Friday, June 18, 2010

“Vacation rental ordinance stalls” plus 3 more

“Vacation rental ordinance stalls” plus 3 more

Vacation rental ordinance stalls

Posted: 18 Jun 2010 11:29 AM PDT

Vacation home rental owners vented their displeasure over proposed new county regulations last week, saying the latest version of a vacation rental ordinance is overkill that will put some people out of business.

As written, the ordinance "is like trying to kill a fly with a baseball bat," said Sea Ranch resident and vacation home property manager Barry Weiss at a Sonoma County Planning Commission hearing last week.

The proposed county ordinance won't affect approximately 350 vacation rentals at Sea Ranch and along the Sonoma Coast but it would require permits and impose restrictions on approximate 650 known vacation rentals in the county's unincorporated area.

Responding to complaints about noise, parking, garbage, trespassing, crime and other disruptive activities occurring on vacation rental properties, county supervisors appointed an ad hoc committee last year to work with property owners, vacation rental managers, lodging industry representatives and others to find common ground for permitting vacation rentals that are now basically unregulated by county zoning laws.

But the latest draft drew flack from vacation rental industry representatives who said it was much more stringent than earlier versions.

The new draft goes "above and beyond" what had been agreed upon in previous workshops, said Thera Buttaro of Bodega Bay & Beyond vacation rentals.

Russian River and Heladsburg area rental property owners and managers agreed.

"It was changed a lot from what was a workable plan." said Guerneville Realtor Herman Hernandez.

"We thought we had a pretty good compromise," said Healdsburg resident Marc Matson, of Healdsburg Vacation Homes. "All of a sudden it changed."

Limits on how many guests (two per bedroom) could stay in a house served by a septic system were a concern to Monte Rio vacation rental owners.

A requirement that pets could not be left unattended in vacation homes was also among the concerns that persuaded planning commissioners to send the ordinance back to the Permit and Resource Management Department staff for rework.

A Sonoma County Board of Supervisors public hearing scheduled for July 13 has been postponed. Instead the Planning Commission will take another look at the ordinance on Aug. 5.

"They just need to kind of refine it," said Hernandez.

In Healdsburg vacation rentals in certain agriculturally-zoned areas would not be allowed under the proposed ordinance because those uses are not consistent with the Sonoma County General Plan, said county planner Jane Riley in a staff report to the commission last week.

That prompted those vacation rental owners to seek legal help. Tina Wallis, a land use attorney with the Clement, Fitzpatrick & Kenworthy firm in Santa Rosa said she represents clients who own wine country vacation rentals on land zoned LIA (land intensive agriculture) where some existing vacation rentals may not be allowed.

In those cases, "There's a potential takings issue," Wallis told the commission.

Many vacation home rental advocates cited the potential economic impact if the new ordinance puts people out of the vacation rental business which now generates more than $2 million in annual county transient occupancy tax (TOT) revenues, about 25 percent of the total county TOT, which is a 9 percent tax added to the nightly rate guests pay at hotels, inns and vacation rental houses.

Vacation home rentals generate more than $20 million in annual revenue in Sonoma County, and vacation home renters spend an estimated $60 million annually on food, drink and shopping, said Ken Fischang, chief of the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau.

County Supervisors began looking at the burgeoning vacation home rental industry more than a year ago owing to increasing complaints about noise, traffic, parking, parties and other compatibility issues when houses in residential neighborhoods become commercial vacation rentals.

Most of the vacation homes are in the 5th Supervisorial District but the majority of complaints have come from the Sonoma Valley where wine country mansions have become venues for large outdoor gatherings.

Most of the serious complaints — less than two dozen — have been generated by large houses where wedding parties, reunions and corporate retreats take place, said Sonoma County planner Riley.

Under the new policy all vacation homeowners will be expected to get an over-the-counter zoning permit that spells out standards such as how many people are allowed to stay in a vacation house, limits on the number of guests, parking requirements and noise limits such as quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and a requirement that the vacation home rental industry set up a complaint system with someone on call to respond

Most vacation rentals are managed by professional property management services whose rental agreements typically include provisions against large parties or events, said Riley.

But there are also a large number of vacation rentals by owners that are advertised on websites but do not pay transient occupancy tax, according to county officials.

The Sonoma County Lodging Association and county staff estimated there are approximately 200 county vacation rental properties that do not pay TOT, according to a report last year.

Property owners and managers who do pay the tax say the by-owner rentals that don t pay the TOT have an unfair business advantage that the new ordinance needs to address.

Last week's continuation means Sonoma County probably won't see a vacation rental ordinance in place for this summer season.


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All-American family beach vacation spots

Posted: 18 Jun 2010 07:51 AM PDT

Ahhh ... the family beach vacation. It's as all-American as apple pie, a time-honored tradition where some of the best childhood memories are made. Everyone has their favorite sands, but when it comes to family-friendly options, not all are created equal. We've picked 10 great family beaches across the country that parents and kids alike are guaranteed to love — whether for their gentle surf, range of activities, sand-castle potential, or educational elements. So gather the gang and pack up the SPF and beach ball — it's time to take the clan to the sand!

Canon Beach, Ore.
Set against verdant old-growth forests and punctuated by giant rock monoliths (including the 235-foot-high Haystack Rock), quaint and kid-friendly Cannon Beach (www.cannonbeach.org) lies just 80 miles west of Portland, Oregon. While the Pacific waters here are often too cold for swimming, kite flying, along with tide pooling and sand-castle building, reign supreme on this wide, sandy strip – and the kites sold at the town's weathered cedarwood-clad shops make the perfect family beach vacation souvenir. Every June brings Sandcastle Day (June 19 in 2010), when kids of all ages can enter one of the West Coast's largest sand-castle-building contests.

Cape May, N.J.
Victorian house-lined streets might not be what comes to mind when you think of going "down the shore," but this National Historic District in southern New Jersey is full of surprises. Indeed, while the family beach destination of Cape May has the beautiful expanse of sandy shoreline and requisite ice-cream shops for little visitors, it also boasts boutique hotels, horse-drawn carriage rides, and a top-rated, seafood-centric culinary scene bound to please grown-ups. Plus, amusement park-style excitement awaits on the animated boardwalk of North Wildwood, just a short drive away.

Coast Guard Beach, Mass.
It's no wonder that after all these years, the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts still lures families in droves – after all, aren't vast beaches, pounding surf, fried seafood, and ice-cream shops what family beach vacation dreams are made of? But of all the Cape's beaches, the National Seashore's Coast Guard Beach (www.nps.gov) stands out – not only for the large waves begging to be surfed, but also for its educational and natural attractions. Spend a day at the beach showing the kids the threatened piping plovers that nest here during the early summer months, plus the site of the Mayflower's first New World landing, all while enjoying fun in the sun.

Coronado, Calif.
Lather the kids with SPF and set 'em loose for a family beach vacation on the Coronado (www.coronado.ca.us) shore, a prime spot for fun-seeking families looking to boogie board, surf, and swim – all just a bridge or ferry ride away from downtown San Diego. Besides being the place to stay, the spectacular Hotel del Coronado makes a fabulous backdrop for a family photo and has kids' activities galore – think sandcastle building and kite making. If you visit in early winter, be sure to check out the gray whales breaching right offshore during their annual migration. Land activities like beach volleyball and biking can be enjoyed year-round, courtesy of sunny San Diego's near-perfect weather.

Daytona Beach, Fla.
Daytona Beach's 23 miles of sparkling Florida sand promise plenty of family beach-time fun to keep the kiddies content, plus a plethora of off-beach activities to keep them occupied away from the surf. Wildlife excursions on the Halifax River and at the nearby Marine Science Center (www.marinesciencecenter.com) offer eco-education, while the race-car simulator at the Daytona 500 Experience (www.daytona500experience.com) thrills adults and kids alike. Don't want to encourage your kids to be race-car drivers? Take them instead to the NASA Kennedy Space Center (www.ksc.nasa.gov) in Cape Canaveral, or to Orlando to see Mickey and the gang; both are only about an hour's drive away.


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Bad Flight Behavior and Crowded Vacation Rentals

Posted: 18 Jun 2010 06:08 AM PDT

Q: I was at the airport recently and an airline employee pulled me out of the security line and told me my bag was too big to carry on. Now, I know my bag is fine. (And I measured it after I got home to prove it.) I tried to tell her this, but she insisted I return to the counter with her to check my bag. Then she suddenly whispered, "Hurry up, go, my supervisor's not looking now." I ran off (and proceeded to successfully take the bag on the plane). But what the heck? Can an airline just randomly decide a bag is too big to carry on? And what could I have done if she didn't let me go?

A: That's very bizarre—particularly because if you were in the TSA checkpoint line, I'm sure there were plenty of other people nearby whose bags actually were too big. And it sounds like that airline employee has a rather bad relationship with her boss. If she did attempt to follow through with making you check your bag, I'd ask (very nicely) if someone could measure it to prove it's oversized. Now, I've seen flight attendants force people to gate-check very small bags when the overheads are full, so I suspect airlines do have the right to make you check pretty much anything. But it doesn't make sense to have carry-on size restrictions and apply them unfairly. Ask politely if you can speak with a manager.

Q: Three friends and I are planning to rent a beach house for a week in August. Well, one of my friends announced she's bringing her boyfriend. We tried telling her this was supposed to be a girlfriend getaway, but she says if she wants him to stay in her room, it's not our business. What can we do? (For the record, none of us can stand him.)

A: She can't try to pull this kind of stunt. It's not like he's going to stay in her room 24/7—he's obviously going to be using the bathroom, hanging out in the living room, running up your electric bill, etc. You agreed to share the house with three other people, not four, and I think the rest of you should just tell her that. Don't mention how much he annoys you, though. It's beside the point. Even if he were the greatest guy in the world, he'd still be an extra person you didn't count on having in the house.

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Rentalo.com Introduces Booking Management Solution for Vacation Rental Owners

Posted: 17 Jun 2010 05:23 PM PDT

Leading Travel Lodging and Vacation Rentals Directory Launches EZ Reserve; Reservation, Invoicing and Payment Solution for Vacation Property Management

Miami, FL (Vocus) June 17, 2010 -- Rentalo.com, a leading travel lodging and vacation rentals directory, introduces its new Booking Management solution for vacation rental owners. The new system is designed to streamline the booking process through an integrated reservation, invoicing, and payment solution. Branded as "EZ Reserve", the system is a complete and useful booking engine for vacation rental owners. With the EZ Reserve system owners are able to control their booking process by tracking reservations, invoices, and payments online.

Reservations can be created and scheduled so that owners can manage their vacation rental bookings more efficiently along with their listings. The system addresses typical property owner concerns like double booking prevention, registering invoices, and accepting online payments. Owners may also send a copy of their rental agreement to travelers while keeping track of the reservation online. Invoices can be issued, sent on demand, and scheduled to be paid online (through Paypal) or offline through other payment methods.

Alfredo Purrinos, Rentalo´s President and CEO, highlights the most important benefits of the system: "Bookings are integrated with our availability calendar so professional invoices are very easy to manage. We believe the most exciting aspect of EZ Reserve is the fact that owners can accept payments online or offline. With EZ Reserve, you can link your Paypal account so travelers can pay the invoices they receive from owners."

With the EZ Reserve release, Rentalo hopes to better serve its audiences by providing a powerful solution that integrates online http;//rentalo.com/ [vacation rental marketing and booking management tools. Frank Suarez, Customer Service Director for Rentalo, explains: "Most property owners are hands on and prefer to be involved in the entire booking process. EZ Reserve is a complete booking management tool that will help listing owners manage their booking information and payments, in a more time efficient and organized manner. As a result, they will have more time to better serve their guests."

Also, with EZ Reserve, Rentalo offers a complete solution for property management, gaining industry recognition as a one-stop solution for owners and property managers. This complete state-of-the-art booking solution is available to subscribed property owners and managers for an introductory yearly fee of USD $65.
Marketing Director for Rentalo, Gabriel Amorocho, summarizes EZ Reserve´s benefits: "Reservation integration with the availability calendar, the possibility of professional invoice creation and scheduling, as well as the ability to configure automatic or manual secure online payments, are the system´s strongholds. We are very excited to offer this tool to our customers, they will surely appreciate it."

Visit Rentalo's blog for vacation rental owners to learn more about Rentalo´s EZ Reserve booking, invoicing, and payment solution.

About Rentalo.com
Rentalo.com is an award-winning lodging website for advertise vacation rentals as well as hotels and bed and breakfasts. Its broad inventory of lodging options is available online and via RSS feeds, affiliate distribution partners, as well as thousands of journalists and editors through e-mail, press releases, and travel publications. Through selected partnerships and affiliations, Rentalo's selected inventory content is available to an online audience of more than 100 million travelers in the United States and abroad. For more information, please visit Rentalo.com or contact us via telephone at 1(305) 558-5577 or 1(877)710-5914.

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Rentalo.com
Gabriel Amorocho
1-305-558-5577 ext 6
E-mail Information

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