BNB STORIES #11

Welcome to another episode of the BnB Stories Series! 😎

Last time, we talked about the art of writing an awesome description of your Airbnb listing. But this week, we’re going to tell you about the undiscovered world of niche-vacation rental websites.

We’re all looking for the best ways to maximize our profits—whether that’s through ensuring constant 5-star reviews, rental calendar sync, or listing on multiple websites. And what better way to increase your profit than by reaching the largest number of people possible?

When you own a holiday property that is “niche” (e.g., a seaside rental, an LGBT-friendly cabin, or a mountain cabin), you open up a whole new world of possibilities for yourself by tapping into niche-vacation rental sites.

Of course, it goes without saying: As a channel manager, you’ll need to sync rentals on all your channels.  So you’ll need to carefully choose the sites that drive your bookings.

In this article, we’ll discuss the top niche-vacation rental sites that have seen the most success in the industry and generated thousands of followers (and investments) over the past few years.

Listing on these sites will guarantee you weeks of full bookings.

We did the research, so you don’t have to! Ready for a whole new world of possibilities?

Before You Start Listing Your Vacation Rental on Niche Sites…

Let’s quickly go through a checklist of everything you need before listing your vacation home on any of the niche websites:

• High-resolution professional images
• Videos of the property
• A detailed description of your property
• Rates
• Calendar availability
• Amenities
• Refund policy

Why Should You Post on Niche Sites?

When you start serving tightly defined groups of people, you open up your vacation rental to an incredible market with high demand and little supply. We’re talking less competition, more rentals, and a much higher ROI.

But you can’t just stick to listing on VRBO, HomeAway, Airbnb, and Flipkey. If you do, you run the risk of sabotaging your chances of getting even more bookings, due to fierce competition. Instead, you can use a calendar synchronization software, and post your property on multiple different channels.

At this point, your vacation rental sites come into play in these ways:

• They have targeted search processes that are specifically geared toward people who have properties like yours.
• Guests can search for more activity-specific rentals that open up a ton of opportunities for you, in terms of amenities.
• They yield more bookings during the off-season.
• You get higher revenue per booking because guests will be willing to pay that extra cost to get exactly what they’re looking for (e.g., bringing their dogs or staying at a wheelchair-accessible property).
• You’ll be directly solving the specific needs of travelers from around the world.
• You’ll diversify your booking by posting on multiple channels.

How do you decide on a niche?

It isn’t always easy to decide on a niche. The following checklist will help you find a niche that fits you:

• Do you have any certain passions or interests that you can add to your rental experience? It could be Formula 1 Racing or even horseback riding.
• Know who your customers are, and find out exactly what they like.
• Always research your competition. In particular, check their fees.
• Check location-specific traits.
• Use keyword research to figure out ways you can provide solutions to problems.

 Which Vacation Rental Channels Should You Post On?

1) If you’re targeting guests who are looking for pet-friendly vacation rentals…

BringFido

If your vacation rental business is pet-friendly, it’s definitely recommended to get listed on BringFido. Vacation-rental sites cater to people who travel with their pets, and all properties on their website allow guests to bring their dogs along.

There are over 200,000 places listed on the website. Instead of just mentioning that your property is kid-friendly on platforms like Airbnb, why not go straight to the source and directly target guests looking for pet-friendly rentals?

2) If you’re targeting guests who are looking for a specific type of vacation (e.g., beach vacation, mountain vacation, or water-sports vacation)…

Niche Escapes

Niche Escapes is one of the top niche-vacation rental sites out there. It splits all the properties into different categories. So you’ll know exactly how and where to list your property.  They cater to guests who have a certain type of vacation in mind, and they cater to that interest from the moment they visit the website.

It categorizes its properties based on the types of property and types of vacation.

The types of property include seaside properties, mountain cabins, farmhouses, huts, and luxury homes. And their types of vacation include surfing holidays, camping holidays, culinary holidays, pet-friendly holidays, beach holidays, city holidays, and culture holidays.

Glamping Hub

Maybe your property provides the perfect glamping experience, and it has access to nature. If so, Glamping Hub should be on your list of vacation rental channels to post on. They cater to travelers who love the great outdoors, and they currently have properties listed in 115 different countries.

Wyndham Vacation Rentals

Wyndham Vacation Rentals offers plenty of properties around the US and abroad. It categorizes its vacation rentals, based on the type of vacation the guest is looking for. You’ll find all kinds of getaways, including beach vacations, ski-resort vacations, golf vacations, and even theme-park vacations. If your property falls into any of these categories, then you’re in luck!

Niche Retreats

Niche Retreats is a UK-based channel for vacation rental properties that caters to high-end consumers who are looking for luxurious rental properties. They also specialize in larger properties that are perfect for group bookings, including large families and parties.

3) If you’re targeting guests who are looking for kid-friendly vacations…

Kid & Coe

Kid & Coe offers kid-friendly yet high-end houses and apartments. Their websites cater to guests who are looking for a luxury experience, but also need kid- and baby-friendly items included in the property they book.

Clanventure

Clanventure offers the perfect site for listing family-friendly vacations. Most of the properties they feature include short-term rentals that have something for kids. If your property is kid-friendly, then we highly recommend tapping into family-specific niche-rental channels.

Just make sure that your house is fully equipped with equipment and amenities for kids, including cots, baby gear, baby chairs, books, toys, and stair gates.

4) If you’re targeting guests who are looking for LGBT-friendly vacations…

Pink Vacation Rentals

Pink Vacation Rentals offers vacation rental packages for LGBT-owned properties and LGBT-friendly hotels.

MisterB&B

This site is one of the fastest-growing vacation rental websites. It has over 250,000 LGBTQ properties in over 135 countries. Over the past few years, it’s raised $2 million in investments.

Mister B&B’s mission statement is a great reflection of their beliefs:

“Mister B&B envisions and helps to create a world where anyone can feel welcome and experience gay hospitality, fostering greater connections and amazing experiences,”

Is your property LGBTQ-friendly? Do you want to create a positive guest-host relationship, welcome gay travelers, and maintain the strong sense of community shown on MisterB&B? If so, we highly recommend posting there.

5) If you’re targeting guests who are looking for accessible vacation rentals…

Handiscover

Handiscover lists vacation rentals that accommodate people with disabilities, limited mobilities, or special needs. They operate throughout the UK and in most European cities, and they feature major holiday gateways around the world. If your property is accessible, then you should definitely post there.

6) If you’re targeting guests who are going on a business trip…

Corporate Housing By Owner

Corporate Housing specializes in short-term rentals for all kinds of business travelers. If your property is catered towards business travelers (e.g., free WiFi, free sim cards, and workspaces), then Corporate Housing by Owner is a great option.

 A few last words…

We hope this article has helped you decide to use niche-vacation rental sites. When you do, just make sure that you effectively use booking sync software to avoid any discrepancies between your properties. 📅