Beach House Logos and Visual Data Systems Partner
For Mutual Client Enrichment 

 

Partnership Will Introduce Clients To New Services To Help
With Customer Acquisition and Retention

Pittstown, NJ – October 2010 /Beach House Logos/ Press Release – Beach House Logos, a leader in providing promotional and branded products to the vacation industry and Visual Data Systems, the leading independent provider on Online Marketing and Technology Services for the vacation rental industry have announced their partnership designed to provide their clients with the most up to date programs and services.     

This partnership between Beach House Logos and Visual Data Systems will introduce their clients to each other products and services, increasing new customer acquisition and client retention. While both companies are leaders in the vacation rental industry-they also have strong relationships and market to the non-profit sector.

“Beach House Logos and Visual Data Systems have had a long and fruitful relationship within the Vacation Rental Industry and we felt it was now in the best interest of our clients to announce a more formal relationship,” stated Kelly Hurley, COO/EVP of Visual Data Systems. “Our mutual recognition of each other and the promotion to our clients of our valued services and products can only serve to enhance the business endeavors of our clients. We strongly recommend to our clients that if they are not already doing so, that they seek out Steve and Beach House Logos to explore how their products can enrich their bottom line.”

Steve Zimmerman, President of Beach House Logos added, “We look forward to working with Visual Data Systems in developing additional products and services that will make our clients more competitive and better positioned in their marketplace. Strategic partnerships such as this one will only make our clients stronger and their opportunities to succeed more easily attainable.”

Founded by Steve Zimmerman in 2001, Beach House Logos is the leading provider of promotional products and services to the vacation industry. Their focus is in all aspects of the vacation rental industry with the creation of the following programs: Homeowner Guest Connect – Personalized branded marketing for the vacation homeowner, Beachside Clothing a full line of destination branded clothing items and accessories, pet friendly travel, event and destination marketing, staff and homeowner appreciation and guest welcome packages.

Visual Data Systems was founded in 1994 by CEO, Paul Herman – as the leading independent provider of Online Marketing tools and services to the Vacation Rental Industry; Visual Data Systems has a long successful history of bringing innovation and measurable results to their clients. Visual Data Systems offers clients Custom Website Design and Development; Mobile Websites; Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO/SEM); Email Marketing Campaigns; Social Media Marketing & Tools; Online Surveys; Business & Marketing Consulting and a variety of other services.

About Beach House Logos

With a focus on the vacation rental industry, Beach House Logos was founded in February of 2001 by Steve Zimmerman and is located in Pittstown, NJ. Their programs and offerings are geared to making their clients look good, by assisting each of them in enhancing their brand, making them unique against their competition and bringing extra value to their business, homeowners and guests. Beach House Logos is committed to excellence, fast turnaround, strong communication and superior vetted product offerings. They do the research for you in finding products that make you stand out and make sure your marketing dollars have been spent wisely. Beach House Logos can be reached at 866-232-2402.

About Visual Data Systems

Visual Data Systems, based in Columbia, Maryland is the leading independent supplier of website design and software integration, managed email marketing, search engine promotion, online surveys, online marketing tools, and consultation for the vacation rental industry. Founded in 1994, Visual Data Systems has clients throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean and was a pioneer in bringing real-time online bookings to the vacation rental industry. Visual Data Systems supplies clients across all industries (non-profit; ecommerce; real estate; healthcare) with a variety of innovative products that lead them to online marketing success. For more information, please go to www.VisualDataSystems.com or call 410-964-8665.

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For More Information Contact:

Steve Zimmerman, President
Beach House Logos
866-232-2402
steve@beachhouselogos.com

Robert Gray, Director of Sales
Visual Data Systems
410-964-8665 ex. 264
RobertG@VisualDataSystems.com

 

During the winter, it is almost involuntary to reach for a winter coat as we rush out the door.  In addition to covering up our bodies, we should also be covering our our lips in the winter with a good lip balm.  The primary purpose of lip balm is to provide a layer on the lip surface to seal moisture in lips while protecting them from external exposure. Dry air, cold temperatures and wind all have a drying effect on skin by drawing moisture away from the body. Lips are particularly vulnerable because the skin is so thin, and thus they are often the first to present signs of dryness. The first lip balm was actually made out of earwax, but lip balms today have come a long way.  Sometimes they even include vitamins, sunscreen, and flavorants.  There are many benfefits of lip balms as well as reasons why everyone should at least carry a tube in his/her pocket.  Here are the 7 biggest benefits.

1. Lip balm is for dry lips like lotion is for dry skin; you could drink 8 glasses of water each day and still have dry lips in the winter without using a good lip balm.

 2. Lip balm is great for keeping lips hydrated on that brisk morning jog.

3. Lip balm helps keep those luscious lips intact…Be sure to keep them covered with a good layer of lip balm applied several times during the day, as lips tend to dry out the fastest at this time of year.

4. Lip balm with sunscreen is very necessary and helpful in keeping lips supple and moist – even in the winter.

5. The most useful additives in lip balms are sunscreens. The vermilion border that defined the lips against the rest of our skin can be lost over time due to sun damage.

6. Lip balm reduces the occurrence of cold sores.

7. Lip balm keeps our lips feeling great and protected while outdoors and on the slopes.

When marketing your vacation rental properties you put much time and energy into the proper method, the message, the branding, price/impact and timing of your plan. You scrutinize every detail. You may look to what has worked in prior years, industry standards, competitors business marketing models or what has worked for your colleagues in years past.

When we work to analyze our part of the  industry every year, we do many of the same things to be able to suggest to you items and ideas that will best promote your vacation rental businesses. What have the last 10 years working with our vacation clients told us about the vacation rental business and promotional offerings?  What have been the most successful marketing promotions in calling your guests to action?  How to keep good homeowners and let them know you care about representing their properties. All of  these questions and many more help to guide our recommendations to you.

Why then when dollars are tight would we strongly recommend welcoming and marketing to potential guests traveling with pets?

According to the Travel industry Association 30 MILLION people have indicated that they have traveled more than 50 miles with their pets in the past three years. More than ever people are looking for vacation accommodations that allow them to comfortably bring their pets. A variety of websites actually evaluate how various business rate in offering services to pet traveling families. Americans are spending more and more on their pets and this segment of the economy has seen significant growth. Vacation rental companies need to consider how they can best market to and accomodate this continually growing part of the travel industry.

 As an example of what the competition is doing this holiday season, we can point to a large vacation resort that has introduced a program this year marketing to their guests four-legged friends with special rates and amenities. Each is welcomed with a pets brochure, which includes a listing of pet services available at the resort, including dog-walking routes and information on nearby veterinarians, pet shops, groomers,  pet attractions, pet-friendly restaurants and other resources. Guests also receive a special pet welcome or amenity kit that includes pet placemats with food and water bowls, dog tags, treats, scoop bags and a “Do Not Disturb” sign that lets housekeeping/maintenance know when a pet is in the home. Pet walking and pet sitting services are available through the companies’ concierge desks.

Saying you have Pet friendly homes is a first step, but truly accommodating, catering to and even spoiling your guests precious companion is critical. What will you be doing to capture the 30 million pet owners that travel with their pets in the next four years?

Travelers Reveal Increasing Interest In Family Reunion Vacations
Among Them, More Than Two Million Choose Vacation Homes for Past Overnight Trips

 Family reunions have seen huge growth in the past year alone, with 23 percent of leisure travelers having named it as the primary reason for taking one or more trips during the past year, up a remarkable 13 percentage points since 2008.* As reunions increase in popularity, families are selecting vacation rental homes for a sense of privacy under one roof, rather than the stress of requesting adjoining rooms, remembering floor numbers, and designating “family” floor monitors to keep a watchful eye out for “tween” and teen members of the group. In fact, 2.45 million family reunion travelers who took an overnight trip of at least 75 miles from home in 2008 indicated staying in a vacation rental they rented or owned during the past year.

DiscoverVacationHomes.com  member companies have historically seen tremendous growth in the number of reunion groups who choose vacation rentals for their families’ accommodations over the traditional hotel,” explains Alex Risser, President of the Vacation Rental Managers Association (VRMA), whose professional members represent approximately 150,000 vacation rentals in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico. “The vacation rental option often costs less than reserving multiple hotel rooms, and homes can even be rented side-by-side in the same neighborhood.”

Vacation rentals can range from one to upwards of 20 bedrooms underneath one roof with spaces to accommodate small to medium-sized reunion gatherings, including resort-style pools, barbeque areas, patios, restaurants on-property or in-home movie theaters. While staying in a professionally managed rental of any size, guests not only save on their overall cost of accommodations, but they can choose to cook meals in-home or using an outdoor grill, bring home leftovers from restaurants, cater meals using personal chef services or store ready-made meals and snacks. Most vacation rental management companies also boast partnerships with local vendors to offer guests discounts on tickets to area excursions, attractions, golf courses, as well as special rates on car and equipment rentals, to name a few.

The VRMA launched a “Discover Vacation Homes” awareness initiative this year as a tool for travelers to learn more about the vacation rental option,. The program aims to offer a variety of tools and resources for the traveling public, and links to more than 500 of North America’s most reputable professional vacation rental companies.

Looking to make your vacations even more memorable come visit Beach House Logos or Beachside Clothing Co to personalize your family reuinion just bit more

Recently came across a great article on CNN.com on Tailgating. What does tailgating and vacation rentals have in common?

The author calls tailgates the last great American neighborhoods. So are family vacations. How many of your guests arrive with more than one family.

On Saturdays, especially in the South, tailgating means having a party with thousands of your friends, old and new. College campuses are full of makeshift tent communities, where there are no privacy fences separating neighbors. It’s just a bunch of folks having some drinks, grilling out and actually talking to each other….. same on a family vacation.

The same tailgaters can be found in the same place year after year, and enterprising undergrads set up tents for alumni for as much as a few hundred bucks. Same can be said about vacation rental guests.  How many vacation rental guests come back to the same area each year and more importantly how many guests come back to the same house?

Tailgaters feels comfortable leaving their food out (except the deviled eggs), even during the game, because sharing truly is caring. And if you don’t cook any food, you can always go out. Again same with the vacation rental industry. How many of your guests meet new friends on vacation and leave with a pleasant experience? Sharing food, recipes and friendship all happens on vacation.

As a tailgater once told The New York Times: “We may not win every game. But we’ve never lost a party.”  I am sure you have witnessed lots of partys and helped plan lots of events with your guests.

Tailgaters have there must events every year ….. and so do your guests.

The SEC takes its tailgating very seriously. The Georgia-Florida game in Jacksonville, Florida, is known informally as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, and Cahn says the event is not overhyped. Hundreds of thousands of fans travel to it, and after the tailgate takes a break for the game, most head to bars to watch.

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Another popular spot is Baton Rouge, Louisiana, home of Louisiana State, where the food is the best in the league, several frequent tailgaters say. The menu even includes alligator. (Fans from Gainesville, Florida, probably go for jambalaya or gumbo instead.) And there’s plenty of food for everyone.

Outside-of-conference notables include University Park, Pennsylvania, home to Penn State and Beaver Stadium, the largest college stadium, with more than 107,000 seats. Cahn says the fall weather doesn’t deter the Nittany Lions fans, and there is a ton of room to tailgate.

Tailgating and family vacations have a lot in common.

Things you should consider.

Do you welcome your guests with a BBQ? After a long drive what better to welcome your guests with a little tailgating outside your office.

Do you have a time set aside one night a week for owners to get together when they are in town?

Do you offer a kids night out? Host a movie let the parents get out of the house.

What are some of the things you do to engage and welcome your guests while they are visiting you.

Share your stories here we want to know.

Certainly this past weekends Parade magazine did little to sooth the nervous vacation rental manager. The article indicated that some 42% of Americans did not take a vacation last year or delayed vacations to save money. CNN reported earlier this year americans are cutting back on vacations in 2009 . “Staycations” have become the rage and certainly this type of family time has helped fuel drive to destinations and those with 2-3 day rental availability. What it failed to mention is whether or not these same people were planning a vacation in 2010. My guess is yes, many are.

Many people have said they are unwilling to indefinitely forego or cut back on vacations but will give up other things to fund that much-needed week away. We are hearing and reading much about the pent-up demand in the american vacationing public. Vacation managers are reporting higher that average bookings now for 2010. One such American stated “In the past we’ve made some tough decisions about skipping summer vacations (which we’ve done this summer), passing on trips, etc. While I admire their frugality, I must confess sometimes I wonder if we are making the right decision. After all, think of the memories created on family vacations, summer camps, etc. Life is to be enjoyed, and despite the costs, we should all stop and smell the roses from time to time.”

That’s what I”m talking about! Welcome to a brighter future in vacation rentals in 2010. Will you be ready?

The VRMA conference in Washington DC last week continued to highlight the progress and planning for an increase in vacation rentals as a viable option for the vacationing public. Clearly the value of a vacation rental as travel option has tremendous upside for all involved in the vacation rental industry. As the VRMA continues to poise itself as the ‘authoratative voice” of the vacation rental industry and looks to educate and promote its members thru increased press coverage, a new reality television show, new and highly educational classes at the conferences, and looks to expand its membership,  travelers looking for the best and most cost-effective travel option will learn to search out your properties. Will you be ready? 

The news coming from our customers during the show was upbeat and positive about the 2010 vacation rental year. The thoughts that pent-up demand in the marketplace came up again and again. VRM’s that trimmed their marketing budgets and discontinued using strong brand re-enforcers like welcome gifts and thank you gifts or branded apparel were recognizing the error of their ways and returning to the things that had made them different from their competition. Strong testimonials from their fellow VRM’s about the success of their relationship with Beach House Logos brought new and excited people to the booth this year. Brand identification works. Let us show you how.