What is the most important thing for guests who stay at your short term holiday let? Is it the location of your rental? Is it the swimming pool? Is it the design, perhaps? Or maybe the garden? If you are focusing all your efforts on these without considering the experience, you may be missing out on a chance to increase your bookings and keep your rental full even over low season.

Although there is no doubt that the location of your property is important, and that all the other details also go into your guests’ final decision on where to stay, nothing can replace experience. What exactly is experience, and, more importantly, how can you create the best possible experience for your short term let guests? Let’s take a look…

How to Create the Best Short Term Holiday Let Experience

Simply put, experience is what guests get when staying at your short term holiday let. This experience differs widely according to each type of holiday rental guest, each location, each type of property and even each budget. Essentially, however, the experience is what separates an amazing, unforgettable stay from an uninspired, boring stay. This is what makes guests rave about your property on social media. This is what makes them want to come back again. Ultimately, this is what helps you find success in short term rental.

How do you go about creating the right experience? Here are some tips to keep in mind…

• Know your audience. When you try and appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one. There is great value in knowing your audience, and targeting your experience to your ideal audience. For example, if you have a small apartment in the heart of the CBD that often gets a lot of couples, you can create an experience that is designed with couples in mind. You could offer spa vouchers, stock the fridge with bubbly, add a box of handcrafted chocolates, have a collection of romantic movies, design a list of activities for couples, suggest cosy local eateries and invest in a dreamy spa bathroom and king sized bed.
• Think out of the box. Consider what the average hotel offers its guests. Now think about the last self-catering property you stayed at. How different were the experiences? The answer is very likely that it wasn’t hugely different, at least as far as experience went. What do you think would have made your stay more personalised, more rewarding and more tailored? Now think about how you can treat your guests in a way that goes beyond the expectations. By thinking out of the box, you will continue to wow your guests.
• Use your area wisely. If you are not based in the city, or you are not in a popular area, there are many ways that you can still attract guests. Instead of focusing on the fact that you are out of the way, focus on the peace and quiet in your area. Make a list of the area’s top things to see and do, along with its biggest advantages over busy areas. You can then use these advantages to show guests what sort of experience they can expect to have a little off the beaten path.

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Another way that you can exceed your guests’ expectations is to invest in professional concierge services and day to day rental management that provides your guests with the best level of service during their stay. To learn more about short term let management the smart way, get in touch with the Totalstay team today.