FLEXIBLE CANCELLATION POLICY<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nDuring the webinar we covered the importance of having a flexible cancellation policy, especially in times like these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Airbnb reports 15% more bookings<\/strong> for those rentals that are on Flexible;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Booking.com has a very visible message on the search results saying \u201cDon\u2019t book unless it\u2019s flexible<\/em>\u201d;<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Plum Guide says that 80% of all bookings<\/strong> are on relaxed cancellation policies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
We asked the webinar participants to answer this poll: \u201cAre you using a flexible cancellation policy?<\/em>\u201d These were the results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/DT-poll-600x521-1-300x261.png\")
Source: property managers poll during Domestic Tourism Webinar<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nOne comment was that \u201cflexible cancellation policies kill the market<\/em>\u201d, while in normal circumstances we kind of understand what you mean, but the \u201cmarket\u201d has completely changed since COVID-19, and we need to adapt to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere was also a mention of travellers booking multiple places and then cancelling at the last minute<\/a>. While this is certainly something that some travellers do, it\u2019s definitely not all. To combat this, we would recommend creating a strong relationship with the guest as soon as they book. Explaining that you\u2019re not a hotel and to please give you ample time to rebook the property if on the off chance they are likely to cancel. An \u201cemotional\u201d marketing tactic can help tackle the \u201cshoppers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\nTo improve guest communication, we strongly recommend using a guest communication platform \u2013 a standalone one like wishbox<\/a> or as part of your PMS (a feature you should look out for before signing with a vacation rental software<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\nQ: How do you manage multiple cancellation policies for different properties?<\/strong> \/\/ How do you manage different cancellation policies for 2020 and 2021? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA<\/strong>: You can set up different cancellation policies per property when you advertise different rates on sites like Booking.com <\/a>& Expedia<\/a> and later this year on Airbnb<\/a> too. Different rates can have a separate cancellation policy attached to them. So, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- expensive \u2013 cancel free up to 1 day before arrival<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- mid \u2013 cancel free up to 7 days before arrival<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- cheaper \u2013 no free cancellation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
So the traveller can choose how they want to book. Thes rates can be set up per property and per time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q: For flexible cancellation policy, do you recommend a full refund? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA<\/strong>: The answer is yes. At least for these first few months following the crisis, try to be completely flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nHOW TO PRICE FOR DOMESTIC TRAVELLERS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nDuring the webinar, we covered pricing extensively and pointed out that no one answer fits all. These are the things you need to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nStatement: Price drop is historically hard to recover from
\nConsideration: So should I keep the same prices?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\nStatement: There will be less rentals to compete with<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consideration: So should I bring my prices up? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\nStatement: Adjusting your pricing to the domestic market<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considerations: Did you price for international travellers previously? Can local people afford your rentals? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\nStatement: There will be more Cash-Trapped Vacationers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consideration: As we\u2019re heading for a global recession, will people spend less on their holidays? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWe went on to discuss the importance of the Length of Stay (LOS) Pricing. Here are the results from the poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If not already working with LOS pricing we suggest fining a software that allows you to set it up and with channels that will enable you to advertise it. Rentals United allows for LOS pricing and can push it to the following partner channels<\/a> supporting LOS pricing. You can set this up directly in your Airbnb account or through your Channel Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Google <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hometogo<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Bridgestreet<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Glamping Hub<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Innclusive<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Travelopo<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Locasun<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Clickstay<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hoppify<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Paradise Terra<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- World Escape<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Tui Villas<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Travelstaytion<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Holidu<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Europea Residences<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Altovita<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- WaytoStay<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Spotahome<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Homelike<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- B2Book<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- All Luxury Apartments<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Adriatic Home<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Housestay<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Find out more about these pricing tactics here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nQ: \u201cAre you scaling up your prices to cover commission fees charged by channels?\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA<\/strong>: This is something many of our clients do (in Rentals United, you can decide to mark up your prices depending on each channel\u2019s commission). It\u2019s all about making the maths work while remaining competitive. Watch this video<\/a> for more information<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nLISTING SITES FOR DOMESTIC TOURISM<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWe work with two types of professional property managers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
>TYPE A:<\/strong> Managers who carefully add their products on new websites, really analyse them in-depth and add maybe 1 or 2 more channels a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n>TYPE B:<\/strong> Managers who add their products to all the channels available to them. One booking is better than no booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\nToday you should become Manager B. Having as many eyeballs on your rentals as possible is paramount to success at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But which listing sites will get you, domestic travellers?<\/strong> We started this collaborative excel sheet of domestic listing sites<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>with channels we know and can recommend per country based on their stats. But this is a collaborative sheet \u2013 please feel free to add sites that have been working for you past or present in your country.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe now have sections for <\/strong>Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Sweden, UAE, UK, US (+California, +Florida) If your country is not included, please just add a tab. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nFinding more listing sites \u2013 what are the variations of keywords you recommend? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nTo help you find relevant listing sites we recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- make sure your preferences are set to the country where your rentals are located https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Type in the language of the country<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Try lots of variations (see below)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Check the ranking on similarweb.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Variations of keywords to find listing sites that rank (translate into the language our property is located in):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Holiday Apartments: \u2026 Holiday Apartments; holiday apartments in\u2026<\/em>Short-term rentals: \u2026 short-term rentals in\u2026; short-term rentals in\u2026;<\/em> Short-lets: \u2026 short-lets; short-lets in\u2026<\/em>Holiday homes: ... Holiday homes; Holiday homes in\u2026;<\/em> Holiday villas: \u2026 Holiday villas; Holiday villas in\u2026 ; <\/em>Vacation rentals: \u2026 Vacation rentals; Vacation rentals in\u2026;<\/em> Etc\u2026 ! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Top-30-niche-vacation-rental-websites-ebook-2-600x314-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nCATEGORY: CONTENT <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nQ: I am renting listings in Paris, but the title of my listings are in English (We do have International guests mostly). Do you think we should translate our titles in French targeting the domestic market for this summer? Website translates contents but not titles if I am not mistaken\u2026?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA<\/strong>: We send HomeAway\/VRBO translated names via our platform. On Airbnb, travellers see the original content until they press translate and it also translates the title. On booking.com the title is not translated so here and in all other cases when the titles are not translated.<\/p>\n\n\n\nYES!<\/strong> We would recommend translating them yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING PROCESSES <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOur Vacation Rental Safety Polls<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nDuring the webinar, we dedicated a few slides to reiterate the importance of vacation rental safety<\/a> going forward. Safety in terms of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n- Self Check-in<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Using Professional Cleaning companies.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
We were wondering how many property managers present already had these two processes in place. These are the results from the polls:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you need to find companies that can help you with safety download the Who\u2019s Who of Vacation Rental Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nQ: Should we email all past clients? What about the GPDR ? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA<\/strong>: We would frankly not be comfortable going into the details of GDPR law, however, clearly you need to have the agreement of past clients that you can email them \u2013 i.e. they must have agreed to your GDPR-compliant privacy policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to get the emails of your clients (and their agreement to email them) when many platforms mask travellers emails? Through guest communication applications like Wishbox<\/a>, your PMS, and even now through WIFI providers like StayFi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/rentalsunited.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Copy-1-of-Domestic-travel-webinar-1024x512px-coppyy-3-1-3-600x300-1.png\")
domestic tourism answers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\nLearn how to distribute listings to OTAs and niche websites with a powerful Channel Manager.<\/p>\n
We asked the webinar participants to answer this poll: \u201cAre you using a flexible cancellation policy?<\/em>\u201d These were the results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One comment was that \u201cflexible cancellation policies kill the market<\/em>\u201d, while in normal circumstances we kind of understand what you mean, but the \u201cmarket\u201d has completely changed since COVID-19, and we need to adapt to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was also a mention of travellers booking multiple places and then cancelling at the last minute<\/a>. While this is certainly something that some travellers do, it\u2019s definitely not all. To combat this, we would recommend creating a strong relationship with the guest as soon as they book. Explaining that you\u2019re not a hotel and to please give you ample time to rebook the property if on the off chance they are likely to cancel. An \u201cemotional\u201d marketing tactic can help tackle the \u201cshoppers\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To improve guest communication, we strongly recommend using a guest communication platform \u2013 a standalone one like wishbox<\/a> or as part of your PMS (a feature you should look out for before signing with a vacation rental software<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n A<\/strong>: You can set up different cancellation policies per property when you advertise different rates on sites like Booking.com <\/a>& Expedia<\/a> and later this year on Airbnb<\/a> too. Different rates can have a separate cancellation policy attached to them. So, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the traveller can choose how they want to book. Thes rates can be set up per property and per time frame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A<\/strong>: The answer is yes. At least for these first few months following the crisis, try to be completely flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the webinar, we covered pricing extensively and pointed out that no one answer fits all. These are the things you need to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Statement: Price drop is historically hard to recover from Statement: There will be less rentals to compete with<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consideration: So should I bring my prices up? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Statement: Adjusting your pricing to the domestic market<\/p>\n\n\n\n Considerations: Did you price for international travellers previously? Can local people afford your rentals? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Statement: There will be more Cash-Trapped Vacationers<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consideration: As we\u2019re heading for a global recession, will people spend less on their holidays? <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n We went on to discuss the importance of the Length of Stay (LOS) Pricing. Here are the results from the poll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If not already working with LOS pricing we suggest fining a software that allows you to set it up and with channels that will enable you to advertise it. Rentals United allows for LOS pricing and can push it to the following partner channels<\/a> supporting LOS pricing. You can set this up directly in your Airbnb account or through your Channel Manager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about these pricing tactics here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A<\/strong>: This is something many of our clients do (in Rentals United, you can decide to mark up your prices depending on each channel\u2019s commission). It\u2019s all about making the maths work while remaining competitive. Watch this video<\/a> for more information<\/p>\n\n\n\n We work with two types of professional property managers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n >TYPE A:<\/strong> Managers who carefully add their products on new websites, really analyse them in-depth and add maybe 1 or 2 more channels a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n >TYPE B:<\/strong> Managers who add their products to all the channels available to them. One booking is better than no booking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today you should become Manager B. Having as many eyeballs on your rentals as possible is paramount to success at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But which listing sites will get you, domestic travellers?<\/strong> We started this collaborative excel sheet of domestic listing sites<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>with channels we know and can recommend per country based on their stats. But this is a collaborative sheet \u2013 please feel free to add sites that have been working for you past or present in your country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We now have sections for <\/strong>Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Sweden, UAE, UK, US (+California, +Florida) If your country is not included, please just add a tab. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you find relevant listing sites we recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Variations of keywords to find listing sites that rank (translate into the language our property is located in):<\/p>\n\n\n\n Holiday Apartments: \u2026 Holiday Apartments; holiday apartments in\u2026<\/em>Short-term rentals: \u2026 short-term rentals in\u2026; short-term rentals in\u2026;<\/em> Short-lets: \u2026 short-lets; short-lets in\u2026<\/em>Holiday homes: ... Holiday homes; Holiday homes in\u2026;<\/em> Holiday villas: \u2026 Holiday villas; Holiday villas in\u2026 ; <\/em>Vacation rentals: \u2026 Vacation rentals; Vacation rentals in\u2026;<\/em> Etc\u2026 ! <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A<\/strong>: We send HomeAway\/VRBO translated names via our platform. On Airbnb, travellers see the original content until they press translate and it also translates the title. On booking.com the title is not translated so here and in all other cases when the titles are not translated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n YES!<\/strong> We would recommend translating them yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our Vacation Rental Safety Polls<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n During the webinar, we dedicated a few slides to reiterate the importance of vacation rental safety<\/a> going forward. Safety in terms of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We were wondering how many property managers present already had these two processes in place. These are the results from the polls:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need to find companies that can help you with safety download the Who\u2019s Who of Vacation Rental Services<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A<\/strong>: We would frankly not be comfortable going into the details of GDPR law, however, clearly you need to have the agreement of past clients that you can email them \u2013 i.e. they must have agreed to your GDPR-compliant privacy policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to get the emails of your clients (and their agreement to email them) when many platforms mask travellers emails? Through guest communication applications like Wishbox<\/a>, your PMS, and even now through WIFI providers like StayFi<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learn how to distribute listings to OTAs and niche websites with a powerful Channel Manager.<\/p>\nQ: How do you manage multiple cancellation policies for different properties?<\/strong> \/\/ How do you manage different cancellation policies for 2020 and 2021? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
Q: For flexible cancellation policy, do you recommend a full refund? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
HOW TO PRICE FOR DOMESTIC TRAVELLERS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\nConsideration: So should I keep the same prices?<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
Q: \u201cAre you scaling up your prices to cover commission fees charged by channels?\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
LISTING SITES FOR DOMESTIC TOURISM<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Finding more listing sites \u2013 what are the variations of keywords you recommend? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCATEGORY: CONTENT <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Q: I am renting listings in Paris, but the title of my listings are in English (We do have International guests mostly). Do you think we should translate our titles in French targeting the domestic market for this summer? Website translates contents but not titles if I am not mistaken\u2026?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
OTHER QUESTIONS REGARDING PROCESSES <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Q: Should we email all past clients? What about the GPDR ? <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n