Vacation, vacation, vacation! Now that the pandemic is behind us, vacationers are increasingly looking for places to stay away from home.
Unlike vacationers from the 1980s, modern vacationers prefer to spend their time in a vacation rental than a hotel. The convenience and flexibility of these properties draw them in with more space, privacy, and a full kitchen for cooking their meals. It’s also more practical if someone wants to stay longer than a few days at the destination.
For you, this means that there has never been a better time to convert your home into a sought-after vacation destination that generates income. Websites like Airbnb and Vrbo have made marketing your offering uncomplicated.
To start, you need a designated place for your vacation rental. You can rent a couple of rooms in your family home to tourists occasionally or invest in a second property to convert into a self-contained vacation rental. Whatever you decide, you must plan your venture to ensure it becomes profitable.
For tourists to be interested in your offering, you will need to make it stand out from the competition. So, let’s see what needs to be done to transform an ordinary home into a place tourists want to visit.
What Is The Perfect Location?
You may think that to attract visitors, you need to live in a place that is a natural tourist destination. You are afraid nobody will want to come to the middle of nowhere to rent your lovingly prepared vacation rental. Don’t be so sure. If you market it right, thousands of big city dwellers may want to escape the chaos of a big city for a few days and experience the true serenity in your middle of nowhere. Not everyone wants to spend their holidays visiting tourist attractions with thousands of other tourists. Some just want a quiet getaway.
So, don’t be discouraged if the property you plan to convert into a vacation rental is not located near one of the beautiful National Parks or a large city people flock to visit.
Perhaps you have a university in your town – you can market your rental to students. Or you live near farms that sell produce to the public – you can attract eco-tourists who love to seek out all the quirky, out-of-the-way locations and organically grown food.
Be Sure You’re Legal
Make sure you find out all the legalities of opening a vacation rental in your town. Ordinances may govern short—and longer-term rentals in your town, province, or state, and they could limit or prevent you from renting out your property.
Also, you must check the rules and by-laws to see if you can rent out a property that is part of a condominium corporation or Homeowners Association. There is no point in getting your property ready for renting and then finding out it would be against the rules. Do all that research before you start the conversion.
Upgrade your place
If your place is a dump, nobody will come. It’s as simple as that. To receive guests, you must ensure they have all the modern conveniences and perhaps luxury finishes, if possible.
Start with a home inspection. Pay special attention to the essentials like appliances. Your stove, fridge, dishwasher, and microwave must be spotless and work perfectly.
Make sure your water heater works well. Also, check your HVAC system to see if it needs any maintenance. Nothing is as off-putting as spending your vacation in a freezing guest house during winter.
You may consider installing the SMART thermostat to ensure your guests always have comfortable temperatures. It is a digital device that lets you control your HVAC system remotely. It is very handy if you have breaks between occupants and allows you to switch the system on and off from wherever you are. You can switch it on before your guests arrive so that they are greeted by a warm space and switch it off after they leave to avoid heating an empty house and save on electricity bills. To have it installed, contact one of your local HVAC companies.
The same goes for waterproofing your property. Get hold of a specialist from one of the waterproofing companies near you to inspect your property and make sure there are no leaks anywhere. A leaky roof or moisture in the basement can cause a growth of black mold. Black mold can affect the human respiratory system, making your guests unhappy. So, you need to ensure your vacation rental is mold-free. Since the most common way for water to get into your home is through the roof, you need to ensure it is watertight. For peace of mind, hire local roofing contractors to inspect and repair it if necessary.
The last things to check are your fire extinguishers, smoke, and carbon monoxide detectors. These should be professionally installed and in good working order. Better be safe than sorry.
Clean Everything
It goes without saying that your vacation rental needs to be spotless before your guests arrive. Nothing sends a guest faster to leave a scathing review on your website than a grimy interior.
Even if the place you want to hire does seem fairly clean, it is a good idea to freshly repaint every room before you hire it out to anyone. Painting is an easy job that you may want to tackle, but if you cannot, hire interior painting contractors. It will be an investment that will repay itself in spades. A fresh coat of paint makes a home look refreshed and well-maintained, and a well-chosen paint color can add style and warmth to your rental.
Upgrade Your Kitchen Appliances
Many vacationers choose vacation rentals simply for the use of a private kitchen during their stay. It is a big selling point that can make your offering stand out from the competition.
So, your kitchen needs all the modern conveniences the budget allows. A new, modern cooker, microwave, dishwasher, and a huge fridge are all standard requirements to entice your guests.
You may also want to splash out on extras like ice makers, additional small appliances like juicers, food processors, and a coffee station. To help you appoint a kitchen that satisfies all foodies, contact someone from your local kitchen design services to help you arrange everything for your vacation rental.
Bathrooms Speak Volumes
A well-stocked bathroom can turn a guest’s stay from good to exceptional. So, pay attention to details that make their stay memorable.
Depending on the space in your vacation rental bathroom, consider installing both a bath and a shower. Remember to fit a new shower head and check that the water pressure is high enough to deliver comfortable, refreshing showers. If possible, fit double sinks encased in a beautiful vanity cabinet to make your bathroom stylish and provide practical storage space.
Ensure the toilet bowl is spotless without a trace of unsightly calcium deposits. If the property has an old toilet, consider replacing it with a new, modern one. For that professional finish, consult someone who provides bathroom remodeling services to install all the hardware updates and upgrades. Other practical bathroom necessities include:
- Hooks or a towel rack to hang clothes and wet towels
- Clear surface space for guests’ items like makeup and skincare bottles
- Trashcan to keep things tidy
- Toilet plunger and toilet brush that are hidden from plain sight but available when needed
Your guests will also thank you if you provide towels for their use. Soft, white, fluffy towels are the best choice. Everyone loves them. Adding small personal hygiene items like travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes is an optional extra that will make your bathroom feel welcoming. Add a first aid kit; you never know when a guest may need a plaster or a headache medication for minor injuries and ailments.
Spruce Up the Outdoors
Once you have taken care of the inside of your vacation rental, you need to upgrade the outside. Having that indoor-outdoor flow from your sitting room to the garden will give your property an upmarket feel vacationers like.
If you have a small garden, create a cozy atmosphere with comfortable furniture and beautiful plants. Avoid cramming too much into a small space to allow free movement between areas.
A large garden will benefit from making clear divisions between spaces, like a lounging area, perhaps a cooking area for outdoor eating, and a grassy lawn patch for the kids to play.
Also, consider installing a swimming pool if you have a bigger outdoor space. It will add that extra luxury feature and enhance your guests’ enjoyment of their stay. Contact swimming pool services for a quote to see if installing a pool falls within your budget.
Another aspect that vacationers value is privacy. Having a walled garden will definitely tick that box. But having concrete walls to look at while on vacation is probably not a great selling point. To beautify the space, consult landscaping companies to help incorporate flowers, shrubs, and trees into pleasing arrangements that provide privacy without making your garden feel like a prison. Outdoor living thrives on greenery.
Make sure your garden pathways and front driveway are well-lit. Your driveway especially needs to be smooth and well-maintained. Installing an asphalt driveway is a great option to give your vacation rental additional curb appeal. This type of driveway is relatively inexpensive to install and easy to maintain. To have one installed, contact your local asphalt paving contractor.
It may seem like a lot of work, but a well-designed outdoor space can make your vacation rental more attractive to guests. It can also lead to better online reviews, attract more visitors, and bring in more income to cover all these expenses. In the end, you will see that it pays to create an outdoor oasis that leaves a great lasting impression.
Hire A Trustworthy Cleaning Team
One thing that makes a hotel vacation more enticing than a vacation rental is the availability of cleaning services. No one wants to go on holiday and clean the house all day. Vacationers want to spend time lazing around; that is what a vacation is about.
At the same time, no one can relax in a messy home, so to please your guests, hire a cleaning team. The cleaners can clean and tidy the place while the guests enjoy sightseeing or other activities. You must manage the team to ensure they are timely and as unobtrusive as possible. Your guests will love the service, but they don’t want to have to interact with your cleaning staff.
Invest In an Incredible Website
To present your vacation rental to the world, you must invest in a professionally designed website or a listing on a common website like Airbnb or Vrbo.
Guests will first see photos and read your home’s short description. Make sure these accurately present all you offer in the best possible way. To get noticed in this competitive rental market, you must be creative when showcasing your home’s unique features and amenities. Hiring a professional photographer may help generate interest by delivering well-shot photos. Research shows that professional photos can help you generate 20% more bookings and increase your income by 20%.
Appeal to Eco-Enthusiasts
One way to attract more tourists to your perfect vacation rental is to make your property eco-friendly. Even simple changes like installing aerated faucets throughout the home and tanks to collect rainwater will make your home more sustainable.
It can also save you money in the long run. Installing energy-saving appliances will reduce your energy use. Smart home technology will make your guests’ experience nicer and conserve energy at the same time—think smart thermostats and motion-sensing lighting. Provide reusable glass or stainless-steel water bottles and reusable shopping bags to discourage your guests from using single-use plastics. Set up clearly labeled recycling bins to encourage recycling.
To attract visitors from that niche, advertise your listing as an eco-friendly house and consider applying for eco-certification. You can then display these credentials to attract environmentally conscious guests.
In a nutshell: Start with a plan. Decide what type of visitors and vacationers you want to attract. Once you have that in mind, consider what features and amenities they would find convenient while on holiday. Then, provide those. Hire a photographer and perhaps a copywriter to generate beautiful photos and a great description of your offer. After that, post your listing on the vacation rental platforms and wait for your first visitor.