Canada has a lot going on, a lot to see, and a lot to experience. It could be the Rocky Mountains of BC and Alberta; the wilderness of Manitoba; Toronto in Ontario; or the charming fishing towns of the East coast. People are travelling from all over the world to visit Canada and Canadians are doing tons of travelling within too. Let’s take a look at how to book vacation rentals in Canada.
The older way was grabbing the good ol’ Yellow pages and looking under the hotel, motel, cottage section and making some calls to find out about the property, its availability and its pricing. That was awfully time consuming and since it took so long, only a few options ever were explored. Thankfully, the old way is not necessary anymore. The most common and easiest way is through the internet. Anyone who’s anyone has a website and it makes it far easier to fine tune some selections to call and reserve or simply reserve right on their site. This method is the direct book method. This method will almost always yield you the lowest rate, but no less quality than the other methods. It’s direct with businesses and no commissions are involved. It’s also an opportunity to hear someone’s voice and get a feel for the place if you decide to make a phone call.
A newer method that has only been around for 10 years or so is from 3rd party sites like VRBO, Airbnb, etc. They gather up as many owners as they can and fill their site with a variety of listings. The potential vacationer can then jump on the 3rd party site and probably find what they are looking for and feel confident about their choice. Sounds good so far, eh? The problem is the vacationer is going to pay for this service. The 3rd party sites charge between 7% and 15%. This is enormous and makes a trip quite a bit more expensive. For example, a booking that normally costs $2000 turns into $2300.
The next method is a hybrid of the previous two. This one is the best parts of both and could be the most clever way. We find this happening here and there. In fact, we ourselves use this method regularly too. It is using the 3rd party sites to find a good looking place to stay from a whole bunch of listings and then opening a search page and finding the property’s own website to book with them direct. You get to scout out places for the best choice and get the best rate possible on it. No middle man.
The last and safest method is referral and word of mouth. A friend, family or acquaintance has stayed at a place where you want to go and they talk about their experience to you. It’s pretty reliable. Sometimes these people come home with the direct number of the owners to make an easy direct booking. Generally, the owners like this method the most too because they have a better idea about the guest(s) coming.
This article talked about how to book vacation rentals in Canada and gave modern methods and ways that are nearly fool-proof and are quite reliable. We even gave little hints on saving money on bookings.
