Property description in your short-term rental listings
Welcome to the second article about listing your property portfolio with essential amenities for your target customers. In the last article we wrote about the importance of choosing your target customers for your business, and considering their needs – we detailed some specifics to consider in your listings: no smoking properties, tagging important features, specifying your Wifi connection and 3D video tours. This article will look into some other important aspects to consider.
Use detailed descriptions to increase your vacation rental bookings
High quality photos of the property are key. It’s difficult to verify the quality of an accommodation online, and property listings that offer a ‘guided tour’ through clear images and property maps have a significant advantage. No one wants a blind bargain for their vacations. The agency should use recent photos of the entire vacation rental property accommodation taken in high resolution. If you promote your properties on portals, check how many photos they use, and take advantage of this.
Your property should differentiate itself from the increasing competition. The agency could include personalized services such as airport collection, local tours, chef-cooked dinners etc. As discussed in the VRMA conference in October 2016, professional agencies are moving towards offering basic services in addition to the accommodation. The inclusion of extra services will cost you almost nothing but your time, however can create a significant increase in profitability.
Is the property for rent adapted for people with disabilities? It would be a great advantage for those people who need it and this should be highlighted in the property listing with the specific facilities listed in detail within the main property description. There are not many options for customers with disabilities, so that may be a good opportunity for the vacation rental agencies that have properties suitable to rent to people with disabilities.
Most guests rely on the map guidelines, where they can visualize how close to the rental property the amenities or places of interest are situated. It is advisable that the agency indicates the distance to useful amenities to better guide the customer: the beach, shops, parking, church, restaurants, city centre, highway or the most relevant sights.
Guests rely on the property description and if some important information is missing, they may send their questions to the agency or look for an alternative property, which puts the rental of your property at risk. Agencies should act fast to answer, since the customer can book an alternative vacation property in the meantime. So, the more detailed the property description is, the fewer questions the client has, and the higher opportunity of receiving bookings.
The most important point is to be honest — the difference between the real vacation rental house or apartment and an embellished one leads to a negative perception of the accommodation and complaints. The better the reviews on the vacation rental apartment, the more trust will be generated by the future clients, that will result in an increasing number of bookings.
Avantio vacation rental software offers many opportunities on how to promote the unique features of your property portfolio, in order to maximise your sales. For any further information don’t hesitate to contact us.
