With its picturesque, narrow streets and long, sandy beaches, Can Picafort, once a small village, has developed into one of the most popular tourist destinations on the island of Mallorca. Stretching along the coast for over 2 kilometres, with a multitude of beautiful coves along the way, the town attracts travelers from all over the world seeking a relaxing getaway.
Malena’s Holiday Home in Can Picafort
The ideal location to run a vacation rental business, our Bookiply host Malena Jaume decided to transform her house in Can Picafort into Villa Prestige. This holiday home would soon become a second job and source of income for her. The 240 m2 villa complements the town’s relaxed atmosphere perfectly with its spacious rooms, impressive outdoor area with a pool, and private yet practical location. It’s no wonder guests are left speechless when they arrive!
In an interview with Malena, she tells us how she got started as a host, her secrets to running a successful vacation rental business and what she likes most about working with Bookiply.
Getting Started
With now two houses in the area, Malena did not want to see both her properties vacant the whole year-round. Given the popularity of the region in which it is located, she decided to begin renting out her vacation home in the northeast of Mallorca to travelers.
All beginnings can be difficult, and Malena acknowledges that getting started with her vacation rental was, at times, a little challenging. But hard work pays off, and she soon started to reap the rewards of running a holiday home. In 2017, Malena began working with Bookiply, which helped her accelerate the success of her vacation rental business. Since then, she has enjoyed multiple bookings and built up a loyal base of returning customers.
“At the beginning, it was definitely tougher, but then as more bookings came in, it became a second source of income for me, helping me pay bills and have a better quality of life. Working with Bookiply was a big advantage here and definitely contributed to the growing success of Villa Prestige.”
Malena’s Secret to Success
Happy guests make happy homeowners, and Malena’s secret to success is ensuring her guests are always her main priority. With her small gestures and attention to guests’ needs, it’s not surprising that travelers return year on year to stay at Villa Prestige.
“I am always very attentive to my guests’ needs. If they arrive very late, I bring them a typical Mallorcan ensaimada the next day. My returning customers get special treatment, and I usually leave them more things. If guests come late at night, I leave items for breakfast such as bread, milk, jam and butter. I always pay attention to detail and make sure to go the extra mile.”
Aside from her attentive nature, Malena is always looking for ways to improve her vacation home. Renovating, redecorating and changing things up every now and again ensures her guests have the best stay possible at her holiday rental.
“Every year, I make improvements to the house. For example, this year, we installed solar panels, meaning guests will not have to pay an electricity bill in the future. This year I also changed the kitchen and put up curtains for people who don’t want the light shining in. Every year I make changes for myself and to give the guests the best experience.”
While on the topic of changes, Malena told us how she has adapted her vacation rental business to the ongoing Covid pandemic. Malena has always placed emphasis on thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting her holiday home and has a team of cleaners who have worked with her for the last 15 years. However, she knows that small gestures can go a long way and still takes some extra measures to make travelers feel safe in her rental property.
“I leave a bottle of hand sanitizer at the entrance of the house and a mask for everyone. This way travelers can be assured of a safe stay at Villa Prestige.”
Bookiply: Communication and Organization Made Easy
Before joining Bookiply, Malena struggled with communicating with international guests and sometimes had to grapple with a language barrier. Therefore, working with Bookiply, with its team of multilingual customer service agents, has been a huge advantage for her.
“I don’t speak many languages, and it was difficult for me to communicate with some guests. Using an online translator also proved problematic as they don’t always translate information correctly. Therefore, one of my favourite things about Bookiply is its Customer Service team that speaks multiple languages. This works great and has really simplified the communication between my guests and me.”
Bookiply’s centralized calendar has also helped Malena significantly in the day to day running of her holiday rental and freed up more time for her to focus on other things. She explained how managing bookings has become an effortless, convenient task.
“The fact that you can be present on several portals at once and at the same time manage them all from one platform is fantastic. The single, synchronized calendar simplifies the organizational side of running a vacation rental business. Also, I love how the tool is easy to use and that I have a personal contact person should I run into any problems.”
If you want to experience the beauty of Can Picafort and enjoy a relaxing vacation in Malena’s holiday rental in Mallorca, you can check out Villa Prestige here.
