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Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Link to The FlipKey Blog - Vacation Rental Market News, Travel Tips, and Big Ideas

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 08:04 AM PDT

One of the most important components of creating a successful property listing on FlipKey is collecting guest reviews from past guests. Not only do reviews help describe your property to new guests, but they also influence FlipKey and TripAdvisor property rankings, so when you sign up with FlipKey we strongly encourage you to actively seek out reviews. Even just one review can move your vacation rental towards the top of the list of properties located in your area. Most importantly, travelers really like to hear what other guests have to say about the places they are interested in staying.

A five star review on flipkey

We place so much importance on reviews, in fact, that if you collect just ONE review in the month following the activation of your account, you will receive an additional 30 days of the free trial. Sounds easy, right? We make it easy for both you and your guests to leave a review on your listing, and the extra bit of effort can make all the difference in how much success you experience with FlipKey.com.

Since we do place so much emphasis on reviews, we take extra precautions to be sure that the content published by guests on our site is truthful and accurate. Before a review can be published, both the property owner or manager and FlipKey must confirm that the guest submitting a review actually stayed in that rental. Our review process results in a highly reputable, honest, guest-submitted review base – one of the best in the industry – that is exceedingly helpful for travelers.

One of the most important points regarding our review system is the fact that owners cannot submit their own reviews to their new listings.We find ourselves explaining over and over why a property owner can't copy the 10 years worth of positive reviews sitting in their personal guestbook, and why we can't just transfer preexisting reviews from one property listing site to another. Trust us, we see where you’re coming from. We can understand the frustration associated with "starting from scratch" when you build a FlipKey property listing, but we still stand behind our process 100%. We believe that if guests are free to say the best and the worst of every property they’ve visited personally, that honesty will be evident to fellow travelers, and will help rental properties get booked. At the end of the day, the bottom line is that trustworthy reviews lead to more bookings.

To break it down to the bare bones, here are the most important things to remember:

Content is 100% guest-submitted – only those who have stayed at a particular property themselves are able to review it
Guest reviews can be left by anyone who's stayed at your property in the past – not just those who've found you through FlipKey or TripAdvisor
Collecting ONE review in the first 30 days guarantees an extra 30 days free – it's a win-win for you: one review improves your ranking, and buys you more free time – how can you say no?!

Now get out there and collect some reviews! As always, I’m happy to answer any questions about guest reviews or and other aspect of FlipKey service.

Taryn Collins is a FlipKey owner services specialist and vacation rental marketing expert. Her bi-weekly blog, Ask FlipKey, aims to answer the difficult questions that vacation rental owners and managers ask every day. Submit your questions in the comments!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Paris et Steak au Vin Rouge

Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:48 AM PDT

Paris Bicycle The first time I ever saw Paris, I fell in love. I suppose that’s true for many people, but at ten years old, I felt like the first person to fall head-over-heels for the bouquinnistes selling books at the quais of the river Seine, the starkly white statues standing guard in the old Gare d’Orsay, the slightly rotten but lovely and foreign smell of metro cars. I spent four days there, and by the time I had returned to the States, I was hooked.

But I don’t know that I actually fell in love with Paris – I don’t know that it’s possible – until I started going to my morning market when I moved here in 2007. At ten, I fell in love with Paris’ outward appearance; at twenty, I started to get to know the city.

It started slowly: my first market, when I lived in the ritzy 7th arrondissement, was just past the Eiffel Tower into the 15th, at La Motte Picquet. The market was under a metro overpass, and I would go there on weekends with a friend who lived nearby to pick up a few groceries, but mainly just to look at all the choice: chickens roasting uncovered on spits, giant dishes of couscous and paella heating and being sold by the barquette, cheeses and cuts of meats that I had never heard of before. It was a good market to start with, a way to break myself in: there was a spattering of English, and one stand where shoppers were welcome to select their own produce, unheard of at most Paris markets.

When I moved to the Mouffetard area of Paris, I inherited this famous, daily street market, where storefronts explode onto the narrow street, loosing their wares out on the sidewalk so you can’t even walk past without smelling fresh, slightly bruised gariguette strawberries in summer or simmering boeuf bourguignonne in winter.

But my preferred market is the smaller one, a few streets over, at place Monge, where the fishmonger flirts with me unapologetically, as I savor free samples of spring peas and bright orange charentais melon:

"Vous venez d’où, mademoiselle? Where you are from? Amérique? I would like an American wife!"

He laughs heartily, and I smile as I walk past the shining blade of his knife, expertly filleting salmon for a customer: I have different things in mind.

The butcher counter is overwhelming at first; I stalk past it several times, pacing at a safe distance so as not to attract the questions and offers of the man waiting impatiently behind it with blood on his apron. So many cuts, so many things to choose from. I’m not sure half of it is beef; it bothers me less in France than it would back in America.

Finally, I get the courage to approach and ask for rumsteak pour deux personnes, steak for two people. The cuts aren’t the same as in the States; I’m not sure what this would be called shrink-wrapped in the American grocery stores, but it’s very thin and slightly marbled, and not too fatty.

As the butcher wraps up my steaks, he asks me the question I’ve grown used to since I started shopping at the market. "Vous allez en faire quoi?" What are you going to do with it. As usual, I shrug and ask, "Vous en pensez quoi?" and am rewarded with the smile of knowledge that comes from a man who recognizing his expertise.

"A la poële, retourné vite fait… avec une petite sauce au vin rouge."

Of course, the man was right: quickly seared with a little red wine sauce… quick and easy: the best way to enjoy these steaks.

Steak au Vin Rouge

For this recipe, be sure to pick a good bottle of wine that you can drink alongside the dish. Ask for help at a wine store, or pick out a bottle yourself at the grocery store: a Bordeaux or vin du pays d’Oc will work well.

2 rumsteaks (about 100 g. apiece)
sea salt
2 tsp. vegetable oil
25 g. butter (2 tbs.)
½ cup red wine
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper
baguette

Salt the steaks on both sides with sea salt.

Crack a window, and heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over high heat. Add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, swirl it around the bottom of the pan, and add the steaks.

Cook 40 seconds to 1 minute per side, depending on the thickness of your steaks.

Remove the steaks to a plate and cover with foil. Remove the skillet from the flame, and slowly pour the wine in, down the side of the pan, shielding it away from you by lifting the pan slightly. Return the pan to the flame and reduce the heat to medium.

Whisk in the mustard. Stir continuously until sauce has reduced by half (about 2-3 minutes).

Plate the steaks, pouring any accumulated juices from the covered plate back into the pan and whisking to combine. Pour the sauce over the steaks, and top with freshly ground black pepper. Serve with lots of crusty baguette to mop up the sauce.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Get Help: How to Hire a Babysitter on Vacation

Posted: 07 Jun 2011 07:41 AM PDT

How to Find a Babysitter As a parent, the goal of family vacations is always to ensure as many happy, enduring memories as possible, especially for the kids. These getaways are the perfect opportunity to instill in them an appreciation for new people and places, and hopefully to pass along some of your own wanderlust tendencies. Vacation is also a great time to slow down and reconnect, free from the day-to-day distractions that can unwittingly build distance throughout the year.

That distance doesn't just fall between you and the kids though. Consider your significant other and how much excitement a change of scenery would add to the two of you stealing away for a night out on the town, or perhaps even a day trip to a less than kid-friendly destination, such as a winery or particularly challenging hike. Regardless of your taste, you shouldn't feel guilty about wanting to incorporate some "adult time" into your vacation.

You might be lucky enough to have extended family with you on vacation to keep an eye on your little ones while you go have some grown-up fun, or you might be ridiculously lucky and have a nanny who goes where you go… although that one is a lot less likely. Many families, however, are left trying to find a babysitter in a place where they don't have any personal connections whatsoever, a decidedly frustrating act when the well-being of your children is on the line.

The only way to minimize this hassle is by the same means with which you'd ensure the smoothness of any other part of your vacation – preparation. Here are some tips that can help you in your search:

Post a Detailed Job Listing

There are many great online babysitting services you can use, like Sittercity.com or Care.com. You can even post in the part-time or etcetera jobs section of craigslist for the city you will be traveling to. No matter what you use, you'll want to create a detailed job posting about a month or two before your vacation, including information such as:

Exact date(s) and time(s)
Responsibilities the sitter will have
General personalities of your children (active, artsy, etc.)
Any special needs information about your children (allergies, disabilities, etc.)
What you are looking for in a babysitter (over 18, CPR certified, etc.)
Hourly rate you will be paying

There isn't an easy rule of thumb for what hourly rate to pay your babysitter, but the team over at Sittercity.com has compiled data from thousands of babysitting jobs into a really nice (and free) babysitting rate calculator.

Interview the Candidates

Once you've read through the responses and narrowed it down to a handful you feel are a good fit based on their experience level, enthusiasm, and general personality fit for your children, it's time to do some interviews. By phone is OK, or even via video chat if the option is available. Here are some questions you should consider asking:

What is your favorite thing about babysitting?
What is a challenge you have experienced when babysitting in the past, and how did you resolve it?
Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
Do you have your own car, and are you comfortable driving with children? (if applicable)
Do you have any pet allergies/fears? (if your pet will be with you)

Questions like "How long have you been babysitting" and "Are you trained in First Aid/CPR" should have already been answered via their resume/response to your job posting, but feel free to ask again for posterity's sake. Try to think of anything that might be considered unique to your situation (special needs, dietary considerations, daily religious practices, etc.) and make a list so you don't forget to address them during the interview.

After selecting your final candidate(s), they should be completely willing to submit themselves to a reference and background check, so don't worry about requesting these things from them if you require that extra layer of security/peace of mind.

Make a Plan

About a week before your vacation, contact your sitter to make sure they are still available, and to communicate the plan for their upcoming job. In your plan, be specific with dates and times, document where you'll be, important phone numbers, and any information that is critical to your child's well-being. Pretty much the same as you would do for any babysitter back home. You should also consider what activities they'll be participating in, especially if you'll be away for an entire day, providing your sitter with the funds needed to cover expenses for both them and your children, including gas if you feel comfortable with them driving together.

When the time comes to meet your babysitter in person, it's not a bad idea to schedule them to arrive an hour earlier than your planned departure. This will give you time to brief them on the situation in person, watch them interact with your children, and make sure everybody is comfortable with one another.

The final, and most important step – go have a good time!

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Tour Talk: Big Tree Travels Across America

Posted: 06 Jun 2011 07:14 AM PDT

Volume 5: Savannah, GA

Meet Big Tree, a quintet out of Brooklyn, New York with high hopes and empty pockets. Three dashing young men and two friendly ladies make up this indie pop band. We are the luckiest people on the planet. Our job is to drive from one amazing place to the next, play a show, make new friends, and explore new cities. While we're on the road, FlipKey invited us to share our experiences living like locals everywhere we go.

Boat to Tybee Imagine a land where Spanish moss sways softly in the breeze and people of all ages walk smiling through the parks. Imagine quiet coffee shops and gourmet restaurants along cobble stone streets. Imagine music festivals and art galleries, students and professionals. Imagine boating on rivers and skinny-dipping in the ocean, with sparkling phosporescent algae on your skin and the moon lighting up the sand. Now open your eyes, and breathe a sigh of relief. This place is real! Savannah, Georgia is a beautiful, hospitable town just waiting for you to visit.

On this tour, Savannah was one of our last stops, and a welcome retreat from the rough life of rockstardom. We drove into town and were greeted by perfect spring weather and newly blooming pink flowers in every direction. Our show was at a wonderful venue that doubles as a delicious coffee and sandwich shop. The Sentient Bean is the place to go for a vegetarian panini, an iced coffee, and some live local and touring acts. The New York Times has called it "a haven for indie film, live music and literary readings," and we try to stop here on every tour. We played to an attentive audience and enjoyed dinner outside on the patio in the back.

Enjoying the Savannah Gardens Earlier in the afternoon we had decided we were going to find Forest Gump's famous park bench, which we were sure was around there somewhere. Our quest led us from park to park, where countless fountains, statues, gardens, and playgrounds awaited us. We walked along the sidewalks to look at the historic homes and mansions, and wished we were all painters or artists so we could have gone to SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design.

We stayed the night at our good friends' home close to Tybee Island, which happened to be right next to Paula Dean's incredible house. Right on the water, we enjoyed homemade shrimp and grits while looking out at the docks and talking about how much we loved Savannah. Full of Southern cookin', we talked our host into taking us out for a boat ride on the river. He took us up and down each winding inlet and out to the Atlantic Ocean. It was our first glimpse of it since leaving the East Coast a year ago, and boy, did it feel good to be back.

Friday, June 3, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

FlipKey Runs for Charity (Photo Friday)

Posted: 03 Jun 2011 07:06 AM PDT

Congratulations to all the FlipKeyers who ran in the J.P. Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge last night!

Team FlipKey

This year, the 3.5 mile road race through Downtown Boston had a sellout crowd of 12,000 participants. The event raised funds for local charities, including The Emerald Necklace Conservancy and Horizons for Homeless Children. FlipKey and the TripAdvisor Media Group sent a team of 94 runners, and everyone had a great time. You can read more about the event here.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Help Your Guests Get Local – Create a Guest Book

Posted: 02 Jun 2011 07:30 AM PDT

One of the most useful things you can do for your vacation rental guests is create an area guide book, also known as a “local attractions book” or “welcome book.” This personalized guide will help guests who don’t know the area get situated, as well as answering questions they may have about your home. If you’re just getting started putting a guest book together, here are some suggestions on what to include.

History

Guests always appreciate a brief history of the area to help them understand just what makes this place so special. Very often you can gather basic historical information from travel guides or Wikipedia, but if your rental home – or your family’s connection to the town – has an interesting history that only you know about, then write it! Travelers love learning about the unique home they are staying in.

The Area

A guide to local amenities and attractions will be the most useful part of your guest book. I highly recommend including maps and directories of the following with addresses and useful information such as hours and contacts:

Grocery stores
Churches/places of worship
Pharmacies
Hospitals
Airports
Local Attractions
Restaurants
Take out/delivery food

You should include as much information about restaurants as possible – price, style of food, whether you need reservations, and attire. If you can include menus, that’s even better. Brochures for local attractions are also a nice touch, and if you’ve got coupons, then by all means include those. (Pro Tip: Guest Books may change over time – assemble yours in a three-ring binder so that you can easily add and remove items)

The House

You’ll also want to create a guide to the house and amenities. If you have any complicated electronics, like a TV that is difficult to switch from Cable to DVD (they all are) or a thermostat that requires more complex programming than simply setting a temperature and walking away, then leave a the instructions. Preferably, you should write the “simple version” of the instructions in plain language, so that your guests don’t have to read a whole pamphlet just to watch a movie.

You should also include a copy of the you rental rules and guidelines and the check-in and check-out procedures. Make sure to note important rules that may be less obvious, like street parking availability or neighborhood regulations on recycling and trash collection.

Another important item to include in your guest book is a list of the TV channels. If your guests want to catch their favorite show and you have 900+ channels, then a channel guide can be extremely helpful.

Emergency Numbers

Don’t forget to include emergency contact information. The unexpected often occurs when a rental property’s primary owner is away. Knowing who to call can help your guests deal with a problem without ruining their vacation experience. In addition to your phone number, you should also include:

Police/Fire Department
Poison Control Center
Maintenance staff
Housekeepers
Rental management company or local contact

If you’re still wondering about what to put in the book, check out a local hotel room and look at their book – you’re trying to accomplish the same thing, but you also want to add a personal touch with your recommendations and advice. I also recommend leaving space for guests to add their own comments or thoughts. Your guests’ experiences will be helpful for future visitors and a fun way to find out about the folks who love your place as much as you do.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Latest from the FlipKey Blog

Lapin à la Moutarde

Posted: 01 Jun 2011 06:50 AM PDT

Rabbit in Mustard Sauce

Dijon – Burgundy’s Culinary Capital

There is no feeling quite as lovely as being in the middle of a bustling city while still surrounded by nature and history. Dijon, the capital city of Burgundy, is known throughout France for its quality of life as well as its history; wandering this medieval city is a constant surprise as new mixes with old, and art mixes with history, culture and gastronomy.

The centre-ville is still home to a large number of houses, churches and streets dating from as far back as the 16th century. Half-timbered houses and church steeples give this area its charm, and traipsing through this part of town is a must for any visitor to Dijon.

Of course, with a name that's practically synonymous with "delicious," Dijon is also famous for its food, specifically for the eponymous French mustard. While this particular variety of mustard is often quite expensive in the States, here in Dijon – as in the rest of France – you can find it in the grocery store for just a few Euros. If you’re visiting Dijon, however, you must go one step further and visit the Amora museum: a museum devoted entirely to mustard and its history, especially in relation to Dijon. Amora is the brand most used by French families, and the museum tells the intriguing story of this condiment, dating back to the 14th century, with strong ties to the city that shares its name. Make a reservation in advance for a tour through the world of mustard.

If you want to bring a bit of Dijon home to spice up your own cooking, visit the Maille store. Maille is one of the brands of gourmet French mustard that is exported to the United States. In their store you’ll find not only classic jars, but also a variety of different flavors infused with herbs and spices. Ask for a tasting before selecting your own, served fresh from a mustard tap! The gift sets and boxes make great souvenirs for your friends back home, so pick up a few jars.

As long as you're still in town, another culinary mecca awaits you: Les Halles. This historic market, designed by Gustave Eiffel, a native Dijonnais, is open from 9am to 1pm every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. If you can look past the antiques, great wines and amazing cheeses, then you’ll be able to pick up all the ingredients you need for the French bistro classic that puts Dijon's most famous ingredient center stage: lapin à la moutarde.

Rabbit may be hard to find in America, but in France, it can be found in any grocery store or butcher window. Armed with your fresh Dijon mustard, pick up a few legs (cuisses de lapin), a pound of new potatoes and some creamery butter: add a bottle of chilled local aligoté wine (a dry white from the region), and dinner is served.

Lapin à la moutarde (serves 6)

6 rabbit thighs
2 cups butter (one standard block in France)
12 oz. Dijon mustard (use either regular Dijon mustard or a combination of plain and whole grain)
1/2 cup Cognac (optional)
1 lb new potatoes

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a rimmed baking sheet generously. Using a pastry brush, coat the rabbit thighs with mustard. Place them on the baking sheet and add the rest of the butter to the sheet in small pieces. Set a timer for 1 hour.

Place the baking sheet in the oven. Every 10 minutes, baste the rabbit with the sauce in the pan using a ladle.

Meanwhile, peel (if you like) and steam or boil the potatoes. Cook 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and arrange the potatoes around the rabbit, and return to the oven, basting every 10 minutes until the hour is up.

Carefully, heat the Cognac in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove the rabbit from the oven and quickly pour the warmed liquor over the rabbit. Flambé carefully using a match. (If the Cognac doesn’t ignite, return the rabbit to the oven for 2 minutes to burn off some of the alcohol.)

Emily Monaco is native New Yorker, living and writing in Paris since 2007. She loves discovering new places and, of course, their local cuisines! Read about her adventures in food and travel at tomatokumato.com or follow her on Twitter at @emiglia