Grocery Delivery and Pre-Arrival Grocery Solutions for Vacation Rental Company Guests
We recently attended VRMA International and got the opportunity to speak with Vacation Rental Companies from across the country. Pre-arrival grocery solutions was a hot topic among many attendees. So, we decided to take a deep dive into the various options available to vacation rental managers today, if they want to offer pre-arrival groceries to their vacationing guests.
Traditional grocery delivery services like Instacart offer a hands-off approach, but can’t guarantee quality in products or service
Before we dive in, it’s important to point out that
perience, not a luxury one. That being said, the fact that the groceries aren’t put aways in the vacation rental isn’t the biggest issue with listing Instacart, DoorDash, or others as a grocery delivery service -it’s the quality.
First, the quality of the products. Since these are gig apps, there’s not guarantee the level of experience of the person shopping the order. So, you might get the queen of grocery delivery or you might get bruised peaches and melted ice cream.
Next, the quality of service isn’t guaranteed. This could mean your guests are having to do a lot of back and forth communication with their shopper, having to answer questions about gate codes or property access, the list goes on. Bottom line- it doesn’t exactly feel like a relaxing start to a vacation, right?
Providing in-house grocery shopping and delivery might ensure quality and streamline communication, adds one more thing to your plate
So, you’ve decided not to have your guests roll the dice with grocery delivery app (good cal!) When you bring pre-arrival groceries in-house, there are many benefits. The first and largest benefit is how much it streamlines everything. From property access to payment processing, it creates a seamless guest experience. That being said, managing pre-arrival groceries in-house comes with downsides as well. The primary being the impact on time. Managing pre-arrival groceries means that your team is spending more time receiving, communicating, shopping, and stocking orders for guests, which means they aren’t doing other things. A secondary concern might be logistics- where and how does the guest place their order, is this a smooth experience for them or is it clunky?
All in all, this option works for some, but isn’t sustainable for many. So, let’s chat about an option that combines the streamlined logistics of managing it in house with the ease of not having to manage anything.
Dumpling’s tools for vacation rental companies and network of vetted grocery delivery businesses makes for a seamless customer experience and zero work from your team
As you’ve probably recognized by now, from your own experience or this article, there aren’t many great options when it comes to pre-arrival groceries and fridge stocking. We found this a little strange, considering there are tens of options for every other vacation rental amenity under the sun: housekeeping, gear rentals, private driving, etc.
Dumpling’s Resort tools offer a solution for pre-arrival groceries and fridge stocking for vacation rental companies and resorts. Dumpling’s resort tools give vacation rental companies a branded ordering page for their guests, with a customizable catalog and checkout experience. The best part? Dumpling has a network of vetted, professional grocery delivery companies that fulfill guests orders and stock their rental kitchen before arrival. On the back end, they get a business management tool that allows them to see all orders, update customer details, view order details, and communicate with the grocery delivery company.
The bottom line being- you have technology, tools, and services for every element of your vacation rental business- why shouldn’t you do the same for pre-arrival grocery delivery? Lean more about Dumpling’s resort tools, here.
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