the most important travel accommodation. Especially because of the savings vacation rental kitchens provide. Thus, it is important…
How to Get Vacation Rental Reviews for Higher Bookings
Vacation rental reviews have the potential to impact your bookings. For 9 in 10 consumers, an online review is equally as important as a personal recommendation. For travelers to trust…
How to Price Your Vacation Rental Property
As you get your vacation rental business started, you have to determine your pricing. It is important that you do your research. A 2016 survey from HomeAway found that vacation…
Would Travelers Choose Your Property Over a Hotel?
If you want travelers to choose your vacation rental property over a hotel, start with the basics. You want to establish that you are a reputable property. Charging realistic rates…
How to List Your Rental Property During the Holidays
The holiday season is a great time of year for vacation rental owners to list their properties. There are a variety of travelers that holiday rental owners can book, such…
How to Pick a Location for a Vacation Rental Property
With the increase in vacation rental popularity, it is important to research the area you plan to buy in. Your vacation rental property’s location has a variety of financial impacts.…
Why Professional Photos Boost Bookings for Your Vacation Property
Why is it important to include pictures of your vacation rental? According to a study by FlipKey, “Travelers are 83% more likely to inquire about property listings that contain over…
Marketing Tips for Log Cabin Owners
Log cabin rentals offer beautiful views and experiences. Yet vacation rental owners may have difficulty with developing a marketing strategy. If you’re a log cabin rental owner, there is a…
How Vacation Rental Owners Should Handle a Negative Review
Finding a negative review about your vacation rental property is shocking. Especially if you try your best to create a pleasant experience for your renters. Reviews provide information about your…
How Vacation Rentals Save You Money
When planning a vacation or business trip, traveling has many expenses. From food to lodging, airfare or car rentals, the amount of money travelers spend is growing. Statista reports that…
The Differences between B&Bs and Vacation Rental Properties
Vacation rental properties are unique when compared to hotels. We know this is why the hotel industry is afraid of vacation rentals. But what about B&Bs? How are they different…
The Best Resources for Vacation Rental Owners
Do you want to run a successful vacation rental property? You may be unaware of the resources available to you. These products, tips, and services make vacation rental owners management…
5 Tips to Increase Your Vacation Rental Bookings
As vacation rental owners, you may be looking for ways to increase bookings. Depending on your budget and audience, here are 5 tips to get started. Marketing Techniques Increase Bookings…
How to Turnover Your Vacation Rental Property
A fast turnover rate is valuable because more bookings equal more money. As a vacation rental owner, you want to organize your bookings to maximize profit. Organization and fast turnovers…
What Costs to Avoid as a Vacation Rental Owner
There are a variety of areas in your vacation rental business that have potential savings. Before you even buy your property, there are costs to avoid. If you already have…
How to Create a Vacation Rental Exterior Checklist for Winter
You’ve already completed your interior vacation rental checklist. Now it’s time to move to the exterior parts of your property. It is important to make sure you control the interior…
How to Market Your Beachfront Vacation Rental
Beach vacation rentals make up 59% of vacation rental properties. The prime months for booking summer rentals are March and April. Most vacation renters book their properties in advance. So…
Why You Should Hire Professional Painters for Your Vacation Rental Property
Repainting your vacation rental property is a quick way to update its style. Painting allows for a clean, updated look without spending a lot of money. In the world of…
How to Create a Winter Interior Checklist for Your Vacation Rental Property
When it comes to winter preparation, what you need to do will be specific to your property. Creating an interior checklist will depend on the type of vacation rental you…
Why Vacation Rentals Scare the Hotel Industry
The origins of hotels have been the popular accommodations for travelers for many years. Hotels extend as far back as the ancient Greek and Roman times. Yet, did you know…
Everything You Need to Know About the Vacation Rental Industry | Part 1
Part of being a vacation rental owner is knowing the history of the industry and how it can change. The vacation rental market is expanding, and online booking is becoming…
How to Create a Vacation Rental Welcome Book
It’s bound to happen that your guests will call you with questions. To save you time and renter satisfaction, create a vacation rental Welcome Book. Some guests may take the time…
Winter Preparation for Vacation Rental Owners
The winter season has its advantages and disadvantages. For some of us, winter is sweaters and snowfall. For unprepared vacation rental owners, winter’s snowy conditions complicate their lives. Winter preparation…
The Benefits of Hiring a Third-Party Cleaning Service
How does a third-party cleaning service benefit vacation rental owners? If you’ve ever considered booking a vacation rental property, cleanliness is at the top of the criteria list. Why is…
How to Add Value to Your Vacation Rental Property
No matter what your budget is, there are upgrades that add value to your vacation rental property. These range from expensive renovations to simple accessories. Both interior and exterior updates…
How Vacation Rental Owners Can Avoid Negative Reviews
Our first article discussed how to handle a negative review. Here are some tips to avoid getting a negative review in the first place. Want to Avoid Negative Reviews? Keep…