Is your vacation rental ready for the busy season? Follow this guide to ensure you have taken the necessary steps to make your property family-friendly for all possible guests.
Increased Demand for Vacation Rental Properties
Travel is making a comeback, and alternative accommodation bookings are booming. Across the globe, in many regions, summer rental booking volumes are outperforming pre-pandemic numbers.
Bookings will increase even more as we approach the winter season – boasting reservation volumes 81% higher in November-December 2021 than in 2019, pre-COVID. As a result, pent-up demand for travel is rising, and guests are willing to pay higher nightly rates.
With successful vaccine distribution and the desire to visit family in person, it should come as no surprise that families are the #1 group expected to travel to in 2021.
In the last year and a half, there have been many moments missed celebrating – birthdays, graduations, and other milestones – making the demand for family travel becoming apparent in new bookings.
4 Tips to Make Your Rental Family-Friendly
1. Childproof Your Home
Take safety precautions and childproof your home. In a new environment, the first thing any toddler wants to do is explore. And right behind them are parents snatching away all the dangerous things they find. Ensure your property is equipped with baby gates and cabinet locks to prevent little ones from accessing hazardous objects. Including these details in your listing description will help put any parent at ease.
2. Invest in Kid-Friendly Amenities
Anyone traveling with a baby or small child understands the challenge of keeping kids occupied. Something as simple as keeping a high chair tucked away can make a world of difference for parents with little ones. Adding kid-friendly extras like toys and bed railings to your listing can have a considerable impact when parents search for a rental that meets their needs.
Most vacation rental properties come equipped with a TV and WiFi. But to amp up the value as a host, you may want to provide gaming equipment or streaming services for them to utilize. Be sure to also include board games and crafts for families to create memories in your rental. Not only will kids appreciate the added entertainment, but their parents will too.
3. Recommend Local Favorites to Guests
Everyone loves a good secret, so why not share the hidden gems with your guests! Generally, tourists in a new city are always looking for attractions and things to do. Sure, they will likely have done their research, but this is your chance to let them live like a local.
Leave them a list of all the local happenings that are family-appropriate such as a great breakfast spot or a park with a playground. These small gestures will impress your guests and leave a lasting impression. They may even suggest your rental to their family and friends looking for a place to stay on their next vacation.
4. Call in the Experts to Clean
One thing is for sure when you have families staying at your rental – kids can make a huge mess. The good news is, it’s easy to manage when you have reliable and thorough cleaners to clean up after kids have stayed there. Companies like TurnoverBnB make finding cleaners simple, and it’s easy to coordinate cleanings directly from your Guesty dashboard.
Here are some amenities that Guesty recommends to elevate your rental:
Short-Term Rental Business is Back
Short-term vacation rentals are the accommodation of choice for several reasons. First, rentals tend to be larger than traditional hotels. Therefore, they are perfectly positioned to be the accommodation of choice for families due to their often spacious and private living spaces. Fully-equipped kitchens, the ability to accommodate larger groups of people, and additional longer-stay amenities such as oversized closets are often key deciding factors as well.
Lastly, booking private rentals are more appealing for families with unvaccinated children, allowing them to travel comfortably while avoiding crowded hotels.
Not to mention, Airbnb amenities are typically well suited for families – from pools to full kitchens to big backyards, a short-term rental that you can book on platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com provides more flexibility and peace of mind today compared to a traditional hotel stay.
Private rentals also allow for more comfortable and often longer stay opportunities – especially if parents need to extend a reservation at the last minute for unforeseen circumstances. In addition, the ability many guests have to work-from-home has evolved into work-from-ANY-home, and doing so is becoming more acceptable.
In fact, the age of remote work enables parents to take their families on the road for extended periods, as long as their accommodations enable them to comfortably work on their required days.
Many are booking scenic private vacation rentals – specifically those in ocean, desert, or mountain locations. So once the Zoom calls are over, they can enjoy the great outdoors.
This trend will continue into summer as the lines between how we live, work, and play continue to blur – even for parents traveling with kiddos.
Now, make sure everyone knows!
After putting in the effort to ensure a safe and clean home for families with children, it’s time to reap the benefits of your hard work. Ensure your listing descriptions say “family-friendly,” and note the specific steps you took to make this happen.
Your improved listing will attract more families to your property and will also maximize your booking occupancy. Ultimately, you will be able to give your guests the best family vacation possible.
