Seasonality is an inherent factor in vacation rentals. However, there are a number of tricks you can use to reduce its impact in order to optimize your occupancy rate all year round.
Target business travelers
If business travelers were historically the targets of hotel professionals, this paradigm is changing. Indeed, more and more companies are turning to rental accommodations for their travels.
To attract this new target, you can take advantage of the proximity of your accommodations to conference centers or exhibition grounds.
Also consider contacting companies near your accommodations. They may regularly need to invite co-workers based in other cities. Don't forget that your accommodations have more charm than your hotel competitors. This is a competitive advantage that will seduce your prospects!
Also consider the flexcationers (or workationers), those nomadic workers who decide to work while traveling. To attract these travelers, you need to adapt your spaces to a work environment. You will also need to ensure the quality of your internet connection.
Business trips and workations are not dependent on vacation periods. On the contrary, these travelers prefer to go against the current and are therefore a boon for fill your reservation calendar at off-peak times.
Build loyalty with your travelers
Retention is an important issue for property managers to secure their booking schedule. You need to keep in mind that each booking represents an opportunity to build a long-term customer base. It is therefore essential to guarantee a high standard of service for all your customers!
Also remember to record your guests' contact information for each reservation. This allows you to contact them before their previous reservation period. For example, you can offer them personalized discounts on their favorite travel dates. You can also contact them shortly after their stay to offer them cheaper stays by off-season.
By building customer loyalty, you ensure full periods year after year and you benefit from a point of contact to propose irresistible offers during your off-peak periods.
Adjust your pricing strategy
Another good way to fill your booking calendar is to offer unbeatable prices all year round. If you can raise your prices during high demand periods, you should also lower them during your off-peak periods.
You must adopt dynamic pricing strategies adapted to your seasonality. You can opt for specialized tools to ensure that your prices accurately reflect demand. There are many PMS offer this type of functionality.
If your management tool does not offer revenue management features, maybe it's time to change !
Update your ads
Each booking period has its own clientele and its own expectations! Depending on the period, travelers will not be the same and will not look for the same assets in their accommodation. This is why it is essential to update your ads to meet the demand.
For example, think about doing photo shoots for each season and with adapted layouts. This very simple trick will allow your potential customers to better project themselves.
As with prices, you'll want to think about adjusting your cancellation policy and minimum length of stay with demand. Don't hesitate to relax your policies to fill your reservation calendar!
Think of the bonus detail
With COVID, the cancellation of events and the closure of cultural venues caused travelers to adapt. One of these adaptations has been to place lodging as the sole purpose of the trip. Indeed, many travelers choose rental accommodations to have a good time.
This trend is a great opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors. In fact, you should emphasize the features and activities possible in your homes. Consider subscribing to Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus accounts, for example, or adding lots of board games.
If you're thinking big, you can also invest in a pool table, foosball table or pinball machine!
The key is to present your accommodations as destinations that stand on their own.
In a nutshell
With the right combination of the above tactics, you can maximize your occupancy rate to erase your seasonality.
To go even further, we strongly advise you to consult our file that explains how to maximize your occupancy rate.
Remember, when the industry recovers from the impact of the pandemic and travel picks up, all your efforts will be rewarded!
