Original Message:
Re: A fee just to look on Red Week decreases the number of potential renters (by Tina M.):
I agree that it's a deterrent. I'm looking at options in Aruba right now and see that lots of places list prices without the fees and taxes added on. I cannot contact the owner of the place I was looking at to ask questions.
Part of renting out a place involves dealing with customers that are interested, so the owners here that love the fee as a way to lessen the interaction they have to have with potential customers are simply doing a disservice to themselves.
I can see how this model may have worked in the past when options for renting were limited. But now there are so many other online models that I don't see how Red Week will be able to sustain in the future. I'm moving on. I can look on VRBO, Air BnB, TripAdvisor, Booking. com, etc. I can see pictures, I can read reviews, I can ask questions without having to fork over 20 bucks to do so.
Good luck.