Common questions Guests have about renting our cabins

Guest FAQ’s

Below is a list of some of the common questions we receive from guests about renting our cabins along with the answers.

Is early check-in available? / Is late checkout available?

Manage Cabins is unusual in the vacation-rental industry, in as much as our occupancy rates run at nearly 100%, due to our lower rates and higher service standard. This means that another family or group is checking out of your cabin, on the same day that you arrive. Because it ordinarily takes the cleaning/restocking company 6+ hours to properly clean, prepare, restock and sanitize the cabin for your arrival, early check-in is almost never available. For similar reasons, late checkout is also unavailable. If for some reason the cabin is done early you will receive a text from our reservation system letting you know that you can check in. Please respect our cleaners and do not arrive before your check in time unless you have received a text letting you know it is ok to do so.

What type of coffee maker do you have?

Our homes have standard drip coffee makers. We provide filters and coffee cups so all you need to bring is your coffee of choice.

How do I get access instructions?

Access instructions are sent to you automatically 10 days before check in. They will be sent to the email address on file with our booking system. If you booked though Airbnb or booking.com please email us your direct email address as these platforms use a forwarding address through their platform that often blocks access instructions. Please do NOT go to the home with out the welcome letter from us. It contains not only access instructions to the home but info on what to bring etc.

Is bedding included with the rental?

Yes, we provide all sheets, pillows and blankets. We do NOT provide bath or beach towels.

Do I need to bring soaps?

Your cabin rental includes Dish soap, hand soap at each sink, and dish washer soap if the home is equipped with a dishwasher. We do NOT provide shampoo and conditioner or laundry detergent. Your rental should also include a disposable sponge and hand towels for each sink. We do NOT provide bath or beach towels.

Are there cleaning supplies available?

Most of our cabins should have basic cleaning supplies and a vacuum, broom etc available for guests to use during your stay if you need to clean up some sort of spill or mess.

Do you allow dogs?

It depends on the cabin. We only allow dogs at cabins that are clearly marked as pet friendly in the listing. Please check your specific listing. We do NOT allow cats or other pets at any of our cabins without prior written approval. If your cabin is pet friendly please be a responsible pet owner and pick up after your pets in the yard and keep them off the furniture. Pets should NEVER be left unattended in the home if not in a kennel. Some of our homes have kennels available. Please be a good neighbor while your staying with us and keep your dog from roaming the neighborhood or barking excessively.

When do my access instructions arrive?

Access instructions are sent automatically 10 days before check in. If you are less than 10 days out from arrival and you have not received your access instructions please check your spam folder.

What is your cancellation policy?

For direct bookings, we require a 30 day notice from the date of check in for a full refund. If you’re within 30 days of check in we can cancel and try and rebook. If we are successful we would also provide a refund. If you booked on VRBO or Airbnb their cancellation policies supersede ours. Please log into your account and check your cancellation policy there. All booking cancellations from one of these third party platforms needs to be initiated with them on their platform. WE can Not cancel an Airbnb or VRBO reservation without you first requesting cancellation on the respective portal.

Is the water safe to drink?

Yes, the water is safe to drink. As a part of our licensing, it is tested every year. The water in the area is from a well so it is not like city water. Depending on the time of year there may be some natural minerals present that give the water a different color and taste then city water. It also does NOT have chlorine or other chemicals like city water. Again, all well water is tested yearly and is safe to drink.

Do you have a firepit?

Yes, all of our homes have fire pits. Please be sure to bring your own matches kindling and newspaper etc . You need to start a fire. Also, never leave a fire unattended. If you have to leave for some reason or are done with the fire for the night please extinguish completely with water.

Do you supply Firewood?

We do NOT supply firewood or fire starting supplies. Many of the stores and gas stations near by sell firewood. There are also a LOT of road side stands around where you can pick up wood at a low price.

How well stocked is the kitchen?

All of our kitchens should have all you need to cook and server meals for the max occupancy of the cabin. Pots, pans, mixing bowls, cookie sheets, plates, cups, silverware etc Most of them are owners personal vacation homes so you should find them well stocked with even the small details like wine openers etc.

Is there a place near by that rents boats or pontoons?

We have a list of places to rent boats. We can email that to you upon request. Any boat rental you might make is between you and that party. We do not get in the middle of boat rentals. Always wear a lifejacket when using a boat, kayak or canoe or other water toys like paddle boards.

What do I do with my trash while at the cabin?

The majority of our cabins have dumpsters or large outdoor garbage bins. Keep in mind that you are in the Northwoods and bears and racoons are prevalent. Please follow the instructions in the welcome book on where to put garbage and how to secure the garbage dumpsters. NEVER leave garbage bags outside the door that are not in an animal proof container.

What happens if I have an emergency on a weekend or late at night?

We try to monitor the Manage Cabins main telephone line 24/7/365. Please call or text us at the number below. If we don’t answer please leave a message and will get back to you ASAP. (715) 600-2071 (Voice or text). We do not monitor emails on off hours. If this is a life threatening emergency please call 911. The address of your cabin can be found on the front of the welcome book.

Do you have a pest control service?

All of our cabins are serviced by Plunkest Pest Control on a regular schedule. If you see signs of any pests in the house please email us and let us know. Please be sure to close doors and windows behind you to keep pests out of the cabins. The most common way pests get in the house is a door left open. If you see any pest control devices around the home please do NOT touch them. Content” from the Edit (Pencil Icon) Action Menu.

I want to ship something to the house ahead of our arrival, or during our stay. How can I do that?

At most of of the properties, the owners have configured forwarding addresses with UPS and the carrier services, so your package will likely get routed to the owner in another location. For the few homes that don’t have forwarding addresses, there’s another challenge: With occupancy rates at nearly 100%, it is very risky to ship anything directly to the cabin, lest your package arrive at a time when another family or group is staying at your cabin. (When guests have attempted to do so in the past, the other guests who may be in the home will sometimes mistakenly open those packages or even accidentally take them home when they check out). We do not recommend shipping things to the cabin.

Can food, groceries or other items be delivered to the house ahead of check-in?

Most deliveries from UPS, Amazon, Fedex or the US Mail will not successfully arrive to your cabin (see above). Currently there is not a grocery delivery service in the area that we are aware of. Walmart Supercenter in Hayward as well as Market Place Foods offer curbside pick up which can be ready to pick up on your way to the cabin.

Is there a list of the contents of the cabin?

At Manage Cabins, with the exception of beach & bath towels our cabins are stocked with all you need to enjoy your vacation. • No fresh produce or groceries — As groceries are subject to personal taste, and are perishable, we leave that to you. • No personal clothing – You won’t find sunhats, sunglasses or other articles of clothing. • No personal toiletries & grooming items – including shampoo and bath soaps. We do provide hand soaps and dish soaps as well as dishwasher detergents if your home is equipped with a dishwasher. Except for the above list, the property is fully stocked, both inside and out. For example, all cooking utensils, sheets, pillows, blankets etc. If your property comes with a boat, canoe or other water toy life jackets should be available at the home. If you have small children we recommend bringing jackets specifically for them to ensure proper fit. Life jackets should be worn at all times when using supplied boats or kayaks etc.

Why don’t you provide towels?

Our local health department recommends that all towels are removed from the cabin between guests and laundered at a commercial laundry facility at specific temperatures.   Due to the rural location of these homes and the limited laundry facilities we made a business decision to ask our guests to bring towels along to help keep costs down for our guests.  If you’re flying in from out of state, we may be able to provide towels for an additional cost. Most of our homes also have a washer and dryer if you wish to wash your towels or do some laundry while you are at the home. 

How does the grill work?

Most of our homes have gas grills.  Each grill should have it’s own propane tank plus an extra tank.  On the rare occasion that you may run out of propane during your stay, we will reimburse if you choose to go fill a tank.  Just text us a copy of your receipt.  We also can drop off a new tank during your stay but drop off service can take up to 24 hours depending on our staff availability.  If you need a tank to finish dinner for example, we may not have staff available to run out at a moments notice.   If you do change an empty propane tank please help our maintenance crew out by setting the empty tank by the front door so they know it needs to be refilled.

The following homes have charcoal grills.  If you wish to use them, please bring your own charcoal:

If your house is not listed, it has a gas grill.  Please be sure to clean the grill after each use.

I recently stayed at a cabin, but a family member left behind a personal possession. Do you have a lost-and-found process?

For any and all “foreign objects” that are discovered in the home by the cleaning-and-restocking company are labeled, and locked in our cleaning closet. We hold on to these lost-and-found items for a period of 3 months, after which any items are disposed of or donated to local churches and charities. If you feel you’ve left something behind at a cabin, please use the vacation-rental communication platform to contact us and indicate a return mailing address to which any such item(s) can be shipped. Because of our rural location and related drive times to shipping providers, we charge a minimum of $40 plus shipping costs to mail back left behind items. You may make arrangements to pick up lost items at our office by appointment at no additional costs.