Good morning,

There's an old saying in business:

"Nothing kills a bad product like good advertising."

It's a little harsh... but there's a lot of truth in it.

A friend reached out to me this week after her daughter had a truly awful experience at a vacation rental here in the Poconos. She asked if I could take a look into it.

I watched the videos.

I looked at the photos.

Let's just say... it wasn't pretty.

Naturally, I went to see the property's reviews, expecting a long list of complaints.

Instead, they were all over the place.

10/10.

Then 2/10.

Back to 10/10.

Then another terrible review.

That tells me something important.

This owner (or property manager) has figured out how to market the property well enough to keep getting bookings... but they haven't figured out how to consistently deliver on the promise.

And that's a shame.

Because attracting guests is hard work. We spend thousands of dollars on photography, websites, channel managers, advertising, social media, SEO, furnishings, amenities and branding. We obsess over occupancy rates and pricing.

Why do all that work just to disappoint the people who finally show up?

It's like filling a leaky bucket.

Every happy guest becomes free marketing.

Every disappointed guest becomes expensive marketing.

They leave poor reviews.  They tell their friends.  They choose hotels next time.  Or worse... they decide the problem wasn't that rental.

It was vacation rentals.

And that's where this becomes everyone's problem.

Every poor experience reinforces the narrative that opponents of our industry love to tell—that short-term rentals are poorly managed, disruptive, or don't belong in our communities.

We know that isn't true.

The overwhelming majority of hosts care deeply about their homes and their guests.

But every time one property consistently underdelivers, it reflects on all of us.

So what would I do?

I'd stop worrying about getting the next booking for a minute and focus on why guests aren't leaving consistently happy.

Read every negative review without getting defensive.

Look for patterns.

Hire better cleaners if cleanliness is the issue.

Replace worn furniture.

Fix the little maintenance items.

Walk through the property as if you've never been there before.

Ask a trusted friend to spend the weekend and tell you everything they'd change.

And if you're managing for someone else, have the hard conversation. Protecting your reputation sometimes means telling an owner their property isn't meeting expectations.

The best marketing strategy in the world isn't another Facebook ad.

It's a guest who leaves saying,

"That place was even better than we expected."

Because no amount of marketing can overcome a disappointing experience forever.

Deliver on your promise.

Then let your guests become your marketing department.

Have a great week,

~Rebecca
Executive Director
Poconos VRO