, bookings (here are you door codes),  guest questions (how do i turn on the spa...).. ideally by booking channel, email and sms3. automation for messaging the cleaners, pool people, etc..4. combining calendars5. being able to export all guest info into marketing system like mailchimp (or have it built in)6. bonus: hosting small website for direct traffic / links.

It's a high traffic area that has an open invitation to the public to enter and you have an active incident.  

I will keep mailing this list, but I'm starting to work on my web presence with social media posts & blog posts to boost SEO, and about to start an adwords campaign as well.

What a company can guarantee is quality traffic.

Ask your friends and relatives to recommend you a reliable professional.If you find an agent on the Web, read online reviews.

Is it normal to have slow traffic in December for rent?

Because even if you have the 3 websites up and running, how are you going to drive traffic to them?

I don't expect any significant traffic or noise issues above the current norm in the area.I have all my numbers calculated, but it still feels like fuzzy logic to me with this casino so close by.

Any other tips on ways to research my market (which in my case would be Chicago and Northeast Illinois) on the web?

@Vincent Chen - Try starting here - http://taxlienlady.com/StateGuide.pdfThen after you find out what state or county you are targetting, then hit the county web site for how things work for that specific county.