Renting out a home to holidaymakers can be a great way to earn an income and/or pay off the mortgage on a property you own. As with all opportunities, it isn’t all plain sailing and here is a quick guide on how to get more reservations for your rental property.
Here are 4 tips to get your started:
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Getting Listed
It is obvious that getting listed in the right places is one of the most important factors to increasing your holiday home occupancy. There are a plethora of online portals to list your property on but it is important to focus on those that can drive a balance of quality leads/bookings and volume.
AirBnB has made huge waves in the short-term rental market in recent years. Mass market consumers are willing to consider choices other than hotels.com and booking.com when choosing their home away from home. This has created an enormous (and growing) opportunity for rental home owners to carve out more of the travel market with a direct impact on occupancy rates. Set up a listing on AirBnB to get started!
2. Take Better Photos
Simple, right? A picture tells a thousand words. Travel is such an emotive and visual subject that it is paramount that you show your rental property in the best light (literally) possible. Make sure that the property is perfectly presentable with painted window frames, pruned gardens, crisp bedding, uncluttered kitchen sides and so on. Take pictures in good light and from lots of angles to really show off your property.
Post more pictures than you think you need to post! People love to browse and scroll pictures (& videos if you can!) so give potential customers what they want and share more. While many people like surprises, few people want to risk their accommodation. Pictures help to remove a lot of the anxiety and questions that are a barrier to pressing the booking button!
If the property is looking slightly rundown then invest in doing it up. You can get discounted windows, conservatories, landscaping and more to make the changes that will make a difference!
Nearly all smartphones have superb cameras so don’t feel the need to splash out thousands on a new camera; that isn’t an excuse not to post more pictures online!
3. Be More Social
In 2019, a decent percentage of potential customers who see your rental property listing on a platform such as AirBnB will be to search on social media. Instagram is the natural place for millennials to go and discover more about your property so make sure that you have regularly updated, natural pictures of the property.
As well as the property itself, post even more content about the area around your property. Whether it be the best local walks, country pubs, city attraction or event then promoting those benefits will directly impact your rental business. A holiday home may be ideal for a holidaymaker but location is even more important!
4. Reviews, reviews, reviews
You may boast that it is the best property in the area but so do all of your competitors! People buy in to people so your customers are best-placed to then become part of your marketing team.
Follow up with guests after their departure to get feedback on their trip. Not only is that useful for you to improve your service but also provides an opportunity to ask for something from your customers; would you mind reviewing us on TripAdvisor? I’d be very grateful.
If customers have posted a picture on Instagram, engage. If they write a review on TripAdvisor, reply. If they post on your Facebook page, share.
Good luck in your rental business throughout 2019!
