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When you think of today’s travelers, who comes to your mind?

 

Are you picturing your 18-year-old niece boarding a flight to London for a college semester abroad?

 

Or is it that 20 something-year-old solo backpacker you follow on social media? It’s fun to watch him eating and drinking his way through Italy, France, and Spain, right?

 

Perhaps it’s business travelers, taking to the skies to close the next big deal.

 

Or maybe you imagine the new family who just moved in two houses down from you. You know, the ones that eagerly showed you their family beach vacation photos.

 

No matter who comes to mind when you think of travelers today, it’s likely to be younger people. To be fair, that single attributes does make 16-hour international travel days easier.

 

But understand this. It’s not the young people that are spending the most money on traveling.

 

Over the last 15 years, travelers over the age of 65 are responsible for the majority of the growth of the industry. Even more so in the last 5 years.

When you think more about it, this statistic should not be a surprise. Senior travelers are healthier than ever before, thanks to advanced medicine, technology, and lifestyle choices.

 

In fact, senior travelers aren’t just growing the industry. They’re playing a key role in the evolution of the travel industry. Since many travelers are moving from hotels to vacation rentals, seniors are doing the same, just with cruise ships and resorts. They are opting in for a vacation rental due to the accessibility, authentic community feel, and affordability.

 

The younger generations are not the only ones traveling worldwide as well. New Zealand is actually ranked number one as the top destination for senior travelers, followed by Australia, Denmark, and the USA coming in fourth. South Africa has even been voted the 10th top destination for senior travelers (Cape Town, anyone?).

 

With the vacation rental industry already on the fast track to being the new norm for travelers at any age, it’s important to be able to market your vacation rental to the generation who is making one of the biggest impacts on the growth of the vacation rental industry, senior travelers.

 

Here are our top 4 tips to market your vacation rental to senior travelers.

 

Use your location to your advantage

JZ Tip: Every location, no matter the climate, can be marketed and sold to senior travelers.

 

We have this stereotype in our head that tells us senior travelers are only looking for mild climates that sport 70-degree weather and year-round sunshine, perfect for yard games and afternoon tea.

 

But, as we’ve learned from the ranking of top travel destinations, senior travelers are just as curious for something new as any other traveler, so even if your vacation rental isn’t sitting on the Florida coast, you still have a lot to offer.

 

Highlight the four beautiful seasons that your midwestern town sees throughout the year. Dustings of snow that’s perfect for grandchildren to play in, the smell of spring rain in April that accompanies a double rainbow, warm summer days perfect for the lake mid-July, and how ravishing the streets look in the fall when green leaves turn to red.

 

Not every senior traveler is in search of sunny and 75, so highlight your authentic climate, and someone out there will be searching for exactly what you have to offer.

 

 

Highlight property accessibility

Recent studies find that around 40% of seniors, over the age of 60, have a disability of some kind. The biggest concern facing senior travelers is simply mobility over anything else.

 

With this in mind, you can best accommodate your property to fit those in need of a little extra support.

 

Just because senior travelers have more mobility concerns, that certainly does not stop them from traveling, they are simply in search of accommodation that supports their needs. This is why vacation rentals are perfect for those treasure hunting for the feelings of comfort and support they get at home.

 

You should highlight the accessibility of your vacation rental through your photos and property description so senior travels know right away that your property is fit to accommodate those with mobility needs.

 

Small budget friendly, add-ins such as handrails in the hallways will make any traveler feel more safe and comfortable.

 

JZ Tip: 1st-floor bedrooms and easy parking are a great place to start when promoting accessibility!

 

Pitch local activities to your guests

Although mobility is common among those over 60, it’s also known that those in their 60’s are in better shape than ever before, with almost ¼ of seniors working out a minimum of five times per week.

 

With how active elderly travelers are, this can be a great selling point for your vacation rental. Showcase some of the day to day physical activities those in your community enjoy doing. This can be anything from fishing, hiking, biking, and walking trails in parks!

 

Once they’re done with their favorite physical activity, offer activities in town that have discounted rates for seniors such as art museums, galleries, restaurants, and cafes to grab an afternoon snack.

 

All of these activities will not only let the senior traveler partake in their favorite daily activities while in a new environment, but get a true experience in what it’s like to live like a local and be part of a new community for a few days, as community and togetherness is very much valued in senior travelers.

 

Highlight the relaxing spaces in your home

Since your guests day has been spent hiking through parks, fishing on sparkling lakes, or touring the local art museum, any guest, senior or not, will enjoy going home to an environment they can relax in.

 

Highlight your most comfortable and relaxing features in your property listing.

 

This can range from a front porch where travelers can watch the sunset from, a recliner or daybed in the TV room where they can wind down during a family movie night, or perhaps the bathroom that allows for a hot bath at the end of a long day.

 

Offer discounts for senior guests

Senior travelers say that comfort is far more important than money, and we have to agree with them. So although senior travelers might not be seeking out discounts, if you were to offer them, it will be the cherry on top and a great way to lock in those travel bookings.

 

Get creative with vacation rental discounts. Perhaps this is a cheaper price for those only staying during the weekdays, free transportation to and from the airport, or partnering with local restaurants in town to offer your guests a senior discount.

 

Not only does this build more rapport and trust with your guest during their first stay, but the five-star experience and going the extra mile will make your senior travelers want to return right away.

 

Adding authentic value will alone attract more senior travelers to your vacation rental, but this is also a wonderful way to express your creativity on how to better serve and accommodate senior travelers.

 

If you want to learn more about how we can help you market your vacation rental to different age groups, click here and reach out to us today! As for the senior traveler, we would love to know what your favorite aspects of a vacation rental are! Let us know!

What does the average day of a vacation rental property owner look like?

Are you waking up before the sun and kids to have a bit of quiet time to organize your accounting books? Or perhaps you sneak out during your lunch break to check in new guests to your home? Later that night do you stay up after everyone has gone to bed watching The Late Late Show, while you attempt to find inspiration to rewrite your property listing for the summer season quickly approaching?

 

We get it.

 

You’re a one man or woman show running your vacation rental on the side of your full-time job while taking care of a family. It’s absolutely exhausting and can sometimes feel as if you are living two lives.

Although you probably started your vacation rental in order to have more time, more freedom, and more income. But right now, sometimes you question if you can keep up with the day to day work.

JZ Vacation Rentals was built by a host, for a host, so we get it, and we understand your struggles.

 

In the grand scheme of things, we both know how much opportunity lies within the industry, but most of the time you don’t have the time to bask in the benefits.

 

So, we have created a beginners guide to automating your vacation home, to give you back more time to do the things you love.

Here are a few tips on how to automate your vacation rental business.

 

1: Hire a copywriter

Copywriting can be a hassle, let alone a waste of time if your creative juices are not flowing, especially if you’re not aware of the technical aspect of writing property listing or marketing copy.

We suggest hiring a professional copywriter to write your property listings and marketing copy.

A copywriter will be able to create a property listing template that you can edit and tweak as your property grows or the seasons change. The copywriter will know how to write an effective listing that sells for you while you are sleeping by adding in SEO, keywords, meta, and H1 tags to your listing.

 

 

You can take it a step further and hire a copywriter to do all of your marketing for you as well. Copywriters understand how the power of words can impact your bottom line. You can hire a copywriter to edit and run your website, your social media, and a blog that will all have a long term impact on your sales.

 

2: Invest in an automated lock system

At JZ Vacation Rentals, we have partnered with Point Central to create a keyless security system in all of our homes.

With any sort of automated keyless lock system you can ensure your guest are able to check in and out with no problems, and never have to worry about losing keys or getting locked out of their rental, saving you time in the end from having to make extra stops.

With an automated keyless system, you are increasing guest safety as you can ensure keys will never be copied.

 

3: Hire a professional cleaner

Hiring a professional cleaner can quite literally take off all the dirty work from your plate, saving you hours each week to focus on your job, your vacation rental business, or simply the things you wish you had more time for.

You are guaranteed perfection every time a new guest checks in.

 

 

4: Adapt an online accounting system

Many small business owners accounting books are in the form of a handwritten booklet spread across the kitchen table, or a massive excel spreadsheet stored on their home computer.

The great thing about the entire world moving online is that accounting has moved online as well.

There are thousands of free and paid for accounting software applications that will straighten up and automate the books for you, taking out the time spent crunching numbers. Some of these platforms even help you out when tax season comes around.

We suggest adopting some sort of online accounting system to streamline your books and take away any possibility of human error.

 

 

Conclusion:

The vacation rental industry is a people-centered business, and you want to be with the people, not inside your business.

When you start to implement small steps of automation into your rental, you will not only have less stress but have more time to be doing the thing things you love.

If you’re looking to automate your vacation rental in full, check out our property management services here.

Last summer a friend called me and asked if I wanted to accompany her to Mexico City to live and work remotely for the summer. Without hesitation and a strong craving for authentic Mexican food and some sunshine, I packed my bags and hopped on a flight two weeks later.

 

As someone who works online from their laptop, and really only needs a strong wifi connection to make a living, Mexico City turned out to be the perfect places for travelers like myself. With endless cute cafes serving local robust coffee until 11:00 PM, taco carts sliding up and down every street, and wonderful local people who are always there to lend a helping hand even when they cannot understand your broken Spanish, I quickly fell in love with my new city.

 

The only thing better than .50 cent chicken tacos and the freshly squeezed orange juice was the vacation rental I had booked for my stay.

 

Let me tell you, this place was the definition of luxury, and I got it for a price that was below my budget. An indoor pool, fully equipped gym, massive living room, and a fully stocked kitchen was all waiting for me as I unlocked the door to my rental. The vacation home was even better than the pictures and what the listing description had painted out for me.

 

 

As I got settled in, my friend called me to say I needed to come over to her vacation rental right away. I heard urgency and passion in her voice so I picked up my purse and caught the next taxi to her apartment. I was so excited to see the place she had booked for the summer.

 

After a short taxi ride, I was at her apartment, eager as ever. I knocked a few times and my friend opened the door without saying a word. I took a step in, and it didn’t take long before my jaw hit the floor.

 

Instantly, I was brought back to every college kids home I had ever seen. You know, old ratty furniture, random trinkets poorly decorating the walls, odd games situated in the living room, a worn out bed, and the smell of musk lingering throughout.

 

We stood there silent and in total disbelief. Luckily, my friend was over the phase of being furious from being wrongly marketed to, and had approached the stage of emotions of laughter with a side of “is this really happening?!”

 

There was no way she was going to live like this. Let me remind you we were in town for the next two months.

 

I think this is a story I will remember forever. One, because now it gives us both a laugh when we talk about our trip to Mexico, and two, when I search for a vacation rental for ANY trip, now I am always reminded to be detailed in my search.

 

Today I go to great lengths to find the perfect fit for my trip and my needs. Whether this is reading two-year-old reviews, dissecting every photo, or maybe even google mapping the location.

 

So, when JZ Vacation Rentals announced we will be adding a virtual reality tour to our property listings, I was over the moon excited.

 

Being in the vacation rental industry, I understand just how important this technology is for customer service.

 

But it’s from our first-hand customer experiences that I know we are making the right choice when investing in this technology for our customers.

 

Here is why we invest in virtual tour technology to showcase our properties:

Transparency

 

We can spend hours looking at photos and digging up reviews from 2016, but as we learned from our Mexico City friend, sometimes, photos and reviews don’t paint the full picture.

 

Imagine being on the search for your next vacation rental and having the opportunity to step inside the home months before your stay. This not only gives you the reassurance that the vacation home is all it’s cracked up to be, but you’re provided with a whole new level of transparency from the company.

 

We want you to have the full picture and know we are proud to showcase our homes to the world, while we earn your trust along the way.

“Have you ever wanted to get a first-hand glance at your vacation home before your stay? You’ve wanted to open the doors, step inside and make sure it’s the right fit for you. Our team knows just how difficult it can be to find a rental that is perfect for your trip, so that’s why we invest into Matterport Technology to provide virtual tours for all of our homes.”

 

– Alex Zemianek CEO of JZ Vacation Rentals

 

Take customer service to the next level  

 

I am happy to report my friend was able to find a more suitable rental for her two months in Mexico City. This did come at the price of a wasted day on phone calls and negotiating getting her money back from a man that was incredibly hard to get in contact with. The time that could have been spent eating too many street tacos or exploring the Frida Kahlo Museum.

 

It’s stories like this that make me grateful for all the technology, like Matterport virtual tours, that provide a higher level of customer service to our guests.

 

 

Vacations or any sort of travel can be absolutely exhausting, time-consuming, and let alone an investment for most, so the last thing you need is to stress and worry about the details of the trip; such as where you will be staying, and if this home will fit your needs.

 

With this new technology along and our 24/7 guest support, you can try before you buy, have full transparency and trust in the vacation rental and company, and leave the worries at home. We are here to help you find the best fit for the occasion.

 

This trip to Mexico has to be one of my favorites as I mentioned before. But one of my very first memories was spending a day trying to locate suitable accommodation for my friend.

 

We keep our personal travel stories and struggles in mind and strive to apply them to our own business in order to create a more fluid and stress-free trip for our guests.

 

To learn more about our homes and take a look around inside, head over to our JZ Vacation Rentals virtual tour page here and find the perfect home for your next vacation, or simply just have a look around!

How often do you hear a new vacation rental property owner asking where they can cut cost due to the already demanding property start-up costs of renovations, amenities, and rental necessities?

More often than not, in any business or industry, especially vacation rentals, the expenses get cut from the growth budget… AKA marketing and sales.

And we understand why:

A decade ago with traditional marketing, marketing expenses were a sure fire way to put a nice dent in your pocket. Spending anywhere from 500 dollars to five figures to get your message out to the world that you’re opening your doors for business, and with a small budget, you could really only get that message out once.

Traditional marketing ranged from billboards, newspaper ads, media promotion, door to door selling… and it came with a hefty price tag for the campaign to only last a few weeks, perhaps even days, (or even seconds if we are talking about media promotion).

Luckily, the days of paying thousands for expiring advertisements are over.

Fast forward to present times and think about the 3.2 billion people who are online every day. Every second businesses are advertising to millions on a budget close to zero, and scaling their businesses in fractions of the time compared to what people could do with traditional marketing.

So how does new age style of marketing work and where can you save some money?

 

Here is how you can market your vacation rental to attract and convert high-quality sales leads on a budget close to zero.

 

Start blogging on your website:

I have quite a few website developer friends. You know, the smart tech guys who flawlessly code beautiful websites. The other day I asked these friends what the most important part of a website was, expecting to get a good laugh while watching them argue about what latest code, tags, or platform, are the best for promoting and optimizing a business.

 

Well, was I wrong.

They all agreed a blog is the most important aspect to any businesses website and now age marketing efforts.


 

Time and time again blogs are proving to be the number one source for website traffic, new leads, and higher conversions. But how can 500-1000 words on a page be the reason for higher revenue?

Hosting an authentic, interesting, original, blog on your website is basically like having a sales team that sells for you while you sleep. You are building rapport with the customer with your blog, creating relationships, positioning yourself as a leader in the industry, and serving your existing and potential customers when you’re not even behind the screen working.

The relationship building aspect of a blog is key, but what might be even more important is the technical backend work that goes into creating a blog. We’re talking website tags, keywords, and the ever so famous SEO, which you can learn more about here.

 

Get Social:

Social media that is.

Okay, so now you have your blog set up on your website and you have been creating consistent content that is informational, educational, interesting and adds value to your industry’s online space. It’s time to take it one step further.

The power and potential of social media is unlimited, given the fact you have the capabilities of reaching 3.2 billion people online.

When you’re first starting out and don’t have a huge budget, stay away from the paid social media advertisements to promote your original content, so you can authentically see how your content is resonating with your audience, drawing in an organic crowd of high paying customers.

Once you have a small organic following that is receptive to your content, now you can crank up the marketing spend and start reaching the masses!

 

JZ Vacation Rentals Tip: Pinterest is an amazing platform for sharing blog content! We get it, this is where your mother goes to find new 4th of July, red white and blue casserole recipes (or is that just us). Pinterest is a value-added content platform for people to share educational content. Pinterest has an amazing capability of boosting website traffic quicker than any paid for advertisements.

 

Embrace email marketing:

Your social media is now set up and you are posting your new content quicker than your family can post horrible photos of you on Facebook from 2013. We are on the right path.

 

Here’s the thing about social media though, just like fashion, tech, and diet trends, social media trends come and go as well. From AOL online chat, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, and now Pinterest, the only thing you can expect in the future is a new social media platform to be the next big rave here in a few years.

 

So you need to find a consistent.

Email is a safe bet when it comes to being your consistent marketing initiative, so building an email list from the very beginning is critical.

Email marketing is probably the most effective long term marketing tool you can adapt.

 


One study shows the 99% of users check their email every single day, and 59% of customers say that email marketing influences their purchase decision, all while businesses that use an email marketing strategy see a 760% increase in revenue.

And guess what? Email marketing is close to free.

 

When first starting out and your email list is small, you can use a regular email platform to be marketing to your customers, taking the time to send individual canned emails. For when your business and email list start to grow, you simply only have to invest a few dollars every month into a basic email marketing system. A few of our favorites are:

 

 

Partner with your favorite local businesses:  

Now that you’re collecting emails from all over the world, let’s bring that energy back to your local community.

 

Partnering with local businesses is a fantastic way to create meaningful relationships with your community that benefits both of you. Try getting in touch with restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and activity centers to see how you can both benefit from partnering from one another.

 

You have the potential of getting in front of an already established businesses audience, providing freebies to your guests (which builds an excellent relationship and raving reviews), and being the go-to vacation rental local businesses will promote when asked by a customer.

 

Conclusion:

Starting a vacation rental business in the digital age opens you up to unlimited opportunity worldwide, and being able to do most of your marketing for free just with the investment of a chunk of time, in the beginning, can take a massive weight off your shoulders.

 

Learn more about our vacation rental marketing efforts that are done for you here at JZ Vacation Rentals by clicking here.

If you’re currently working in the vacation rental industry, it should come as no shock that more and more studies are coming out of the woodworks that center around the desire to stay in a vacation rental over a hotel movement.

On average, these statistics are showing that about 54 percent of active travelers prefer to stay in a vacation rental over the 23 percent of whom prefer to stay in a hotel, along with the other 23 percent that had no preference over the matter.

It’s no longer a surprise, and truly the new norm, that the vacation rental industry is the way to go with the majority of generations, especially middle-class travelers.

The vacation rental trumping hotels trend has moved into the celebrity, upper-class, realm as well, as more and more celebrities are opting out of their 5-star luxury hotel for a local luxury vacation rental. And it makes sense, why would celebrities, or any traveler, overpay for a soldout hotel, staying in cramped rooms stacked on top of one another with 1,000 other guests, when they can have their own spacious, private, luxury home, for a quarter of the price?

Celebrities opting out of their luxury hotel for a luxury vacation rental has paved the way for other travelers, of all demographics, to also seek out affordable luxury.

Luxury travel is becoming more accessible to all types of travelers. Backpackers to the frequent flyer businessmen and women, to the family of 5 headed out on vacation.

Luxury travel is accessible and people are seeking it out.

 

Now, we understand not every vacation rental owner has an 18 bedroom villa in Wine Country of Napa Valley, charging $2,000 per night, but there are many ways to make your vacation rental more look and feel more luxurious, attracting those travelers wishing to indulge in affordable luxury for a week.

 

Here is our list of how to make your vacation rental more luxurious while staying on a budget.

 

1: Embrace Minimalism

Minalismim has two main benefits when welcoming this style into your vacation rental: elegance and low cost.

Often, vacation rental property owners understandably get over enthused when designing the interior of their vacation rental, and often this leads to over purchasing too many pieces.

Likewise, it’s natural for people to equate the idea of ‘the more you buy, the more money you spend, and the more money you invest in something, the more luxurious or ravish you are.’

This belief doesn’t always apply to the interior design of a vacation rental space.

All the small trinkets you bought to design your vacation rental end up cluttering and disorganizing the space. A cluttered and disorganized room often times makes the space feel dark and dusty (think about your sweet neighbor across the street who has owl collectibles of clocks, statues, lamps, and insists it’s all decor). It’s important to keep the decor simple with a few staple pieces in each room that draw and spark the eye and attention.

 

2: Play around with new textures

Believe it or not, textures, not colors, are what triggers the eye and mind and dictates how a room feels at first glance, so it’s important to play around with a mix of metals, woods, fabrics, and leathers to find the perfect elegant balance for your vacation rental.

Pillows are the most simple place to start when testing new textures. Pillows can refresh an entire room with just a few simple swaps and makes it easy for you to stick to a budget.

Once you have new pillows in place, play around with the hard and soft spaces of your home, as this is an amazing way to mix and match new textures. For example, in the cold winter months, try adding a faux fur throw to overlay your bed, while in the warm summer months replace the throw with some bright light knitted blankets.

Make one final texture swap with a rug of your choice. Again, adding a faux fur rug can change the whole mood and warmth of a room. If you’re not a fan of fur, opt-in for a large patterned, textured rug that speaks to the ambiance of your room.

 

3: Create the illusion of higher ceilings

Have you ever walked into an elaborate building or home and are amazed by the height of the ceiling, wondering whose job it is to clean up there (not ours)? You can start creating the same illusion in your vacation rental with just a few design tricks.

If you have a blank wall, this is the perfect opportunity to create a luxurious focal point in the room with an elegant piece of art or framed mirror. Art and mirrors can make a room feel more spacious, luxurious, and organized.

Fine art, frames, and mirrors don’t have to break the bank either. This is a perfect conversation starter to partner with local businesses, shops, and markets for locally produced artwork. Not only are you getting a wonderful statement piece, but you also get the chance to partner and support local businesses, which we talk more about here.

 

4: Invest in home goods you would be excited to use

We all have that one ratty old bath towel we’ve been using for years and have absolutely zero reasons to keep it. Or it’s those passed down dinner plates with farm animals painted on the rim of the plate, that don’t exactly support your overall personal style, vibe, and desired ambiance.

Well, those things are totally fine for your home, but for your vacation rental, we suggest investing in home goods you are actually excited to use and display.

From high thread count sheets, soft white bath towels, a dinner set that could resemble one for a royal family meal, these small touches can make all the difference in your vacation home luxury feel.

 

5: Lighting

When you think luxury, indirectly, lighting is probably one of the first things that come to mind. Creating the sense of large windows showcasing the beautiful cityscape that allows bright natural sunlight to beam through, or an entrance way that exudes freshness because it is so well lit and open, or the ability to change any ambiance with the turn of a light switch could all make an impactful difference. None of this is done by the decor or structure of the home, it’s often done by lighting effects.

Great lighting can elevate the overall ambiance of a home and create elegance, luxury, and an open-space feel.

We recommend having a few different lighting options for your guests. This can come in the form of being able to adjust the brightness of a room, reading lamps, and overhead ceiling lighting. Try to use spotlights to highlight the new elegant statement pieces in your home, or perhaps overhead lighting over the dinner table to create a feeling of warmth, home, and togetherness.

JZ Tip: Be careful about the type of light bulbs you use, as you do not want any unwanted yellow tints coming from your lightbulbs.

 

Conclusion:

No matter how much time or money you invest in your luxurious vacation rental features, the forefront of luxury in any industry is the guest experience. As always, be sure to continue to provide optimal customer service to match your newly luxurious vacation rental ambiance.

 

If you’re needing a little inspiration, be sure to head over to our virtual tours page and check out our favorite luxury vacation rental features, by taking a tour through our homes.

I remember being told stories from my grandparents, and even my great grandparents, about what it was like when they were growing up. You know, the stories of “I had to walk 10 miles up a hill both ways to get to school.” Oh yeah, you can bet I heard that one almost every time I would even THINK about complaining about anything.

 

What really stuck out were the stories of how they would play outside all night while their mom and dad would cook dinner. Or how they would run around town on the weekends unsupervised at the age of 8. Or my personal favorite were the stories of how they would be chatting with strangers around town when they were out and about because well, that’s just what you did.

 

If you could see my face back then, honestly, I had a lasting expression of boredom from those stories that occupied the air at every Sunday family dinner, and truly I was waiting “patiently” for them to finish so I could ask grandpa if he had any hard candies left in his button-up shirt pocket (which he always did).

 

But today I think back in utter shock of how the world has changed from their time growing up to mine.

 

My generation grew up with the belief from our parents and the media telling us that the world is a little scary. I write this as part of the millennial generation and I can say first hand it was ingrained in our brains to always be in eyesight of our parents when playing outside, or that in under zero circumstance, you talk to strangers.

 

Fast forward to my adult years and I feel like I am constantly having to unlearn many of the things I learned as a child.

 

The world is not as scary as the media makes it out to be, being the biggest lesson I have had to unlearn as a traveler.

 

See today, I use an app to call a stranger that then picks me up at my home and drives me wherever I like in their car, it’s very normal to go on a date with someone you’ve never met, and when I travel, I often show up to strangers homes and live in their house for a week.

 

WHAT…

 

Even though to many, the world is bigger and scarier than ever. Yet at the same time, we are dependent on strangers to do some pretty simple everyday life tasks.

 

The whole “staying in a strangers home for a week” is absolutely no exception.

 

AKA, the vacation rental industry, if you have yet to catch on.

 

I’ve noticed in the last few years that time seems to move ever quicker than I have ever noticed before, and industry trends are moving right along with it; flowing faster than robust coffee at 6 AM Monday morning in New York City.

 

It’s safe to say the vacation rental industry trends will continue to flow right along with our quickly ticking clock, becoming more and more popular as we move into the “new roaring 20s.”

 

With all that said, here are three of the biggest vacation rental trends we will see in 2020.

 

1: Millenials will be the main market

 

According to HomeAway, millennials are ditching their solo backpacker mindset and are beginning to travel in larger and larger groups of friends, as well as bringing their new young families on vacation with them.

 

Millennials and Generation Z alike are said to be 35% more likely to travel in large groups now as opposed to alone. It was also found the only 20% of both generations have NOT stayed in a vacation home or condo.

 

These generations are looking for a large space for a money-conscious price, so many bookings are now at vacation rentals.

 

2: Vacation rentals are on track to overtake hotels

 

Each year the vacation rental industry has doubled in size while hotels are only growing by a mear 1.1% each year.

 

This doubling in numbers is happening in the homes of everyday people in your own neighborhood, which means this outpaces the hotel openings by nearly ten times annually.

 

This trend is leading to a massive out number of vacation homes to hotels by the end of the 2020s.

 

Ideally with that in mind, now is an excellent time to break into the still young market and capitalize on the growth that is bound to take place over the next decade.

 

3: Third party services will be the way most vacation rental owners manage their vacation rental

 

With the help of platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway, the vacation rental industry is already a $100 billion industry and growing. The stakes for owners are growing daily with the vast popularity of the industry.

 

A growing industry means more competition within the market. Host competition is increasing and many are now investing in professional content marketing, SEO, Photography, and videography.

 

Some host have been an early mover and have hired a professional property management company to oversee all areas of their listing to maximize revenue, and this trend will only keep growing.

 

Conclusion:

 

Hospitality as we know it is going to look completely different next year, let alone ten years from now and the tradition of hotels will no longer be able to hold their stake as successfully in the travel industry.

 

In such a fast-moving industry, it’s so important to not only keep your eye out for new trends but if you’re looking to get IN the business of vacation rental investment, we recommend starting now which the industry is still new and on the rise.

 

If you want to learn more about vacation rental ownership or investment, or want to hop on the professional management train early, shoot us a message and we would love to open up the conversation.

One of the biggest misconceptions people have when starting a new venture, such as starting a business, losing weight, or hosting your very own vacation rental, is that if you fail, that means you should not continue. Making mistakes in a new venture is one of the most critical ways we learn and become more successful down the road, but through a little research, some can certainly be avoided. So, let us present you with:

 

Top 7 mistakes hosts make that we have seen, and how to avoid them.

Using bad pictures (insert good and poor picture)

A picture is worth a thousand words, so when we say your vacation rental photos are more important than any other part of your online listing, we are not messing around. A rental listing might be beautifully written by F. Scott Fitzgerald himself, but if the first thing your potential guest sees is dim lighting, awkward angles and only one photo to scroll through, they will, without taking a second to think about it, skip to the next listing. Some of the most important things to keep in mind when taking photos of your rental are:

 

A poorly written or incomplete listing description

One of the most common mistakes we see with a new host is that they get so excited about being a new host and making an extra income, that they cannot wait to get their listing live online, and they fly through the description writing process. It is so necessary to completely and carefully fill out your rental listing. This listing is going to fill in the gaps of what your photos cannot show, give the guest an idea of who they will be renting from, and really creating a connection with the audience. If your listing is rushed through, cold, and with little content, the guest will notice that right away and assume that you are not someone who they trust working with. But, if your listing is warm and welcoming, informative and clear, the potential guest will have no problem booking with you.

 

Setting the wrong expectations

This one goes along with writing your rental description. Along with it being completely filled out and clear, you also need to set expectations. We get it. You want more business, and a way to do that is having a stellar listing description, and when you get more business, that means more bookings, and more bookings ideally means more money in your pocket. What is truly more important than bookings is being authentic and realistic with your guest. When you are truthful and accurate in your listing description, you will not only still get bookings, but your guest will have a much higher overall feeling of satisfaction, which leads to good reviews, more exposure, and more revenue.

 

Not communicating effectively with your guest

This might seem like one of the most simple, straightforward tasks. You are probably thinking to yourself “obviously” but this is one that can be easily overlooked. For many hosts, being a host is a second job, a second stream of income, another hobby. Many of the vacation rental owners we talk to have a full- time job, a family, other hobbies and incredibly busy life, so a small task like communication can get lost in the mix if it is not urgent. Clear, consistent and quick communication will be a determining factor if your vacation rental is successful or not. From being left a stellar review, to calm and informed guest upon arrival, to emergency situations being handled promptly, communication can make or break your success in the industry.

 

Becoming complacent

So, your vacation rental is currently thriving. You are booked out every night for the next 6 months and you have hundreds of 5-star reviews. This is where you are probably thinking it’s okay to back off a bit. But, this is where many hosts get stuck… they get complacent. With any business, even though you have reached a certain income goal, that does not mean that you just stop and the business will take care of itself. You have to keep working to maintain you’re already amazing business, and hopefully expand it along the way. Just like any good thing in life, you have to nurture it.

 

Not asking for reviews

Do not be scared to ask for reviews. We know it might feel awkward at first, but not only is it part of the rental process but getting solid reviews will give you the boost to move you in the right direction. Guest will be much more likely to leave a review when asked, so it’s important to always put the idea in their heads. We hate to admit it, but even a less than average review can guide you in the right direction of where to take your rental, where you are doing an amazing job, and where you can improve.

 

Handling it all on your own

Professional vacation rental management companies exist for a reason. In our case, it started with a guy who was an owner, exactly where you are today, who was trying to provide a professional level of service while managing a full-time job and supporting his new family all at once. Management companies have been in your shoes before, so they know the good, the bad, and the really ugly. This is why they are here, to take tasks off your hands so you can get back to doing the things you love while still making an extra income. From professional cleaning, calendar, and systems management, marketing and guest services, your rental is in complete hands when you hire a management company.

 

What has been your biggest mistake as a vacation rental host?

 

Ever since the turn of the century, everything, obviously, has moved online. Can you think of anything you CAN’T do online? We do our banking online, never having to see a physical dollar all month if we choose. We can order trinkets from Asia or Latin America and have them in our home the following day, just by the click of a button. And who are we kidding, we all enjoy watching that Dominos online pizza maker turns from “Baking” to “On its way” as we order our dinner online without ever speaking to a human (we are hungry for pizza in the office if you can’t tell).

Everything is online, including marketing. In what seems like milliseconds we went from traditional marketing efforts such as print ads, billboards, newspapers, realtors faces being plastered on the side of buses, to the new age style of marketing, or what we like to call, the now age.

See, if you haven’t been living in the 80s, and you’ve finally cut off that mullet and converted your old CDs and records over to MP3 or iPhone audio, then you have probably heard of the term SEO, or, Search Engine Optimization.

When we first started researching SEO and came across words such as meta tags, and H1 tagging, we thought, “this must be a game for web developers and coders alike, how is a marketing professional, let alone your average aspiring business owner supposed to understand this?!”

Now that we have been in marketing for years and have mastered our trade in SEO, we have great news to share with you. It’s not as hard or as scary as it sounds.

“Okay.” you’re probably thinking. “But what does this have to do with my vacation rental, I’m just here to make some money.” Well, let us let you in on a little secret. SEO has EVERYTHING to do with your bottom line.

Search Engine Optimization is what we call a small big process, and what we mean by that is with a small implementation, you can have a BIG return on your bottom line.

So how do I do this, you ask. Let’s start with the basics.

What is SEO?

SEO is the practice of optimizing your online content on your website, property listing, or whatever content you may have, so it can be found easily by a potential consumer online. Content that is Search Engine Optimized will appear or “rank” higher than content that is not optimized. You see, the higher your content ranks on google, yahoo, or even Airbnb, the more people your content (or listing) will reach, meaning more bookings and finally ending in more revenue. Your potential customer is online as we speak, searching not so random phrases to find a solution to their problem. People right now are searching for the vacation rental YOU have to offer, but the question is…. Will they find you?

If you’re already an Airbnb or any sort of property listing marketing platform user, you know just how easy it is to use and get your vacation rental live, ready for business. Simply, you completely fill out the relevant information, and with a snap of a finger, your listing is live and ready for the world to see. But with so much competition on Airbnb alone, it’s critical you take this process one step further than the rest and optimize your listing for SEO.

So, how do you optimize your vacation rental listing to be found on Airbnb? Here is our guide:

To start, let’s break this process down into three sections:

  1. Target customer profile
  2. Keyword research
  3. Implementation

1: Target Customer Profile  

Any great marketing tactic including SEO begins with a well thought out a target customer profile. Like in any industry (perhaps not any industries involving baked desserts) it’s nearly impossible to serve every kind of person. This is where your ideal target customer profile comes in. Decide on who is the kind of person you want staying at your vacation rental (ex: business people, families with kids, millennials). Once you have this understanding, ask yourself the following questions to learn a little more about them:

When you have those questions answered, you can begin picturing this person in your head, which brings us to our next step.

2: Keyword Research:

Keywords and key phrases are the main words your potential customer is typing into Google or Airbnb to find the property listing they are looking for. So now that you know exactly who your target customer is, why they travel, and what they are thinking, you can step inside their minds and start getting an idea of what or keywords and key phrases they might be typing into Airbnb or Google when searching for a vacation home. Are they searching “property for a family with small children,” or “large house to fit 12 for a long weekend,” perhaps“vacation homes close to public transportation.”  Once you decided what some phrases they will be searching, use a few of the following tools to help you refine your keywords:

3: Implementation

Now that you know your target customer profile like a mother knows her secret apple pie recipe she won’t tell you (we’re not bitter) and you know what they are searching for and what keywords they use, it’s time to implement. There are three places you will implement your keywords into your property listings:

  1. The Headline
  2. The Photos
  3. The Listing Description

JZ marketing hack: Many content marketers think you need to load your listing up to the max with Keywords, but that is not the case at all. In fact, that is something you should avoid at all cos. When you insert too many keywords just in the hopes of ranking higher, Google and Airbnb alike outsmart the average marketer and make sure a piece of content or listing is only loaded with interesting, relevant information with a splash of keywords to even the playing field.

1: The Headline:

The headline is where your Nancy Drew investigation skills come into paly. Your property listing headline needs to be a phrase that your target customer is searching for (ex: Large home close to public transportation, Home on the beach great for small children)

2: The Photos:

If you are on a platform that allows you to tag your property photos, be sure to tag (AKA ad a descriptive noun) to each photo for both the main text AND alt text. Tagging your photos with descriptions such as “large kitchen” or “newly designed master bedroom” helps Google decode the photos boosting your property listing ranking.

3: The Listing Description:

This is where some vacation rental owners make it or break it. Remember that note that you don’t want to overdo it with the keywords? Yeah, that is this section. Simple dust in a few keywords here and there in the listing where it makes sense, and you will be on your way to higher rankings and more bookings in no time.

What is your favorite SEO hack you have learned?

If you currently own a vacation rental or perhaps considering listing your own property, it’s natural to have so many questions concerning the variety of options you have when listing your home. “What is the best price to list my rental at? What are the necessities that need to be revamped in my home? Do I have the time to meet with the guest when they check in? What are the amenities I need to have for my guest? How will I market my property so I am actually making a revenue? How will I keep up with the maintenance of the property? What maintenance is even needed?” The list goes on and on and I am sure you still have a few questions in your head that did not make it onto this list.

 

This isn’t meant to scare you away from such an amazing industry. If you are just starting off or in the early stages of your vacation rental journey, we want to reassure you that it does not have to be so daunting. You are at the forefront of making a consistent income, you just need to choose which path to success you want to embark on.

 

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Just like a white snow covered yard on Christmas morning or waking up at 5 AM bright eyed and bushy tailed, this sounds too good to be true, right?

Wrong! Let’s take it a step further.

 

When you are thinking of listing your home as a vacation rental, you have a few options. That first option being, you can do everything yourself. From onsite management to growth and revenue, marketing and guest support, you can have control of the entire process, and people do it that way all the time! Secondly, You can hire a Co-host. This is someone who is close to you, such as a trusted neighbor, a good friend or a willing family member that is open to helping you out with the smaller day to day tasks of running your vacation rental. When life gets a little busy and you need to unload some weight off of your shoulder, they are your go-to right-hand man to perhaps check in a guest, or some cleanup and home maintenance. And lastly, you have the option of hiring a property management company. Property management companies are in charge of generating revenue for your rental, create effective marketing campaigns, take care of all onsite management and provide 24/7 guest support; allowing you to do the things that are most important to you such as spending time with family or taking the dream vacation to Hawaii.

 

Okay… so this is still a lot of information. We get it. Let’s break it down even further.

 

There are four main pillars that need to be taken into consideration when listing your vacation rental which are On-site management, guest support, revenue growth, and marketing. Let’s break it down one by one to help figure out which is the most authentic path for you to go on in this journey.

 

What is the difference between co-hosting and brand management?

1: On-site Management:

This includes: Cleaning and laundry service, home maintenance, inventory and supply restocking

2: 24/7 Guest Support:

This includes: Calendar synch across the large channels such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO. Leads or inquiries management, bookings management, call center, listing creation or coaching.

3: Revenue Growth:

This includes: Property listing on management company website, 50+ booking websites, Kigo, taxes and accounting, propriety revenue management tool, guest app and upsell feature, featured property on the website for 90 days, brand recognition and direct booking revenue

4: Marketing:

This includes: Youtube videos, SEO strategy, Google AdWords, Facebook ads manager, custom property campaign, MailChimp

There are so many ways to go about managing your vacation rental when just starting out. Feel free to shoot us quick message to learn if co-hosting or brand management could be a good fit for you!

The backbone of any successful business is growth. From innovation to taking massive action and collaboration, and possibly the most important, growth from the past. Growth from successes and failures that turned into lessons learned.

Growth in the form of feedback or reviews, in particular, is truly the backbone to the success of a vacation rental property. Vacation rental reviews give you an accurate depiction of your business from the perspective of someone who has figuratively and literally lived through it. Reviews can do wonders for boosting credibility and ultimately boosting your bottom line along the way. They allow you to see your business from a bird’s eye view and allow you to adjust and move forward with more knowledge.

Most vacation rental property owners have now learned the hard way if nothing else how to earn a good review. And those who are fresh to the industry will quickly pick up on tips and tricks from a few stays and a few reviews. You know, great communication, accurate listing descriptions, cleanliness, location, arrival, value for the buck… you hear and see it all the time. But what if there were other ways to beat the growth learning curve and land a 5-star review every time; and what if no one was talking about these tips?

 

Here are the unconventional secrets no one tells you about how to land a 5-star review on your vacation rental.

 

Make it personal

Many vacation rental property owners either start out or quickly find their way to spaces like Airbnb for exposure to millions and easy to learn marketing efforts. This, in turn, is also one of the many places your property is going to get reviewed. But, it’s not just the business owners getting reviewed, it’s the guests as well!

The next time you have a new booking, take a look around your guest’s profile and dig into the reviews. Guests reviews will be very telling of who they are, how they act, and what some consistent behaviors they have. From these reviews, you can curate a more tailored guest experience. Now, we know what you’re thinking, this sounds like a lot of extra work and time spent tailoring a stay to each guest and their preferences? It sounds like a lot, but you can actually make it quite simple. For example, recommend bars and restaurants around the neighborhood if you notice this information was something they were lacking from their previous stay. Perhaps you are picking up on the hint that they enjoy using certain appliances in the house, so be sure to point them out when they arrive.

If you don’t have the time to do a little searching around their profile and reviews, dig a little deeper. Your guest asked you how close your home is to the ballpark, so it might be safe to assume know your guests are coming in town for the big baseball game this weekend. Send them over a weather report a few days before their arrival for the weekend weather. You not only look prepared and communicative with one short message or tweak, but these actions show them you are thinking of them and care about the quality of their time in town. One or two personal touches can take your already 4.0 rating to a solid 5.0.

 

Leave a local gift

With a little creativity and genuine passion for your city, this tactic will make you stand out above the crowd. Leave a local gift for your guest for them to enjoy during their stay or a trinket for them to take home. This could be anything from locally brewed coffee, a few pastries made from the bakery down the street or a little trinket that symbolizes your cities culture. These gifts do not have to be anything massive or expensive, but small, heartfelt gifts create a warm welcome and make for a memorable stay.

JZ Tip: This is also a way to build authentic relationships and potential partnerships with local community businesses that you get your gifts from.

 

Share your story

This one has to be one of our personal favorites. And funny enough one that is done the least. Travel in all senses is about finding a genuine human connection. So, when you are constantly welcoming travelers into your home, why hide the fact that you are much more than a business or property owner. Tell the guest your story, the story of your city, the story of the people in it. Let your guest have the opportunity to get to know you and build a connection with you. Small genuine acts rapport will make the guest feel like family, and as if they have a new friend in this new city.

 

Treat guest like family

Now that your guest feels like family, treat them like so! This is all about comfort and welcoming your travelers. Often times, these people have been traveling for hours on end when they arrive at your Airbnb. The first thing they want to do is check in, let down their bags, kick up their feet and get comfortable. Give them a warm welcome, and let them enjoy the feeling as if they had just stepped into their favorite relatives home.

 

Review them first

We know what you’re thinking, and no, this is not a game of “if I give them a good rating right away they have to rate me well.” The true idea behind this is that if you give them an honest review first, they will be more likely to take the time to review you. And, if you had done all of the things above, you can ensure a 5-star rating is headed your way.

 

Bonus JZ tip: how to stop bad reviews

Ask for suggestions! Leave a suggestions box so they know you are open to communication and improvement.

 

What is your favorite unconventional way to ensure a 5-star review?

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