Encouraging Repeat Renters at Your Vacation Home
During a recent conversation with several vacation rental owners, we were shocked to learn that repeat renters only account for about 10% of their bookings. Ask any marketing person you know — it's much more difficult to acquire a new customer than to keep a current one. With just a little bit of extra effort, you have the chance to turn a one-time renter into an loyal repeat guest for years to come.
Create a One-of-a-Kind Experience
Your guests have plenty of vacation accommodations to choose from, so it's up to you to make their experience so special that they want to return again in the future. Besides all the typical items you equip your home with, consider the extras that might make your guests' stay a bit more memorable. You want to reinforce that they chose the right place for their vacation, and it never hurts to remind them of your property name, listing ID or website address so they can find you again in the future.
Small tokens Give a small gift like a bottle of wine, mints on the pillows, a delivery of fresh flowers or fresh fruit (which your housekeeper might be able to help with), a handwritten welcome note, a magnet with your home's name or logo, or a picture frame so they can display the memories from their trip.
Local Attraction Book While your guests are at your home, you should also have a thorough local attraction book on hand. Nothing can ruin a vacation faster than boredom, so make sure they have plenty of options for activities and dining.
Local Attraction Book While your guests are at your home, you should also have a thorough local attraction book on hand. Nothing can ruin a vacation faster than boredom, so make sure they have plenty of options for activities and dining.
Contact Previous Renters
Encouraging bookings from past guests should be pretty straightforward as long as you make sure their stay goes smoothly and you keep-in-touch. It may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many vacation rental owners deposit the rental check and never think of a renter again. Keep organized records and files so you can remain in contact with previous renters.
Holiday Cards One easy way to remind a past renter about your second home is to send them a holiday card or postcard with a picture of your home on the front.
Special Offers If you ask guests for their birthdates or anniversaries at the time of booking or check-in, keep these dates in your calendar. Then you can set up reminders to send cards when these dates are approaching, offering a 10% discount for birthday or anniversary trips.
Quarterly Newsletters Keep your past renters abreast of the changes to your property, new amenities, reduced prices, special offers or just the goings-on in your town. You can create an e-mail newsletter or go old-fashioned and mail a physical one. Either way, it will keep your property on their radar.
Prevent Problems Before They Happen
One of the simplest ways to encourage repeat renters is to prevent problems. Of course there might be things that are simply out of your control, so be sure to address any issues that do come up as quickly as possible. And as you gain experience with your vacation rental, these out-of-the-blue problems may become preventable in the future.
Ensure cleanliness. One of the most common guest complaints relates to overall cleanliness. Nobody wants to see hair on the floor or dust on the ceiling fans. So be sure to set strict check-in and check-out times, have good communication with your housekeeper, and provide your housekeeper with a detailed cleaning checklist to set clear cleaning expectations.
Employ preventative maintenance. Make sure to go through your annual maintenance checklist and take care of any preventative tasks you've been putting off. This can help thwart potential problems before they occur.
Address problems immediately. If something is not to your guests' satisfaction, try to address it right away. You should also do your best to fulfill reasonable requests. If, for example, your guests thought your home included a hair dryer, you might tell them to just pick one up and you'll reimburse them later.
Set clear expectations. Remember to always be truthful when describing your home. It can be easy for enthusiastic owners to get carried away describing a home they love; just be sure to set appropriate expectations so you're not dealing with disappointed guests post-arrival.
Disclose all costs. And, of course, remember to outline all costs up front. Nothing will more quickly incite a renter's wrath than hidden fees and charges after they've booked.
Address problems immediately. If something is not to your guests' satisfaction, try to address it right away. You should also do your best to fulfill reasonable requests. If, for example, your guests thought your home included a hair dryer, you might tell them to just pick one up and you'll reimburse them later.
Set clear expectations. Remember to always be truthful when describing your home. It can be easy for enthusiastic owners to get carried away describing a home they love; just be sure to set appropriate expectations so you're not dealing with disappointed guests post-arrival.
Disclose all costs. And, of course, remember to outline all costs up front. Nothing will more quickly incite a renter's wrath than hidden fees and charges after they've booked.
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© Copyright HomeAway, Inc. 2007 |
Updated: September 17, 2009 |
Owners Speak
How do you attract repeat renters to your vacation home?
"Now that people spend more time in front of their computers they crave human connection. We live near our vacation and had to rethink our 'hands-off our privacy' approach of years past. Yesterday a sloth with a newborn baby was resting on a branch 3 feet from our terrace in Costa Rica. I called the clients at our beach rental and they were at our doorstep within 10 minutes. They felt so privileged to witness such a rare event! This also allowed us to showcase our 2nd rental home. Look for interesting opportunities to share in your area. Will you be attending a local event? Let your guests know you'll be there if they'd like to stop by and say hello.
If you don't live nearby you can still connect with a call the morning after your guests arrive. 'Welcome to our home. Is everything in perfect working order? Do you need anything? Is our staff treating you well?' We're now seeing unprecedented return clients and getting many more referrals because we took 30-60 minutes to 'connect' with our clients and make them feel special." Evelyn, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica (HomeAway #149047, VRBO #123905, VacationRentals.com #54883)
"We take a large wicker basket and fill it with marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate bars, hot cocoa and large wooden branches...we tie each item with raffia for decoration and leave a personalized note to welcome the family. The smores basket is a great hit..." Paula, Adirondacks (HomeAway)
Related Podcast
Attracting Repeat Guests to Your Vacation Rental
Owner Stacey Scott discusses how she has built up a loyal base of repeat guests to her vacation rental home in New Braunfels, Texas.
Subscribe to the Podcast in iTunes - Rental Contract & Invoice
- Inquiry Responses
- Directions & Pre-Arrival Information for Guests
- Welcome Letter & Check-out Policy
- Security Deposit Refund/Withholding Letters
- Turning Your Second Home into a Vacation Rental
- Creating Your Vacation Rental Listing
- Vacation Home Cleaning & Maintenance
- Amenities Checklist