George-
Wow-! Thanks for the suggestions- I had no clue there were all those places out there for owners- really- you took time to answer me and I really do appreciate that- I mean it- You took time out to help me and that is above and beyond--This Disney house is so different from anything I am used to
Yes, our home is different- I do interior design and architectural consulting- We have very high end vacation homes in different parts of the country. When we decided to buy down here close to Disney, we found one of these houses with a huge yard and privacy, a great fireworks view, and oversized pool and spa, and then gutted it (if we had good bones to start with, we knew we could work with it)- We added a great fenced-in yard with lush tropical landscaping and a bunch of citrus trees-Then, we ripped out the interiors and flooring and installed bamboo floors- We added a fireplace, with a handmade Moravian tile surround. High end appliances, and our furniture is totally different too- We certainly Disney-ed it up because of the location- for instance, in our safari room, the headboards and the chest of drawers are the wood prototypes that were originally designed for the Animal Kingdom Lodge- Much of our artwork and figurines are retired from Disney too- The artwork in the dining room hung in the
Disneyland Hotel in California, and the figures on all the high shelves were actual store displays retired from Disney storesBut we also have plenty of non-Disney things too- We use lots of comfortable antiques in our designs
The dining chairs are 1820s pine Windsors from New Hampshire- the kitchen table is an 1840s antique from North Carolina- The living room sofa I designed and had custom made for the house with all down spring hand-tied interiors The master bedrooms both have (washable) silk bedclothes and silk at the windows- The bedding is all Anichini Italian hotel sheets, towels and monogrammed robes, with featherbeds, down pillows. The soaps and amenities are by Hermes. Even the kitchen has French cutlery, hand painted European dishes, and Chantal pots and pans- We literally spent more on the bespoke bench-made living room sofa than some of the rental houses we looked at spent on their entire whole house furniture package (I looked at lots and lots of houses before buying and have family furniture stores, so really well acquainted with what I am seeing, not just guesses and George, I hope you know I am not trying to be pretentious, HONESTLY- it is just you would never know from the outside what is inside this house- It is geared for those folks who expect Anichini Italian hotel linens (or Frette, and I have used both, and Anchini is far superior- holds up far better, as well as staying luxuriously silky far longer- Frette sheets tend to pill and become rough with time) -- And hopefully so you can see I am not just some horribly misguided homeowner, I am going to include what was written in my guest book from a luxury home magazine editor that stayed here in August
"5 Star Rental Accommodations. This house was by far the most pleasant, CLEAN, user friendly home we have come across to date. As designer or 'Art Director' for an upscale magazine, I get to see a lot of homes all over the world. Most of the homes that we showcase are for sale, not for rent. But if there is ever a slot for a 'how to' set up rental properties, this home should be the bible."
But getting the word out about how different we are is the problem- I am totally sure you all have beautiful homes- REALLY BEAUTIFULI mean it--- there are LOTS AND LOTS of great homes out here-I mean that- I would guess yours is(are) fabulous- and you obviously are very intelligent in the marketing areaobviously well-versed which is why I am asking for your help:>)it is just that ours is a different niche, and that is what I meant by matching
) And this niche is pretty different because we also WELCOME well-behaved DOGS- I guess our market is different- Our house IS a good value for what it is---- a GREAT value actually- I mean, one could spend less for our entire house with fireplace than one would spend for a single, non-concierge level room at the Grand Floridian- And I guess that is my target market- a niche- Folks who are used to staying at very very high end hotels- like a Ritz Carlton or Four Seasons or Loews- and are looking for similar amenities and furnishings here- For instance, several of our Christmas-time guests were 13 and 14 year repeat stayers at the Grand Floridian- We certainly welcome lots of folks without dogs, but a lot of our guests travel with their four legged family members and are used to staying at Ritz Carltons with their pups or above- literally-- and wont stay at less--- I know we stay at those types of hotels when we travel with our dog when a five star is available and when we have short term travel needs- In any event, yes our house is different- Once we find folks,---they stay with us and become repeat guests, staying with us not only year after year but also sometimes several times in a year- It is harder in Disney- Certainly some folks come back here year to Kissimmee after year, but unlike our beach homes they might book year after year for the same week, some folks consider Disney a once in a while trip, so I am having to find new guests -We arent after those folks in the $99 a night market- And there is NOTHING wrong with that marketthere is a total need for that niche! it is just not our target market after we totally gutted this house. We are trying to find folks that want a true luxury , 5 star product this is, and know what a great value this home is do for what they get (and compared to some of our homes in OTHER parts of country that rent for up to $2000/night, this house is an unbelievable bargain)--- It is just that in this very saturated and overwhelming market, I dont know what to do---totally dont know-
This home is unlike anything in the area, (luxury plus the fireplace plus the dogs welcome too)- and it is just a question of finding the right guests but how????? Folks who get overwhelmed trying to find the right house when they start to search and might give up--Our luxury homes have always been in much smaller markets- like Seaside Florida which is 80 acres, and only has so many cottages, so getting found was not as hard as here - In contrast, this Disney area is so overwhelming- I read about potential renters on this DIS board and how overwhelmed they are with finding the right match- I totally sympathize as I was on their end once too- That is what I meant-And that is why I wrote in. Yes, I guess it IS marketing but in our case, it is also a question of finding the right match more than anything because we are so specialized- So thats what I meant if anyone had guidance on finding this type of specialty niche market-?
I have been up since 4 am yesterday morning with a migraine (was hit by a truck years ago and get migraines when I type too much, which is why I never have explored these Boards before
and I will certainly pay for typing this tome to you with an extended migraine:>) Anyway, an idea started percolating about some sort of a search capability for all potential renters to use-- I dont know- I will percolate some more- And if I come up with an idea that might help all of us, I will totally be on this board asking for input
In any event, thats what I meant by matching, and you are totally right, marketing needs to be a key too- so am totally open to suggestions
.And thanks for your time- I know you must be busy and I appreciate any suggestions you- or anyone else-- could give me- really and truly :>)Thanks
PPS I have no clue if this is the right place to ask or not, and have no idea how to move it to another area if not (major neophyte here) but the one thing I would like to add to the house is to take out the big shower and soaking tub and install a steam shower and an Ultra Bath whirlpool tub (uses AIR not a water pump, and has an automatic clean cycle after the tub is drained so the cleanliness issues with a regular whirlpool tub are not there-they are GREAT tubs) I would love to know if someone has a REALLY good remodeling contractor they could recommend to that end, someone they have used for demo and pretty technical work with plumbing and tile, and would heartily endorse. I would REALLY appreciate it-:>)
Thanks for the time-
