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Seasonal Listing Updates – Tips for Airbnb and VRBO Hosts

How long as it been since you reviewed and updated your Vacation Rental listing? I’m not talking about the property itself. (In fact, that probably needs scheduled too, so make yourself a note.) I have 4 easy tips for Airbnb and VRBO hosts that will make your listing good as new!

Do you have 30 minutes to an hour? No? Would you like to snag a new booking in exchange for 30 minutes to an hour? Of course you do! Come on.

Pull up your website in a new browser tab, so you can easily toggle back and forth between your website and this post. (…I’ll wait here, go ahead.)

Ok, you’re back. Good!

We’ll work down my list of 4 easy updates and have your listing looking good as new in about 30 minutes to an hour…depending on how organized you are.

Here are the areas we are going to cover, so ya might want to think through where you’ll find this information to make this little task go a little faster. Ready?

Description
Amenities
Rates
Photos

See, that’s easy enough. Now, put on your rubber gloves (no hard hat required) and we’ll get started.

Seasonal Listing Updates – Tips for Airbnb and VRBO Hosts

Description

Read through your description. Ask yourself these questions: Do you see anything that needs updated? Have you turned a bedroom into a game room? Have you added a game room in the basement? Are there any new attractions, restaurants, stores close by or within walking distance? Have your payment terms changed? Do you have a lead magnet link you need to add or change? A new destination Facebook group link? You get the idea. Think it through.
Amenities

Same process. Read and update. Here are some examples: # of bedrooms & # of sleeps, bed sizes, Keurig, new/additional appliances, larger/smart tvs, cable, Wifi, renovations, deck, charcoal/gas grill, pool/hot tub, special outside lighting, security, keyless entry, etc. Work down the list of amenities and add and subtract as needed.
Rates

Your rates should be updated for at least 18 months ahead. Maybe longer if your property books up in advance. I recommend making rate updates ahead every 3 months. Once those are finished, go back and look at your current rates. Sometimes the software/listing sites can be funky and your rates will be incorrect. Are you charging more for weekends/holidays/busy seasons/local events, etc.? If you aren't, you should be. Hotels ALWAYS do this, so why wouldn't you? Take advantage of the supply and demand for your property and price accordingly.
Photos

This step may take a little longer, but it's probably the most important. Review EVERY photo that's on your listing site. Are they current? Did you paint the house purple last year and your photos show a red house? Do your photos show a bathtub, but you remodeled with a walk-in shower? Are things looking outdated? If you have decent photos you can swap out, do it. If not, you may need to get new professional photos. Do you have photos that were professionally taken 5+ years ago? Yep. Make yourself a note to schedule a photographer. In case you haven't noticed, most photos of current decor are trending with bright lighting and colors with whites and neutral earth tones. Pinterest is an outstanding resource for the newest trends in decor and color schemes.

What’s Next?

Shew! Don’t you feel better about your listing site?

Take off those rubber gloves, lean back in your chair, and admire your newly freshened baby. Trust me, your guests will appreciate your hard work.

As I mentioned in my post “7 Things You MUST Have on Your Website“, an accurate description is essential. It’s #4 on that list. And Amenities is #7.

#4 Accurate Description
Provide accurate details about your property. A vague description does not sell; and an inaccurate description will give you bad reviews. For example, if your amenities list says you have a pool, but the pool is located a couple miles away at the rental community headquarters, be sure to make… Read More

That’s all for now. If you haven’t already subscribed, click here to get my weekly vacation rental management and marketing tips in your inbox. You’ll also get my bonus Listing Site Independence Checklist!

My weekly emails have lots of great tips for AirBnb and VRBO hosts, as well as tips for becoming self-managed off of the OTA platforms.

Feel free to leave a comment below or email me at connie@trendyhospitality.com with any questions!

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