As vacation rental owners ourselves, we know that during certain months of the year, the occupancy rate drops. After years and years of searching for a way to deal with this difficult situation, we finally found some tips that we want to share with you!
1 . Improve your offering
A price adjustment is for sure the most critical task that should be arranged. There are certain ways to deal with this situation. Generally, you have to show your guests your advantage against the competitors. Why they should choose your rental and not a similar one to yours. For example, a good idea is to remove the extra person charge, or even reduce your minimum stays to one night. Moreover, you can launch discounted packages that include activities or small excursions nearby. Last but not least, you can offer them a tour of the area and show them the highlights of the city or even some favorite places of yours. Maybe a sweet little cafe to relax in or your favorite restaurant.
2. Enlarge your target group
You certainly refer to a certain proportion of people and in that way, you stay committed to your customers and your beliefs. However, we suggest that you become more open-minded and advertise your property on a website with a different target group. That will certainly attract more bookings as new customers will view your rental and why not? Customers with a different budget. Make a small research and decide which websites are the most suitable for you. You can always check one of our previous posts about niche channels.
3 . Update your listings
An update at your listing on the various websites can bring you one step closer to new customers. Depending on your low season, you can change the displayed photos and attract a new audience. For example, if your low season is the winter months, you can always upload photos from that period of the year or the different winter activities that your guests can enjoy in the area.
4. Check your competitors
An old saying says “keep your friends close but your enemies closer” and that’s an excellent way to help you raise the number of your guests. To be more specific, find the 5 more popular properties that are similar to yours (based on their calendar availability on low seasons) and investigate what they do, what they offer, and what makes them special. Also, you can try to make a booking and see how their prices vary depending on the season or the different days of the week.
5 . Find the profile of your low-season guest
This strategy can be quite effective since you can rely on the data that you already have in your hands. Try to make an analysis of the data of your latest low-season guests and see who truly booked your rental. Define the profile of these guests and see how you can proceed. This is the best time to try some new marketing and advertising strategies and discover how you can attract a different audience.
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Remember, little things can make a huge difference and can turn you into a true game-changer in the field of the vacation rental business. And of course, the best way to increase the number of your guests any time of the year is to have your rental at multiple websites. We can help you through that! Learn more.
Do you have any other tips that worked for you during the low season?
Let us know!
