You might be perplexed to learn that some individuals dislike short-term rentals if you own vacation property. If handled properly, potential visitors who dislike vacation rentals are just a step away from becoming your next reservation, whether it be due to negative experiences or inaccurate information.
Since the introduction of alternative lodgings, there has always been significant discussion regarding which type of lodging is preferable: hotels or vacation rentals. When you understand how to target a certain niche, turning hotel lovers into vacation rental visitors isn’t that difficult.
If you want to increase your reservations, broaden your focus to include the entire hospitality sector and prepare to attract travelers interested in lodging. The advantages of staying in a rental home far outweigh those of a hotel. The only thing left to do is persuade them!
What do visitors detest about vacation homes?
To learn that some individuals detest vacation rentals can be more than demoralizing. That can usually be seen as them needing to learn about vacation rentals. Informing potential customers is one of the most important conversion processes. It’s your responsibility to inform clients who generally choose hotels why a vacation rental will meet their needs and go above and beyond their lodging expectations. We’ve highlighted the most frequent justifications visitors give for choosing a hotel over a vacation rental and what you can do to influence their decision.
Cleanliness
What is the biggest fallacy regarding vacation rentals? Cleanliness. There is a widespread misconception that hotels’ sanitary standards are superior to vacation rentals because of their uniform, white bedding, and massive cleaning staff. Many professionals in the hotel sector are aware that regular housekeeping only sometimes implies cleanliness. However, from the outside perspective, hotels are the most hygienic choice. Further emphasizing the significance of demonstrating to visitors that your vacation rental is a professional lodging, many visitors still mistakenly believe that staying in a vacation rental is equivalent to staying in someone’s house. But how exactly can the claim that hotels are cleaner than vacation homes be refuted?
Employ cleaning services
Visitors anticipate that you will maintain your vacation rental at a greater level of cleanliness than your own home. It should be experts who clean the house, not you. Fortunately, finding the best cleaning services is simple and can be done in various ways. In the modern era, you can hire personnel on vacation rental cleaning applications with just a few taps on your device. They’ll be able to see you’re up to pace with the hotel cleaning standards if you let visitors know you use a professional cleaning service, have a price breakdown of fees, or highlight the cleaning fee.
Display the hygienic and covid badges.
Vacation rentals had a leg up regarding hygienic procedures during the pandemic’s peak. Vacation properties were perceived as cleaner and more pandemic prepared by visitors due to lower guest turnover and more hands-off check-in procedures.
If your vacation rental adheres to standards like the CDC or regional tourism board cleaning efforts and undertakes more thorough cleaning, you should proudly promote this on your website. Including cleaning and sanitizing badges on your website provides visitors with a reliable seal of protection.
Not a concierge
You know what to anticipate at a hotel. Most places have a conventional check-in desk, a bellhop to help, and a set procedure for introducing guests to their stay. Check-in and check-out timings are typically the same. Even though there might not be a separate area on your house solely for greeting visitors, there are some alternatives you can make.
Stress how simple automatic check-in is.
When better alternatives are presented, what travelers may see as a necessary component of their trip experience can change. A good illustration of this is self-check-in. Although having a concierge welcomes you is wonderful, being able to check in independently is an even better bonus. This is a wonderful chance to teach hands-off check-ins to guests who may need to become more familiar with them.
There are several techniques to implement automated check-ins. Using a wifi door lock or smart lock technology demonstrates to visitors that your vacation rental is up-to-date with technology while also allowing them the flexibility to check in at their convenience.
Even far away, you still need to make these check-ins feel personal. When you’re not going to be at the vacation rental when they arrive, it might be more difficult to replicate the warm welcome that hotels guarantee when you walk onto the property. Consider using a welcome book for vacation rentals to combat this. Even if it’s only a digital hello or a handwritten, personalized welcome book, it’s crucial to greet your guests appropriately.
Staff shortage
The absence of on-site services is one issue visitors hate about vacation rentals. Although it is possible to drive to a spa, there is a certain fascination with visiting a spa or health facility by going downstairs. Numerous hotels feature on-site dining options, masseuses, personal trainers, and other amenities. Some tourists believe that this luxury is unavailable or impractical in the world of vacation rentals. You have the opportunity to disprove them!
Present packages
If you have the ability, strive to personalize your visitors’ experiences as much as you can. You should enquire about their preferences for activities and any extra services they’d want to have throughout their trip in your pre-check-in emails.
Some vacation rentals owners have chosen to target particular demographics by offering packages. Vacation rental packages enable you to attract a certain demographic while mitigating some of the common issues visitors may have. A healthy in-house chef and masseuse, for instance, will be sure to persuade the skeptics while also raising the value of your resort if you’re hoping to draw wellness visitors, especially those who attend yoga sessions.
Location
Some visitors believe that camaraderie and centrality can only be found in hotel rooms. The social butterflies worry that staying in vacation rentals will make it too difficult for them to interact with other guests and have fun. It is up to you to ensure your guests have access to the socializing and community interaction that vacation rentals may provide.
Your website should include a local guide.
Your guests may prefer hotels because they already include communal areas for gathering. Hotels have facilities for socializing with other visitors, such as community areas like pools, gyms, and lobbies. Privateness is a benefit of a single-unit vacation rental, but there are unavoidably drawbacks. Even though you might not have any on-site social areas, you can show your visitors where they can meet other travelers.
A neighborhood guide on your vacation rental website will introduce your customers to the area and pique their interest in staying there. Introduce them to your favorite local hangouts, eateries, clubs, and events. You can increase their likelihood of returning by creating an improved experience outside the actual property.
Overall
Even though not every traveler will rent from you, you may still take steps to dispel common myths about vacation rentals to win over some skeptics. Certain presumptions about why visitors dislike vacation rentals need to be clarified. You can persuade the skeptics to become short-term rental devotees by highlighting the benefits and alternatives that your vacation home offers.
