10 Reasons Why We're Different
Reason #1
No service charge. Ever.
We have never charged our valued guests, and the equally-valued travel agents who loyally book with us, a fee to reserve any of our properties. Never have, never will. Others do. It's just against our philosophy and the way we do business. Period.
Reason #2
Familiarity with Properties.
We are personally familiar with the properties we offer. We have had the pleasure of staying in them, or we conduct routine site inspections so that we can share our first-hand observations with you. We offer suggestions to the owners and managers to ensure that guests have the best experience possible when staying at their vacation homes. As such, we can guide you (and your travel agent, where applicable) in your selection process. Being able to compare a variety of options is where experience counts most, and that is one area where our company excels.
Reason #3
Knowledge of Destinations.
We have been to most of the Bahamian and Caribbean islands, big and small, and - in some cases - have worked in the hospitality industry on several of them. We have also traveled throughout Latin America, Europe and the USA. What this means to our clients is that we can differentiate between Port Antonio and Ocho Rios, Abaco and Exuma, Santorini and Mykonos, Sint Maarten and Saint Martin, Scrub Island and Virgin Gorda, Placencia and Ambergris Caye, Holetown and St. Lawrence Gap, Cozumel and Cancun et al.
We believe that it's just as important to choose the right island, country, region or area as it is to select the appropriate villa, condominium, apartment or private island for your needs, and this is why we devote a considerable portion of our website to destination information that will help prospective guests in their trip planning.
Reason #4
We can offer you properties you won't find anywhere else.
Some of our clients (such as the British Royal Family) are very particular about renting their vacation homes. Others are friends and acquaintances who don't make their vacation homes available on the open market. They trust us, and we have never let them down. Everyone wins.
Reason #5
Our prices tend to be lower.
We're a small company and we've built a wonderful rapport with our home owner clients and their property managers over the years. Our relationship with them is direct - no middle person - so our prices tend to be lower because we don't have to pay a whole bevy of people up the ladder in the process. Enough said.
Reason #6
We're active in the Travel, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
There is something to be said about having been on all sides of the travel industry table, from hotel sales and marketing to tour operation/wholesaler management to resort home ownership. We've held executive positions or been board members of travel industry organizations for more than 20 years. We've played an active role supplementing the efforts of our tourism colleagues as they promote their respective destinations. We support travel agents at industry trade shows and other venues. Our competition? Not so much.
As a result, we have a greater understanding and appreciation for what works for all parties in the rental transaction. We're fiercely loyal and very well-connected, and that has proven to be important and extremely helpful to our clients.
Reason #7
We're painstakingly objective.
When someone contacts us to rent a villa, we ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening. Based on what they share with us, we offer recommendations that we feel are best suited to their needs. We don't play favorites; rather, we are most concerned about making a perfect match because, in doing so, we will have happy clients (home owners and guests) and this is what it's all about at the end of the day.
Reason #8
We don't poach travel agents' clients.
We've seen it done. Heck, we've experienced it, ourselves, on cruise ships where they try to get you to book your next voyage with them right then and there and bypass the travel agent who made your initial reservation. We have a hard-fast policy that when people contact us, if we don't immediately recall their name from a past booking, we ask how they heard of us. If they booked a villa through us previously, we will pull their file. If we find that they booked one of our villas through a travel agent, after we send them the information they requested, we will alert that travel agent that a client they had booked with us previous has contacted us. We provide the travel agent with the same information we sent the prospective guests so they can follow up. We think that's just good business and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Reason #9
We care. We really do.
We enjoy a wealth of repeat business - some over several generations of clients - because we take the planning of each trip personally. Every detail is considered to ensure that all the bases are covered. We want our guests to return home and tell us that their trip was even better than imagined. And, they do!
Reason #10
We love what we do.
And it shows.
