Statistics say that 58% of all the inquiries a property owner receives have already found another place to rent by the time you respond. Even though we make every effort to stay on time of every inquiry, inevitably we have all had times where we heard the dreaded “Thanks for the response, but I’ve already found another rental.” Or perhaps we just never heard anything back at all.
Online bookings result in a significant uptick in occupancy because it addresses this problem head on. Potential guests can secure their dates immediately without waiting for a return phone call or email.
Many property owners are hesitant to try online booking because they have some mystical view that they want to talk to every potential guest on the phone. The reality is that many in this generation do not want to talk on the phone, they don’t even want to communicate via email. It is felt that if you do your job and provide the potential guest with a great website, then the website should fully answer all their questions. Many guests today when they encounter a website that is easy to use, easy to navigate, features large, crisp images, clearly explains the terms and conditions, and displays availability and allows for online bookings, these guests will book online and many times they’ll do it during periods when the property owner is in bed!
I can’t tell you how many online bookings I get overnight. I’ll go to bed at 11pm and wake up and someone will have booked at 1am. My guess is that many families, like my own, are busy. So busy that many times it’s late night before they have an opportunity to surf the web looking for a place for the family vacation. These days few guests want to send out dozens of inquiries to property owners asking if they have availability for certain dates. Why? It’s a huge, unnecessary waste of time. For me, no availability on your website = no sale. No rate information on your website = no sale. Small, grainy pictures on your website = no sale. No online booking = no sale.
However, if you’ve taken the time and respected me, the guest, by putting up a great website with great pics, easy to use navigation, clearly defined T&C’s, availability and online booking, then I know the odds are that you will go above and beyond to provide me with a great place to stay and a great vacation and I will book with you without ever speaking to you on the phone or conversing with you via email.
Each the year there are larger and larger percentages of people like me. We are a demand driven society. Satisfy the demand, have a great website, accept online bookings and you are all set, you will reap the rewards. These last two years have been the best years in the last ten years for vacation rental owners, but only for those that treat their business and their customers with respect. The old ways of doing business don’t’ work so well anymore, and for those that still adhere to them, the last two years have yielded many open dates and / or lots of discounting. Don’t let that happen to you. Try the InnFirst.com vacation rental management platform free for 30 days and we’ll show you how to make your business thrive again.
Like this post? Post Comment, Download and Subscribe RSS