10 things people want when booking an Airbnb holiday rental home

Over the years our Airbnb property management company has gained lots of insights into the different decisions people make when browsing through thousands of properties before booking their holiday rental.

We’ve collected ten of the most important things that can help your property stand out on the listings, maximise exposure and conversions to either an enquiry or booking. Like you, we focus on implementing activities that are aimed at minimising vacancy rates with a balance of maximising rental prices you achieve. 

The things people want are very similar for guests who are repeating a booking or brand new people visiting for the first time. Our property managers help each owner with each of these areas to make sure your property stands out & gets the right exposure

1. The ability to instant book

Technology has evolved so much that nearly everywhere in our lives we expect instant gratification. From shopping online to streaming movies to booking accommodation. So of course it is important that guests are able to have a simple and seamless booking experience where they can get a confirmation and pay straight away.

Our website enables this as do all the holiday rental listing sites like Airbnb, so any holiday rental that is using their own website or platforms that don’t enable this are getting left behind. 

People who want to travel and rent a holiday rental home don’t want to have to wait for hours for an answer. They want to book, pay & organise the rest of their holiday as quickly as possible.

2. Read guest reviews

Apart from looking at beautiful photos of your holiday rental, people want to see all the reviews that people have written. They want to see what other guest experiences have been like, either positive or negative, to help them make a decision on renting your home or not. The more reviews the better when it comes to a holiday rental, reviews are a really powerful way to gain trust and provide peace of mind to guests as they go through their booking journey. Even more importantly it can help with the organic ranking of your listing when it compares to other properties who don’t have many reviews at all.

3. Great property information

If a property listing for a holiday rental looks old, incorrect or outdated it’s a red flag for any guest browsing your profile. They can quickly lose confidence in their decision to book your holiday rental. You’ll want to ensure your holiday rental listing has current and accurate information.

This means using common sense too, so for example if you put a description that you have parking, but it is on street & paid, then it should describe that clearly vs saying ‘free parking’

4. Seeing a map

Guests want to know exactly where they are going to be staying and these days seeing a generic map of a suburb or a region isn’t enough. In some cases people want to be able to see the street or the block the property is on. 

It means they can calculate the distance between nearby attractions like beaches, restaurants or other things to see. Most holiday rental listing sites include a map which in some cases will also show other available properties in the area.

So this places even more pressure on having a great hero image and listing details too.

5. Professional photos

Displaying professional photos are key for any holiday rental listing on Airbnb or other platforms. People travelling are now spoiled with beautiful visuals whether photos or videos. So when it comes to photos, quality and quantity are both just as important as each other. Amateurish, dark or fuzzy photographs send a message to guests that their overall experience will be average too, especially if you use photos taken on your mobile phone with poor lighting, fuzzy areas etc.

High-quality, professional photos can not only entice guests to book with you but leads to a higher conversion rate from browsers to people who make bookings. Photos should include interior and exterior areas as much as possible and even video.

6. Clear and understandable booking rates

Guests want to be sure that the rate they see is the rate they pay. Don’t add any undisclosed fees or rates like a local travel tax, extra cleaning fees etc as this is a sure-fire way to upset your guests and get a negative review. 

Any rates or fees should be clearly presented in a consistent manner that relates specifically to your holiday rental. This should also include things like weekly stay discounts, seasonal special offers etc.

7. Variety of payment options

Another factor that is often overlooked is the types of payment options you offer. Accepting all the major credit and debit cards is the new normal in the holiday rental world and you may even want to include online payment options like Paypal and their new split or multi payment options.

Asking guests to pay by odd or obscure payment platforms like bank transfer should be avoided at all costs. Stick to major credit and debit cards which most of the online booking platforms offer in any case. It is just simply expected by consumers these days.

8. Include all amenities

Accurate descriptions of the property aren’t just the only thing to keep in mind, you’ll also want to ensure that you include all the amenities on the booking so your guests can see exactly what they get at your holiday rental. 

Including all amenities also means that guests can filter their search results to things that are important to them. Ensuring you are mentioning all your amenities means that you will show up in filtered searches, even for things like a washing machine, parking or having a balcony.

9. Property descriptions

At the end of the day, it’s often the property description of your holiday rental that sets each listing apart. At Professional Holiday Homes we help you create an incredible listing description that is guaranteed to maximise your chances of new bookings regularly.

If you have a well-crafted, high-quality description you can elevate your property above your competitors. Often the property description are used as a long list of property amenities when it is best placed to set the scene through an experiential description where the guest can already see themselves enjoying the property. 

So think of experiences vs a list of things inside your home.

10. Fast response times

If your property doesn’t have an instant booking system, a fast response time is absolutely critical when it comes to locking in bookings for your guests. If you aren’t accepting a booking in under 30 minutes you simply aren’t competing with the holiday rentals that have instant or automated booking systems. 

Guests really don’t want to wait so a prompt response time and the consideration of instant booking systems is absolutely necessary. Our team aims to respond within two hours but sometimes even minutes! 

The team at Professional Holiday Homes can give you a free appraisal of your property, advice on what may be possible to achieve with your home and a clear step by step guide. Ask us about our free eBook so you can learn more about making money from renting an Airbnb holiday rental property