Finding a vacation rental is easier than ever these days, as travelers let their fingers do the scrolling, heading right to the popular vacation websites, seeking the homes that will make our vacation dreams come true, and Airbnb is often the first site they visit. Convenient, easy to navigate, and providing a peek at the properties we hope will bring comfort and relaxation during out travel adventures, it is the perfect example of how travel has changed over the decades, but is it always the best choice? If your upcoming vacation journey is bringing you to the tranquil town of Gulf Shores, we at Poole & Associates think we know of a much better to find your home sweet vacation home, and as such, we have prepared this guide to the top reasons moving away from Airbnb and book Gulf Shores Rentals direct from our own website will help you enjoy an Alabama vacation filled with good times, great memories, and all the comforts of home.
Spend Less, Enjoy More
Even as Airbnb’s humble beginnings made it the best place to find a deal on vacation accommodations (two men looking for a way to make money offered air mattresses on the floor of their apartment to travelers seeking a deal), today, the extra fees they charge can jack up the prices to unreasonable amounts. Parking fees are charged, cleaning fees are added to the bill, and if you don’t do the “chores” that are in the listing, they can charge you for that as well. Parking fees are common, damage waiver fees, and although this isn’t common in Gulf Shores, some Airbnb rentals charge fees for the rental of linens. The fee that makes us scratch our heads and say hmm, however, is the Airbnb service fee that can be as much as a few hundred dollars, with no hint of what that fee covers. When you book directly from Poole & Associates, the price you see on the listing is the only price you will pay, with the one exception being a pet fee for our pet friendly rentals. Offering virtually identical properties for less will allow you to save your vacation dollars for the important stuff like souvenirs and memorabilia.
Lower Prices Overall
Even better than the realization that we charge little to no fees is the understanding that many times, we offer lower prices overall when you book direct, because we want to avoid fees ourselves. Everyone deserves to make money off the wares they sell, but Airbnb charges both you and the company when the property they list is booked, and this sort of double dipping makes us want to offer more for less, encouraging travels to find what they want when they book directly from us.
It Can Pay to Procrastinate
We have been raised believing that procrastination is bad behavior, that it is always best to just do the thing you are trying to avoid first thing, getting it out of the way before it is too late to enjoy the fruits of your labor, but there can be a reward for waiting until the last minute to book your vacation escape. Vacation property management companies understand that an empty bed is a profit sucker, and very often, Poole & Associates will offer deals on homes or condos that may entice you to make your last-minute vacation destination be the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores. Our comfortable escapes could very well be the reward you receive for doing something your mama probably taught you was wrong!
Not All Properties Can Be Found on Airbnb
Yes, you may find a few of our Poole & Associates Gulf Shores sanctuaries listed on Airbnb, but if you want a larger selection, come visit our page. The best homes we offer, the ones with the luxury amenities, the premium furnishings, even the chef-quality appliances are saved for the savvy travelers who know the best way to find a vacation home is by booking direct. Pour yourself a glass of wine, find a comfortable seat, and be prepared to spend some happy moments scrolling until the perfect home jumps out at you from the page, reminding you of all the reasons you chose to visit Poole & Associates site rather than wasting time and money on the company that is no longer a very good deal.
Personally Yours
In the early days Airbnb was all about that personal touch, but as the company morphed into a multibillion dollar one, (yes, you read that right) the personal touches fell to the wayside, but that isn’t an issue when you book direct from Poole & Associates. Whether you need a highchair for your tiny traveler, want to know where the best pizzas can be ordered nearest to your property, or are you wondering whether the rental you chose has a Keurig as opposed to a coffee maker, all you need to do is send us an email or give us a call. Even if your questions or requests happen to come in after hours, we can promise a response as quickly as the next regularly scheduled business hours, ensuring that everything you want or need will be waiting for you when you walk in the door for the very first time.
It Happens
Even with everything we do to ensure that every traveler’s vacation spent in the warm embrace of our Poole & Associates vacation sanctuaries is as perfect as can be, life happens. Storms may send branches through windows, little outdoor creatures may find their way indoors, and internet outages may occur at the climax of the movie being watched, and when those annoyances do disrupt the perfection of your Alabama adventures, knowing that there will be a live human on the other end of the phone, ready to help make things better no matter what time of day or night it happens to be, will give you peace of mind. 100% attention to the needs and wishes of our guests is just one more amenity we offer, and because our company is located right here in town, (rather than thousands of miles away in a corporate office building in San Francisco) you can be assured that help will shortly be on the way!
Small Businesses Thank You for Your Support
We all know the importance of supporting small businesses, especially after the mess that took place during recent world troubles, but have you ever realized that when you book Gulf Shores Rentals direct from our site, you are also supporting a small business? We all know about the humble beginnings of Airbnb, it’s been told time and time again, but the reality is Airbnb is now a multi-billion-dollar corporation that has strayed far from its humble beginnings. Poole & Associates has been an integral part of the Gulf Shores Community for over two decades, and our dedication to the people who live and work here is as strong today as it was on that day in 1990 when a former housekeeper in the hospitality industry decided to make that big step towards independence and began our company. Whatever success we have obtained, we owe it to that decision made all those years ago, but also to the people who show up every day, working hard to give you the vacation you deserve.
Your Personal Concierge
The best part of travel is exploring regions we have never visited before, and although you may have read all the guide books, trying to determine what you can do during your visit to Gulf Shores, does that guide book happen to mention that Lulu’s, one of our favorite local restaurants, offers a family friendly experience that includes rope courses, a beach arcade, and a caricaturist often on site? Or that it is owned by the sister of everyone’s favorite beach musician, Jimmy Buffett? Or does it say anywhere within its pages that the reason the sands are so brilliantly white in this area is that they are created from tiny pieces of Appalachian quartz that have washed downstream from the Appalachian Mountains? Guidebooks can only go so far, with the writers often doing nothing more than regurgitating what has been written by other guidebooks over the years, but when you book direct from Poole & Associates, you also have direct access to the best concierge services in Alabama. We live here, love here, work here, and there is nothing more we like to do than share our considerable knowledge of the area with the people who reside under our roofs every day!
The Poole & Associates Guarantee
Booking directly from Poole & Associates is one of the best ways to ensure that the home you choose is the one you get when you arrive in Gulf Shores. Being 100% truthful with our guests is very important to us, and although we can’t verify that others have not been, you will know when you find that charming condo with the beach views and the bunk beds in the secondary bedrooms that your kiddos are anxious to climb into, that it will be the property you receive. Unlock the doors to the condo or home of your dreams and experience a vacation that stands out against all others, simply because you chose to book direct; it really is the easiest thing you will do all year.
Flexibility Is Important
Travel can be exhausting and fraught with anxiety as too-short layovers, staff shortages, or overbooked planes can make your 5-hour journey extend far longer than you are ready to experience. Travel delays are a fact of life, and if you arrive later than planned, or if you experience the unicorn of travel journeys and are actually earlier than originally thought, give us a call. We will hold your spot for you, (Remember the bad old days of travel when hotels would actually give your room to someone else because you were late?) and if you are early, in most cases, there shouldn’t be a problem checking in early and getting a head start on your vacation adventures.
Southern Hospitality at Its Finest
Life moves at a slower and more genteel pace here in the South, but we are always the first people who will offer up their homes for weary travelers, being sure to feed them a hearty meal and making sure they wear a sweater if its chilly outside, which, when we think about it, may be part of the reason we ended up in the hospitality industry. We love to take care of all of our guests, and when you book direct, you become part of the Poole & Associates family. That other company in San Francisco can claim the crookedest road and hilly streets, but Southern hospitality can only be found here in Gulf Shores in our Poole & Associates vacation escapes!
Happiness Can Be Booked Direct
The things that make you happy may be different from person to person, and although you would probably enjoy your Gulf Shore vacation in any property, even ones booked through Airbnb, booking Gulf Shores Rentals directly with us ensures that your vacation experience is one you will never forget. Every property offers that something wonderful that will spoil you against all other vacation homes, enhancing every adventure you enjoy in Gulf Shores. Choose between a condo that offers access to community amenities that may include pools, hot tubs, and sports courts or our private homes that provide space for your large family to call their own. Including private pools that will introduce travelers to the ultimate in luxury experiences, that of a nighttime swim.
Reserve your favorite Poole & Associates vacation escape today and discover all the ways that booking directly through us can lead to happiness and joy!
