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Local resort reservation services or concierge companies offer an improved vacation experience with superior property choices, better knowledge of the area, personalized customer service, and often lower prices. In comparison to the larger national sites and discounters, there are no benefits except price, and you may not even get the quality of room you booked.
The main differences between local and national reservation sources are: property prices, quality assurance, personal attention and value add services. You may pay a little less, but in the end it is likely to cost you more or have ruined your Big Bear vacation.
Jefferson Lanz of City Concierge puts it this way: When you use a locally-based all-encompassing full-service vacation rental Web site, you get local knowledgeable people to help you with your travel plans. They know the area youre visiting and the actual lodging properties youre looking at, and they do the legwork for you to keep you in your budget. The personal service starts with the first phone call and continues until your vacation is over. Also the personal recommendations and services make your vacation a real vacation. We want you to come back. Distant national companies just cant do that.
What you get a National Lodging Reservation Web site:
1.Property Prices Because of the deep commissions these national companies charge, Big Bear vacation rental and hotel property managers have to mark up the real cost as much as 30% over the average nightly rate. Limiting the quantity of rooms available is the only other way to manage the higher commissions.
2.Quality Assurance - The photo of a property in a complex is a generic photo, not an individual photo of the specific vacation rental or even hotel room. The actual lodging may not even look similar nor have the same features. This is especially true with vacation rentals, as each home is personally owned with personal objects rather than a hotel where each room should be identical.
3.Personal Services Other than a help line so you can navigate their site, any questions or answers about the property come from a manual.
What you get a Local Resort Reservation and Concierge Web site:
1.Property Prices All the local vacation properties are aggregated into one web site for easy comparison of properties, prices and features. The companys staff has real relationships with property managers and owners - they know the inventory. They also know the best possible prices or current specials or even who will wheel and deal.
2.Quality Assurance The photos of the specific Big Bear condo, cabin, and vacation home properties are the actual and true photos of the properties no generic photos. What you see is what you get.
3.Personal Services The local company has real people who specifically know the area and have personal relationships with the resorts unique services, information, activities and businesses. Their information, guidance and assistance are free, just like with a hotel concierge. Certain companies even have local people to provide special guest services such as custom chef-prepared meals, grocery shopping, baby and pet sitting, in-home massages, holiday decorations, dinner and equipment reservations, special ski packages, and 24/7 problem fixers. A truly full-service company will offer special group services, too. This one item makes your getaway a success every time.
When it comes to getting the most value for those hard-earned vacation dollars, combining the ease of the Internet with the personal customer relationship of your own concierge will make your Big Bear ski resort vacation. National reservation sites just cant compete with the attention you receive when you go local to plan your vacation.
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