Starting a vacation rental business is an exhilarating journey, allowing you to turn people’s vacation dreams into a reality while enjoying your work and making money. This journey opens doors to meeting new people, gaining insights, and boosting income.
Most people who read this will know about the vacation rental business but I have to educate people who are new to this business model. So, let’s start with the basics,
What is a Vacation rental?
Vacation rentals are places where you can stay when you travel. They’re like fully furnished homes, apartments, or cottages, often with a kitchen. They give you privacy and a local experience, different from staying in a regular hotel. The most popular vacation rental websites are Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com
7 must-have Airbnb features for your vacation rental business
Airbnb, as a leading platform for vacation rentals, offers a range of features that can give your property the edge it needs. These features not only make your listing more appealing but also enhance the overall guest experience, leading to glowing reviews and repeat bookings.
Let’s dive into 7 essential Airbnb features that can help your vacation rental stand out. Whether you’re a seasoned host or just starting, these features are the building blocks of a successful vacation rental business.
Instant booking
With an instant booking option, guests can confirm their stay without the need for host approval. This convenience can be a game-changer for your property, attracting more guests who prioritize efficiency and swift confirmation of their accommodations.
It also gives you high booking rates, enhances guest experience, and improves the overall booking process.
Advanced Search Filters
It’s one of the most important features to have in your platform. Advanced search filters allow guests to easily narrow down options based on specific criteria such as location, property type, price range, number of bedrooms, and more.
This means guests spend less time sifting through irrelevant listings and more time discovering the perfect place to stay. When guests can easily find properties that meet their exact criteria, it simplifies the booking process and reduces stress. The booking process should be efficient and enjoyable at the same time.
Recommended Listings
With recommended listings, you can personalize the travel experience of your guests. Guests are often faced with an abundance of options when booking a vacation rental. Recommended listings simplify this process.
By showcasing properties that closely align with a traveler’s preferences, they’re more likely to make quicker, more confident decisions. This can lead to a smoother booking process and higher overall satisfaction.
Reviews & Ratings
In the vacation rental business, trust is everything. Travelers need to trust the property they’re booking, and property owners rely on trustworthy guests. This is where reviews play a pivotal role, acting as a bridge of confidence between both parties.
Reviews offer a powerful voice to guests. They can share their experiences, provide feedback, and even share tips about the property and the surrounding area. Similarly, the host can write a review about Guest and their experience with them.
Having a two-way review system is not just a feature; it’s a testament to transparency and integrity. It reinforces trust, leading to smoother transactions, better experiences, and ultimately, the continued growth of the platform.
Cancellation Policy
In the world of vacation rentals, the unforeseen can happen, and travel plans can change. That’s why a well-defined cancellation policy is crucial for maintaining clarity and fairness for both guests and hosts. It’s an essential element of the booking process that keeps everyone informed and ensures a smooth experience.
Vacation rental platforms should offer various cancellation policies, each with its own set of rules and timelines. It ranges from flexible policies, which allow for last-minute changes, to stricter ones that prioritize host stability
Pricing
Base price is the heart of vacation rental pricing. The host can set the base price and it’s the foundational cost of booking the property for a specific duration. It’s determined by various factors, including the property’s location, size, amenities, and demand in the area.
Similarly, the host can set a cleaning fee for cleaning the property before and after each guest’s stay, ensuring a fresh and hygienic environment. It’s a one-time charge and varies based on the property’s size and specific cleaning requirements.
Apart from this, the platform needs to have an option to set special pricing for particular dates. Special pricing allows hosts to adjust their rates seasonally. Whether it’s the peak of summer or the tranquility of off-peak periods, hosts can align their pricing with the changing demand throughout the year.
Wishlist
Wishlists enhance user engagement by letting guests curate a collection of properties they love. By creating a wishlist, they can save their favorite rentals and refer back to them later, promoting interaction with your platform.
Guests can easily access the properties they’re interested in, making it more likely that they’ll book a stay through your platform. Also, when guests find a user-friendly way to save and revisit properties, they’re more likely to return to your site for future trips.
How to build these features?
First, you need to have a website for your vacation rental business for your guests to book your properties. If you are still following old ways like email and phone, then you are about to lose your customers and money as well.
Consider, you are going on a vacation for Christmas with your family, would you send an email to someone or make a phone call to book a room? Absolutely NO. You will be searching for your dream holiday stays on sites like Airbnb. I hope the above example shows the importance of having a website.
Now, let me tell you how to build these features,
There are 2 ways to do this,
- If you are a tech guy or have a team of professionals who can build your website features or revamp your existing site to a new one, then you can consider this way.
- Or you can purchase a readymade script available on the market with all the above-mentioned functionalities and use it for your vacation rental business.
If you are looking for a readymade script, look nowhere else than our Airbnb Clone – A readymade pre-built software that allows you to launch your vacation rental website in a week.
Here’s the things to consider before buying an Airbnb Clone.
Wrapping up
It’s not very difficult to launch your vacation rental business along with the website if you have the right team to watch your back. So, don’t procrastinate, and take your first step now.
Speak with our team to know how we can help you launch your vacation rental business along with these top features.
