Custom holiday rentals

May 2024

In nearly every industry, personalisation is a growing trend, and in the holiday rental sector, it’s no different. We’re constantly changing and evolving. As owners of holiday homes or apartments listed on a holiday rental website, it’s crucial to stay on top of rental market trends to continue succeeding and making our property profitable. Travellers increasingly seek unique experiences and demand more from their accommodations; they want custom holiday rentals. Therefore, tailoring your offering to these changing needs is essential to remain appealing to potential guests.

How to personalise a holiday rental: Basic tips

If you’re wondering how to personalise a holiday rental, consider who your accommodation is aimed at and adapt it to their needs and tastes. Ensure your holiday home is ready to accommodate your guests and in the best condition. You want to make guests feel like they’re the first people to stay there. Here are some basic tips to achieve that:

• Create small informational cards to familiarise your guests with essential aspects of your home, such as the kitchen, TV, bathroom, terrace, etc. What should they keep in mind for their day-to-day in your house?
• Prepare a personalised welcome kit that includes, for example, wine, crisps, biscuits, nuts, or something sweet, always trying to adapt it to local products. This will make your guests feel welcome and add a special touch to your interaction with tenants.
• Make sure you’re accessible to your guests. If they have any questions, offer them the option to contact you via email or phone.
• Don’t forget to provide basic information such as emergency numbers, 112, GP’s contact, public transport options, nearest shops, restaurants, transportation methods, etc.

In any case, never forget a handwritten note with the guests’ names to give a personal and welcoming touch to their arrival. The goal is to make your guests feel at home, even if you don’t have direct physical contact with them.

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Nearby attractions and activities for holiday rentals

While some travellers arrive at their destination with a set itinerary, others seek recommendations from hosts when renting their holiday home or apartment. That’s why it’s important to spend time catering to this demand. If possible, obtain tourist brochures with nearby attractions and activities for your holiday home. If you can’t get them, you can create them yourself with a bit of digital know-how. These could include tourist attractions, museums, beaches, or hiking trails. It’s also advisable to provide information about upcoming local events, such as festivals, concerts, or sporting events. This way, your guests will discover everything the region has to offer and can plan their stay more efficiently. They’ll appreciate it.

Create a great local experience

Remember that travellers want more than just a place to stay; they’re looking for an authentic local experience, to discover the heartbeat of the city or town in question. As an owner, you can turn your holiday home into the starting point for exploring the surroundings. To do this, you’ll need to provide your guests with information about the best restaurants, attractions, and activities nearby.

You’ll also need to consider whether it’s worth partnering with tour guides, restaurants, or local companies to offer unique experiences, such as cooking classes, historical tours, or cultural walks. As an owner, you can also offer local items in your holiday home, such as freshly picked vegetables, wines, a regional speciality, or handmade souvenirs. This gives your guests the opportunity to experience the local culture in a real way and contributes to the community’s economy.

Sustainable and environmentally friendly practices

We’ve already mentioned the importance of personalisation in the holiday rental experience, now let’s talk about sustainability. With the acceleration of climate change, many environmentally conscious travellers will prefer destinations that offer environmentally friendly accommodations. Whether it’s through sustainable services, eco-friendly products, or better explaining how your rental home is more environmentally friendly. Sustainability is undoubtedly a factor to consider for hosts. Don’t fall behind.

Group travel and family holidays

Another trend to highlight is the growing demand for holiday homes for groups and families. Travellers now want to travel more and more with friends or family, to create good memories and spend quality time with their loved ones. As an owner, you can adapt your holiday home to the needs of larger groups by offering more rooms and sleeping arrangements, as well as common areas.

Responding to trends in holiday rentals

As holiday home owners, it’s crucial to keep up with changing travel trends and tailor holiday rentals to guests’ needs. How can we do this? Here are some tips:

• Adopt the aforementioned sustainability.
• Offer flexibility in bookings.
• Integrate new digital facilities.
• Centralise the guest experience.
• Make cancellation policies more flexible.

These valuable ideas will help you give your holiday home an edge in the competitive holiday rental market. Make sure to stay informed about emerging trends, be innovative, and provide an excellent experience for guests.

VIP experiences for sports enthusiasts

When it comes to relaxation and disconnecting, for many travellers, this means active and sports-oriented holidays. Stays combining cycling and surfing, for example, or a rental car for excursions, have skyrocketed. Cycling and adventure sports have also become very popular activities for holidays. Numerous hosts offer the opportunity to practice specialized sports in natural environments, which completely breaks the routine for guests. These options are highly sought after by young groups or companies promoting team-building activities.

As a host, all you need to do is reach an agreement with these adventure sports services. You can even earn a commission for every group that books these experiences. Think about it.

We’ve given you a series of recommendations to ensure a truly unique and memorable holiday rental experience. Now it’s up to you as a host to consider all the possibilities, advertise the holiday home with all its features, invest in improvements, tailor your listing on the holiday rental portal, and analyse the target audience of guests to maximise their experience.

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