Whether you’re looking for a small one-bedroom cottage for a romantic getaway or a three-bedroom home for the entire family, booking vacation rentals online is quickly becoming a popular trend.
Secure your spot in paradise by opening up a few tabs of vacation rentals websites. No need to pick up the phone or slip out of your comfortable sweatpants. You can book your trip to Florida from the comfort of your own living room.
But where should you stay? At an Airbnb, a hotel or with Royal Shell?
Royal Shell is the largest regional real estate company in Southwest Florida. We have been in business for more than 21 years and we have over 300,000 guests stay with us each year.
Book your trip online, over the phone or in-person at one of our offices
With Royal Shell, you can make your Florida vacation rental online. Unlike sites like Airbnb, HomeAway or VRBO, you can also chat with a vacation planner on the phone and lock down your vacation spot the old-fashioned way. If you love where you’re staying now, you can visit any of our 16 offices in Lee and Collier counties and reserve your vacation rental for next year.
Fully equipped kitchen, more space and more privacy
There are also more options available if you choose a vacation rental over a hotel room. For one, you’re staying in a home instead of a room, and that alone is a huge plus. There’s more space, privacy and you can come and go as you please. Besides, you can also take advantage of the fully-equipped kitchen that comes standard in most of our vacation rental properties. Host a family dinner or just save a few bucks and cook dinner at home.
Let a local vacation planner help plan your trip
Our vacation planning advisers live and work in Southwest Florida, so if you have any questions about where to go, what to do, or where to eat, they’ll be able to give you all the information you need to know. We don’t want to just get you down here. We want to make sure you have the vacation of a lifetime.
Forbes.com uses 3 things to determine if a vacation rental website is credible:
- An established business that has longevity. How long a brand has been in business is significant because roughly half of new start-up companies flop within their first 18 months, and, according to Forbes, only about 4 percent of businesses make it to the 10-year mark and beyond. Additionally, if a business has been around for a while, it also means the company knows the area well and can give accurate recommendations on where to go and what to do.
- A relevant rental footprint. When a vacation rental website has a substantial rental footprint in a significant area, like Southwest Florida, it means they have enough homes to serve their existing client base, and can likely accommodate even more guests.
- Amenities and services. These two things and vacation rentals go hand-in-hand. When people spend thousands of dollars on a vacation, they typically expect some type of personalized services, and each vacation rental company offers their own set of exclusive perks.
What Royal Shell Can Do that Other Rental Companies Cannot
- Royal Shell has demonstrated knowledge of the local area. We know the best places to stay and we’ll work to help find you the perfect vacation home.
- Whether you’re looking for hidden gems or typical tourist hot spots, we can tell you where to go and what to see. If you’re visiting Sanibel Island and you want to know where all the best beaches are, you’re in luck because we’ve got the scoop.
- Royal Shell has its own state-of-the-art laundry facility. We also have our own vacation planning center, maintenance, housekeeping, guest services, IT and photography departments.
- Our vacation planning call center is open seven days a week and guests can book a vacation rental online 24 hours a day. Royal Shell also has 24-hour, seven days a week emergency guest services.
- You don’t have to spend time comparing tons of other sites for the best deal. With Royal Shell, you’re already getting a great deal. If you want to call and confirm that everything is good to go with your vacation rental before you get here, our call center is always open.
- If you do need to talk with someone, we’re not only a phone call away. We have offices throughout Southwest Florida in Sanibel, Captiva, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs and Naples. If you want to talk to a person, we’re a short drive away, or we could even arrange for someone to come out and meet you at your vacation rental property. Delivering legendary customer service is very important to us, and we take it seriously.
Vacation Rentals with Royal Shell vs. Airbnb
Looking for an Airbnb accommodation is a popular way to find a place to stay while you’re on vacation; however, some people still have reservations about it. If you choose to rent out a room, you may also end up staying with fellow travelers you don’t know who are also renting out the home’s other rooms. Or you may end up crashing with the home’s host while they’re staying in another room on the property. If you’re looking for privacy and amenities, this is probably not going to be your best option.
You may also end up paying additional fees to book your stay. According to VRMintel.com, Airbnb charges an additional 6 to 12 percent of the cost of the rental. The site also says that same fee can be even higher on VRBO.com. According to VRMintel, “The service fee is between 5 to 12 percent for most bookings, but can be above or below, based on the reservation.”
Vacation Rentals with Royal Shell vs. Staying at a Hotel
When most people think about traveling, they consider staying at a hotel. There’s normally free breakfast or some sort of special if you book early or during a certain time of the year. But is a hotel room really the best choice if you want to feel more integrated into the city you’re visiting?
Tausha from The Globe Getter points out that you don’t get the same feeling when you have to walk down a hallway, use an elevator and take a bunch of extra steps to get to the city’s center. If you stay in a vacation rental property, it’ll already feel homier and less sterile right off the bat. And besides, you won’t feel so much like an outsider in your new temporary city when you can walk out the front door and be steps away from beaches, shops, restaurants and things to do.
The Takeaway on the Best Vacation Rentals Websites
The good news is that you’ve already decided when and where you want to go. The hardest part is over. Whether you’re coming to Southwest Florida for a week, a month, or longer, Royal Shell offers plenty of vacation rental options in a variety of different types of breathtaking locations.
We provide you with the type of luxury and customer service you’ll find at a hotel, but you get the space and privacy of a vacation home or resort rental. Vacation rentals with a company like Royal Shell also have other advantages over booking with a hotel or Airbnb.
These include:
- More space. According to OwnerDirect.com, on average, a vacation home offers more than 1,300 square feet, while a hotel room has an average of just 325 square feet.
- Fully-equipped kitchen. This means you not only save money on going out to eat because you can cook at home; you can also have family dinners while you’re away from your home base. How nice does it sound to sit around the dinner table together and talk about how much fun you’re having on your trip?
- Home away from home. Vacation rentals have all of the comforts of a home. The top perk is privacy. You can use the pool and exercise equipment at your leisure. You can also have breakfast whenever you want, not during a hotel’s scheduled breakfast buffet times.
Check-In With Us
Let us know what you think of your stay with us in sunny Southwest Florida. Many people come here and never leave. We can help you find condos and cottages in Sanibel Island. If you’re thinking about buying or renting in the Sunshine State, any of our agents will be more than happy to show you around and give you the lay of the land.
Helping people find their dream home or vacation rental is what we do best. Come for a visit, maybe you’ll end up staying for a lifetime. Contact us at Royal Shell today to book a Sanibel vacation rental.
