The Impact of Vacation Rental Reviews
You being a stellar vacation rental host goes further than what guests see on the surface.
First, you are willing to make your property available to travelers from all walks of life. You also took the time to decorate it properly, and then, you have subjected yourself to the headache that is dealing with the dreaded problem guest.
Modern Innkeeper would be here all day if this blog was about what being a successful host entails, but that is not the purpose.
Instead, it is to help you answer this question: how do you get potential guests to realize your vacation property is the destination of their dreams?
Generate vacation rental reviews.
Reviews Will Take Yours to the Next Level
If you are skeptical of this, then you need to see this study Tripadvisor released. As travelers’ go-to place for reviews related to travel, Tripadvisor is a great resource to use when determining the impact of social proof (fancy for “reviews from customers/guests”).
The company’s findings prove how significant of a role they play; here are some of the highlights:
● 75 percent of participants said reviews were “extremely or very important” when it came to making travel decisions.
● Close to 90 percent rated long reviews of high or very high quality, and 76 percent prefer long reviews as it relates to accommodations.
● Nearly 70 percent of travelers said the chances of booking a place to stay increase after reading a long review.
Statistics like these make it clear the more, and longer, the reviews are for your vacation rental, the busier your calendar will be. It is just a matter of doing enough to ensure guests post them.
Generating Reviews for Your Rental
When it comes to accumulating reviews, remember that you are running a business. This will get you in the right frame of mind to make certain when your happy guests leave, they will share their experience with others.
Incentivize
Even if your guests are the kindest people in the world, this does not guarantee they will post a review about how wonderful their stay was. Maybe they became too preoccupied with getting the kids from point A to point B, or they simply forgot about it.
You have to account for this possibility and do what you can to help them remember to post that review, and one way you can do this is by incentivizing them!
Ideas as to how you can do this are:
● Offering a discounted rate when they book your place again
● Giving them a gift card for a local shop that will deliver to them
● Sending them a bottle of local wine
Of course, always secure the review before following through on the incentive of your choosing, but make sure they know about it before they depart.
Nail the Essentials
A point The Art of Hosting has consistently driven home has been the importance of having enough essential items for guests, such as:
● Towels
Guests who do not have to worry about items like these can actually experience vacation while they are on vacation, and they will know who to thank for that.
Hopefully they do so in the form of a review.
Be Distinct
Like all other industries that are worthwhile, being the host of a vacation rental comes with its fair share of competition.
What does this mean for you?
Your property must remain distinct. Collecting raving reviews will help you do this, but you have to walk before you run, so you have to do what is necessary to earn those reviews:
● Invest in a fireplace alternative
These may not be possible for your property, but as long as you do something that will separate you from the competition, you will give guests something to write a review about.
Engage with Guests
Businesses that take the time to engage with their customers are generally more successful than ones that do not. That is why it is a smart move for you to keep in touch with your guests because you will stay top of mind, and, just maybe, serve as the extra reminder they need to post that review.
Rather than bugging them after they have left your property, you can send them cards and find other ways to keep in touch that do not require you to directly message or call them.
Go the Extra Mile
The last point is a general statement that includes all of what is above and more. It is important to remember because guests sense when a host is going the extra mile to improve the guest experience.
Even when a task seems like a hassle, getting it done could be what leads to that particular group of guests leaving you the review that earns you more bookings.
Making you not only a great host, but also, a flourishing business owner.