4 Tips on Making Your Vacation Rental Appealing to Families

Wherever you go, you’re likely to come across families traveling together. In fact, family travel brings in a lot of business into the industry. With the increasing number of vacationing families, family-friendly amenities have become more important. These features include bedroom space, kitchen and laundry facilities, and enhanced security. Holiday rentals are the perfect alternative to expensive hotel rooms.

More and more traveling families choose to spend their getaways at vacation home rentals. One of the appeals of holiday cottages is having that “home environment.” When parents plan a family vacation, the primary goal is to stay at a place where EVERYONE can unwind and have fun.  This is true, in particular, if there are small children involved. A secure, cozy, vacation rental serves as a home away from home.

So, how can you make your holiday home more appealing to families planning to go on a vacation?

  1. List your vacation rental as family-friendly.

When you create a listing for your rental property, specify it as a family- or kid-friendly place. Parents looking for accommodations use this filter option from the get-go. Reiterate this feature several times. Add it to your landing page. Incorporate it into your vacation rental advertising campaign. Make it a highlighted feature rather than a mere bonus.

  1. Be crystal clear about the bedroom situation.

Parents looking at your holiday home will spend time considering the sleeping arrangements. Can the place accommodate the entire family? If there are small children, do they get a separate bedroom? If there are pets, would they have a sleeping area?

Listing the number of bedrooms isn’t enough. There should be visual proof. If you put in two bedrooms in the listing, but only show pictures of one room, searchers would most likely leave your site. Take photos of each room from every angle. Better yet, take videos.

If the place only has one bedroom, but the living room can be used as a sleeping area, don’t list it as a two-bedroom holiday home. Instead, make the setup very clear. Show photos of previous renters who’ve made the living room a sleeping space. That way, prospective guests can visualize the setup.

Also, never assume that parents vacationing with a baby would automatically want their little one to sleep in their room. If they’re looking for a rental with multiple bedrooms, they most likely will use all that space.

  1. Focus on family-friendly amenities and services.

In your description, list down all the features that make your place family-friendly. If there’s a park or a playground near the place, make sure to mention it. Same goes for family- and kid-friendly restaurants. A quiet street at night can also be a feature, especially for a family traveling with small children.

Also, the fewer things parents need to bring in for their family trip, the better. If you have the resources, incorporate kid-friendly extras. These may include a high chair, a playpen or a playroom, night lights, and plates and cutlery for kids. Also, add books and DVDs into the mix. Invest in a first-aid box with all sorts of medicine for common colds, allergies, insect bites, and so on.

If your vacation rental is near a beach, have beach gear available. Offer plastic buckets and shovels for the kids, and big umbrellas for the adults.  Feature these items in your listing too.

These are economic investments that will make your holiday cottages stand out from the competition. Having kid-friendly services will also provide comfort to both parents and kids.

  1. Address safety and security concerns.

One of the main reasons traveling families hesitate to use holiday rentals is security. Unlike hotels, most holiday cottages don’t have security guards patrolling the vicinity 24/7. As such, it’s essential you address safety and security concerns from the get-go. Describe all security measures that you have in place to make the rental safe.

Also, make sure to have a reliable security system. You can’t really assure prospective renters about safety and security if the place doesn’t have a system that will actually make it secure. If you have the means to, buy a wired security system and have it professionally installed. Otherwise, DIY.

 

Making your vacation rental appealing to families is a good a way to draw in more guests. If your home cottages are family-friendly, make sure to list them on niche websites that feature family travel, like BookingPal.com. By registering on this site, you can advertise your holiday rentals directly to your target market.

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