The vacation home rental market is known for its fierce competition – especially in popular travel areas such as Cape Town. Thanks in part to booking platforms such as Airbnb, anyone with property to spare can enter the short term rental space. Owning prime rental space is one thing. Catering to the often challenging demands of the modern traveller is another thing altogether however.
One way to ensure that your vacation home rental property continues to meet occupancy targets is to provide concierge that goes over and beyond your guests’ expectation. Today, we take a look at whether concierge really can make a difference to your holiday rental success.
Boost Your Vacation Home Rental Success With Guest Services
Concierge is essentially guest services aimed at meeting the needs of the modern traveller. These services are typically offered at world-class hotels. In the self-catering market, guests are often left to their own devices. This is not always a bad thing. After all, it is the flexibility and convenience that makes self-catering accommodation popular. Offering guests the option of concierge gives them the best of both worlds. Guests can enjoy access to premium services and assistance, while still enjoying the freedom of vacation home rental.
Some of the benefits offered to property owners meanwhile include the following:
1/ Optimised occupancy.
The short term market comprises both leisure and corporate travellers. Both of these core groups benefit from concierge services such as car hire arrangement, tour planning, flight booking and other personalised services. A property that caters to guest needs over and beyond simply offering them board and breakfast will almost always do better than one that is focused purely on giving guests a place to stay. If you can make an impression before a booking enquiry is even made, your occupancy level will increase. If that first impression is made even better after check-in, you will have far more chance of repeat bookings, glowing reviews and personal referrals.
2/ Enhanced reputation.
Over time, those repeat bookings, positive reviews and personal recommendations lead to an enhanced reputation. On Airbnb, hosts with a stellar reputation are known as super hosts. Whether you are listing your property on a recognised platform or handling your own marketing, there is no doubt that reputation is everything in the holiday rental property game. Developing a reputation will allow you to further increase occupancy, along with your rates, and ultimately, your income potential. It will also help you market your property more easily, with greater recognition.
3/ Sustainable growth.
One of the biggest challenges for property investors in the short term rental market is the fluctuations in occupancy over the course of the year. The busy summer period is typically booked out for months, only to end up with a slow trickle in the middle of winter as off-season arrives. This does not mean that there are no travellers during this time – it simply means that you need to adapt your strategies to reach off-season travellers. Concierge is an excellent draw-card, and a great tool to promote sustainable growth. Whether you include seasonal tour offerings at just the right time of year, or you show guests what they can enjoy during the quieter months, concierge offers a competitive advantage that is especially useful in off-peak times.
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One of the most effective, simplest ways to offer guest services to your visitors is to partner with an experienced vacation rental property manager. A good manager will be able to provide your guests with a full-service offering that includes concierge, housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, marketing and everything else required to ensure a rewarding stay. This allows you to reap the rewards of concierge, without having to deal with the effort and costs of hiring a separate guest relations manager.
To find out more about holiday home rentals managed the Totalstay way, contact us today and let us help you turn your property into a guest-worthy offering.