More bookings for your holiday home:
12 proven tips
Your holiday home looks great, the reviews are good — and still there are empty weeks. Sound familiar? More bookings rarely come from one golden trick, but from a series of small improvements that reinforce each other: better photos, smarter pricing, your own website and guests who come back. In this article: 12 concrete tips that have proven themselves in practice, plus a worked example of what one extra booked week per month is worth.
Why is your occupancy lagging?
Short answer: for most holiday properties with disappointing bookings, the problem lies in one of three things: the property is not found (too few channels, no visibility of its own), the property does not convince (mediocre photos, generic description, few reviews) or the price does not match the season and the competition.
The good news: all three can be fixed without major investment. The 12 tips below are grouped around these three problems, plus a fourth category that pays off most in the long run: guests who come back. Work through them in order — presentation first, because sending more visitors to a mediocre listing achieves little.
Presentation: convince in 3 seconds
Tips 1–3: photos, description and reviews
Tip 1 — Invest in professional photos
Guests decide within seconds based on your first photo. Make sure you have bright, sharp landscape images taken on a sunny day. Put outdoor living up front: terrace, pool, view. A professional photographer costs a few hundred euros once; for almost any property that pays for itself within a few bookings. Also photograph the details that build trust: the coffee machine, the barbecue, the outdoor shower.
Tip 2 — Write for your ideal guest, not for everyone
"Spacious apartment close to the beach" appears in thousands of listings. Describe the experience instead: where do you drink your morning coffee, how long is the walk to the bakery, what does the view look like at sunset? Say concretely who the property is perfect for (families with young children? couples? winter guests staying long term?) and which practical details matter to that group: a stair gate, fast wifi for remote workers, air conditioning in every bedroom.
Tip 3 — Collect reviews actively and show them everywhere
Reviews are your strongest sales argument. Ask for one as standard in your thank-you email after every stay, and point guests to your Google Business Profile — those reviews are seen by everyone who googles your property. Show your best reviews on your own website too. Always respond to reviews, including critical ones: future guests are reading how you handle feedback.
Visibility: be found in more places
Tips 4–6: your own website, Google and a smart channel mix
Tip 4 — Set up your own booking website
Guests who spot your property on a platform often google the name of the house — looking for more photos and a better price. Without a website of your own they end up back at the platform; with one they book directly with you, without commission. Your own site is also the home base for all your other marketing: reviews, repeat guests, social media and word of mouth. What the platforms cost you and what you save is set out in an alternative to Airbnb.
Tip 5 — Create a Google Business Profile
Free and hugely underrated: with a Google Business Profile your holiday home appears in Google Search and Maps with photos, reviews and a link to your website. Anyone searching for the name of your house sees your official listing straight away — above the platform listings. Fill in the profile completely, add photos regularly and collect your reviews there.
Tip 6 — Pick a smart channel mix and synchronise your calendars
More channels means more reach, but also more admin. The mix that works best for most owners: your own website as the foundation, plus one or two platforms for new guests. Link all calendars through iCal so a booking on one channel automatically blocks the dates on the others — double bookings are poison for your reviews. Renting out in Spain? Make sure your registrations and licences are in order first; your registration number has to appear in every listing.
Pricing: the right price at the right moment
Tips 7–9: seasonal rates, filling gaps and the low season
Tip 7 — Work with seasonal rates, not one fixed price
One fixed weekly rate means, by definition: too cheap in high season and too expensive in low season. Divide your year into at least three to five pricing periods and look at what comparable properties in your area charge. Do raise your rates for school holidays and public holidays — that is where demand peaks.
Tip 8 — Fill gaps with midweeks, weekends and last-minute offers
A four-night gap between two weekly bookings earns nothing with a fixed changeover day. Open those periods up as a midweek or long weekend at an attractive rate. Is a period still not filling up 4–6 weeks in advance? Lower the price or email your guest list with a targeted last-minute offer. A discounted booked week beats an empty week — always.
Tip 9 — Make the low season attractive for long stays
Winter residents, remote workers and retirees look for stays of four weeks or more during the winter months. Offer monthly rates with a solid discount on the weekly price: cleaning and changeover costs drop, and your property is not sitting empty. State explicitly in your listing what this group is looking for: fast wifi, good heating, a place to work.
Repeat guests: your cheapest bookings
Tips 10–12: a guest list, direct bookings and the perfect follow-up
Tip 10 — Build a guest list
Every guest who leaves is a potential booking for next year — if you can get in touch. Collect email addresses (with permission) from all your guests, including those who booked through platforms. One email in January ("the summer calendar is open") to fifty former guests almost always produces bookings, at zero marketing cost.
Tip 11 — Reward direct bookings
Give former guests a reason to book directly instead of through the platform: 5% off, a late check-out or a bottle of wine on arrival. You save the platform commission of 15–20%, so that 5% discount pays for itself several times over. Leave a card with your website in the property and put the link in your email signature.
Tip 12 — Perfect your follow-up
A week after departure, send a short, personal thank-you email: ask for a review, point to your website for next time and ask whether you may add them to the annual mailing list. This single five-minute email is the best-performing marketing there is in holiday rentals.
What does one round of improvements add up to?
An apartment on the Costa Blanca, average weekly rate €900. In spring the owner reworks the photos, puts a website of their own live, introduces seasonal rates and emails former guests. This is the difference after one season.
| Before | After one season | |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks booked | 16 | 21 |
| Average weekly rate | €900 (fixed) | €935 (seasonal) |
| Gross revenue | €14,400 | €19,635 |
| Share of direct bookings (0% commission) | 0% | 35% |
| Platform commission (15%) | −€2,160 | −€1,914 |
| Net revenue | €12,240 | €17,721 |
Illustrative example; results differ per property, region and effort. The cost of a photographer and website (together roughly €600 in year one) is not included in the table — the net difference still exceeds €4,800.
Note what happens here: none of the individual tips is spectacular, but five extra weeks, a slightly higher average rate and 35% commission-free bookings add up to almost 45% more net revenue. Wondering which software supports that shift? Compare the options in holiday rental software compared.
Year planner: what to do when
| Period | Main actions |
|---|---|
| Jan – Feb | Open the summer calendar · newsletter to your guest list · set rates per season |
| Mar – Apr | Refresh photos · sharpen your copy · last-minute offers for the spring holidays |
| May – Aug | Fill gaps with midweeks · collect reviews after every stay · keep guest details up to date |
| Sep – Oct | Promote autumn and winter stays · activate monthly rates |
| Nov – Dec | Review the season · set next year's rates · holiday email with an early-booking offer |
Sort tip 4 out today?
With Casa Hero your own booking website — calendar, iCal synchronisation, reviews and multiple languages — is online within 5 minutes. The foundation under all the other tips, without commission per booking.
Everything about getting more bookings
The biggest gains sit in four areas: better presentation (professional photos and a strong description), better visibility (your own website plus a Google Business Profile), smarter pricing (seasonal rates and last-minute offers for gaps in your calendar) and repeat guests (building a guest list and rewarding direct bookings). Start with photos and pricing: that is where you see results fastest.
It varies by region and property type, but as a rule of thumb: 20 to 25 booked weeks per year (roughly 40-50%) is healthy for a holiday property in a popular destination. Top properties with a pool in peak-season areas reach 30 weeks or more. More important than the percentage is the combination of occupancy and price: 20 weeks at a good rate beats 28 weeks at bargain prices.
Photos are the single biggest deciding factor. Guests scroll through dozens of properties in seconds; the first photo decides whether they click through. Invest in bright, sharp landscape photos taken on a sunny day, with outdoor living (terrace, pool, view) prominently up front. A professional photographer costs a few hundred euros once and almost always pays for itself.
More channels widen your reach, as long as you synchronise the calendars through iCal to prevent double bookings. The most profitable mix for most owners: your own booking website as the foundation (0% commission) plus one or two platform listings for new guests. That way you benefit from the platforms' reach without paying commission on every single booking.
Offer short in-between periods as a midweek or long weekend at an attractive rate, lower the price in good time (4-6 weeks ahead) for unsold low-season periods, and email your guest list with targeted last-minute offers. Flexible arrival days outside peak season also make your property bookable for many more searches.
Your own website captures three groups that would otherwise book through a platform (with commission): returning guests, guests arriving through word of mouth, and guests who google your property after seeing a listing. For an average property, the share of direct bookings rises to 30 to 60 percent after one or two seasons — without commission.