With June now upon us, people are eagerly looking for their next vacation. For many, this is their first true vacation in well over a year. Is your property ready for the busy summer travel season? Follow this guide to help ensure your vacation rental property catches the eye of travelers this summer.
1) Entertainment
Whether your vacation rental listing aims to accommodate mainly couples or small groups, allowing your guests to participate in activities while at your property is always an appealing feature to your listing.
Here are a few options you may wish to add:
Sporting Equipment
Equipping your Airbnb with common sporting equipment such as a football, soccer ball, or basketball is a great way to entertain your guests who value a competitive and active lifestyle. No room on your property to enjoy these activities? Consider adding a few yoga mats that can easily be tucked in a closet and made available to your guests to enjoy indoors.
Outdoor Games
Cornhole, ladder toss, and Jenga are some simple to learn games that are always a crowd-pleaser.
Board Games
Board games are great for rainy days or properties with limited outdoor space. Consider acquiring some classic games to help entertain your guests. Some of the most timeless games include Monopoly, Chess, Scrabble, and Pictionary.
2) Workspace
With more and more companies shifting their businesses to an online format, having a credible workspace in your vacation rental listing is arguably one of the latest necessities in today’s world.
Here are five requirements that will ensure your home workplace is up to speed:
Office Chair
Have at least one comfortable chair that swivels with ease and has lumbar support.
Desk or Designated Workspace
A desk that has ample room for a laptop and papers. Your desk should be a minimum of 50 by 30 inches to ensure room for the user.
Office Supplies
Equip your office with a few general office supplies such as a stapler, paper, pens, and pencils.
View
If possible, create your potential guest’s home office with a great view that has natural light.
Outlet Access
Ensure that you have at least two power outlets in your office so that your guest can have the ability to plug in their laptop and phone.
Now that we’ve covered some of the basics for a sought-after workspace, let’s take a look at your connectivity.
3) High-Speed Internet
Unless your property is geared toward having a purely natural experience, having high-speed internet is a necessity with the integration of technology in our daily lives. As we just reviewed, with a mobile modern workforce, your potential guests are looking to travel while working.
Having high-speed wifi is a requirement to gaining more bookings to your vacation rental listing. Here are some key tips to ensure that your wifi is advanced.
Speed
First and foremost, the speed of your wifi is most important. Property owners should aim to have at least 30 Mbps.
Usage
Reflect on your property and the number of possible devices that require the internet.
For example, your property already has one smart tv and the ability to house two guests. In this scenario it would be smart to assume that your wifi should be able to handle a total of five devices assuming that you have a smart tv and your guests may have a total of two smartphones and two laptops.
Strength
Ensuring that your wifi signal is strong enough to cover the entire property is critical to proudly state the credibility of your high-speed internet. It is important to note that outdoor areas such as a patio or backyard are key components to offering generous coverage.
4) Remote Security System
Equipping your house with a remote security system is a great step to providing a safe environment to guests.
Having a security system allows for flexibility in various ways.
First, giving your guests access to doors remotely reduces the need for physical contact along with the possibility of lost keys. Furthermore, every time a door is unlocked, you or your guest will receive a notification.
Remote security systems have door monitoring capabilities that reduce the need for unnecessary contact with unwanted visitors.
Lastly, you can arm or disarm your home alarms right from your phone on the go to always ensure a safe environment.
Other benefits to equipping your vacation rental listing with a remote security system include reducing crime, homeowner’s insurance, and general electric costs if your system integrates thermostats.
5) Fully Equipped Kitchen
Whether you make the entire home available to your guests or only a portion of the home, guests will desire to have access to a fully equipped kitchen.
Stocking your kitchen with the following items will give your guests the tools they need:
- Microwave
- Blender
- Glass measuring cup
- Basic pots and pans
- Set of at least four glasses
- Set of at least four plates
- At least four sets of silverware
6) Summer Pool Essentials
Summer season is right around the corner which means an increased amount of guests will be looking to stay at your vacation rental property.
For those who own an Airbnb by the beach, lake, or have their own pool, make sure to have these items available to your guests to increase your chances of being booked.
- Beach towels
- Umbrellas
- Floatable chairs or tubes
- Water toys
- Sunbathing chairs
7) Focus on Families
Families are one of the most reliable and profitable demographics when it comes to renting out your Airbnb. They are more likely to stay at your property for more than a few nights in controversy to other travelers. For properties that you manage remotely, families almost never tend to bring over unwanted guests while maintaining your property.
When it comes down to it, making your vacation rental property family-friendly will result in a more sustainable income.
Here are some suggestions to incorporate into your vacation rental property to ensure that your property is family-friendly.
Childproof latches
Whether out of curiosity or purely accidental, children will often try their hardest to get into drawers or cabinets. Be sure to remove any harmful objects or cleaning agents from their reach and place in higher areas or in lockable cabinets. Investing in child-safe latches is another way to guarantee that children will not accidently get into areas they shouldn’t.
Mattress protectors
To safeguard your mattresses, invest in washable mattress protectors to prevent against accidents. They come in a variety of price points and can also help eliminate dust mites that may accumulate on unprotected mattresses.
Parental controls
Occupying children with watching family-friendly channels is one of the most common ways for parents to take a break. Set up parental controls on any streaming or television on your property to prevent them from seeing any adult-rated content.
Toys
It never hurts to buy a set of Legos, action figures, or coloring books to keep your guests’ children entertained. A budget-friendly option is simply putting out some blank pieces of paper and some crayons or colored pencils.
Follow For More Host Tips
By following these recommendations, your Airbnb property will be equipped with a fun and safe environment for all potential guests this summer. Be sure to include any of these items you choose to implement into your listing to help increase your bookings.
Looking for more ways to prepare your property for the summer travel rush? Follow our blog for tips and advice on everything you need to know about vacation rental hosting and vacation rental cleaning.
