If you are considering renting out your property as a vacation rental, you need to understand that you are now part of the hospitality industry. This means that the rental revenue will be depending on customer reviews.
There’s only so much you can do about the size and location of your property, but the one thing of which you have total control over and that is the cleanliness of your property!
Cleanliness is one of the deciding factor for a great customer review and it’s also a great cleanliness investment. In fact, you can boost your vacation rental income by as much as 20% just from keeping your space clean and tidy for your guests!
If that sounds too good to be true, consider the following 7 ways to boost your vacation rental revenue:
1. Great reviews will increase occupancy
Accommodation represents a large portion of the vacation budget and therefore people spend hours searching and reading reviews before deciding on a vacation rental they feel will meet their needs.
And let’s be honest, a renter is far more likely to spend their hard-earned money on a place with glowing reviews and the number one commented on topic in reviews are cleanliness. This means that having a high cleanliness standard is a great way to boost the reviews.
But also, when you gain enough 5-star reviews, you will better your search ranking by getting pushed further up the search results. The higher your listing is ranked, the more likely it is for guests to find it giving you excellent visibility and with that also increased occupancy.
2. Great pictures will give your property a competitive edge
“A picture says more that a thousand words”, right? That’s why it is so important for your place to look good in them! Both the ones you promote yourself and the ones that your guests will post on the social media and send to friends and family. You can’t control what pictures will be shared but you can make sure that your rental looks great in them! When you are confident, ask them to tag you in the images for free promotion.
3. Increase customer loyalty
When renters see that you take good care of the property they will get the feeling that you are an honest and reliable owner. By having the rental property consistently clean and their concerns are taken seriously, you are to get repeated business from your customers. A good experience is just that valuable to them and they will look forward to their vacation each time they book!
4. A good first impression leads to high overall satisfaction
Lets face it, plane rides and travel itself is not the best part of your vacation, it is when you first enter your rented villa or apartment. If then, it has not been cleaned properly it will create a terrible first impression that can’t be taken back.
Even if your rental has the best amenities or a prime location, you won’t get any good reviews anyway if they have this feeling throughout their stay. But, if your place is spick and span guests won’t mind if there’s no fancy pool or gym nearby.
5. Show you care about their vacation
Presentation is key, and things like making sure cushions are neatly “puffed”, bed linen stretched to perfection, towels soft and neatly folded will go a long way. Why not have freshly picked flowers and a bottle of wine presented on arrival with a hand written note to thank the guests for choosing your rental? This will show that you care and they will share their experience with family, friends and through reviews!
6. Higher perceived value, higher price
When you promote your property, be sure to mention what is included in the price. The higher the perceived value the customer will get, the higher the rental price you can charge. Be sure to include the cleaning fee and any other regular costs that for you is very normal but for the renter maybe not.
7. Create long-term value
Having your rental property clean and well maintained, will not only bring less issues during the rental period but also in the long-term. Renters will take better care of your property if they see that you do and this will lead to less major maintenance issues and you can misted reinvest this in the property to increase the value. And, if you one day you decide to sell the property you will not only attract a buyer faster but you will also be able to sell it for more when it has been regularly cleaned and well-maintained.
Having trouble keeping your vacation rental flawless?
Do not worry! VIDeMI is here to help you!
We provide the best vacation rental cleaning services on Curacao and we can make sure to keep your property well-kept through the process.