How to manage your booking calendar
Tips for managing your holiday rental bookings and maximising your income
- Updated Calendar: Keep a centralised calendar to avoid double bookings and efficiently manage reservations.
- Clear Rules: Set transparent policies on cancellations and house rules to ensure a smooth experience.
- Effective Communication: Offer multiple communication channels to facilitate bookings and provide exceptional customer service.
- Time Optimisation: Automate tasks like cleaning and maintenance, and consider outsourcing to simplify management and maximise your time.
May 2024
Bookings are, without a doubt, the core of our holiday rental business. Managing them well isn’t just a duty; it’s essential for thriving and maximising economic returns. In this article, we’ll share tips and techniques for effectively managing your holiday rental booking calendar. At Holidu, our main mission is to connect guests and hosts to ensure a dream stay. Join us!
Organising available dates
Organising the available dates in your accommodation in a methodical, strict, and real-time manner is absolutely essential for good holiday rental management. To achieve this, we recommend having a centralised calendar that captures all confirmed bookings and is always up-to-date, making it easier to interact with guests at any time. The check-in and check-out of guests should always be under control.
Under no circumstances should our holiday rental have overlapping bookings, leaving some guests without accommodation. This could result in not only a loss of income but also a reputation issue. We could receive bad reviews, damaging our clientele’s perception, even though we aim to foster the opposite: positive word-of-mouth that reflects our professionalism. We must convey that our business is solid and that we are serious owners committed to our clients’ legitimate needs.
Do you need to organise your calendar dates efficiently? Holidu offers integration of multiple booking calendars with their specialised services from Holidu’s Channel Manager. With this system, your holiday rental will be listed on up to 27 booking websites, giving you access to millions of potential travellers. Here are the main advantages of this calendar management system for your holiday rental:
- You’ll have a centralised, omnichannel booking calendar. No more worrying about different customer acquisition channels; Holidu centralises everything, allowing you to see booking requests at a glance. Easier than ever.
- You’ll receive payment before check-in. Advance booking payments will give you liquidity if you need funds to handle any hiccups and provide peace of mind; you’ll avoid fraud from day one.
- You’ll have specialised advice to set your seasonal prices. If you don’t know what prices to assign for each season, don’t worry; Holidu will give you guidelines to set a competitive price in the market according to your preferences.
- You’ll have a professional team to create your listing, with quality photos showcasing the best version of your property to attract more guests.
- You and your guests will have customer service available. In case of any questions, a professional holiday rental expert will always be on the other end of the phone or screen to help you.
Establishing stay regulations, a fundamental aspect
As hosts, we must establish a set of transparent, rigorous, strict rules and regulations that leave no room for misinterpretation. This includes cancellation policies, check-in and check-out procedures, property use rules (including neighbour relations), and payment methods. Once these rules are set, guests will have a much clearer understanding of how our holiday rental operates, making everything run smoothly. To avoid any issues, always send a set of rules to the guests before their stay.
Regarding cancellations, establish a transparent, predetermined, clear, understandable, as flexible as possible, and honest cancellation policy. In this respect, you must be strict and treat your guests with complete fairness. Cancellations are part of the daily routine of holiday rentals, and you must get used to them. To minimise them, raise your booking contract requirements; this way, you’ll only attract genuinely interested clients.
Synchronisation with multiple platforms: The importance of communication
To maintain thorough, dynamic, and rigorous control over bookings in your holiday rental, you also need to establish smooth communication with your clientele. This communication should be multichannel from the start, occurring through different channels: phone, social media, holiday rental platforms, instant messaging (WhatsApp, Telegram…), email, etc.
The ability to make a booking or cancellation through different channels is not only an advantage for potential cancellations or last-minute requests but also a competitive edge over those accommodations not yet on major platforms. The more conveniences we offer the target audience, the better. Our omnichannel presence can lead to positive reviews; keep this in mind.
Additionally, some owners, especially those managing several holiday rentals, opt for a personalised virtual secretary. This service allows them to respond to phone calls and emails at all times. It’s an option to consider, depending largely on your investment capacity.
But beware! The synchronisation of bookings and cancellations through different channels must be rigorous. Only by maintaining an up-to-date calendar will you know the property’s availability in real-time for holiday bookings. Pay special attention to your properties during peak season or weekends and special dates when you’ve offered discounts to guests. These are the most challenging times to manage.
How to optimise time management
We’ve seen that implementing suitable software and/or services from a company that helps expand connections with clients is crucial for making your property profitable. However, there are many more strategies to save time and streamline your business. For example, you can automate cleaning and maintenance services for your apartment or holiday rental, setting regular, fixed times to facilitate coordination.
You can also use specific programmes or specialised apps for managing all financial accounting. Some owners outsource all their property’s services, including management and secretarial work. Have you ever considered subcontracting?
At Holidu, we specialise in making it easier for owners to manage their bookings. Follow our advice, and you’ll achieve the quality and professionalism boost you’ve been looking for. And if you need technical advice, we’re always here to help. With Holidu, you can consolidate your business and maximise its potential.