How do I get more bookings?
You've signed up ✅
You've built your first listing ✅
Now you want to know how to get more bookings
It's really important to us that you feel satisfied using Your.Rentals and that you're given all the tools you need to receive as many bookings as possible. We've put together a few simple things you can do to give yourself the best chance of receiving bookings.
For example...
Check your connection status
Pretty much every time property managers have questions about bookings they've received (or haven't received), the answer can be found by looking at the Channel Manager page.
This shows you exactly which websites your listing is published on, and perhaps just as importantly, which ones it's not published on. You'll also be able to see any actions required, for example if you need to provide a bit more info in order to publish your listing.
The more sales channels you're published on, the greater chance you have of receiving a booking. If you're not already managing an account on a site, we really recommend making sure it's turned ON in the Channel Manager. Otherwise you're missing out on a whole audience of potential guests.
Of course, to do that you might need to...
Enable Instant Booking
Most channels, including Airbnb and Booking.com only allow Instant Booking. If you want to use Request Booking, you won't be able to publish your listing on these channels. We know that Instant Booking isn't right for everyone, so we do give you the option to choose Request Booking if you prefer, but if you're looking for a way of increasing your bookings, enabling Instant Booking might be the way to go.
💡Did you know?
Instant Booking properties receive 15 times more bookings than Request Booking properties and give you 4 times more channel connections.
Learn more here.
Once your listing is online, it's time to start thinking like a guest. How do you make your listing stand out? Well, first of all you should...
Make your listing look spectacular
As much as we might like to pretend otherwise, humans really care about looks. We love things that look bright and colourful, and this is especially true when it comes to booking somewhere to stay on vacation. It doesn't matter how good a listing is, if the photos aren't amazing your guest isn't going to stay long enough on the holiday rentals website to find out.
We recommend really putting some thought and effort into uploading photos - remember, your listing is competing for attention with those who've hired big budget professional photographers. Fortunately, you don't need to spend much (or even any) money to make your listing photos stand out.
A few simple things like tidying up, making sure the lighting is right and choosing a flattering angle can make a huge difference. You'd be surprised how many property managers forget to make sure their photos are the right way up!
You can read more tips on taking great photos here.
Improve your Listing Quality Score
Your.Rentals actually has a whole metric dedicated to assessing the quality of your listings, the appropriately named "Listing Quality Score". We'll give you some suggested instructions to follow that can help you improve your score for each listing. The better the score, the better your listing will look to potential guests.
Visit your Opportunities page to get specific actions that will improve your quality score.
One specific way to improve your Listing Quality Score is to...
Write great descriptions
Photos are super important at grabbing the attention of potential guests, but they still want to read about the property to find out if it's right for them. If your descriptions are unclear or uninteresting, you're going to lose out on guests who would have loved staying at your property.
You don't need to be a professional writer to make your property sound appealing. Sometimes, a more complicated or wordy description is actually worse than a simple one. Instead, write clearly about what guests can expect from your property, including where it is, what is included and why they should stay there.
We've got more advice on writing a great description here, and if you want, you can even use our suggested description structure as a template.
Another way to make your descriptions better is to write them in multiple languages. By default, your description will be translated into your guest's browser language using Google Translate. However, you're probably aware that these translations aren't always perfect. If you can, try to get your descriptions translated manually by a fluent speaker. This might cost money, but if you know where the biggest proportion of your guests come from, you should seriously consider writing in their language to give yourself an advantage over competitors in your area.
Another way to beat the competition is to...
Set your rates competitively
So your photos caught your guest's eye and the description sounds great - but now they're looking at your rates 🤭 whether they decide to continue with the booking will depend on whether your rates match their expectations of what's fair.
It's very easy to decide on your rates based on what you think your property is worth, but unfortunately if all the other properties in your area are half the price, you're not going to get any bookings. Do some research on what similar properties cost near you (and if you discover that you offer something they don't, you can add that to your description! 👆)
You can compare occupancy rates of similar properties in your area by going to your Analytics page.
A great way of making sure your bookings bring in the money you expect is to add seasonal rates. This allows you to add higher prices during busy seasons, or lower your prices when interest is low. This could give you the advantage over competitors who have the same prices all year round - people love a bargain!
Of course, every property (and every guest) is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. But by following these tips, you'll have a great chance of making your property catch the eye of guests and maximise your bookings 😎
Good luck and happy renting! 👍