How to Make Your Holiday Rental Stand Out From The Crowd
It’s no secret that keeping your guests happy is key to having success with your holiday rental, and knowing what’s important to guests will encourage people to continue booking to stay at your property. The most important things to guests are always changing and as technology advances there are always new factors to consider to keep your guests happy.If you’ve been wondering what the most important factors for guests are when they’re looking to book a property – we can let you in on some of our best kept secrets from the holiday rental world.
These are the top 10 factors that are most important to guests when they’re looking to book a holiday rental.
1. The ability to instant book
Guests really want a simple and seamless booking experience, think of a ‘hotel style’ booking experience where their booking is confirmed and paid for on the spot. They don’t want to have to wait around for 24-48 hours only to be told that the property they were trying to book is unavailable and their plans have been thrown into chaos! Instant booking systems are perfect if you’re looking to increase guest satisfaction and also increase your number of bookings!2. Check out guest reviews
A super important factor for guests when booking a holiday rental is being able to check out reviews and read other people’s experiences with your property. The more reviews the better when it comes to your holiday rental, reviews are a really powerful way to gain trust and provide peace of mind to the guests during their booking process.3. Make sure your property information is up-to-date
If a property listing for a holiday rental looks old, incorrect or outdated it's a big red flag for the guest and they can very quickly lose confidence in their decision to book your holiday rental.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 and that there is no missing information in the listing so the guest is confident in their decision to book a stay at your property.4. Provide a map
Guests really want to know exactly where they are going to be staying, and an overview of the area just isn’t enough anymore! Guests want to know the exact location of your holiday rental so they can check out the distance between key attractions like beaches, restaurants and tourist attractions. Including a map with an exact location means your guests can check out exactly where they are going to be booking so they can figure out exactly how far it is to walk or drive between attractions they are interested in visiting.5. Provide photos
Photos are key in the holiday rental world! And 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. Include high-quality, professional photos with your holiday rentals to entice guests to book with you. Make sure to include photos of every part of the property and the surrounds.6. Consistent rates
Guests want to be sure that the rate they see is the rate they pay. Don’t add on any undisclosed fees or rates as this is a sure-fire way to upset your guests and get a negative review. Keep your rates consistent and in line with what your holiday rental has on offer to make sure your guests are satisfied.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. 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 or online platforms to keep your guests happy.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 sets your holiday rental apart. Including all amenities also means that guests can filter their search results based on amenities that are important to them and ensuring you are mentioning all your amenities means that you will definitely show up in these filtered searches!9. Property descriptions
At the end of the day, it’s often the property description of your holiday rental that sets the wheat apart from the chaff. If you have a well-crafted, high-quality description you can elevate your property above your competitors. Often the property description is 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.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.If you’re wanting to chat with our team at Professional Holiday Homes about how to make your holiday rental stand out from the competition you can contact us today to find out exactly how we can help you take your bookings to the next level.
