Hi All,
Well it's been a hectic week, call me crazy but I'm giving up an award winning web site for a whole new booking system that includes a new web site. There is actually more to the story. I have (but pretty soon I'll be saying had, once we launch) a great and very beautiful web site. In fact it won the 2009 Golden Addy Award. Problem is it wasn't getting the traffic I expected, plus the bounce rate was very high. If you don't know what a bounce rate is, which I didn't when I started this search, it is the number of people that did find my site, but left after viewing the home page. What that told me was people were actually finding my web site but didn't know what to do once they got there, didn't find the home page easy to navigate, or couldn't easily find what they were looking for, so left. The other problem was that my current web site was not linked into my data base reservation system or my booking engine, in fact I had three different vendors, one for the web site, one for the booking engine, and one for the data base reservation system, and the three didn't talk to one another, which required a lot of repeat manual entering of customer reservation data by staff. The sad part is I really like my old web site, and thoroughly enjoyed working with the designer.
Deciding to change was difficult, and who to change too was difficult. What I did know is that I needed a system that integrated all three aspects; data base reservation system, booking engine, and web site. The final two candidates was Bookt and LiveRez, and ended up selecting LiveRez because of their pricing system and they had a more complete back-end reservation system.
This past week really has been brutal, if anyone has ever gone through a data processing conversion, you know what I mean. Learning stuff for an old guy like me is not easy. The bad news is it's a lot of work, the good news it will save me a ton of work (when it's operational) and a ton of money. And hopefully increase my bookings. The cost of the new system is one fourth of the current amount I pay for all three vendors. My labor costs should go down significantly as well. I'm not planning on reducing staff, just redirecting their efforts because of all of the new business I hope to attract. At least that's the idea. The other benefit is to the owners of the properties I manage, they will be able to log into our system at any time and see the status of their rental. There are plenty of other features, but I'm just learning those.
The new LiveRez web site, I don't think it will be as pretty or flashy as my old site, but is designed to be a lot more functional for our visitor guest. isn't that how it should be. The goal should not be winning awards, but winning customers. The new site should be easy for guests to search for properties, check availability dates, and reserve homes. It will also be easier to highlight Specials, Things to do in Destin, and offer different amenity packages. I could go on, but if the new system lives up to my expectations, it should pretty much revolutionize our business.
Our market niche is clean, well maintain, pet friendly rental homes in the Destin area. I spend a lot of money on marketing so my web site will be found, and to think people find me but then abandon the search because my web site, although pretty, is hard to navigate, just frustrates me. Although painful, I think this is a step in the right direction. I am so tired of hearing people say they have been coming to Destin for years, but could never find a good pet friendly rental. Here I am! Here I am!
I have some really exciting plans that will be revolving around this new system, and help those folks find us, so stay tuned.
Rick Scali
Rick Scali is the Owner of Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals in Destin Florida. Whether you are a family looking for a squeaky clean Destin Rental Home with a Private Pool or a couple looking for a romantic getaway in a Destin Beachhouse, Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals will exceed your expectations. Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals has the largest selection of quality pet friendly homes in Destin, Florida and throughout the Emerald Coast. Call us toll-free today at 877.432.7978 or email us at info@easystreet-rentals.com - we would love to welcome you, your family AND Fido to join us at the beach.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
The origins of Destin
Those of you that know me know I absolutely love the City of Destin, not just because I have a successful Pet Friendly Vacation Rental business and Street Legal Golf Cart business, but because it has everything I ever hoped for in a town. The city only has a full time year around population of around 11,000, but because of tourism and folks with second homes here, we have all of the infrastructure of a city five time our actual size, not to mention some great restaurants and first class leisure activities.
I can remember when I first retired to Destin 7 years ago, what was important to me was not only a nice place to live, but a community I could be a part of. I am happy to say I feel very much a part of this city and will be for the rest of my life. I am a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Rotary Club of Destin and a member of the Destin United Methodist Church. To feel more of a part of this city, probably one of the greatest things I did was attend the Destin Forward Class (2008) sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. This program taught our class just how paradise was run, the importance of our Harbor District, our fishing village heritage and the founders of Destin.
One of the greatest stories I discovered was how Destin was actually founded, and how the ancestors of those original pioneers are still actively involved in the city. I am proud to call one of those ancestors my friend, Dewey Destin, Jr. the great, great, great grandson of the founder of Destin, Leonard Destin. Dewey owns and runs two of the best seafood restaurants in Destin, Dewey Destin Seafood and Restaurant, and Dewey Destin's Harborside Restaurant. Dewey is also a City Counsel Member and has had a great influence in the direction of the City over the years.
The Destin family and Destin have been intertwined since Leonard Destin founded the area in 1835, but that is not where the story began. A few years earlier when Leonard, his father George and his brother William set out from New London Connecticut with three ships and ran into a hurricane off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Two of the ships, and Leonard's father and brother, were lost at sea. Stories had long circulated in the port of New London about the excellent fishing to be found off the Florida coasts, so even after the tragedy, Leonard decided to continue on and look for the best fishing he could find as well as a place to settle down.
In 1845, Leonard Destin met and married Martha McCullom from South Carolina and built one of the first homes in Destin (located about 100 yards from the current restaurant on the Bay). As a Yankee, Leonard was suspected of being a spy for the North during the civil war, and was imprisoned near Freeport, Florida. With Leonard scheduled to be hung, the circuit judge decided to spare Leonard's life because he was a fellow Mason. Following the war, Leonard returned to the the area and lived with his family of 4 sons and 3 daughters until his death in 1884.
1n 1879 Leonard Destin hired a 13 year old boy named William Marler who proved to be loyal, dependable and hard working. In a few short years Leonard gave "Billy" command of his own boat. Over the years Captain Billy sailed the mail in and out of East Pass and, to make things easier for locals, created an informal post office. In 1904, Captain Billy was formally made postmaster. An inquiry from Washington requested the name of the official new post office, and Captain Billy responded with "Destin" in honor of his first employer Leonard Destin.
Destin remained undiscovered and pretty much an island unto itself until the mid-1930's when the Marler Bridge was built, in honor of Captain Billy Marler, and the world began trickling into the Emerald Coast. In the 1940's and 50's most of the growth came from the influx of military retirees who became familiar with the appeal of Destin's white sandy beaches and cool sea breezes while stationed in the area. Condominium developers in the 70's and 80's provided the next growth spurt with Destin becoming officially incorporated in 1985. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are several other communities up and down the Emerald Coast that enjoy the same magnificent white sandy beaches as Destin, but what sets Destin apart is its fishing heritage and our wonderful Harbor. I have seen the plans for the expansion of the Harbor District and they are nothing short of amazing, with a 20 foot wide boardwalk that will be running from Harbor Docks all the way to the harbor entrance in front of the Emerald Grande.
I love this town and I can't wait for the next 20 years.
That's all for now.
Rick Scali
Rick Scali is the Owner of Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals in Destin Florida. Whether you are a family looking for a squeaky clean Destin Rental Home with a Private Pool or a couple looking for a romantic getaway in a Destin Beachhouse, Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals will exceed your expectations. Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals has the largest selection of quality pet friendly homes in Destin, Florida and throughout the Emerald Coast. Call us toll-free today at 877.432.7978 or email us at info@easystreet-rentals.com - we would love to welcome you, your family AND Fido to join us at the beach.
I can remember when I first retired to Destin 7 years ago, what was important to me was not only a nice place to live, but a community I could be a part of. I am happy to say I feel very much a part of this city and will be for the rest of my life. I am a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Rotary Club of Destin and a member of the Destin United Methodist Church. To feel more of a part of this city, probably one of the greatest things I did was attend the Destin Forward Class (2008) sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. This program taught our class just how paradise was run, the importance of our Harbor District, our fishing village heritage and the founders of Destin.
One of the greatest stories I discovered was how Destin was actually founded, and how the ancestors of those original pioneers are still actively involved in the city. I am proud to call one of those ancestors my friend, Dewey Destin, Jr. the great, great, great grandson of the founder of Destin, Leonard Destin. Dewey owns and runs two of the best seafood restaurants in Destin, Dewey Destin Seafood and Restaurant, and Dewey Destin's Harborside Restaurant. Dewey is also a City Counsel Member and has had a great influence in the direction of the City over the years.
The Destin family and Destin have been intertwined since Leonard Destin founded the area in 1835, but that is not where the story began. A few years earlier when Leonard, his father George and his brother William set out from New London Connecticut with three ships and ran into a hurricane off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Two of the ships, and Leonard's father and brother, were lost at sea. Stories had long circulated in the port of New London about the excellent fishing to be found off the Florida coasts, so even after the tragedy, Leonard decided to continue on and look for the best fishing he could find as well as a place to settle down.
In 1845, Leonard Destin met and married Martha McCullom from South Carolina and built one of the first homes in Destin (located about 100 yards from the current restaurant on the Bay). As a Yankee, Leonard was suspected of being a spy for the North during the civil war, and was imprisoned near Freeport, Florida. With Leonard scheduled to be hung, the circuit judge decided to spare Leonard's life because he was a fellow Mason. Following the war, Leonard returned to the the area and lived with his family of 4 sons and 3 daughters until his death in 1884.
1n 1879 Leonard Destin hired a 13 year old boy named William Marler who proved to be loyal, dependable and hard working. In a few short years Leonard gave "Billy" command of his own boat. Over the years Captain Billy sailed the mail in and out of East Pass and, to make things easier for locals, created an informal post office. In 1904, Captain Billy was formally made postmaster. An inquiry from Washington requested the name of the official new post office, and Captain Billy responded with "Destin" in honor of his first employer Leonard Destin.
Destin remained undiscovered and pretty much an island unto itself until the mid-1930's when the Marler Bridge was built, in honor of Captain Billy Marler, and the world began trickling into the Emerald Coast. In the 1940's and 50's most of the growth came from the influx of military retirees who became familiar with the appeal of Destin's white sandy beaches and cool sea breezes while stationed in the area. Condominium developers in the 70's and 80's provided the next growth spurt with Destin becoming officially incorporated in 1985. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are several other communities up and down the Emerald Coast that enjoy the same magnificent white sandy beaches as Destin, but what sets Destin apart is its fishing heritage and our wonderful Harbor. I have seen the plans for the expansion of the Harbor District and they are nothing short of amazing, with a 20 foot wide boardwalk that will be running from Harbor Docks all the way to the harbor entrance in front of the Emerald Grande.
I love this town and I can't wait for the next 20 years.
That's all for now.
Rick Scali
Rick Scali is the Owner of Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals in Destin Florida. Whether you are a family looking for a squeaky clean Destin Rental Home with a Private Pool or a couple looking for a romantic getaway in a Destin Beachhouse, Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals will exceed your expectations. Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals has the largest selection of quality pet friendly homes in Destin, Florida and throughout the Emerald Coast. Call us toll-free today at 877.432.7978 or email us at info@easystreet-rentals.com - we would love to welcome you, your family AND Fido to join us at the beach.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
My First Blog - Life on Easy Street - Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals
This is my first blog so bear with me as I learn this new way of communicating. There are few things I enjoy more than talking, especially about what interests me, so lets hope it will translate into blogging. I am passionate about the pet friendly vacation rental business, so I wanted to share my thoughts on that subject in this blog and hopefully answer any questions that may come my way. So here goes.
I retired from the credit union industry roughly 7 years ago and really planned to travel with my wife and our two pets, maybe play a little golf, and basically enjoy a new chapter in my life. The problem we ran into, however, was we couldn't find clean, well maintained vacation rental homes that we could bring our two pets that are an important part of our family. We wanted to find homes that we would want to stay in even if we didn't have pets, but would allow pets. We ended up staying at places that were pretty nasty, two I remember we walked in and then immediately walked back out because they were so bad. that's when it hit me that this could be a great market niche, clean well maintained homes that were pet friendly.
We sold property in California, did a 1031 exchange, and bought rentals homes in beautiful Destin Florida. We weren't really planning on starting a business, but we bought one home and started renting it as pet friendly, did so well that we bought another, and then a third, each time we didn't have any problem finding rental guests that appreciated being able to take their pets on vacation to a clean, well maintained rental home. Some of the same guests that stayed with us the first year are still coming back.
There are a number of rental companies here in Destin that offer certain homes in their inventory that are pet friendly, but frequently they have restrictions on the size of the pet and/or the numbers of pets. We chose to allow any size pet and any number of pets, we have pets as small as 3 pounds, and as big as 100 pounds. The record for the number of pets is 5 show dogs at one time in our Pineapple Cabana house. She stays with us about every other year. One year we even had a pet in a wheel chair, or I guess they called it a trolley. The dogs back legs were paralyzed so they were in this contraption that he pulled around with his front legs, and he got around just fine, just a happy little dog.
That's it for now,
Rick Scali
Rick Scali is the Owner of Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals in Destin Florida. Whether you are a family looking for a squeaky clean Destin Rental Home with a Private Pool or a couple looking for a romantic getaway in a Destin Beachhouse, Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals will exceed your expectations. Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals has the largest selection of quality pet friendly homes in Destin, Florida and throughout the Emerald Coast. Call us toll-free today at 877.432.7978 or email us at info@easystreet-rentals.com - we would love to welcome you, your family AND Fido to join us at the beach.
I retired from the credit union industry roughly 7 years ago and really planned to travel with my wife and our two pets, maybe play a little golf, and basically enjoy a new chapter in my life. The problem we ran into, however, was we couldn't find clean, well maintained vacation rental homes that we could bring our two pets that are an important part of our family. We wanted to find homes that we would want to stay in even if we didn't have pets, but would allow pets. We ended up staying at places that were pretty nasty, two I remember we walked in and then immediately walked back out because they were so bad. that's when it hit me that this could be a great market niche, clean well maintained homes that were pet friendly.
We sold property in California, did a 1031 exchange, and bought rentals homes in beautiful Destin Florida. We weren't really planning on starting a business, but we bought one home and started renting it as pet friendly, did so well that we bought another, and then a third, each time we didn't have any problem finding rental guests that appreciated being able to take their pets on vacation to a clean, well maintained rental home. Some of the same guests that stayed with us the first year are still coming back.
There are a number of rental companies here in Destin that offer certain homes in their inventory that are pet friendly, but frequently they have restrictions on the size of the pet and/or the numbers of pets. We chose to allow any size pet and any number of pets, we have pets as small as 3 pounds, and as big as 100 pounds. The record for the number of pets is 5 show dogs at one time in our Pineapple Cabana house. She stays with us about every other year. One year we even had a pet in a wheel chair, or I guess they called it a trolley. The dogs back legs were paralyzed so they were in this contraption that he pulled around with his front legs, and he got around just fine, just a happy little dog.
That's it for now,
Rick Scali
Rick Scali is the Owner of Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals in Destin Florida. Whether you are a family looking for a squeaky clean Destin Rental Home with a Private Pool or a couple looking for a romantic getaway in a Destin Beachhouse, Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals will exceed your expectations. Easy Street Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals has the largest selection of quality pet friendly homes in Destin, Florida and throughout the Emerald Coast. Call us toll-free today at 877.432.7978 or email us at info@easystreet-rentals.com - we would love to welcome you, your family AND Fido to join us at the beach.
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