Tansler.com Review

Renting a vacation home can be a daunting task – nailing down a budget, hunting for the perfect spot and finally (the worst part) negotiating with the owner. How can planning a getaway that’s supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating be so stressful?

Tansler, an up-and-coming online rentals marketplace, is working to eliminate that last step and make the process simpler, faster and more transparent. How? By allowing renters to name their own price.

A sort of Airbnb-meets-Priceline, Tansler users pick at least two vacation homes they would be interested in staying in, and send an offer to the hosts including how much they are willing to pay. The first host to accept their offer “wins” their stay. This “reverse auction” model allows renters to save up to 60 percent on their stay and the organizers to save time by no longer having to haggle over prices.

The best part, for renters, is the fact that if your “bid” is not accepted within 24 hours, your offer expires and you haven’t lost any money. The saying “it doesn’t hurt to try” has never rang more true!

I tested out the site and the process really was quite simple. On the front page, you type in your nightly price, the destination you want to go to, your check in and out dates and number of guests. A search for properties in the $200 per night price range for two guests in Colorado returned 19 pages of results ranging from a town home in Settlers Creek with two bedrooms at an asking price of $222 and a three-bedroom, three-bathroom property with a hot tub in Breckenridge for an asking price of $376. The chance you might be able to get all of that for almost a 50 percent discount is definitely worth bidding for, right?

One thing to note: there’s still an opportunity for potential renters to contact hosts before committing if they have questions, such as if the property has wi-fi or is pet-friendly.

The only downside to Tansler is its limited availability in the US. Right now the service is available in select destinations: Orlando, Miami, Colorado, Lake Tahoe and Virginia. The upside is that if you’re headed to Europe, Tansler has you covered. They have over 35,000 homes in over 20 countries and over 100 cities, easily catering to those who are planning a European holiday. If you’re looking to plan a trip elsewhere, it sounds like Tansler has plans to expand its destinations later in 2015, and I’m looking forward to more affordable vacations in the future.

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