10 steps to a successful peak booking season

Millions of travelers will soon be planning their 2019 trips. And that means a surge in bookings ripe for the taking! Here’s a smorgasbord of inspiration and advice on how to capitalize on the busiest period of the year.

%

of all bookings are made January through April

Respond within six hours and you're 2X more likely to secure a booking

%

of travelers wouldn't book accommodations without reading reviews first

Explore TripAdvisor Rentals’ Top 10 Steps to Peak Season!

Calendar & availability

Calendar & availability

Steps for a successful peak season

Up-to-date availability is an absolute must for peak booking season. More travelers will be viewing your listing than at any other time of year, so making sure you calendar reflects exactly what dates are and aren’t available is vital.

Read more: Centralize your availability (and score more bookings!) with Calendar Sync

Build in some flexibility

Build in some flexibility

Steps for a successful peak season

Travelers appreciate flexible arrangements when it comes to checking in and checking out. Adjusting your standard processes (e.g. shifting your check-out time by an hour or two) to accommodate your guests’ individual requirements will go a long way.

Read more: Managing Changeovers: A Homeowner’s Guide

Pro Tip: Owners who respond within 6 hours are twice as likely to turn an inquiry into a booking

Optimize your processes

Optimize your processes

Steps for a successful peak season

When bookings and inquiries are coming in left, right and center, streamlining your processes and keeping admin to a minimum is essential. Your TripAdvisor Rentals dashboard is optimized to save you time.

Read more: 8 Time-saving features of your dashboard

Read more: Off-Season: 9 ways to make the most of vacation rental downtime

Review your rates

Review your rates

Steps for a successful peak season

How you price your rental is key. Without the right prices, you won’t make a profit. Without a decent profit, you won’t be able to put as much back into your rental to keep developing and improving.

Read more: How to nail your pricing

Up your response time

Up your response time

Steps for a successful peak season

Absolutely critical in peak season, responding quickly makes you stand out among the competition when travelers send multiple inquiries. This is especially important if your rental’s in a more in-demand destination.

Read more: Response time and why it’s important

In this business, there’s always a new challenge!

Brian Harris

Owner, Harris Properties

Learn from the best

Steps for a successful peak season

We often talk to successful owners and managers about their experiences. Not only are they a good read (their stories are inspiring and motivational) but they’re packed with advice and tips that will make a real difference to your business.

Read more:
• 7 owners, 7 tips for Peak Booking Season
• Brian Harris of Harris Property Management

• How One Owner Achieved the Certificate of Excellence

• 7 Traits of a Successful Rental Owner/Manager

• How Rentals Helped Tammy Wave Bye-Bye to the 9-5

Give your listing a lift

Steps for a successful peak season

With so many eyes on your listing at this time of year, use the time before things get busy to optimize every aspect of it. From professional photography tips to the using drone technology to show off your rental, here are the best tips to inspire your peak booking season listing makeover:

Read more:
• 7 Tips to Make Your Rental Shine
• Writing Your description: Where To Start!?
• Think Like a Local: What’s in Your Area?
• 10 Tips for Writing Tantalising Listing Titles
• The Next Step: Drone Photography

Pro Tip: 86% of travelers wouldn’t consider booking a rental with no reviews

Reap reviews, reap rewards

Reap reviews, reap rewards

Steps for a successful peak season

72% of travelers say they wouldn’t book a rental if it didn’t have a review*. That kind of statistic should have you reaching for the Reviews section of your dashboard and request reviews like there’s no tomorrow. And if you need more convincing…

Read more:

Know your customer

Know your customer

Steps for a successful peak season

OK, we know it’s a cliché. But the fact is, this is often overlooked. Playing to your target market is a sure-fire way to secure more bookings. You don’t have to conduct detailed market research yourself – we’ve done that for you! Take a look…

Read more:

Be Instant Book-able

Be Instant Book-able

Steps for a successful peak season

With Instant Book, you can cater for the 21st-century traveler’s preferred way to book – no waiting, no worrying. Switch it on and travelers pay and book without you needing to accept.(Check your dashboard to see if you’re eligible for Instant Book!).

Read more:

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