High Season in Vacation or Tourist Rentals

High season in vacation rentals is the time of year when you will receive the most income from your tourist accommodation. It is true that the more than notable increase in demand will make it much easier for you to acquire new clients. However, this peak in demand is not accompanied by a peaceful time of rest for hosts. Far from it! Maintaining a good occupancy rate and income level requires a proactive strategy and attention to your guests and accommodations. The reason is that the high season in vacation rentals is limited in time. In Spain, it usually starts at Easter and ends in September. Although in some destinations – such as mountains or places of special cultural interest – the high season is more skewed towards winter. Before we begin to break down some tips for increasing income during the high season of tourist rentals, it is advisable to take a look at the following posts. They will help you learn some key concepts of revenue management – or income management –:

• Optimal occupancy rate in tourist accommodations
• Optimisation of profits from tourist apartments
• How to price your Airbnb

Would you like to have an income and expense forecast for your vacation rental not only in high season? Download the Airbnb financial calculator for free.

Tips to increase bookings for your vacation rental in high season

Now, let's get down to business. Below you will find some useful tips to maximise the income of your tourist rental during high season.

Review your listings and find outdated information

How long ago did you take the photos of your tourist accommodation? Have there been changes in the house rules? Have you updated the welcome book? If you haven't made these updates yet, it's time to start! To prepare for the high season – and increase the profits of your accommodation – you need to have spectacular listings. Errors such as lack of information, typos or old photos will make your potential guests flee. It is possible that during high season your tourist rental receives more demand from guests who are looking for last-minute accommodation or groups. If that is your case, explicitly state in your listing how easy it is to book or how well prepared your accommodation is for groups.

Defining a target customer for your tourist rental is key not only in high season.

Update your listings often and automate as much as possible

In addition to the description, photos or services of your listing, you must update the price. The mantra that should guide you when setting a price for your vacation rental during high season is to maintain around 80% occupancy one month out. If you need help with pricing per night, you can use some of these vacation rental pricing tools or opt for Airbnb's smart pricing. In addition, automating processes such as check-in, check-out or cleaning will help you, as a host, save time. Take a look at this comparison of vacation rental software.

Use Instant Booking

If you haven't activated Instant Booking on Airbnb yet, do it. The easier it is for potential guests to book your accommodation, the more bookings there will be. Do you have doubts about whether using Instant Booking will help you during the high season of your tourist rental? Put yourself in your guest's shoes. As a guest, you want a comfortable, fast, and easy booking process. Any extra step you request will complicate the process (and more potential guests will fall out of your sales funnel).

Proactively ask your guests for reviews

Getting reviews for your tourist accommodation is critical. High season is a great time to ask for them. Try to provide friendly and consistent service throughout your guests' stays. Respond quickly to their concerns or questions. These are two keys to avoiding bad reviews. Remember that reviews are a fundamental part of the algorithm that OTAs use to position your tourist accommodation.

Prepare for the vacation rental high season: renovations, before it starts

Keep in mind that your guests must be satisfied with the expectations of your vacation rental – not only in high season. While you should rule out undertaking major renovations during this period, you can make small touch-ups to delight your guests. Try, for example, changing some furniture in your tourist accommodation or follow these tips for decorating your Airbnb.‍

Did you like this post about high season and vacation rentals? You can subscribe to the newsletter by completing the form below. In addition, if you want to save time during key handover, you can purchase the Intercom smart lock and forget about waiting for your guests.