8 ways to increase your property's occupancy rate per season

8 ways to increase your property's occupancy rate per season

For those who are already a seasonal host and own a house on the beach, renting it during the summer can be an easy task. The same happens in winter for those who have a mountain home, in these scenarios the calendars tend to be full of reservations. However, during the remainder of the year, not everything is a thousand wonders. The end of peak seasons and holidays can present challenges and present difficult times for landlords who are unprepared in their vacation rental strategies.

In this sense, the goal of any host is to ensure that their property is always rented, no matter what time of year it is.

In this article, we will help you reach this goal by listing 8 ways to make your property more attractive on platforms, in order to increase the frequency with which it is rented.

Have an eye-catching ad with professional photos
A great way to get more attention with your ad is through photos. In addition to enhancing your home, they add value and are one of the main reasons why guests decide to book accommodation.

Lighting plays a big role in the quality of your property photographs. It makes your home feel spacious, warm and inviting. Photos must be of good quality, showing entire spaces and details that convey a feeling of comfort.

To make this job easier, if possible, hire a professional photographer. With it, this investment will pay off and you will attract more attention from guests compared to the various other advertised property options.

Make a description clear, direct and true.
It's no use having good photos if there's no context. Try to contextualize the client by spatially guiding him through the property, making text and images complement each other.

In addition, it is important to pay attention to the language. It should be simple, direct and honest. Don't promise anything you can't deliver! This will be essential for the guest's expectations to be in line with what your home can offer. Rest assured that the more complete and clear your description and rules are, the fewer complaints you will have.

Excellence in customer service
The quality of service is what will determine whether or not the customer will do business with you again. In this sense, there is no point in having an impeccable property if you offer a service that the guest does not feel welcomed.

So always keep the word “empathy” in mind. There's a human on the other side. Understand your needs and answer all questions no matter how unusual they may be.

Another important point is to respond quickly. This will show professionalism, that you care, and that you are doing your best for their best experience.

If you've read this far and believe you don't have time to give the attention your guest deserves, but still want to monetize your property, count on Meu Anfitrião! We are a vacation rental agency that helps landlords across Brazil achieve these goals with their properties.

Instant booking
This one is for anyone who advertises or thinks about advertising on sites like Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, Hoteis.com and other platforms. Use the “Instant Book” feature to increase visibility, save time and maximize bookings. It allows guests to book your home, without the need for prior interaction with you.

This will “capture” guests who, for example, when planning a trip, want to book their ticket and accommodation at the same time. “Instant Booking” makes everything much more practical in that sense.

Remember: if a guest books your property through Instant Book and does not agree to respect your rules, you, as the host, are free to cancel the stay without any prejudice. Your house, your rules.

Use your location to your advantage.
A great way to attract new visitors to your vacation home is to link your listing title or description to a landmark or point of interest. That is, let them know that your property is close to where they want to go. For example, you could change your ad title to read: "Cozy house by the beach" or "Great place to see more of the city while working".

Pricing
For those who have never worked with vacation rentals, the easiest way to create a price list is by looking at neighboring properties similar to yours. In other words, use digital vacation rental platforms to analyze the competition and thus make a price comparison between ads. Cast also, their characteristics and try to find your differential.

In addition, another very important point is to know how to calculate your fixed monthly cost. To do so, consider cleaning, IPTU, condominium (if any), water, gas, electricity and internet and the opportunity cost of the property - that is, how much you would receive if it were rented per year.

This information will give you a good reference of how much your property is worth and how much you should charge.

Calibrate pricing according to the calendar
Now, that you already have a base of values ​​for your house, know that the price can never be frozen. Remember to always balance prices according to demand.

Raise or lower the price following commemorative dates and events, differentiating weekdays from weekends and holidays and pay attention to the high season of your property: winter or summer.

To make your price more competitive, it is worth creating a discount according to the number of nights; the longer the booking duration, the greater the discount.

Be present on multiple platforms
The more places you are present, the greater the chance that you will be seen! In addition, advertising on different platforms also means being close to different customer profiles. This, in the long run, will put you in touch with your ideal persona, making your life a lot easier. Service, property amenities and even description should always be done thinking about the needs and demands of your ideal guest. For these reasons, list your property at least on major platforms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo and Expedia.

We hope you enjoyed the tips. If you are interested in learning more about Meu Anfitrião's work, please get in touch. We are an agency that applies these optimization techniques to all our advertisements and, in this way, we boost the number of reservations and maximize the occupancy rate of our clients' properties.