Same villa, different rental company

Bart -my real name-

Senior Insider
If the same villa is listed by 3 different rental companies for the same price, is there an advantage to one company over the others?

I'm looking at a place offered by Wimco, Marla Villas, Ici Et La Villas, and St. Barts Blue.

Does it make sense to pick Wimco just because they're the biggest company and will likely have more resources if something goes wrong?
 
If the same villa is listed by 3 different rental companies for the same price, is there an advantage to one company over the others?

I'm looking at a place offered by Wimco, Marla Villas, Ici Et La Villas, and St. Barts Blue.

Does it make sense to pick Wimco just because they're the biggest company and will likely have more resources if something goes wrong?

I have been satisfied with Wimco and Ici Et La both of which has on site offices. So does Marla. Don't know about Blue tho.
 
I used Blue once. They didn't at the time have any staff on SBH. The on island agent was outsourced to Sibarth. I'd rather go with someone who had their own people on the island. Been happy with Wimco and Sibarth.
 
I used Blue once. They didn't at the time have any staff on SBH. The on island agent was outsourced to Sibarth. I'd rather go with someone who had their own people on the island. Been happy with Wimco and Sibarth.

Totally agree with this. We once used an agency that contracted with Ici et La. The next year we rented the villa directly though them since they were on the island. I like local companies and have good experience with Ici et La, Marla and Sibarth.

The exception to the above is Happy Villa, which is also on the island and doesn't have a service fee. If they have the villa, use them!
 
As an owner who rents our Villa on the island, we have worked for many years with Sibarth & Wimco. Both are highly professional . . . each with a "deep bench" in what it does. I would add that each of Wimco and Sibarth also offers great resources to clients booked by them into island hotels.
 
Go with someone with an on-island presence. My perception is that St Barth Blue is great at Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to make their search results pop to the top, but they do not have their own on-island presence. I'm renting a villa, not a search result. WIMCO is an easy choice for US and Canadian renters, with their years of experience, rental agents with English as a first language (usually), and an office across from the airport. Ici et La and Marla are both longtime local agencies, but don't have as finely-tuned of a focus on the US market as WIMCO does. All other things being equal, rent from WIMCO.
 
I agree with the above advice... use someone who is on-island. We like Wimco, Ici & La and SiBarth. All good companies.
 
A benefit of going with the same company every year is developing a relationship with a representative. We are bad at planning ahead as we try to cram too many trips into the year and then wake up saying; "We need to go to Saint Barth for a vacation after all this travel". Bill at WIMCO can always find us suitable lodging, even on short notice.
 
Another benefit of using an agency is their ability to help solve a problem. More than once, Wimco has stepped in to help us with a villa problem when the owner was not responsive.
 
we have been renting villa from Wimco for over 20 years. When something goes wrong they arte always there to take care of it.
they even changed our villa when it was determined that the construction of a new villa (starting earlier than anticipated)
 
Another benefit of using an agency is their ability to help solve a problem. More than once, Wimco has stepped in to help us with a villa problem when the owner was not responsive.

It's funny you say that Kent. Last year, the batteries in our mosquito racket were dead when we got there so I called St. Barts Properties figuring they'd send someone up with a pack of batteries ASAP, but they said they had to call the owner. That struck me as odd and needlessly complex, but within 20 minutes the owner arrived with the batteries and we had a nice little visit.
 
It's funny you say that Kent. Last year, the batteries in our mosquito racket were dead when we got there so I called St. Barts Properties figuring they'd send someone up with a pack of batteries ASAP, but they said they had to call the owner. That struck me as odd and needlessly complex, but within 20 minutes the owner arrived with the batteries and we had a nice little visit.


We have been renting from St. Barts properties for years. Their on island office has always been extremely helpful and have solved all sorts of problems for us in a timely manner. Yes they often contact the owner directly but honestly in most circumstances that is the best as they know their own villas well. From no electricity, no water, to Wi fi problems, needing more mosquitos coils, even a referral for a Dr. when it was needed. In all honesty, both times I rented from WIMCO I did not feel I had as nice of customer service from the on island reps. We will continue to rent through SB Properties with confidence.
 
I didn't have any real problem with it*,, or especially how it turned out, but I wonder what would have happened if the owner wasn't sitting by the phone and that moment? I probably would have gone into town and bought them myself......hardly the end of the world, but it would have been a little annoying to drop major coin on a villa and have to resupply the batteries.

* Actually, as I'm remembering it now, I was a little annoyed at the time. This was a nothing request. It was about as simple as a call as they've even received. The answer should have been, "We'll send someone right over". Instead I was in some sort of limbo, "stuck" in the villa waiting for news that may or may not come that day.

I'm not holding any grudges and we're renting again from them this year but someone in the office should use a little discretion in what needs to be elevated to the owner and what can be handled in the office.
 
I'm not holding any grudges and we're renting again from them this year but someone in the office should use a little discretion in what needs to be elevated to the owner and what can be handled in the office.

My understanding is that different owners contract for different levels of service from the agencies. An off-island owner would likely contract for a different level of services from an agency (everything handled by the office) than an on-island owner might (call the owner and let him deal with it).
 
Talking of Sibarth, i had a Poor experience with them last year. We rent a villa with another Sibarth property right beside. It happened they had rented That villa to a film crew using it as some kind of base. So, all Day long, There was a constant flow of cars, some with music. Quite a nightmare. I complained to Sibarth as There were violating their own rules (renting a villa knowing it was not for quiet vacations and exceding by far max occupancy). I Just asked for apologies and a commercial gesture and That is all. I did not get anything because I had gone through a 3rd party. It added to the pain and sense of unfairness, because the contract I had signed was with Sibarth.

Ok, they are Much worse things on earth, even with Sibarth it seems (check Fodors forum and Read the alledged story ???). Not enough to deter me from coming back, dealing with Sibarth, even through the third party (probably because he hinted at a possible gesture on the Next stay, which, You guessed, Never materialized ��
 
I always try to get as close to the source as possible when renting. In general, with an agency, that means renting from an on-island rental company, not an off-island agency re-marketing the on-island agency's villa inventory.
 
Talking of Sibarth, i had a Poor experience with them last year. We rent a villa with another Sibarth property right beside. It happened they had rented That villa . . .
Did Sibarth confirm that they had "rented" the adjacent property? I'm wondering if it may have been another instance of a rental of the property by a third party, with Sibarth simply acting as an intermediary in collecting rent and providing "meet-&-greet" service?
 
Did Sibarth confirm that they had "rented" the adjacent property? I'm wondering if it may have been another instance of a rental of the property by a third party, with Sibarth simply acting as an intermediary in collecting rent and providing "meet-&-greet" service?


Sure they did because they were the ones who advised me about the crew and, among the flow, There were cars with Sibarth logo
 
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