Vacationers have more options than ever to choose where and with whom to book a vacation rental property. Often times you may Google the name of a villa and have a plethora of sites listing the same property. That can leave many guests confused as to where they can find the best deal and who will offer the best service for the booking process and their stay! Here are a few reasons why booking with the source booking agency (meaning the specialists who hold the master calendar) can provide for the best experience from start to finish.
He who holds the calendar holds the power:
TC Villas holds the master calendar and has direct contact with the owner. Moreover, each of our team of 3 villa specialists (Dan, Shandon, and Archie) have seen every one of our properties and spent lots of time on this island. We offer villas on this one island, exclusively, and pride ourselves in preparing guests for an unforgettable vacation with first-hand knowledge!
What does it mean to hold the calendar though?
It means that TC Villas is the sole point of contact between the villa owner and everyone else. Having said that, if you book through an external platform or agency, they will contact us to answer your questions and ultimately add your dates to the calendar. More often than not, this will mean there is a middleman fee to be paid by the traveler.
Some benefits of booking directly with the calendar holding company:
• The company that holds the calendar is more likely to have actually seen the property. Many guests are surprised to find out that a majority of agents who book villas may have not ever seen the property or even visited the island!
• That company has direct contact with the owner. Other companies that book the villa would have to go through them to get refunds, file complaints, or ask for pricing reductions. We are a one-stop-shop!
• The dreaded F-Word: Fees! How to avoid them?
Unfortunately, fees are becoming ubiquitous in the vacation rental industry. Guests can pay more -sometimes hundreds more- by booking on Airbnb, Homeaway, VRBO or other sites. Many times guests will pay those fees not knowing that if they booked directly with us, they could skip them all together! I generally use sites like Airbnb or VRBO to find a property, then do a bit of extra research to find the calendar holding company and reach out to them directly to avoid such fees. It can save you big time!