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3 Reasons Your Beach House Rental Bookings Are Low

  • 2016-12-09

Wondering why you are not getting anywhere with beach house rental bookings? Many new property investors get frustrated at their lack of bookings. It can be incredibly challenging to put in all the hard work getting your rental property guest-worthy, only for the property to end up standing empty week after week. If you are not getting the bookings you think your property deserved, it could be due to a number of reasons.

Why Your Beach House Rental Bookings Are Low
On the blog today, we’re taking a look at some of the main reasons for your lack of beach house rental bookings.

Not Getting Beach House Rental Bookings? Here’s Why…

The main reasons for not getting those beach house rental bookings could include the following…

1. You are not putting any effort into your listings

Whether you are listing your property on a major bookings platform such as Airbnb or on your own website, Facebook page or blog, your listing needs to be able to attract visitors and get them to seal the deal. A good listing requires excellent, preferably professional photographs, along with a description that entices potential guests. If you have really amazing photographs, but your listing is so-so, you may still get the booking. But amazing photographs coupled with an amazing listing will almost always get more bookings than a listing with boring photos and badly written descriptions.

Put yourself into your prospective guests’ shoes… what attracts you when you are browsing accommodation online? Perhaps it is the photos that show the property’s incredible balcony overlooking the ocean. Maybe it is the way that bedrooms, dining areas and lounges have been styled to look welcoming and inviting. It could be the way that the description makes you think of holidays and relaxation. It might be the full list of features that helps you see exactly what you are getting. If you are not sure whether your listing is hitting the mark, get a friend to go over it for you to see if they would want to book based on the listing alone.

2. Your rental pricing is not competitive

Another reason for your lack of beach house rental bookings is your pricing. Have you done careful research to ensure that your rates are competitive within the size and grading of property similar to yours? Have you researched average rates in your area? Are your rates appropriate for the tourism grading of your property? You may think that one three bedroom beach villa is like another in terms of rates, but there is a big leap in rates from a 1 or 2-star villa to a 4 or 5-star villa. Guessing the right rates may end up doing you more harm than good if your property is not getting bookings. Potential guests may not want to pay 5-star rates if your property is closer to a 3-star abode – especially if there are other properties priced more realistically.

If you are not sure how to charge, speak to an expert who can assist. This is one of many reasons that a dedicated short term rental property manager can be so valuable. A manager will help you set rates that are realistic and suited to your area and property size. They will also help you work out a seasonal rates structure that will see you through low, high and peak booking seasons.

3. You don’t have a solid marketing plan in place

Another major reason for your lack of bookings may be a poor or non-existent marketing strategy. You’ve done your homework, set your rates, updated your property with a few key rental renovations and created a listing on your website. Now what? There is an old saying that states, if you build it, they will come. This is true for beach house rental as it is for many other things in life. But, with that said, it is important to remember that your marketing plan is a vital part of your rental. How will people find your property unless you help them out a bit?

If you are anything like most property owners, you are renting out your beach house while juggling many other commitments. Unless your sole task in life is to handle your own marketing, management and bookings calendar, chances are good that finding time to put together (and implement) a marketing strategy is difficult. Yet another major advantage to working with a holiday rental property manager is that you have the benefit of marketing done across all major channels, as well as day to day management and reservations management. Trying to do it yourself will often end up in frustration when you just don’t see the results you have been working so hard to achieve. Bringing in an expert to develop a tailored marketing plan that is designed to maximise occupancy all-year around is the best way to ensure that your bookings increase.

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Totalstay offers a full range of rental management solutions that help you keep your booking rates at optimal level. To learn more about our solution or book an evaluation of your property, simply contact us today to find out how we can help you get started.