There is no doubt that there is a growing dependence on service provider like Airbnb both by rental owners/agencies and also customers. The growth of Airbnb and many other vacation rental service providers (OTAs) has literally exploded, not only in this country but also across the world. While this has made the life of tourists, business people and other customers quite easy, it also comes with its own share of problems.

There have been many instances where customers have literally ransacked and perhaps even misused the rented apartments. This could lead to huge losses for the apartment and home owners and could also tarnish the image of service providers like Airbnb. 

While educating the customers and impressing upon them the need to be careful with rented homes and apartments is important, this always remains a work-in progress. There could be many instances where the customers who stay in various homes and apartments take things in their hands. So there is a common question that comes to the mind of the apartment owners and also various well known service providers like Airbnb.

Unless the right answer is found, it will not be long before we see a big jump in the number of instances where the guests thrash the Airbnb and also the apartment and home owners. It will be a big loss of face and Airbnb and other such service providers may also be drawn to courts and may have to face the risk of spending thousands of dollars as compensations.

What Kind of Risks May Apartment and Home Owners Be Into

There is nothing wrong in homeowners trying to make some extra bucks by renting out their homes to willing customers. Instead of doing it on their own, they prefer to go through service providers like Airbnb. These apartment owners place advertisements and list their properties so that interested tenants can take it on hire.

The homeowners do not mind paying a commission to Airbnb because it was through their help and assistance that they could get a tenant for their homes and apartments. Most of them are for short term periods and the stay could range anywhere from a couple of days to a maximum of 2 weeks or a fortnight. There could be some special situations and circumstances where the stay could be expected by the customers beyond a few weeks and may go up to a month or so. 

It May Not Be As Simple As It Seems

While the above looks a simple, workable and common-sense solution, it may not be always that way. While in most cases, it is a win-win situation to the apartment owners, service providers like Airbnb and of course the customers who stay on rent, there have been many instances where the customers have gone berserk. They have not fulfilled their part of the terms of contracts. There have been instances where busloads of people have landed up at the homes. They were seen indulging in all sorts of illegal activities including conversion of the homes into a drug-peddling home and drug-using home.

The petrified home owners could not just kick the customers out of their homes because the rental term may not have expired. The guest often took refuge under the contractual law but at the same time they indulged in activities that could be considered illegal to say the least.

So, what is the way forward as far as the hapless home owners and also the service providers like Airbnb. Let us try and find answers for the same over the next few lines. Many homeowners were left high and dry with damages that may have run into many thousands of dollars. 

Should Homeowners Stay Away From Airbnb?

It is obvious that the homeowners have a common question in their minds? Should they stop using the services of Airbnb? This looks a simple solution and it may deprive the homeowners of earning some money by renting out their homes to willing customers who are decent and abide by the law. It would be pertinent to mention here that property rentals using service providers like Airbnb is quite big. According to some figures, hundreds of homeowners were able to collect big money while the listing services for Airbnb ran into billions of dollars.

However, it would be a good idea if Airbnb and the homeowners spent some time, and effort to ensure that the properties of the homeowners are not damaged while the reputation of Airbnb also remains intact. Let us see how this is possible. 

Importance of Updating Insurance Policy

It is quite obvious that as a homeowner you have to sign a home insurance contract. When you sign such a contract, you implicitly agree that you will keep your insurance provider with the right information and fact pertaining to your home. This includes certain important things such as building of a swimming pool in the backyard and also some details as to how you would be using your home. 

However, when you are using home for rental purposes, even if it is short term rentals, you must be aware that you are taking on board a new set of risks. Therefore these risks must be factored and should be a part of the insurance coverage as far as your premiums and policy coverage amount are concerned. If you rent your entire home or even a portion of it for even short periods of time, you must keep your insurance provider informed about it. If you do not do this you will be voiding your policy. 

Further you also must inform the insurer that you have listed your property for rentals on Airbnb site and not doing so will again be a breach of contract. Therefore, before you get started with your rental business even for a few days or even for part of your home, you must ensure that it is covered under insurance. This will help you to breathe easy and rest assured that your financial risk is covered should the guest misuse the services offered by Airbnb and yourself. 

Importance of Protecting Your Property

Both Airbnb and the home/apartment owners have a role to play in ensuring that the property of the homeowners is protected. You must get started my listing down certain rules and regulations. These rules must form a part of the contract and it should also be available in the listing site of Airbnb and you also should ensure that it is part of the guest handbook that you handover when they come to stay on rent. This will ensure that the guests cannot feign ignorance should they fail to honor the contract or do something that is damaging both to Airbnb and the homeowners. 

Check on Guests Before You Accept A Booking

This is extremely important and it could save quite a few problems as mentioned above. Always look for guests with good reputation . Airbnb has a system by which they rate guests based on feedback from other property owners. It would be better to stay away from guests who have just joined or who are willing to pay in cash. It also could be a good idea to make use of various identification processes that Airbnb has.

The guests are asked to upload a copy of their IDs, photographs and also link their profile to social media sites like Facebook, Linkedin or Google. Further, it would be better to always go for couples and families rather than opt for young students in groups. They are more prone to drug abuse and other such nuisances that could disturb and impact their neighbours. 

Take A Damage Deposit

Take a damage deposit from the guests so that they are careful about the way in which they use the apartments and homes. You are free to charge the right deposits based on your risk assessment but generally it is around 20 to 30% of the rental costs. You should layout clear terms regarding the non-refunding of the deposit money or partial refunding should any damages happen. 

Make The Guests Liable For Damages Caused By Them

Your contract should also contain clauses that talk about damages that should be paid by the guests should it be proved that they have not used the homes and apartments the way they should have. The fear of such penalties and damages do work on the back of the minds of the guests and this is has been proven to be an effective deterrent against mischief mongers.

You have to work in close coordination with Airbnb so that jointly you can haul the guests and make them pay for damages that could cover the home, the social prestige and other such things. 

Check on The Home Apartment Thoroughly Before Refunding The Deposit

Finally you must thoroughly examine the entire home and make sure there are no damages to the homes. Yes, the home may be a bit dirty with some litter and these can be cleaned by the right professionals. But be very strict with your deposit refund if damages have occurred. Airbnb also has a system of rating the guests and you can use this tool to report bad guests and make them face the negative consequence. 

The Final Word

Though the instances of guests thrashing your home booked through Airbnb is limited, the instance of misuse and even vandalism is growing. You must, as a home owner, be aware of the problem and take the required steps to address the matter.

After all it your expensive home that you are renting and the guests are obligated legally and contractually to behave the right way when staying in the homes and also ensure that it is maintained properly. 

Troubled by your Airbnb guests and don't want them to visit ever again? If so, this post is for you and for many such hosts like you: How to block an Airbnb guests from booking (again).

Lending your home as a vacation rental is one of the best things you can do as a property owner. This industry is growing significantly and offers the hosts to make handsome money using their property. However, being a host is not as easy as it sounds. You have to put yourself and your family's safety at risk. There are fair chances for you to end up with annoying guests.

Although most of the guests are friendly and stay according to your rules and regulations, sometimes the host may experience a lot of trouble and discomfort because of some bad guests.

Over the years I have read or heard about terrible bad guests experiences of the Airbnb hosts. Most of the hosts complained about the bad behaviour of the guests, damage to the property, stolen items etc. All I can say, it can get really traumatic.

Nobody wants to harm their own property due to the presence of someone else. In such situations, it is totally fair to chase away such guests from visiting your place again.

So, the bigger question is how to block a guest from booking again? Well, let's see what can be done!

How To Block An AirBnB Guest From Booking Again?

Don't get disappointed after knowing that unfortunately, there is no direct way for blocking a guest from booking again. Airbnb is yet to launch this option for facilitating its hosts.
However, this doesn't mean you have to go through all the trauma and discomfort due to the bad guests. Here are a few things you can do :

Report AirBnB for any such situations. Although there is no direct way to block the guests, Airbnb will allow you to cancel the re-booking without hitting your ranking. This is by far the only way to prevent a bad guest from entering your property.
Another and possibly the best way is to have a proper screening of guests before allowing them to enter your beautiful property.

For the latter way, there are a few actions you can take against the bad guest in order to protect the misuse of your property.

The good news is, AirBnB allows the host to assess their guests and determine whether they should be allowed to stay or not.

Here Is What You Can Do To Bypass The Bad Guests

1. Make Sure The Guest Have A Complete Airbnb Profile

Most of the genuine guests sincerely complete their Airbnb profile by filling each and every section with the necessary details. This shows the positive efforts they've made in order to be a wonderful guest. Also, it shows that they are experienced and planning to use Airbnb for the long term.

However, the incomplete profiles are the ones you should doubt. Someone who doesn't even care to provide some basic details through his profile is more likely to be a red flag bearer. You should consider it a sign of a bad guest.

2. Check The Past Reviews Of The Guest

Determine whether or not the guest has a past stay on Airbnb. Most of the time hosts leave reviews of their guests in the same way guests do on the listings. These reviews can be used to screen the bad guest. It is pretty simple, if the guest has many negative reviews, you can easily decline their request.

Moreover, this is the reason why should guests, as well as hosts, use the power of reviews. They help in the betterment of the Airbnb community both for the hosts and the guests.
It is your responsibility to review each guest so that they don't trouble the hosts by becoming regular offenders

3. Check How Old The Guest Profile Is

If the profile was made for a while and the guest is active in the Airbnb community, consider it as a good sign. It shows that he/she is a genuine person. But, if the profile is created on the same day or a day before the booking request, it is a clear sign that you should decline this request. There are fair chances that a troublemaker is willing to book your property.

Make Sure The Guest Is Verified

Airbnb offers a verification feature for all the profiles where the users need to prove their identity on the platform. It is a crucial feature that helps the host to trust their guests and know they're allowing the right person to stay in their property. The verification options include a contact number, address, Facebook, LinkedIn In, email address etc.

The key is to steer clear from the non-verified users. You have the right to decline their booking request. In fact, you will put yourself in danger in letting these unverified users stay with you. A good option is to consider a minimum of two verification options for all the guests.

Check Whether They Have An Original Profile Picture

Sometimes, the red flag bearers fill out the wrong profile details and even manage to verify their accounts. In such situations, what can be done?

The answer is to examine their profile picture because most of the non-genuine people never put their actual profile picture. They either use a grainy/ unclear picture or no profile picture at all. Situations like points that the person is not suitable as a guest.

Try Meeting Your Guest In Real-life At The Time Of Check-In

If possible try to meet the guests in-person during the check-in process. You will get enough idea about the character of the person and you will be able to make informative decisions for determining whether or not they're suitable for the stay. In case you have doubts or second thoughts after meeting them you can stay alert.

Have A Written Agreement With Airbnb

Always have everything in written format over the Airbnb platform. Don't get indulged with your guests outside the platform. Suppose, a guest has booked your property for 10 days and he is asking you to extend the stay for a few more days outside the Airbnb platform, know that something is wrong.

Although it is understood that many hosts and guests communicate through different messaging tools like WhatsApp, Instagram, making important decisions regarding the stay is not recommended outside the main platform.

Even if you have to contact them outside the Airbnb platform, make sure to send a follow-up message through the main platform for confirming the conversation related to any important decision. If a guest is pressuring you outside the platform, report it to Airbnb as soon as possible.

Employ Security Cameras And Smart Locks

This is one of the most important things every host should do. Deploy the security cameras in your property and make use of smart locks. It will help you in a number of ways. You can enhance your security and keep an eye on the unethical activities of some guests. You will be able to know whether your guests are complying with your rules or not? Whether they're damaging your property or indulged in any other harmful activity?

Further, you can use it as evidence in case of any complex situation. Also, by using smart locks, you can lock the property remotely after the checkout time.

Frame Your Own Rules And Make Them Clear To All The Guests

It is a very important factor to keep in mind. See, it's your property and you're responsible for maintaining it along with providing better accommodation to the genuine guests.

Thus, set your own rules and include them in your listing, and make them clear to the guests at the time of accepting their booking request. These rules may include the spaces they are entitled to use, check-in /check-out timings, usage of other items etc.

Now, if you're into this field for a good time, you may already know that guests tend to ignore reading such rules on the listings as well as on the welcome books. It is purely your responsibility to make them understand your rules. For this, write them to several places other than your website or welcome book.

Seek Help From Airbnb Itself

If you find yourself in a situation where your guest is causing utter discomfort to you, damaging your property, breaking the rules etc then notify Airbnb at the earliest. This is the right way to handle such situations. Sometimes, you may also find it hard to make the troublemaker guests leave your place. Airbnb can resolve it in a much better way than you would do. So, let them handle such situations.

Although you can't block your guest directly from booking again, these ways will help you to prevent such situations where you will need to take such harsh decisions.

By keeping in mind the aforementioned points, you can deal with the bad guests and protect your property from any damage while also maintaining your comfort. I hope you get the answer to your query and you make better decisions for your business.

In a severe case you could also delete your listing from Airbnb.

With the current state and misbehaviour of Airbnb, I can easily imagine that you would like to Delete Your Listing On Airbnb. Or maybe you have found a good alternative. Let me help you with the ´deleting your Airbnb listing´ part!

As an owner of a rental property, there is a high chance that you are already familiar with a couple of or many rentals listing websites. There is no doubt that the particular listing site you choose can significantly affect the success of your vacation rental. A listing website has an impact not only on your chance of getting bookings but also affect your pricing.

One of those popular sites for listing your property rentals is Airbnb. The booking fee seems low (you just have to calculate the guests part as well to get to 15% on average), and it is a reasonably priced option for most owners. Similarly, if you factor in the massive traffic the website receives, it is clear why many people prefer it as the rental listing site they prefer to use. 

Airbnb Listings

To guarantee your success while using Airbnb, you must know how the site works. One feature that you may need to use more often is the listings. As an Airbnb host, you should appreciate that how you list your home or space for renting on Airbnb has a significant impact on whether you are successful or not.

And so, you must focus on enhancing your listings section so that it becomes much easier for customers to find you via online search results. 

As you will discover, navigating the listings feature poses its challenges. You may have to rely on an expert or trial and error to be in a position to get more exposure and enhance your rates of booking conversion. Some of the listings tips you can rely on include:

·  Adding more amenities to your listings. This happens to be a common thing that many hosts tend to overlook, and yet, that ideally should not be the case. Indicate the different amenities available in your property, including toothpaste, lotions, shaving kits, shower supplies, and even other bathroom amenities.

Improve your pictures and description is a huge part of success on any of the Listing websites or OTAs.

·  Allow pets in your home rental. Having a pet-friendly property gives you an added advantage over other hosts. The reason is that most people like traveling with pets, so it could be inconveniencing to them if pets are not allowed in your property. Pet lovers will adore you for this.

·  Wishlist Saves. When any guest or visitor browses through the rental properties listed on the Airbnb website, they can save the particular rentals they see suitable to a wishlist. If your property manages to accrue more wishlist saves, it can perform better in search results and rankings. You can enhance your listing's SEO by requesting your family and friends to have your property on their wishlist save.

Having seen the importance of Airbnb listings and how you can enhance your listings, however, you may sometimes need to delete a listing or listings altogether. As a result, read on to learn how to delete Airbnb listing.

Why You May Want To Delete Your Airbnb Listing

There are different reasons why you may need to delete your Airbnb listing. One possible reason could be that you have decided to sell your home. For other reasons, you may want to delete your listing may include opting against renting your property at the last minute, when you create a duplicate listing and many more.

Or maybe you are mad at the way Airbnb has treated you during the COVID19 Crisis. You are not the only one:

Or maybe you have found a way to be less dependent on the OTAs and prefer to book directly.

Or you have decided to give a local agency a try. there are many reasons to delete your Airbnb listing and account.

When searching for how to delete Airbnb listing, you will find out that the process is sometimes more complex than you initially thought. It is not just about locating the tab for listing deletion. 

That is why we have made a concerted effort to present a practical and simple procedure of removing your Airbnb listing. The guide has helpful instructions that, systematically, when you go through it, will help you avoid any wastage of time. Subsequently, see below how to delete Airbnb listing.

I.  Proceed to the homepage of your airbnb.com profile.

II.  Choose the particular listing that you want to be deleted from your airbnb.com profile page. Then, proceed to click or tap the tab labeled “Listing Details.” 

III.  Scroll down through the Airbnb page until you locate the tab labeled “Listing Status.” Proceed to click on the option “Edit.” Window section pop-ups requiring you to verify your choice for the listing removal. On the window that is shown, the rental listing website also provides other options, apart from wanting to delete your Airbnb listing.

IV.  Your screen displays or presents to you a drop-down menu. The menu offers you three options, which are “Published,” “Paused,” or “Hidden.” Since you need to delete your listing, select the link showing you to “disable Airbnb listing permanently.” 

V.  The website then asks you the reason why you have chosen the deleting option. The rental listing site even goes ahead to provide you with a few possible reasons. Some of the reasons the site recommends include, “I no longer want to continue renting,” and “I no longer have access to this lodging.” For that reason, you should choose the most appropriate and particular reason for wanting to delete your listing. 

VI.  Then, proceed to choose the option “disable permanently.” 

Once you have gone through the procedure shown above and finished selecting the option for deleting your listing permanently, you will receive a verification email. The email is sent instantaneously, and hence, you have to check your email address to confirm that the deletion process has been completed.

Once you have deleted a listing, you can relax, knowing that it has no impact on your other Airbnb listings. Your Airbnb account remains the same.

What You Need To Know Before Deleting Your Airbnb Listing

Before you proceed to follow the procedure provided above, about how to delete Airbnb listing, you should note a few vital things. First, when you delete a rental listing from your Airbnb profile, the act is final. If you need to repost the listing, you have to restart a new one. You have to recreate the deleted listing and post it again.

Secondly, if you happen to have a listing that is active for future booking requests and or future bookings, understand you are not allowed to execute permanent deletion. Meaning, in case there is a booking to stay by a visitor or guest, you cannot delete or remove the listing. You first have to complete all your current or confirmed reservations before you can delete a listing.

Thirdly, you need to know that removing a listing does not delete available comments or past reviews on your publicly accessible profile. 

Lastly, it is a recommendation that before you remove or delete a listing, you can contact the Airbnb helpline first. Contact customer care will enable them to supply you with worthwhile suggestions and authentic ways concerning your Airbnb account and listing. 

Alternatives to Deleting Your Airbnb Listing 

As already noted, deleting any listing on your Airbnb profile is a permanent procedure. It cannot be undone. The only option is to create a new listing. For this reason, it is why the rental listing site has come up with and provides deleting alternatives you can choose. 

It is possible to temporarily unlist or hide your listing from your profile not to be found on search results. It is also possible to snooze or pause a listing for a while so that it is not available on search results. This particular alternative to listing deletion represents a compromise between a listing being paused and complete listing deletion. This option that makes the listing to hide from search results does not involve having a planned date for reactivation.

In terms of the duration of snoozing a listing, it is possible within six (6) months from your snoozing date. By the end of the six months or the timeframe set within the six months, automatically, the snoozed listing is deactivated. You will receive an email notification a day prior to the reactivation of your snoozed listing.

Why Your Airbnb Listing May Have Been Deactivated 

Airbnb can also sometimes deactivate your listing essential for making sure that if you are not in a position to host; potential guests do not contact you. Deactivation of your listing can also be vital in helping you maintain your rate of response. 

Below are some of the reasons why your listing may be subjected to deactivation.

·  If it takes you more than seven (7) days consistently just for an inquiry to be pre-approved.

·  If over a prolonged period, you decline successive booking inquiries or reservation requests.

·  If you let up to four (4) successive booking inquiries or reservation requests to expire.

If the guys at Airbnb have deactivated your listing, you will receive email instructions you are required to follow for reactivation. To reactivate a listing at any time, you can do that through your Airbnb dashboard. One must be patient as it may take longer, like an hour, for your listing to be found on search results after a reactivation.

In Conclusion

Following this extensive guide on how to delete Airbnb listing, we hope is that it proves the most useful and relevant one for your use. Having this proper guidance is essential in ensuring that your procedure of deleting your Airbnb listing is not challenging and time-consuming.

The guide was specifically designed with you on our minds, and thus, you can successfully delete your Airbnb listing by following the steps provided above.

If you've recently jumped into the vacation rental business, you must be planning about earning huge revenue and profit. However, before that, you must know about the right ways to maximise profit in this industry. 

Here are some of the best ways to host your vacation home to provide better guest experience, generate more revenue and several other important tips for running your business, that we have learned in investing in vacation rentals and renting out through our company Club Villamar in the last 15 years.

Let me share with you ´How to host a vacation rental´ separated into three parts :

• Create The Listing
• Provide a Better Guest Experience
• Manage Price And Revenue

Create The Listing 

First and foremost step is to find a suitable marketplace to make your property visible to the potential guests. Some of the great options are Airbnb, HomeAway and Expedia. Below are a few tips to create your vacation rental listing. Do realise that it is best to advertise your vacation rental (let us help you with this article) on several websites .

1] Provide a Detailed And Accurate Description 

Be transparent and straightforward. It is very important to build trust and healthy relationships with the guest. If your house lacks something, don't cover it. Any such mistake can result in negative reviews later after the guests leave. Even if you have some less desirable situations in your VR, inform your guest in a polite way rather than hiding it.

For example: if there is construction going on in some part, let them know by saying “since we are working on making the guest house better for guests, some part is under construction this time”. 

The description of your vacation rental is very important, for help check out this article we wrote on it.

2] Update Your Description From Time to Time

Don't just put your description once and forget it. It should be regularly updated after you make any changes to your places like renovations, interiors, pricing and availability. 

Keep revisiting your listing in a timely manner and let your potential guest know about enticing things like you can tell them about the newly opened restaurant or museum nearby etc. 

3] Study The Working Of Your Listing Site Thoroughly 

No matter which site you're using, know how it works and determine whether it is the right marketplace for you or not and whether they are charging right or not. For example: With Airbnb, the property owners have to pay some percentage of every booking in return of their listing. Studying the listing site will help you to maximize the visibility of your rental home across hundreds of sites. They change their algorithm every couple of weeks, so you need to stay updated.

4] Visuals Are Everything 

Use only high-quality professional photos on your listing. Normal photos taken with smartphones are not going to work in any way. Let us help you with taking the perfect pictures in this article.

You need some enticing pictures of your VR home to attract the guest. For this, don't shy away from seeking the help of a professional photographer. Make sure the photos are crisp and show all the parts of the home beautifully. No overexposed or washed-out photos. Also, include at least 20 photos. According to studies, 80% of the guests are more likely to rent a place with more photos. Want to go overboard? Make a video and virtual tour as well!

Provide a Better Guest Experience 

5. Make It Unforgettable 

Guests are everything. It's your responsibility to find creative ways to make their stay memorable. The better your guest feel, better reviews they will give which will lead to surplus bookings and then more revenue. However, it is not as easy as it sounds, you have to work really hard to make your place dreamy enough for your guests. It is hard to ´WOW´ your guests nowadays, but you should always try to do so.

6] Regularly Update Your Calendars

Double booking can impact your ranking badly along with upsetting your guest. Also, if your calendars are not up to date and show the availability even after the home is full, your booking ranking could get hit hard. 

So, it is very important to regularly update your calendar. There are greta technological tools for that available.

7] Present Your Guests With Aesthetic Outdoor Living Spaces 

Nobody wants to get packed in rooms on vacations. Studies have suggested that guests enjoy outdoor living more than the interiors. Therefore, work your ways to improve your outdoor living space and make it more inviting. It will add up for your vacation rental. A majority of the travellers look for aesthetic views while looking for their stay. So, make sure you provide that by including features like stunning landscape, swimming pool, outdoor grill, fire pits, lovely furniture, glamorous patios etc. 

8] Work On Your Interior Designs

Interior designing is all about creating the right balance. Take your time to put the better features inside the VR home and make sure it looks elegant and classy. Make good use of antiques and showpieces along with unique furniture. Your goal should be to make the rooms more appealing and comfortable. What do people look for in a vacation rental? Click here.

While it's true that guests don't want to be in a boring place, don't overstuff the rooms. Remember, less is more. Put less but eye-grabbing decorations in the room. Some cool ideas to include are Italian chandeliers, local arts, vintage collections etc. 

9] Include A Well-equipped Kitchen

According to a survey, about 84% of the individuals said cooking in their vacation homes is both fun and cost-saving. So, invest in the kitchen and make it well – equipped. Because it looks more appealing, it will increase the weightage of your listing and will provide your guest with better living experience. have a look here to see what you should stock in your kitchen.

10] Don't Hesitate To Include Some Luxury Items

Adding luxury items can increase your rankings dramatically. Hence, it is always a great idea to invest in it. Some luxury item ideas to include in your vacation rental are :

Electronic Entry, Refrigerators, coffee machines, Blenders, Dishwashers, Hot tub, Microwaves, Jacuzzi, fully-equipped bathrooms etc. 

If you're willing to invest more, you could also open a private spa for your guests. Trust me, it would be a lovely addition to your VR home. 

11] Respond To The Reviews 

Reviews can and will make or break your business. So, it is very important to work forward to receive good reviews. It will come naturally after you provide a memorable guest experience but the important thing is to respond to the reviews.

This will help you in engaging with your guests in a direct way. Not just the positive reviews, but responding to the negative ones is even more important. It gives you the opportunity to address the issue and improve it. All you have to do is to thank your guests for their wonderful stay! 

Also, while your guests are leaving, request them politely to give small feedback and review. 

Manage Your Pricing

12] Identify Your Financial Goals

The first step is to figure out what you want in return from your vacation rental. Ask yourself some questions like is it for clearing the debt of your second home? Is it for generating more revenue? and so on. After deciding the goals, you will be able to make better revenue-based decisions. Look for all the variables that can affect your earning possibilities from your VR home. 

13] Focus On Adding Values To Your Home 

While most of the guests are tempted by seeing the cheap prices, know that cheap prices always come out after compromising on the quality. So, instead of cutting down on the luxuries to make your rental home cheaper, focus on adding value to your home. Most of the guests prefer quality over the cheap prices

14] Always Offer Dynamic Pricing

Never keep your nightly rates static. The reason is simple, the demands of guests keep changing over time. You can clearly see that in the Airline Industry. So, keep in mind these factors and set your pricing accordingly. Some of the factors to consider while deciding the prices are 

• Average Price Of Your Location
• Seasonal Demands
• Period of Stay
• Demand Trends Of VR History etc.

You can easily generate your rates by considering these factors. This is so important that we wrote a whole article on Pricing your vacation villa alone.

15] Identify The Period Of Peak Demands

A great way to maximize your profits is to plan according to the peak demands. All you need to do is decide the peak demand period of your region and then decide which dates are for guests. This will add to a larger chunk of your annual revenue. For example: If your home is up on the hill, it will be a perfect place for skiing in the summers or spring. 

16] Identify The USPs

Do some good research and identify your unique selling points. It will help in enhancing your VR home. For example your private spa, personal home restaurant, nearby skiing points etc. can be your USPs which will help you in attracting new customers. 

17] Perform Weekly Assessment On Your Data And Performance 

Dedicate enough time every week to analyse your data and performance of your vacation home. Check whether you're ahead or behind the bookings and also compare the results with previous weeks. 

18] Reinvest

It is the most important part of any business. Don't just sit back and get excited with your one time profits. The better approach is to reinvest the profits back into your business to make it more promising and to generate more revenues in future. You can use a significant amount in upgrading the quality of your home, adding modern amenities and luxuries.

We hope this information helps you to achieve huge success in your (new) vacation rental business.

If you have amazing rentals knitted with all the luxuries for a comfortable stay, your goal should be to get more bookings. But with thousands of vacation listings out there, it can be tough to make your property stand out from the crowd. So, are you wondering how to get more vacation rental bookings and maximise income? Well, it takes more than just waiting for reservations to tickle in. In this post, we'll discuss how to increase vacation rental bookings. Read on and learn more. 

Competitive pricing

If you want to increase bookings of your vacation rentals, you should master the skill of competitive pricing. Think about it- if the price is too high, you lose the bookings. And if it's too low, you risk losing some money. But this doesn't mean that you should be reluctant to raise the price during peak season. Similarly, you don't have to hold to a higher rate when the calendars are empty. This is so important that we wrote a whole article on Pricing your Vacation Rental.

If you want to thrive in a highly competitive market and get repeat renters, you should find a sweet spot when it comes to pricing. Not to mention, overestimating your rental fees can lead to a high vacancy rate. This brings us to the question, how do you set the pricing? 

First, you must research the prices travelers are comfortable paying. What's more, you should analyze the expenses to ensure you're within a reasonable range.

While it's okay to price your property based on the competition, you should first understand whether you're in a level playing field. As you do the market research, be sure to compare your pricing to other vacation houses equivalent to yours. Also, look at the listings in your location and analyze the defining qualities of each property. 

When it comes to pricing, you must put yourself in the shoes of potential guests. What would be your selection criteria if you find vacation rentals offering the same services and are in the same area? Of course, you'd choose the one with a lower price. If you want to gain a competitive advantage, you should differentiate yourself from the rest. 

For starters, the pricing you use can help build reviews and reputation. As long as you still make a profit, you can use the undercutting strategy to stay ahead of the competition. You should always monitor the prices of your competitors and keep yours lower. 

Increase social media presence

If you're not active on social media, you could be losing lots of bookings. As a vacation rental owner, you should leverage your online presence with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. Every time someone interacts with a photo, blog, or videos, it will appear on the users' feed. And when someone likes your post, you can see their friends. That way, you can reach out to thousands of people for free. 

When you post great pictures of your vacation property (let us help you with that), you should add a mix of useful things that your guests will find helpful. One way to engage them is to provide tips about your local area. As you share information about your property, don't just promote the place but the experience. For example, you can take photos and videos of how spacious the rooms are. You can also take it a notch higher by posting photos of marshmallows sitting on a coffee table or a living room with a fireplace. 

Photos are the most important tools for selling your home. If they're of low quality, a traveler won't be comfortable making the reservation. The idea is to give guests opportunities they can take advantage of. To ensure what you offer reaches more people, you should encourage guests to tag you on their social media pages. This will help you get out of your normal circles. But how do you reach out to people who don't know that you exist? Well, you should make use of hashtags and location tags. Even if they won't do the booking at the spot, the click though can benefit your search ranking. 

No one can find you

You can have a stunning website but if no one can see you, then it's useless. As a vacation rental owner, you should not underestimate the power of SEO. If your website doesn't appear on the first pages of the search engine, new clients find it difficult to reach you. 

For optimum booking conversion, you should ensure your website appears on the first three pages on the search results. To do this, you need to find the right keywords. What terms do people search for when finding vacation rentals from your area? This is what you should add to the content on your website. 

If you recently created your first website, you can target low competition but specific keywords. However, you still need to do more work to rank high on SERPs. Another strategy is to use appropriate page titles. This should include three elements: the Meta title, Meta description, and URL. The Meta tag is the most important as it attracts the attention of users. 

Because search engines try to provide users with valuable information, you should ensure what you post is relevant to the target audience. Perhaps, you can describe your rental by posting high-quality photos, pricing, customer testimonials, etc. Other than that, you should keep the blog of your website up-to-date. Be sure to include things like area news, special offers, and any changes in your vacation rentals. 

Optimize your listings

If you want people to click your rental booking, you must optimize the listing. Apart from giving exciting property descriptions, you should use titles that pique interest. You should also advertise your property on as many websites as possible. As a vacation rental owner, you're up against hundreds of neighbours so you should make your listing stand out of the crowd. 

One strategy to optimize the listings is to accept online booking and payments. This is what most travelers prefer. Secondly, you must respond to all inquiries promptly. While it's okay to respond to questions within 24 hours, most people want immediate answers. And bearing in mind that you're in an oversaturated market, you should provide your guests with unmatched customer service. Guests appreciate fast responses and they will reward your efforts by becoming repeat clients. 

When guests are tossed between deciding on booking two similar properties, they try to look at the one that stands out most. Therefore, you should ensure you complete your host profile. Do everything you can like uploading your biography or smiling photos. The idea is to persuade the guests to choose your property over the other. It's worth mentioning that some listing sites provide a link to your website – take advantage of their authority. 

Encourage reviews

It's estimated that 80% of travelers book a vacation rental listing that has reviews of the past guests. Reviews can be helpful if your website doesn't have high-quality pictures. But how do you get them? You can personalize the requests and insist on travelers that reviews are an important part of your success.

Alternatively, you can request guests to write reviews before they leave your vacation rental. For those who can't write a review, you can ask them to email you handwritten notes that you can post on your website. 

Customer reviews don't have to be positive. Even negative experiences can be valuable to the success of your business. At times, the guests may experience some hiccups that they can mention in the review. And think about it- any online review without some negative feedback looks biased. Maybe the light bulb wasn't working or the bed was not made. However, you should ensure you give the guests a moment that will color their experience for the rest of the vacation. 

A guest who feels they got the best value for their money can request to write a review. If they are happy, they will mention every good detail about your property. The more reviews you collect, the more your services will look more appealing. 

Pay attention to the property description

Your property description should include a `hook' that makes travelers choose your vacation rental. Make sure you include a well-written description and eye-catching photos. If you don't know where to start, you can emulate other listings but make yours more enticing. Your goal is to create images that remain in the mind of prospective clients. We will help you writing the perfect description for your vacation rental here.

Some of the things you should include in your listing notes can include an inviting living area with a large flat screen, an L-shaped couch, etc. This will make travelers feel comfortable booking your property. Remember, you only have a few seconds to leave a lasting impression on the visitors. 

The rates should be up-to-date

A traveler will get frustrated when he or she finds that the rates you give are not up-to-date. If you're not updated your listing, take time to do so. Sometimes, when the calendar is not updated for two months, the listing is removed from the search results. 

The moment you receive a booking, you should ensure the rates are current. Needless to say, the most competitive rates will depend on the price of the surrounding lodging options, location, and quality of the property. Keep an eye on the peak season as well as market fluctuations and then adjust the rates accordingly. Any inaccurate charges can leave the prospective client bitter. 

Final thoughts

Travellers want the best vacation, so you must prove they've picked the perfect rental. If you're still stuck on how to get more vacation rental bookings, it's never too late to change your strategies. Be sure to follow the above tips and you'll soon reap the rewards. 

If you're a property owner and never considered Expedia for listing your property, you're missing out on profits. Most of the people perceive Expedia as a booking platform for hotels, cars and flights. However, it is much more than that. It is one of the powerful distribution partners for vacation rentals. In this post, I will tell you how you can list a vacation rental on Expedia. This is gonna be very interesting, keep reading till the end! 

As a matter of fact, Expedia is not merely a platform for searching accommodations. It integrates with all kinds of properties and works with more than 200 booking sites across nations. 

As the vacation rentals take over the hotel industries, Expedia is emerging a major marketplace for temporary rental bookings. 

If we talk in numbers, Expedia receives over 750 million visits per month which are far greater than Airbnb's 80 million visits per month and even more than HomeAway's as few as 27 million monthly visits. Expedia has become a tough player over the years. 

The main reason for the growth of Expedia Groups is their unique placement between hotels and short term rentals. It has become an ideal platform for property owners who want to maximize their profits by attracting new guests from around the world. 

At present, Expedia is helping people to book their airline tickets, hotels bookings, and vacation packages for short-term rentals. 

It enables short-term property owners to make their property visible to the international targeted audience in more 75 countries and in more than 35 global languages. 

For other Tips on How to advertise your vacation rental, click here.

To provide you with a better understanding here is how Expedia works :

Similar to Airbnb, HomeAway and Booking.com, Expedia has a very functional backend that offers a number of options for listing your property. Expedia Partner Central is a platform which is specially designed for the property owners. It comes with a highly intuitive and user-friendly interface allows the owners to list their properties, manage their reservations and monitor the growth of their business. 

The Better Your Property Looks On Expedia, The More It Will Attract New Customers

It simply means high-quality photos (let me help you with that) have more chances to be rated high. If you want maximum bookings, you should upload sharp and high-quality professional pictures of your place. If you think that photos clicked by your phone or tablet can work then, you're definitely wrong! 

You need to get your property clicked perhaps by hiring a professional photographer. 

So, whenever you prepare your property for listing, work on its outlook. Make sure it stands out and looks flawless. This is the first and most important aspect to keep in mind before listing. 

Expedia Listing Using Property Management Software 

Another thing you can do to maximize your make your property visible on Expedia and achieve success is to make use of property management software. At the time of adding a rental suite to your database, make sure the entire information about it is consistent and unambiguous across all the booking platforms. 

The description, pricing and availability should be managed simultaneously. There should be no discrepancies when it comes to booking because a double booking can do more harm than good for your vacation rental business. 

Maintain The Quality of Your Rental Space. 

Since Expedia is a go-to space for travellers to plan their vacations, it allows you to reach the most engaged travellers across the globe. They look for accommodations that are beautiful, clean, comfortable and well facilitated. Hence, you need to meet all these requirements of customers by maintaining the quality of your place. If your property meets all these expectations and offers additional luxuries and modern amenities, it can easily outperform the others. 

Your Reviews Decide Whether You'll Get Success on Expedia or Not

Similar to the other booking platforms, Expedia weights your property on the basis of reviews. They can mark the success or downfall of your rental business. Expedia reviews reflect the instant credibility of your guests. When the reviews are positive, the new customers will easily get the idea that the previous guests have enjoyed their stay and hence, they will prioritize your suite. On the other hand, if the reviews are negative, your property will be ignored – plain and simple! 

Higher Your Ranks In Google, Better The Performance of Your Vacation Rental Business 

Be it any business, Google plays an important role in deciding your success or failure. Basically, the higher the rank of your property in Google, the greater will be its visibility. 

Since Expedia is a highly reputed platform, your business will perform better under its brand value and recognition. The potential customers will be directed to your listing from a simple Google search. 

Benefits Of Listing Your Property For Vacation Rentals 

There are a number of benefits of listing your vacation rental property on Expedia. Below are few you should consider :

Reach a Large Number of Targeted Customers 

Expedia is huge, you can target the international customers at the last point in a far better way than other OTAs. Listing on Expedia will help you to reach the international travellers who are looking for a vacation package. They are less likely to cancel their books and are confirmed. As noted above, Expedia's high brand value and reputation will make your property visible across targeted booking websites. 

You Can Enjoy The First Mover Advantage 

Gone are the days when Booking.com was only used for booking hotels, at present it is one of the finest marketplaces for vacation rental bookings. Consider this case with Expedia and adapt its space now to gain the advantage of staying among the top short-term vacation rentals on this emerging platform. It is less competitive now but will open great paths of success in future for sure. 

You Can Shine Among Your Competitors By Attracting People Searching For Hotels

You stand a chance to target a whole new audience who are searching Expedia for traditional accommodations i.e hotels. You can present them with your vacation rentals and make them switch from their traditional accommodation. The traditional searchers will get a huge advantage because traditional accommodations are more expensive than vacation rentals. And who doesn't want to have a better space with full amenities at a pocket-friendly price? This simply hints that your property will gain huge popularity and success by outperforming the traditional accommodation options of the same location. 

Additionally, by making use of a property management tool for listing your property on Expedia, you can monitor and optimize your channels well. 

Now that you know about the benefits and the functioning of Expedia, it is the right time to learn the ways to list your vacation rental on it. To help you with this, here I am sharing the complete step-by-step procedure using which you can list your vacation property on Expedia. 

How To List A Vacation Rental On Expedia 

1] Create Your Account And Give A Brief Introduction Of Your Vacation Rental 

First of all, you need to introduce yourself and your vacation rental on Expedia. For this, you need to provide a basic background of your rental including address, total space and other details. You also need to provide your own contact details. 

2] Verify Your Account 

After creating the account on Expedia, you will need to verify it using the email you've received after signing up. From there onwards, you can have a full view of the business terms and conditions, ways to get paid and also the compensation percentage. 

3] Start Creating The Listing Of Your Rental Space 

Now, you need to provide full details about your rental space. (More tips on writing a description) These details include the information travellers generally look for. This information includes the following :

• Number of rooms, layout, size of bed
• Details about the amenities. For example Swimming Pool, Wi-Fi, Kitchen Space etc.
• Pricing (we wrote a whole article in that) for the specific type of rooms
• High-quality professional pictures of the rental property
• Available dates
• A well-prepared list of policies and pricing

And other necessary information about the rental. You can fill out this information by taking your time. It will be saved automatically and you can resume it any time. 

4] Receive Your Guests

Voila! You're almost there. Your vacation rental will be live in some time and will be visible to millions of people searching for accommodation. After receiving a booking, you can contact your guest and provide them with all the information they might need. You can coordinate with them easily while helping in check-ins. For this, you need your management team to be highly responsive in providing the necessary information and respond to the queries of the guests. 

Moreover, you can make use of the Partner Central mobile application for getting updates about your bookings and the guests. You can get this app from the app store or Google Play. 

That's about it. It is as simple as that. I hope this post helps you to grow your rental business. So, get started by listing your vacation rental on Expedia and start earning surplus incomes with a little investment. Be sure to check out other OTAs as well to list your vacation rental property, to make sure you get as much bookings as possible. If you really want to stay somewhat independent from the Big OTAs, check out this article .