For many vacation rental owners, the winter season is a tough one for puling in renters. Although it’s not the most ideal, realistically, you will have gaps in your calendar from time to time. One way to reduce the number of vacancies during the winter holiday season, and throughout the year, is to target last-minute travelers—the holidays will surely have some late planners. If you want to fill up your calendar, read on to learn more about how to attract last-minute bookings!
Offer Bargain Rates
One of the key ways to attract last-minute bookings is to offer bargain rates and deals. If you want to get people in your rental property, then you need to get more competitive with the rates you put out. Last-minute travelers want a deal, so if you want to attract them, you need to give them a taste of what they want. Knocking the price down just $20 can be all you need to get another reservation in the books.
Update Your Listing Title and Description
Updating your headline on the listing provides a simple, yet effective, way to obtain a booking. Think of a way to catch a traveler’s eye—include the dates you have available and a snapshot of what you offer. For example, use a title like “December 26–January 3 Open! Luxury Ski-In, Ski-Out Telluride, CO Cabin Rentals w/ 5 Bedrooms”. Do your best to showcase what will attract guests the most, and put that at the top for travelers to see.
Target Your Email List
If you want to get more people, then don’t just look for new travelers. Make sure you also target old guests. Use your email list of past guests, and even just inquiries, and send out an email with your special offer. When you specifically target previous guests, you’ll have a higher chance of them booking; they already know what your rental includes, and they know what an enjoyable time they had the first time. You can also target the portion of your contacts who live within driving distance and have the ability to make a spontaneous trip.
Reduce Minimum Nightly Stay Requirements
If your property has a nightly stay requirement that doesn’t line up with a guest’s plans, it can limit your ability to get those bookings. Last-minute guests don’t always have a week of vacation time they can spend, so you may need to reduce the minimum. More and more people like to plan shorter trips these days, so shortening your minimum to three nights could fill your books.
Utilize Social Media
With such a strong emphasis on social media in the world, you need to make sure that you utilize it as much as possible. Update your pages, and share the news of your upcoming available dates so that your followers know what properties you have available. You could even offer a referral bonus for new bookings to draw even more people in!
If you need help managing your properties, turn to Exceptional Stays. Not only do we rent out some of the most luxurious properties around the world, but we also offer top-notch property management. We can help you fill up your rental property all year long.
