Vacation Rental Distribution: 6 Quick Expert Tips for 2018

Building a professional vacation rental business is a compelling and elaborate task. A property manager’s agenda covers developing best practises, finding quality resources, trailing tools, experimenting with new tech and much more. To help with your efforts and kickoff the year, we’ve created a list with the ultimate vacation rental distribution tips : a one-stop article with the effective hacks and tools that help set at ease an efficiently run vacation rental business… and never look back!

1. Quick tip: Set All Year Seasons

Make sure your rates and availability cover the whole year. Are there any special events or festivities confirmed for 2018 in your area? Now is the time to set the right pricing and minimum stay… not just for 2018 but 2019 too. Get it done rather then miss out on bookings!

Not sure how to price your vacation rentals? Let AI do the work for you! There are a number of yield management tools out there that can help out: Pricelabs, Outswitch and Beyond Pricing to name a few. Check the full list of recommendations in this article on automatic pricing for vacation rentals.

2. Quick tip: Quality Check

Are you vacation rental photos professional and up-to-date? There are plenty of photographers that can help out not only with pictures but also with advice and insights. We made an interview of Tyann Marcink and Alan Egan and they gave us their best vacation rental photography tricks.

Have you listed all available amenities and services? This is vital so you don’t miss out on guests who filter searches by specific equipment. In addition, make sure your description is all-inclusive and highlights the perks of booking your property. For copywriting there is also best practice you should follow, we got some good info from Guesthook in our vacation rental copywriting secrets article.

3. Quick tip: Diversify

Are your properties listed on all the vacation rental sites that drive bookings in your area? Find out by trying out these free interactive tools:

Get More Bookings: use this powerful tool with Rentals United data to see the appropriate listing websites for your properties and region.
Advertise on Niche Websites: because catering to specific guest needs, regions or property type makes niche listing sites efficient.
Channelizer: find out which listing sites will bring more bookings based on your business model, location and ideal customer.

4. Quick tip: Automation

Which area of your business needs upgrading or automation? Invest in new technology and expert advice to assist you in 2018! The vacation rental tech ecosystem is evolving fast, not just in marketing resources but also operations. Don’t get left behind! Get your copy of the complete directory of innovative vacation rental companies: Who´s Who of the Vacation Rental World 2018

5. Quick tip: Attend a Tradeshow/Conference

Make sure you get the latest updates on market trends and industry changes. Why not attend trade shows in 2018? Join the community of professional vacation rental managers and owners in events that innovate and strengthen the industry.

No time for a tradeshow? Follow the vacation rental industry influencers for best practices, business innovation and guidance.

6. Quick tip: Direct Bookings without the cost

Direct bookings are a must for your marketing strategy but they can easily become costly and wasteful. Some clever people out there however make it easy to create a website that converts – like VacationSoup.

If you already have a website and just need to add a booking engine, book a call with Rentals United. We offer Book direct pages included in our packages.

Is there any other tool or hack you’d like to add? Let us know what works for you in the comments below!