7 Tips for a Great Vacation Rental Shoulder Season
Off-Season Tips and Tricks for Vacation Rental Owners
Transitioning from the high season to the shoulder months as a vacation rental owner can be a bit of an adjustment. While bookings and guests were flying in during the busy season, the shoulder months experience a drop in occupancy and rates that many see as the beginning to the slower months of the year. While this is an accurate assessment of the shoulder months, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of revenue to be made during this time of the year.
Wondering how to score more short-term rental bookings during the shoulder season? We’ve got just the guide for you. Today, we’ll go over what the shoulder season is before diving into 7 tips for a fantastic shoulder season for your vacation rental.
A Quick Definition of Shoulder Season for the Short-Term Rental Industry
While the high season/busy season and the low season or off-season might be familiar terms to you, shoulder season should also be on your radar as a vacation rental owner.
Think about a vacation rental in a ski town, like Breckenridge or Telluride–the high season will typically fall during the winter months, when skiing and snowboarding are popular activities, while the low season often falls during the summer months, when most things are closed for the season. In between these times are the “shoulder” seasons of spring and fall, when demand is usually lower but travelers still want to visit these destinations. In Breckenridge, this time of year is also known as “mud season” for the copious amount of mud that the region gets during these times of the year.
Tips and Tricks for a Successful Vacation Rental Shoulder Season
#1: Take a Look at Your Vacation Rental Pricing
Pricing is of the utmost importance during shoulder season, as this is the time of year when guests are looking for deals and discounts on vacation rentals. Because demand is lower, you may have to lower your price in order to keep your occupancy up or else risk leaving your short-term rental empty for the entire season. However, according to one study done by AirDNA, even lowering your ADR doesn’t mean you’ll rake in the revenue–it’s a delicate balance between lower ADRs and occupancy rates to reach the RevPAR (or RevPAL) that you are targeting.
#2: Be More Understanding of Guest Cancellations
During the busy season, cancellations can be the bane of your business, and it’s important during these times to strictly follow your cancellation policy to the letter. However, the shoulder season is typically when the weather is not as cooperative as during the high season, and being a little less strict with your cancellation policy can be a boon to your guest experience. Plus, last-minute cancellations are also an opportunity to offer discounts and deals to guests, which can lead to even more bookings in the future.
#3: Allow Shorter Minimum Stays at Your Short-Term Rental
While the high season might be abundant with weeklong stays at your vacation rental, the shoulder season and off-season months are a good time to loosen your minimum nightly stay requirements in order to appeal more to travelers. If your nightly minimum is 5 days, for instance, lowering your requirements to 3 or even 2 days can help you appeal to a wider array of guests during these more competitive seasons.
#4: Enhance Your Vacation Rental Marketing
Another way to make your shoulder season more successful is to use these slower months to create some buzz with good old fashioned marketing. If you are a newbie to vacation rental marketing, just getting your name out there can seem difficult, but branding your short-term rental is a good place to start, as well as focusing on targeting the correct audience for your marketing efforts.
#5: Level Up Guest Experience
Guest experience is always an important factor to consider when running a successful vacation rental business, but during no time does it matter more than the shoulder season and off-season. When competition is at its height, that’s when you have to differentiate yourself to stand out from the crowd. Think about how you can create a better experience for your guests–whether that’s as simple as upgrading your game room or creating a welcome package for your guests or something more complex like adding a hot tub or a sauna to your property.
#6: Educate Guests About Upcoming Events and Activities
While the shoulder season might be an off time for events and activities, if you are located in a destination there’s always something going on. Another way to enhance your guest experience is to educate your guests on upcoming events and other things to do in your area. You never know, they might attend a festival or nearby market and have a wonderful time, something they’ll brag about when it comes to leaving a review of their stay.
#7: Give Your Listing a Makeover
Our final tip for a shoulder season that you can be proud of is to give your listing a once-over and see where you can update it for the season. Whether that’s commissioning a whole new photoshoot to show how cozy and comforting your property is during shoulder season or just rewriting your listing description to reflect the upcoming season, there’s plenty of ways to dust off your listing and make it more appealing for the slower times ahead.
Have a Successful Shoulder Season with Expert Vacation Rental Property Management from LocalVR
Managing your own vacation rental is a full-time job, there’s no doubt about it. However, if you need help in order to guarantee that you’ll have a fantastic shoulder season, especially when it comes to pricing and home care, there’s no better vacation rental property management company than LocalVR. Whether you’re located in Telluride, Breckenridge, Park City, or Lake Tahoe, we know these destinations like the back of our hands and are always utilizing the latest short-term rental technology to dynamically price our rentals.
