Marketing an apartment for short-term rental

Have you prepared an apartment for short-term rental and want to start marketing it to attract guests? Or maybe you have been renting out an apartment for a while but do not have as many guests as you would like? Well, owning an apartment and preparing it for short-term rental is only the first step. In such a highly competitive market, you need to take a range of marketing actions so that as many people as possible get the chance to see your listing. The better the marketing and the more satisfied guests you have, the greater the chance of earning a satisfying profit.

Booking platforms

Many people looking for accommodation for a vacation or business trip start their search on well-known booking platforms such as Booking.com or Airbnb.com . When starting out in short-term rental, it is worth publishing listings on such platforms, at least at the beginning. This will make your offer easy to find and grow the number of satisfied guests month after month. Of course, it is worth having your own website with a booking engine, but first you need to focus on winning guests and collecting good reviews.

For guests to choose our apartment from among many others, the listings on Booking.com or Airbnb.com need to be prepared properly (first, of course, you have to register the apartment on these platforms) :

• Take attractive, inviting photos – before the photo shoot, clean up and make sure there is good light, ideally daylight. It is worth adding touches such as fresh flowers, a set table, wine with glasses or chocolates. If possible, ask a friend who is passionate about photography to take professional photos.
• Describe the apartment and its surroundings in detail – point out the advantages of your apartment and its location. Describe the attractions and important places nearby. Recommend the best bakeries, cafes and restaurants in the area.
• Specify the amenities and equipment in the apartment precisely – booking platforms let you list amenities such as free parking, internet or Netflix, as well as equipment such as an iron, hair dryer, microwave, towels, etc. Of course, the more amenities and useful equipment, the larger the target group of guests we will reach.

Your own website with a booking engine

An apartment owner with their own website that accepts bookings has the chance to become independent of platforms that charge commissions of up to a dozen or more percent on every booking. However, for guests to be able to book directly, they first need to find the website. To make this possible, marketing is very important. That is why your own website brings very large savings and profits only once you have established yourself on the market and applied the right marketing activities.

Social media

The more web traffic, the better for the apartment. Many people search for apartments on Facebook or Instagram to get a closer look at the offer. Social media is therefore a place where we can show off lots of beautiful photos of the apartment. In addition, it is worth trying to build relationships with followers by publishing interesting posts. These may be updates about interesting events in the area or about a change of decor.

Pay very close attention to messages from followers who may want to book a stay. Messages must absolutely be answered promptly. A potential guest who is ignored for 5–7 days will unfortunately find another offer.

If you have a group of followers on Facebook, you can invite them to take part in a contest with prizes. Anyone who shares the contest post on their wall and invites at least 3 friends to join takes part. The prize can be a discount on a stay in the apartment, a free night or a romantic dinner with champagne and candles set up in the room.

Google My Business listing and Google Ads

Creating a listing for your apartment in Google My Business is a must. Many people looking for accommodation type a phrase such as “Ustka accommodation” or “Wrocław apartment” into the search engine. A Google My Business listing allows our service to appear in Google search results and on Google Maps. Thanks to this, guests can reach the apartment's own website directly, not just the booking platforms.

At the same time, you can use the Google Ads advertising system. It lets you display sponsored links, i.e., ads for the apartment in Google search results.

Apartment Guest Reviews

When going on vacation, ordering a service or buying products, we usually check reviews of the company. If bad reviews prevail, we tend to give up on the service. That is why, in the case of vacation apartments, collecting good reviews is very important. How can you get them?

• First, through high-quality service and good communication with the host.
• Second, by encouraging Guests to leave a review on Google or Facebook.
• Third, by asking for a review on the booking platforms if the stay was booked through them.

Remember that you can respond to every review – not only to positive ones, by thanking the guest. First, consider whether the person who left a negative review had grounds for it or not.

Loyalty Program

It is commonly said that word of mouth is the best way to win customers – and that is true. Satisfied guests will recommend our services to friends and family and leave positive reviews online. When looking for accommodation, we are much more willing to choose a place recommended by family or a place that has nothing but good reviews on Facebook, Google or booking platforms.

Sometimes, however, guests need some encouragement to recommend you. A loyalty program is a good idea. You can offer a discount on the next stay or a free night on the 3rd stay, so that people returning to the same place will not want to look for other accommodation. It is also worth offering your guests a discount on their next stay for a good online review, or a free night for a successful referral.