How well known is your holiday let in your local area? It may sound like a silly question, but it’s actually worth making sure you spread the word about your accommodation within the local area, as it can often lead to a boost in bookings. If you have a lot of competition locally it’s even more important to do this.
Here are some suggestions you can use to market your holiday rental in your local area.
1. Promote your holiday let in the local tourist office
This should certainly be top of your local advertising list if you haven’t done it already. Leave details about your accommodation including photos (if possible) that the tourist office will normally accept free of charge. It might even be good idea to invite those in charge to pop in and see your holiday let so they are in a better position to provide details to enquiring holiday makers. Make them feel welcome and ensure they have all the details they need to recommend your property effectively.
2. Join a local tourism or network group
Most areas have a local group of some kind that focuses on the tourism market. You might find an association specifically for holiday rental owners or perhaps a general tourism group. Either way you should benefit from the networking opportunities and getting advice about the holiday let market where you live.
3. Set up reciprocal arrangements with other holiday rental owners
It might seem odd to recommend the competition, but a reciprocal arrangement can work well. There will be times when your property (or theirs) is unavailable, so in this instance when enquiries come through you could recommend their accommodation instead. They can do the same for you, thus resulting in both parties getting more bookings. But obviously this works best when making an arrangement with similar accommodation types.
4. Get familiar with those working in the local events industry
This is worth doing because lots of people will get married or have events in the area that will result in them needing to find accommodation for a few nights. Recommend your holiday let to local wedding planners and event venues – you never know when you might get an additional booking out of it.
5. Advertise in as many local papers, newsagent’s windows and other locations as you can
This is a great way to advertise and to spread the word. Relatives of people living locally may see your ad and consider booking with you. Offer your property as a fine alternative for a short stay when compared to a hotel or B&B.
Think of any other businesses or organisations that may hold regular outings or meetings nearby and require accommodation. Even if you have just one holiday let to offer, it could be ideal for someone to use.
6. Don’t forget the postcards!
Postcards are always used to send greetings to those back home while someone is on holiday. Make sure you have a batch printed and leave them in your holiday rental property so guests can use them to send greetings home. Offer them free of charge and let your guests promote your holiday rental on your behalf – it’s a great way to do it.
As you can see there are many methods you can use to ensure people are able to find your property. Spreading the word locally could be much more fruitful than you might think.
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