7 WAYS TO INCREASE THE OCCUPANCY RATE OF YOUR VACATION HOME

Many tourists who come to Orlando choose to stay in staying in a Vacation Home instead of hotels, especially if you have more than one family or group of friends, because Vacations Home usually has several rooms, swimming pools and all the comforts it offers, the cost is lower than the hotel.

The vast majority of travelers looking for a place to stay are demanding and have high standards when it comes to finding the right place to stay. the perfect place to spend your vacation.

This is why Vacation Home owners need to put more effort and time into getting to know the profile of their target audience in order to get more people to choose their property, thus maintaining a good occupancy rate for your Vacation Home.

You should also make sure that people who stay at your property want to come back again and again, creating a relationship of mutual trust. loyalty to guests.

Below we present 7 proven ways to make your Vacation Home has a good occupancy rate and is attractive to future tenants 

1. Respond to possible guests quickly

As soon as you receive an e-mail from a potential guest, the owner should respond immediately. The quicker the response, the higher the chance of keeping that booking. You need to know that the same traveler has already contacted or will contact competitors, so whoever is quickest tends to have the best chance of being chosen.

In addition to a quick response, the communication must be clear and concise, containing all the necessary information so as not to raise any doubts. If this communication is established via e-mail, it is interesting for the owner to have ready-made replies that only need to be sent.

Our tip is to build a template email to confirm the booking and another to be sent after the stay, to help maintain the good relationship with the guest and also build a great professional image and reputation for the business.

It's also worth looking into some companies that offer an automated response system, as this facilitates the communication channel between the owner and the potential guest.

2. Decoration and comfort offered in the property

It is necessary to add value to the Vacation Home, and there are several ways to do this, none more important than taking care of the Decoration and comfort of the venue. It's worth equipping the property with quality appliances and wi-fi to guarantee and provide the guest with moments of leisure in the property.

Investing in Interior Design is relevant and doesn't necessarily have to be expensive to be beautiful and comfortable at the same time.

To do this, the owner must be aware that updating the interior look of the property is indispensable and must be done with a certain frequency, in addition to having to respect the following needs:

- Furniture arranged in a way that makes it easy to move between rooms;

- Furniture that facilitates organization, such as cupboards with drawers, cupboards with dividers, chests of drawers, bedside tables, bookcases, shelves, closets, among others;

- Invest in a few decorative items so as not to overload the room, while also avoiding dust that can get on objects. In addition, decorative items need to be those that represent the identity of all potential guests, in other words, the decoration needs to suit and attract people in general;

- The bedrooms and living room need to have beds and sofas that provide maximum comfort for the guest, and it's important to always invest in the best.

3. Conservation and Cleaning

The upkeep and cleanliness of the property is important, because in vacation homes, guests stay for several days and need to receive a property that is commensurate with the amount they paid for their stay. In addition, the maintenance and cleaning of the environment gives the owner an appreciation of the property in the eyes of the market and their guests.

Good service providers should be hired to carry out thorough cleaning before and after your stay.

Preventive maintenance on equipment and installations must be carried out at certain intervals.

In this way, the owner guarantees the guest that everything will work in the best possible way and that everything will be in perfect condition for use.

Due to excessive use, it is normal for certain wear and tear to occur, in addition to natural wear and tear (depending on the location of the property).

For this reason, it is also necessary to make periodic visits to the property to check that everything is in order and to request repairs for possible anomalies.

4. Keep good photos of the property

With the interior looking refurbished, clean and in excellent condition, the owner will be able to take photos of the property's spaces to create the ad. The photos are what will really get the guest interested in your property. So the photos need to be perfect. You have to worry about the lighting and the angles of the image before you publish it.

There are professional photographers who specialize in real estate photography. It's advantageous because your property stands out, as the photos are taken and processed by someone who specializes in the subject.

And this certainly attracts potential guests to look at the advertisement and the owner who follows this tip outperforms the competition who takes photos without hiring professionals.

5. Use creativity in low seasons

It's important to study the low season in the location of the property and try to find ways to increase profitability during these more critical periods.When it comes to advertising prices, it's worth doing some thorough research into what competitors charge during high and low seasons, as well as what they charge on weekends and weekdays.

It's also worth researching the daily rates at nearby hotels.

The more information collected, the easier it will be for the owner to advertise a reliable value in periods of low demand.

In times of low demand, being creative is an advantage. Create exclusive packages (such as partnerships with nearby restaurants), promotions (if guests stay for a week, they get another day free), progressive discounts (the more days they stay, the less they have to pay), reward programs (to encourage loyalty) or even renovations.

All of these ideas are valid for attracting potential guests, but before putting them into practice, you need to analyze whether the investment is financially worthwhile and whether they will bring the desired return.

In the off-season, when demand is low, the owner can take the opportunity to spend his own vacations there. It's a good time for this, as at other times of the year the property will be occupied.

6. Build a loyal relationship with your temporary tenants

In order to build loyalty with temporary tenants, the owner must provide a memorable experience for their guests, from the beginning to the post-stay, so that the guest will book the property whenever they travel, recommend it to their friends and family and also give it a good review on the platform through which they booked the property.

In addition to the decoration, cleanliness and upkeep of the venue, a few other details can make all the difference.

For example, offering snacks and drinks when guests arrive, providing a map of the area with places offering coupons, discounts and better prices, and even a welcome card are all ideas that the owner can take note of and put into practice.

The owner can use email or social networks to build loyalty by collecting email addresses and creating a newsletter to send discount offers, promotions, reward programs and scores.

Birthday cards can also be sent to make the owner-guest relationship even closer. In this way, the owner will get to know their loyal customers.

7. HIRING A QUALIFIED PROPERTY MANAGER

Hiring a property manager is a very promising business strategy for owners who want their business to be run in the best possible way. The property manager will take care of the bureaucracy, so the owner won't have many obligations to fulfill. The property manager is responsible for carrying out the following activities:

- Advertise the property on the main search portals;

- Acting as an intermediary for receipts and payments to the owner;

- Taking care of the bureaucracy, creating temporary rental contracts;

- Making payments for the property's expenses (electricity, water, etc.);

- Keeping the property clean and tidy before, during and after your stay;

- Carry out periodic visits to do a check-list, checking that everything is in perfect condition and, if not, requesting the necessary repairs.

A vacation home with 4 to 7 bedrooms is expected to reach a minimum of 30 weeks of occupancy per year, i.e. the occupancy rate varies between 57% (210 days per year). By applying all the tips above, the occupancy rate is estimated to reach 80% (292 days per year) or more.

Fixing the daily rate at USD 250.00, we have that:

Before (57%): Gross revenue = 210*250 = 52,500 USD.

Then (80%): Gross revenue = 292*250 = 73,000 USD.

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