How to promote my vacation rental biz!

[Kelly!]

Hi-

So, as a side biz I bought two vacation homes and most recently a short term rental property, which I'm almost finished renovating and about to put on the market in a couple weeks!

One of my vacation homes is in Eden, UT. right next to a few ski resorts and in mountain biking/boating/hiking country! We're in the slow season now, so I'm trying to think of ways to market this particular home! My beach house is doing great and rented out non-stop, in fact I have a hard time trying to stay there myself, because it's usually booked out 3-4 months.

I've hired my 16 year old son (who's a super genius at coding, programming, etc. He was contacted by Forbes a couple months ago too, because of a coding type program that he developed...I'm so proud of my kid... I just had to brag about him on here ) He is also completely bored out of his mind, being out of school less than two weeks, so I've put him to work for me. Which is a win-win as I am absolutely swamped with my main business in OR!)

The reason for this post, is to ask ideas on how to market this particular home. Right now he is posting ads on outdoor blogs/forums, researching community activities and posting on those sites, he recently made a TikTok account for this home, I also have a FB and IG account....just trying to think outside the box and come up with creative ways to get it rented out, especially now that it's the slow season!

Thanks in advance for your ideas!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Tiago]

I have a friend who listed a home on AirBnB. She first put below-market rates, to have more people book. As soon as she had 15 5-star reviews, she upped the price.

It's been booking non-stop ever since.

Are you on those platforms? If so, do you have any ratings?

Have you created partnership perhaps with businesses that offer services around that area? For example hiking companies, waterskiing businesses, mountain biking tour companies etc... Any kind of business that is related with tourism in that area.

Also, last question, why is your beach home so successful? Any lessons you've learned there that you can replicate?

 

[Kelly!]

I have a friend who listed a home on AirBnB. She first put below-market rates, to have more people book. As soon as she had 15 5-star reviews, she upped the price.

It's been booking non-stop ever since.

Are you on those platforms? If so, do you have any ratings?

Have you created partnership perhaps with businesses that offer services around that area? For example hiking companies, waterskiing businesses, mountain biking tour companies etc... Any kind of business that is related with tourism in that area.

Also, last question, why is your beach home so successful? Any lessons you've learned there that you can replicate?

Hi-

Thank you for your reply! I use a small management company in Utah and they list it on all the rental sites for me.

Great idea about coordinating with local ski, bike shops. I’m flying out there next week and I’ll hit those businesses up! Excellent thinking! Maybe even do up a business card with a discount to leave at the shops!

I have vacasa manage my beach house, so not sure if it’s them or simply the location of my home that has it booked non stop.

Thanks again for your advice, I’m excited to get to work on this

 

[simonhamburg]

Hi Kelly!
My wife and I run a vacation home at the Baltic Sea and have gotten great results from positioning and marketing it to a „niche“ target group which meant equipping it with some special amenities which make the vacation for our target group hassle-free and are usually hard to find in comparable homes. In our case the not so small niche is dog owners, often with 2+ canines. We selected the house to have neighbours only far away and a big lawn, direct access to hiking path , built a high fence around the whole garden and put in paw-safe floors and furniture. We market it only on a single platform for dog vacation. After lockdown ended we were fully booked for the whole summer season through October within less than a month and are already getting requests and bookings for 2022. If you find a target group with special requirements and cater to them, the competition can be way less.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kelly!]

Hi Kelly!
My wife and I run a vacation home at the Baltic Sea and have gotten great results from positioning and marketing it to a „niche“ target group which meant equipping it with some special amenities which make the vacation for our target group hassle-free and are usually hard to find in comparable homes. In our case the not so small niche is dog owners, often with 2+ canines. We selected the house to have neighbours only far away and a big lawn, direct access to hiking path , built a high fence around the whole garden and put in paw-safe floors and furniture. We market it only on a single platform for dog vacation. After lockdown ended we were fully booked for the whole summer season through October within less than a month and are already getting requests and bookings for 2022. If you find a target group with special requirements and cater to them, the competition can be way less.

Hi Simon,

Sounds like an amazing property you have! I've never been to the Baltic Sea but would love to someday!

Thank you for the advise, I do appreciate it! With it being a condo, there's not anything I can do to the land itself. It does have a couple swimming pools, hot tub, volley ball court, golf course, gym, etc. The area itself is a playground for adults with skiing nearby, hiking, mountain biking, next to Pineview Reservoir (so lots and lots of fishing, boating, jet skiing, etc.) It's also very nicely furnished. Just trying to think outside the box and see what else I can do to attract people and make it stand out!

 

[Tiago]

Let us know how it goes in creating those partnerships!

 

[Xavier X]

@Kelly!

Since you're already promoting it on IG, maybe consider finding some "influencers" in the ski or hiking space (or any destination activities in that area). And offer them a short stay at the place in exchange for them recommending it online to their base (potential visitors).

Obviously, this would only work if they have access to people likely to spend time in the area.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kelly!]

Let us know how it goes in creating those partnerships!

I sure will! I've already reached out to a few businesses and started creating the flyers and business cards, so fingers crossed

 

[100k]

Instead of using money to advertise your business, put the advertising dollars towards giving customers more value.

Overwhelm your clients with so much value that they have NO OPTIONS but to brag about their stay, FORCE THEM to talk about you on twitter/FB/social media, force them to tell all their friends about how amazing their stay was.

Go the extra mile, think about every little tiny thing you can do to make the stay a little bit better.

Free fresh bred & brew every morning?
Free soap & deo-spray ?
Free Netflix?
Pickups and drop-offs from the station/airport?
Free guided tour by a local.
Higher quality beds & furniture?
Free ipad/laptop (why just TV) ?
Free ebikes so they can ride around.

AMAZE THEM SO THEY HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR SERVICE.

 

[Kelly!]

Instead of using money to advertise your business, put the advertising dollars towards giving customers more value.

Overwhelm your clients with so much value that they have NO OPTIONS but to brag about their stay, FORCE THEM to talk about you on twitter/FB/social media, force them to tell all their friends about how amazing their stay was.

Go the extra mile, think about every little tiny thing you can do to make the stay a little bit better.

Free fresh bred & brew every morning?
Free soap & deo-spray ?
Free Netflix?
Pickups and drop-offs from the station/airport?
Free guided tour by a local.
Higher quality beds & furniture?
Free ipad/laptop (why just TV) ?
Free ebikes so they can ride around.

AMAZE THEM SO THEY HAVE NO OPTION BUT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR SERVICE.

Funny you should write that, I've had the same thoughts going through my head this morning and late last night! I was thinking..."what would I like/what would make me want to tell my friends and family?"

Thank you for taking the time to write that, several of your ideas I had not thought of, so thank you very much!!!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kelly!]

1. Learn more about your persona and target them via their favorite platforms.
2. Start a podcast.
3. Use Twitter to find lifestyle and travel bloggers.
4. Get into Facebook destination groups.
5. Create a flyer that can go into your local tourist information office.

Thank you for your ideas, I appreciate it
I will definitely put those to use!!