Corporate Rental Archives

September 10, 2018 CHBO General, Corporate Housing Post a Comment

Virtual Tours and Your Corporate Rental

Do you know how to properly photograph your fully furnished rentals to their best advantage? Most property owners are unfamiliar with the long list of tips and tricks that can make even a small room look amazing. While we don’t recommend that you ever try to use a bit of visual trickery to enhance the appearance of a corporate rental (as this could lead to a negative review), we strongly urge anyone with fully furnished rentals to do their best to photograph them effectively.

It is why CHBO offers clients access to professional photographers for their corporate rental listings, and why virtual tours are also strongly recommended. In fact, you can use the site as your one-stop resource for the best photos and YouTube and online videos that give website visitors a virtual tour of the entire property.

Is it worth the effort? In an article from a few years ago, we mentioned that “81% of U.S. tenants use Virtual Tours as a resource when they are considering a rental property. And that only 15% tour the property in-person.” In that same article, we went over the reasons that your property listings for fully furnished rentals shouldn’t really be considered complete without that sort of enhanced view of the property.

Online Open House

As we pointed out, not all potential renters have the ability to pay a real world visit. In fact, since you are offering a corporate rental, the renter may be hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The use of the virtual tour gives them a very realistic experience of a walk through, and allows them to get an accurate feel of the entire space.

This could be the key to having your fully furnished rentals booked more regularly than listings with only a few static, still shots. In the article on virtual tours, we explained that you could use a smartphone or video device to do your own walk through and then just use the YouTube site to create a link to your tour. You can also use dedicated apps that offer panoramic views.

The point here is that whether you choose the DIY options with apps or rely on the full services of a firm like CHBO, it is important to use virtual tours for any corporate rental. Give yourself a bit of an advantage, let your clients get a more accurate experience of the property, and see how just that little bit of time and effort can really pay off with more frequent rentals.

May 21, 2018 CHBO General, Cities Post a Comment

Should You Market Your Corporate Rental to Homeowners?

In one of our articles from a few years ago, we addressed the issue of whether your homeowners insurance would pay for extended stay lodging in the event your home became unlivable. The long and short if it was that not all insurers do provide this coverage, but since that time many have added such provisions.

After all, with more and more areas experiencing extremes in weather, more and more homes are damaged by flood, fire, water and wind or lightning. This can sometimes force homeowners out for lengthy periods while repairs are made (up to six months at a time).

So, if you rent your furnished property as a corporate rental, it makes good sense to consider a bit of niche marketing towards homeowners and even insurance agents who offer policies through companies that cover extended stays. And of course, now is the perfect time to consider this new avenue as the summer season is right around the corner, and it is unfortunately the “season for water damage”.

Weather and Your Corporate Rental

Just consider that homeowners may need access to an extended stay due to damages to their home from a severe summer storm (rain, hail, wind, lightning, etc.), due to accidental flooding issues while they were on vacation (burst pipes, plumbing issues, and so on), and ground water problems that cause flooding inside of the home. If you rent your furnished property, it could be precisely the situation a standard household needs after their own home becomes uninhabitable.

This is even more the case if your corporate rental is one that has adequate accommodations for children and families with pets. The property is “turnkey” with the appliances and setting ideally suited to a family suddenly without a home. You can rent your furnished property as a home away from home to a family rather than as a corporate rental and earn the same income since the stay is paid for by insurance coverage.

Marketing Your Corporate Rental

Of course, you may want to know how to rent your furnished property to this unique group. The good news is that it is quite easy when you rely on the CHBO site to support all of your marketing efforts. Insurance providers are already looking into a corporate rental for some policy holders, and you can also get in touch with all of your area insurance agencies to alert them to the fact that you do rent your furnished property to more than corporate clients.

It is not at all difficult to develop new potential streams of income for your corporate rental, and homeowners in need of extended stay options may be that untapped market you have been needing.

February 26, 2018 CHBO General, Corporate Housing, Ideas & Tips Post a Comment

Why Travelers Choose CHBO Over Hotels and Extended Stays

Fully furnished apartment for rent by CHBO

There are many reasons that travelers make extended stays in specific cities or regions. Though many might experience a “knee jerk reaction” of thinking about booking their stay in some sort of hotel or property designed for extended stays, many are reconsidering. Instead, the ever-increasing trend is toward booking stays in CBHO or corporate housing by owner properties. There are many reasons, and these include:

Hotels and extended stays are typically far more expensive.
Most extended stays are designed for convenience and for business travelers only, this can make them extremely cold, generic and very uncomfortable. For example, imagine eating, sleeping, and relaxing all on one big space for weeks or months on end. Imagine uncomfortable and un-homelike furnishings.
Essential services are not part of the rate of most extended stays and this means that, in addition to already being more expensive, there are further costs. For example, laundry means going to a Laundromat yourself or paying someone a high amount to do it. With furnished rentals, the machines are there and you can do loads as you watch TV and make a delicious home-cooked meal
Travelers in CHBO properties begin their stay with a friendly greeting by a property owner or local. This is much more sincere and appealing than the front desk people who may have a sort of “canned” smile and who must be polite as it is part of the job. With CBHO, you meet a host who looks after your needs and puts a much more humane face on everything from service calls to departures.
A CHBO property is not a “branded” property. The owner is not trying to sell anything extra, and so your weeks or months are just as they are at home, and without a constant flood of brands and products being promoted at every turn.
CHBO properties are often much larger and roomier. Whether on your own or with fellow travelers, an authentic home provides you with a lot more living space with both indoor and outdoor living spaces.
Most CHBO properties also allow you to bring pets, and this can be a tremendous advantage whether traveling alone or with a group; further ensuring it feels like a home away from home.
Finally, hotels and extended stays are always chosen for their convenient locations. Close to business parks or major business areas, they may not be the nicest places to remain for weeks or months at a time. CHBO properties typically appear in actual housing areas including apartments, neighborhoods and subdivisions.

Travelers have consistently proven that they like the idea of a hotel’s customer service, but on almost all other points, they would rather be in a more private, home-like environment. This is why there has been such a surge of interest in CHBO properties. They let visitors enjoy the same convenient locations but in much roomier, more comfortable and more appealing settings, ensuring a stay is as satisfying as possible.