Helping Guests Survive
Vacation Brain By Tyann Marcink
“I can’t get in. The door won’t unlock.” “Did you turn the deadbolt after entering your code?” “No…I have to turn the deadbolt?” <Head slap> And another documented case of vacation brain is on the books.
Although the Urban Dictionary states that vacation brain is “the one to two days before vacation when you can’t get much work done because your brain is already on vacation,” vacation rental managers may observe this behavior for an extended period of time because it also manifests itself during travelers’ vacations.
Cases of vacation brain are not officially documented, yet you may see the evidence noted in a cleaner’s job report or scribbled as a note to call the maintenance guy. Here are a few more examples of vacation brain (yes, these actually happened): 38
VRM Intel Magazine | Winter 2018
The guest used the window curtain rod instead of the closet to hang up coats and bent the curtain rod. Cleaners arrived at a property for a turnover and the guests thought their departure wasn’t until the following day. Checkout instructions are to lock the door and place keys in the lockbox, but guests departed, leaving the keys on the table and the door unlocked. Guest went out for the day without closing the patio door to the oceanfront balcony and left the air-conditioning running. Guest checked out and left all the lights on, the front door wide open, and the shower running. Guest parked a golf cart on the grass, fully aware of the “no parking on the grass” rule—but thought the golf cart was exempt because it “was expensive to rent.” Guest built a ring of rocks in the front yard that looked like preparation to build a fire. Guest claimed it was for a turtle he found, not a bonfire.