“Seaside vacation rentals may face tougher rules” plus 3 more |
- Seaside vacation rentals may face tougher rules
- Second Porch and LiveRez Partner to Socially Activate Vacation Rentals
- Poipu a picture perfect island vacation
- Job of the Day: Convergys
| Seaside vacation rentals may face tougher rules Posted: 02 Sep 2010 12:02 PM PDT SEASIDE, Ore. (AP) - Future operators of vacation rentals in Seaside may have to follow stricter guidelines than those owning rental homes follow now. Although the city ordinance that governs rental dwellings won't change, the city planning commission and City Council expect to include additional "policies" that limit the number of occupants in the dwellings, require re-inspections, restrict dwellings in some residential areas and the encourage citations for properties that violate the ordinance. Members of the planning commission and council reviewed the guidelines, proposed by City Planner Kevin Cupples Monday night. They agreed to continue to review them and contact Cupples if they had any concerns. Cupples said he expected that, after the short review period, the guidelines would go into effect within the next two months. The guidelines were developed after three meetings with vacation property managers and owners and receiving comments from many others, said Bill Carpenter, a planning commission member. The policy guidelines won't become law "because we didn't have a consensus on what changes should be made, so we decided to leave it alone," Cupples said. But they will carry some weight for those who want to obtain a license to operate a vacation dwelling in the future. The differences include: - Maximum number of occupants The current ordinance says that the maximum number of occupants cannot exceed three persons, over the age of 3, per bedroom. The city's code enforcement officer or fire marshal can reduce this number for valid code reasons. The new guidelines restrict the number of occupants to 12 persons over the age of 3, regardless the number of rooms. Some exceptional circumstances may apply. The occupancy regulations also apply to guests who may want to visit but not spend the night, Cupples said. He recalled a time when the best man in his wedding was renting a house in Seaside with a group of friends and invited Cupples over to visit. "I told him 'I can't come by to see you because of the vacation rental ordinance,'" Cupples recalled. "I knew he would be over (the occupancy limit), and I didn't go over for that reason." But Mayor Don Larson expressed concern that Cupples and others couldn't visit a house because of occupancy restrictions. "If there is a problem, you have to have some language" to correct it, he said. - When the restrictions apply The current ordinance doesn't address how the restrictions apply to the home's owners or non-renting groups that aren't part of the owner's family. The new guidelines say that properties licensed as vacation rentals will be expected to adhere to the city's rules throughout the year, even when they aren't being rented for profit. However, the guidelines won't apply when members of the owner's family are present. Several of those attending Monday's meeting debated how neighbors could determine whether the homeowner's family or renters were occupying the home. "You don't always know who is in the home," said City Councilor Don Johnson. "You can't infringe on the rights of owners." But, noted Dick Ridout, a member of the planning commission, "No one requires them to make their home a business, but when they do, they should adhere to the rules." - Parking spaces The current ordinance requires one 9-foot by 18-foot off-street space per bedroom and no fewer than two spaces per dwelling. The new guidelines require the parking spaces to be identified on a parking map posted in the rental, and occupants aren't allowed to park on the street. - Local contact The current ordinance requires the rental's owner to identify a responsible party within Clatsop County to serve as an initial contact person in case of complaints or problems. The responsible party will provide a telephone number to the city and neighbors within 100 feet of the property. The new ordinance says that the contact person must be available 24 hours a day to address compliance issues while the property is rented, and both daytime and after-hours phone numbers must be provided. - Tsunami awareness This is a new guideline, requiring the owner to post or otherwise provide a tsunami evacuation map in a conspicuous location. A NOAA weather radio with automatic alert capabilities also must be permanently affixed in a central part of the rental, along with an informational sheet. - Time period for approval, required re-inspection The current ordinance does not require a reinspection of a rental unit after it receives a conditional use permit. The permit could continue indefinitely. The new guidelines would limit approvals for vacation rentals up to five years, unless the dwelling is reinspected. If the reinspection isn't completed within the five years, the permit will expire and a new application must be approved prior to obtaining a new business license for the sixth calendar year. - Allowable rental dwelling areas The current ordinance allows rentals in areas where they are "compatible with the surrounding land uses." The new guidelines wouldn't allow rentals to "encroach into established residential areas that have historically been dominated by local residential occupancy or workforce areas. They won't be considered compatible in residential areas east of Neawanna Street, east of North and South Holladay Drive, east of South Roosevelt Drive from Holladay South, or within the Ocean Cove Estates subdivision. - Complaint procedures Although the current ordinance mentions that upon receipt of two complaints, the city code compliance officer will review the property, Cupples said any complaint should prompt some action, even those that are anonymous. - Enforcement actions The current ordinance doesn't address citations, but does suggest voluntary compliance. The new guidelines encourage the issuance of citations to owners who violate the rental rules, especially when the rental has no license or permits. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Second Porch and LiveRez Partner to Socially Activate Vacation Rentals Posted: 01 Sep 2010 04:00 AM PDT Second Porch, the social vacation rental marketplace and LiveRez, a leading online vacation rental property management solution, have partnered to enable thousands of professionally-managed vacation rentals for searching and online booking at SecondPorch.com. In addition, past guests of each home can easily rate and review the vacation home they booked, and enable that information to be highlighted to their friends, and friends of friends with Second Porch's social search capabilities, which are fully integrated with Facebook. (PRWEB) September 1, 2010 -- Second Porch, the social vacation rental marketplace, and LiveRez, the fully-hosted integrated platform for vacation rental property managers, today announced that professionally managed North American properties using the LiveRez platform are now searchable and bookable at SecondPorch.com. In addition, past guests of each home can easily rate and review the vacation home they booked, and enable that information to be highlighted to their friends, and friends of friends with Second Porch's social search capabilities, which are fully integrated with Facebook. With the staggering growth of social network participation, vacation rental property managers are finding that Facebook offers a compelling and logical new channel for building awareness of, and driving bookings for the homes they manage. With the industry's first "social search" capability, Second Porch extends those Facebook initiatives by offering property managers a new social "word of mouth marketing" capability, which will become unrivaled in its ability to bring "peace of mind" to travelers. Second Porch's social vacation rental marketplace enables travelers to easily search for vacation homes which have been rented, rated or reviewed by friends, and friends of friends. This social search capability solves one of the vacation rental industry's most critical issues in driving online bookings: travelers' reluctance in renting a home purely based on an online listing with or without reviews from unknown, inaccessible people. This partnership enables LiveRez customers' vacation homes to participate in this new social search channel. In addition, by integrating with LiveRez's new online booking portal, RezSecure, visitors to SecondPorch.com can now book these homes online just as easily as a hotel. Second Porch searchers will see a clickable button that indicates when a property can be booked directly online with RezSecure. "The team at LiveRez has been watching Second Porch since it launched a year ago. We believe that our property managers will see value from a partnership which makes it easy for them to list and publish in Second Porch and thus, into Facebook. Participating in this increasingly important social word-of-mouth marketing channel for the long-term is the goal," said Tracy Lotz, CEO and founder of LiveRez. "We have spent months getting to know the LiveRez team, and have found that they thoroughly understand the potential of the emerging social channel as an essential new opportunity for their property managers," said Brent Hieggelke, CEO and co-founder of Second Porch. "This partnership brings significant value to both of our customer bases, and we are excited to offer travelers thousands of new high quality, professionally-managed homes from the forests of the Pacific Northwest to sunny Florida." About Second Porch About LiveRez ### Second Porch This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Poipu a picture perfect island vacation Posted: 02 Sep 2010 08:32 AM PDT By Gary A. Warner, McClatchy-Tribune POIPU, Hawaii -- Poipu is postcard perfect Hawaii, guaranteed. Or as closed to it as you can get in the real world. The resort strip on the southern end of Kauai is an as-advertised version of a island vacation -- endless sun, great beaches, good food, maybe some golf or snorkeling. Days filled with activity or idleness, nights of romance or just a sound sleep to the soundtrack of crashing waves. Sure, it's a little safe. Hanalei, to the north, is more lush and beautiful -- but it can rain a lot. Waimea, to the west, is more authentic and uncrowded -- but a bit uncharted and scruffy. The Coconut Coast to the east has better prices and more to do, but is often hectic and crowded. Poipu has that Goldilocks factor going for it -- not too much of one thing or another. Just right. When I am traveling on the company dime, I can afford to be adventurous. I can book a cottage on the North Shore and get five days of rain or a too-funky cinderblock motel on a windswept portion of the island. But when readers are planning their own first trip to the Garden Island -- using their own real (and scarce) coin and time -- I hedge my bets. I might extol the wonders of North, West and East, but in the end I settle on aiming them at the almost always sure thing -- Poipu. It doesn't disappoint. It may not have the highs of my favorite spots around the island, but is has fewer lows. If the traveler falls in love, as I have, with Kauai, there will be return trips to stretch farther afield. Yes, Poipu can all seem a little sterile. Beyond the copper and green luxury of the uproariously expensive Hyatt Regency, it's pretty much a sea of conventional hotels and condo resorts where the sand and surf is nice, with a few bed and breakfasts on rocky shorefronts off toward Spouting Horn. But when you have a family of six, a two-bedroom condo with a kitchen across the street from a beach where a toddler can frolic without fear of being slapped silly by a rogue wave sounds pretty good. If you have a little extra cash stashed away, splurge on the Hyatt. This is one of my favorite hotels in the islands. Its low-slung Arts & Crafts architecture fits snuggly into a hillside. There are parrots in the lobby and hula shows at night. It has a great spa, fine dining and golf (the resort's Poipu Bay course is the former home of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf). But for me the dealmaker is the pool. It's different from the water-park atmosphere of the Westin Maui and Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island or acres of water at the Marriott Kauai and Princeville Resort in Kauai or smaller jewel-like pools at the Halekulani in Waikiki and the Hotel Hana-Maui. Guests can splash in a 5-acre saltwater lagoon or a couple of freshwater pools. But what gets the Grand Hyatt on my list is the wandering man-made river that flows from the hotel's terraced gardens down to a small pool next to the saltwater lagoon. Along the way are lots of inlets and grottoes for a watery version of hide and seek. On the downside, the channel is about 4 feet deep and covers a lot of territory, so keep an eye on the youngest of your swimmers. The Hyatt requires this major water-park-like experience since it fronts the rugged, rough Shipwreck Beach, making ocean swimming an unwise proposition on many days. Otherwise, I head for the condo hotels nearest to Poipu Beach. Kauai is making great noise this year about Hanalei Bay, on the north side of the island, being named Best Beach in the U.S. by a Florida oceanography professor who goes by the name of Dr. Beach. The secret is Hanalei isn't even the top beach on Kauai, according to Dr. Beach. The professor gives this annual award and then bars the winning sand strand from a repeat appearance in the contest. Poipu Beach won in 2001 -- seven beaches (including one in North Carolina) before Hanalei Bay. Facing the ocean, to the left, is a small beach with good body surfing. But most people head to the right, to the lagoon like baby beach where a rock breakwater stops the waves, leaving a sandy-bottom beach that is no more than two to three feet deep. It's where many locals from around the island bring their littlest ones for that first exposure to the ocean, and there are lots of first-time snorkelers around, too. On the other side of the breakwater is a choppy small bay where the more experienced snorkelers go out. Poipu has all the great places to eat -- including one of the award-winning outposts of Roy's, the gourmet Pacific Rim fusion foodie haven. But just when you think your wallet is about to break under the strain, there is the road to Koloa Town. Unlike so many resorts on the island, there is a real town with real-people prices just a short drive from Poipu. After absorbing a few $25 resort breakfasts, I find myself driving daily to Koloa to stock up on cheap grub. If you have a condo with a kitchen, it's the place to guy to pack your pantry. I usually grab some decent takeaway sushi and a bag of Kauai ground coffee from Big Save supermarket. Some ribs and chinese noodles from TomKat, Macadamia Nut ice cream and an espresso from Lappert's. By the time I get back with my stash -- much less than a room service meal -- my only worry is that in the time I have been gone the family has fallen asleep after a day in the sun and surf. While wandering Koloa, check out the town's History Center, set off behind the shopping district. It shows that life wasn't always easy and fun in the area. Workers brought over from Japan toiled in the sugar cane fields, then spent the evenings in their communal bathhouses soaking away the aches and pains of field work. They were part of an immigrant workforce that also came from the Philippines and China, as well as foremen often hired from Germany. Evidence of the workers' impact on the island can be found at the Jodo Mission, a Buddhist temple built in 1910. The workers would probably feel at home among the ramshackle buildings of the town, though the tourist businesses today selling swimwear, gourmet coffee and dolphin sculptures would be alien My favorite Poipu spot is Brennecke's Beach Broiler, with a second-floor dining area that allows ocean breezes to waft in as you enjoy fresh fish or a juicy hamburger. It's also a great spot for that Mai Tai, Rum Punch or other sundowner cocktail. If you find yourself on quiet Kauai for the Super Bowl or World Series, Brennecke's bar is the place for joining other can't-skip-my-sports lovers. There are T-shirts with the Brennecke fish logo in a football helmet carrying a ball made especially for each Super Bowl. If you have a car, make the drive down to Spouting Horn, where waves crash through a blowhole making a whistling water spout. It's especially active in the more turbulent summer months when the southern swells are largest. There is usually a large collection of tented curios shops where you can get Red Dirt T-shirts or, my favorite, shark's tooth necklaces. Typical of Poipu fans are Roger and Stephanie Strickland of Willits, Calif., hanging out at the beach near Brennecke's on a recent winter (80 degrees, cooling trade winds) day, listening to a CD of local musician Rev. Dennis Kamakani. They've tried other places in the islands, but keep returning to Poipu. "We went to Molokai last year because we heard it was smaller and slower paced, but there wasn't enough for us to do there," Stephanie said. "We really like Poipu. We rent a place for two weeks and just relax. And go to Lappert's a lot." ------ IF YOU GO: Grand Hyatt Kauai, 1571 Poipu Road, Koloa, Hi. 808-742-1234. grandhyattkauai.com. Rates from $395 per night (check for special packages). Other accommodations: The poipubeach.org Web site has great links for condos, bed & breakfasts, and vacation rentals. Roy's Poipu Bar & Grill, Kiahuna Village Shopping Center, Poipu, 808-742-5000. I've never been disappointed by meals at this Roy's, unlike some of his other spots. roysrestaurant.com. Brennecke's Beach Broiler, Poipu Beach. Whether it is for a tasty burger or a sundowner, this is the one place that I have never missed on a half-dozen trips to Poipu. Brennecke Beach, Poipu, 808-742-7588 or brenneckes.com Kalaheo Cafe and Coffee Company. A little off the beaten track, but great for quick lunches and fantastic coffee. I always seem to be passing through before their acclaimed dinner menu starts at 5:30 p.m. 808-332-5858 or kalaheo.com Lapperts, 5242 Koloa Rd., Koloa, 808-742-1272. lappertshawaii.com Tomkats, 5402 Koloa Rd, Koloa 808-742-8887. Koloa Heritage Trail. Driving and walking tour of historic highlights of old Hawaiian and sugar plantation era sites. Koloaheritagetrail.info. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 02 Sep 2010 09:44 AM PDT Posted : Sep 2, 2010 10:37 AM Convergys has openings at its call center in Pueblo for Customer Service Travel Associates. These workers will help customers with questions regarding vacation rentals, and make recommendations depending on the needs of the customer. In addition to their hourly wage, workers will receive medical, dental and vision insurance, along with other benefits.
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