InCircleRentals Speaking at Chamber of Commerce

If you happen to live in northern Minnesota, come hear InCircleRental's president Randy Zats and co-vice president Ellen Hertz speak to the Brainerd, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors at 9 am, Sept 21, at their Tower Office. For more info call Holly at (218) 822-7112 or visit their website.

Enter Our Photo Contest for Great Prizes!

Send a Picture to Win! Find InCircleRentals on Facebook.

Send a Favorite Photo with Caption to Win a $25 L'Occitaine Gift Certificate! Weekly winners start September 17.  Enter InCircleRentals Photo Contest through our Facebook page, InCircleRentals.

InCircleRentals.com, the online network where vacation homeowners share leads and ideas, invites you to show off your vacation property and enter to win prizes! Send us one picture and a brief caption about your property, and you will be entered to win a $25 L'Occitane gift card!  This photo can capture anything including your most memorable rental guests, the best view from your property, or a place in your rental home that means something special to you!

Participants will get their pictures posted on our Facebook page, and each week a winner will be drawn randomly from the entries.  You do not need to be an InCircleRentals.com member to participate, so spread the word to other vacation homeowners for their chance to win too!  To enter, e-mail your picture, a brief caption, and the location of your rental home to sales@incirclerentals.com.  The first drawing is September 17th, so be sure to enter soon!

East of Rome, George Clooney Spotlights Sextantio

Santo Stefano di Sessanio, or Sextantio

George Clooney's latest blockbuster The American throws the spotlight on a small Italian town deep in the mountainous Abruzzo region -- Santo Stefano di Sessanio, or Sextantio, its Latin name.  The entire village is a luxury hotel and villa complex for affluent outsiders.

'Buyers can opt into a management package or own the property without any interference from the hotel,' says Luca Catalano of selling agent Realitalia. The package would include cleaning, meals, concierge services and rental of your rooms as part of the hotel structure, with a return in line with the current occupancy rate of 40 per cent. We would expect to fill the property for at least 20 weeks a year.'
Read more. 

Labor Day Travel Increases

More Americans are travelling this Labor Day weekend compared to last year. That's good news for vacation rental homeowners. The East Coast is, however, bracing for the impact of hurricane activity. According to today's Washington Post:

"One way or the other, the weather forecast will have a direct impact on the travel forecast," said John B. Townsend II, spokesman for the American Automobile Association, as he issued results of the group's annual Labor Day travel survey. Nationally, the AAA survey found that 34.4 million people said they expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home. That's an increase of 9.9 percent from the 31.3 million who traveled last year." Read the rest of the article.

Thailand Luxury Vacation Villa

InCircleRentals welcomes our newest member from Thailand. Between three small rural villages, Gecko Villa nestles with its private swimming pool, amongst the paddy fields in the Isaan plateau of Northeast Thailand. This standalone, 3 bedroom  Thailand villa getaway features expansive grounds, comprising 20 hectares of gardens, orchards, woodlands, pastures and rice paddies. Find out more about Gecko Villa.

Spotlight on Luxury in Jamaica

Spotlight on InCircleRentals member's deluxe property Villa in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, featuring over 8000 sq. ft, 5 bedrooms, private pool and stunning ocean views -- plus a staff of 4, including a butler!

Architectural Global Guide

An interesting resource that could be useful to vacation rental homeowners around the world for itinerary suggestions to guests, OpenBuildings.com is a crowdsourced global directory of buildings with distinctive architecture. They also have a free iPhone app for mobile convenience.

The World's 10 Best Cities for Parks

The World's 10 Best Cities for Parks Slideshow at Frommer's

Of course it's simple hospitality to point your vacation rental guests to local attractions for all ages, such as these top rated city parks for those whose vacation rental properties are in or near urban centers.


"Parc Güell is a visually stunning combination of park and innovative architectural and sculptural forms, courtesy of Barcelona native and design genius Antoní Gaudí." Read more.

Photo copyright Frommers

San Francisco Short Term Vacation Rental Quagmire

 San Francisco Vacation Apartment Rentals: Lucrative & Largely Illegal

"Obscure city ordinances dating back 30 years are supposed to prevent apartments from being used as short-term vacation rentals without pre-approval from the city. But since 2004, only one unit has received that permission, according to the Department of Building Inspection, which regulates the practice. It is a revelation that raises questions about the legality and consequences of what has become a popular and lucrative piece of the local hospitality business."

Read the whole story here.

Shorter Vacations, Tighter Budgets

Shorter Vacations and Tighter Budgets: Welcome to the New Normal in Travel | Frommers.com
Interesting article about the returning value to service in the "new normal" travel economy. Bodes well for vacation rental homeowners who provide great hospitality in myriad ways, such as fresh flowers greeting guests on arrival.

Outer Banks Beckons Surfers and More

"The Outer Banks of North Carolina have room for every kind of beachgoer, and local surf shops offer rentals and lessons."

Read the whole article here.

Image copyright The New York Times.

Minnesota: State asks 600 cabin owners to comply

New plan would put limits on lake cabin rentals

The owners of private cabins would have to comply with the rules set for motels and resorts.A new battle is erupting across Minnesota's lake country.

In the first widespread action of its kind, the state has sent more than 600 letters to property owners across Minnesota who rent their cabins for a week or less. In an attempt to enforce an existing law more vigorously, the letters warn that the owners might need to buy a license and undergo inspections -- the same rules that apply to hotels, motels and resorts Full article text at http://www.startribune.com/business/100197784.html?elr=KArksUUUycaEacyU

Randy's opinion: This is similar to recent laws in New York and Paris. I think the real issue is what can we do to promote the state's vacation rental industry. As a Minnesota resident, I see other states (Colorado, Florida are just 2) that do an outstanding job of promoting vacation rentals on their tourism websites. Along with inspections, the state should partner with owners and promote our rentals so guests don't go to another state.

London Local Transport Evolves

London calling, free two-wheelers are replacing two-decker buses for transport mode of choice.

Read all about it.

Hello Spring Hill, Florida !

Welcome to InCircleRentals' newest member, who lives in Europe and owns a wonderful vacation rental property in Spring Hill, Florida. Spring Hill belongs to Florida's Nature Coast and is in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area.

Welcome Aboard, Port Charlotte!

Welcome to our newest member with lovely rental property in Port Charlotte, Florida, near Ft Myers. The Port Charlotte area was largely planned and developed by the now-defunct General Development Corporation, which also developed many other subdivisions and municipalities along Florida's west coast.