Bringing your vacation rental to market is exciting—but it’s also a critical moment where the right setup can set the tone for long-term success. At EVL Rentals, we specialize exclusively in Ellicottville and the surrounding towns. We’ve launched dozens of high-performing properties across all seasons and know exactly how to position your home for success in this unique, seasonal market.
We’re a full-service management company—not cohosts. We don’t take over existing listings. Instead, we create a brand-new listing under one of our trusted Superhost accounts, manage every aspect for you, and give you the freedom to enjoy your property when you want—without the stress of daily operations.
Step 1: Property tour and fit assessment
Before anything else, we start with an in-person tour of your property and a conversation with you. We only manage homes in Ellicottville and surrounding areas, and not every property is the right fit for short-term rentals—or for our portfolio.
🏡 In-person walkthrough – We assess the layout, amenities, and condition to evaluate guest appeal and operational viability
💬 Owner conversation – We discuss your goals and expectations to ensure alignment
✅ Selective onboarding – We only take on homes where we’re confident we can deliver strong performance
We’re selective because your success becomes our responsibility. If we take you on, it’s because we believe in the property—and the partnership.
Step 2: Optional walkthrough and fixes
Before we move into listing setup, we can coordinate a walkthrough with our handyman to tackle minor fixes and improvements.
🔨 Proactive fixes – From tightening hardware and installing hooks to touch-up paint
💸 No upfront cost – We handle the costs upfront and simply deduct from future rental payouts
📆 One-year commitment – Since our setup time isn’t billable, we ask for a one-year commitment to align on long-term success
We’ve furnished and outfitted dozens of rentals, so we know what holds up—and what doesn’t. From beds and sofas to kitchenware and smart locks, we can recommend the brands that offer the best bang for your buck, the finishes guests actually notice, and the companies that deliver fast when timing matters.
Step 3: Listing setup and home preparation
Once any needed fixes are complete, we move forward with prepping the home for guests and bookings.
What’s included:
🧼 Initial clean – A full turnover clean with our trusted staff to ensure everything is spotless
🛏 Linen setup – Two full sets of towels and comforters to support efficient and professional turnovers
🔧 Quick-win improvements – Small but impactful upgrades like lighting, hooks, Roku TVs, or furniture tweaks
📸 Professional photography – We schedule and cover the cost of high-quality photos to showcase your space. It’s our best marketing.
We also conduct a full supply check to ensure your home has all essential guest items. If anything is missing—like dish detergent, hand soap, shampoo, or body wash—we’ll stock it and simply deduct the cost from a future payout.
While we can usually launch within a week, timing matters more than speed. Launching when demand is high gives your listing a platform boost and helps you start stacking five-star reviews quickly.
Step 4: Behind-the-scenes setup
While we’re preparing your home, we’re also setting up the systems to manage it smoothly.
🧽 Cleaner onboarding – We assign a dedicated cleaner, agree on the cleaning fee, and set expectations
📧 Communication setup – Email is our primary method, and we create a group chat for urgent updates
📊 Owner dashboard – Full access to track bookings, revenue, guest info, and calendar
💵 Pricing setup – Real-time dynamic pricing configured to match local trends
📖 Check-in instructions – Clear, guest-facing guide created based on your input
This is where the operational magic happens—building systems to ensure consistency, quality, and responsiveness.
Listing ownership and full-service management
We don’t operate as cohosts and we don’t take over existing listings. Every listing we manage is created from scratch under our Superhost company account.
🔐 We own the listing – Your property is listed under our high-performing, trusted account
🧰 True full-service – We handle guest communication, cleaner coordination, pricing, and calendar management
🗓 You stay in control – Block personal stays anytime with a simple request
🌟 Backed by experience – Our listings earn trust from both platforms and guests
🔄 Real solutions when problems arise – If something goes wrong, we can often relocate the guest to another one of our properties—helping preserve their experience and protect your reviews
Problems happen—but we’re here to solve them quickly and professionally, with your reputation in mind.
Where we list your property
We distribute your listing across major booking platforms and promote it through our own tools to drive more direct traffic and repeat guests:
- Airbnb
- Vrbo
- Booking.com
- Hopper
- Google Vacation Homes
- book.evl.rentals – Our direct booking site
- evlrentals.searchmycal.com – A live directory of all our listings and their booking options
Many guests return and book directly the next time—saving up to 14% in fees while you keep more of the revenue.
Smart pricing and strategic timing
We don’t just set pricing—we constantly optimize it and time your launch to maximize early momentum.
🎯 Launch pricing – We apply introductory discounts to build bookings and early reviews
📈 Dynamic adjustments – Our pricing software updates daily based on demand, seasonality, and competition
🧾 Included tools – We cover the cost of software and save money through volume pricing across our portfolio
Timing matters. New listings get a visibility boost on platforms like Airbnb. Launching just before peak demand helps you capitalize on that exposure.
Seasonality in Ellicottville:
❄️ Winter (ski season) and ☀️ summer bring the highest demand, including midweek stays
🌸 Spring and 🍂 fall tend to be quieter, with weekend bookings dominating
🗓 Winter bookings typically come 90+ days out; summer bookings come 30 days out
We recommend launching your listing about one to two month before peak seasons—November for winter, June for summer.
Final thoughts
We have a process for a reason. It’s the result of years of managing our own properties and helping others succeed. Every step—from onboarding to pricing to guest support—has been shaped by real-world experience in Ellicottville’s seasonal, high-expectation market.
And we’re always looking for ways to improve—whether that means refining our process, adopting new technology, or finding smarter ways to enhance operations and the guest experience.
At EVL Rentals, we don’t just manage homes—we launch them with purpose, operate them with care, and constantly optimize them for better results.
We’re not the right fit for everyone. We work best with homeowners who are looking for a long-term partnership, value peace of mind, and trust us to manage the details. If that sounds like you, we’d love to talk.
If you’re ready to bring a new vacation rental to market—or turn an underperforming one around—reach out and let’s get started.