First, a prelude. Here at OwnerRez, we constantly hear feedback from users - including some funny and interesting stories - and we've been looking for a way to share some of that with the community. We've created a Vacation Rental of the Month blog post in which we will chronicle a different user each month, their properties and whatever they'd like to share. If you're eager to be included, contact us directly and let us know.
We selected Cardigan Cabins as our first Vacation Rental Of The Month because, as some of you already know, Cardigan is owned by the same guys who built OwnerRez! As the first user, Cardigan Cabins has used OwnerRez for thousands of inquiries and quotes, leading to hundreds of bookings.
First up is Chris - one of the owners. We asked Chris about his history with both Cardigan and OwnerRez.
"When we started Cardigan Cabins, I shopped around for awhile and tried out other vacation rental software, but nothing had all the features we needed. We built OwnerRez to save time and make us look professional to our guests when we send quotes and collect payments. OwnerRez is different -- we're owners ourselves, so we know what it needs to do to provide maximum benefits for owners and property managers."
- Chris Hynes
Co-Owner, Cardigan Cabins
Cardigan's properties include Bear Bluff, Bear Valley, Bear Meadows, Shenandoah Stars, and Bear Timbers - all located in Luray, Virginia right on the shores of the Shenandoah River. Cardigan Cabins are all newly renovated and come with luxury features such as hot tubs, high speed internet, satellite tv/dvds, pool and ping pong tables, canoes and gas grills.
When asked about some of their successes and struggles and how we helped them, this is what they had to say:
"We recently added Bear Timbers, a beautiful cabin opening in April. We bought it unfinished which gave us the flexibility to add features such as appliances and furniture that we wanted. We are excited to add this property to our portfolio and can’t wait to break it in!
Last year, we faced a setback on July 4th. There was a devastating storm that knocked the power out for a week at our cabins (and therefore the AC) and we had to give refunds to multiple guests. A few guests decided to ask for discounts on future stays, which is still affecting us even now.
I was able to ask OwnerRez questions on how to deal with this situation so it didn't hurt the bottom line. They were able to give me direction on how to go about refunding the customers without it affecting our relationship. Thanks OwnerRez!"
- Veronica
Guest Manager, Cardigan Capital
We want to thank Cardigan Cabins for sharing their stories and wish them a successful rental year!
