8 Reasons to Keep Your Vacation Rental Calendar Updated.
A prospective guest spends time searching for the perfect place. They input their exact travel dates. Therefore, nothing is more frustrating than learning the property booked up months ago. They must restart their search from scratch.
Direct Villas UK won’t penalize you for an outdated calendar. Nevertheless, displaying empty shelves or old information will turn away frustrated holiday makers. Owners give us several reasons for skipping the calendar function. Yet, in today’s competitive market, it’s time to change your tactics.
1. A busy calendar encourages more bookings.
A holiday maker who sees your property is popular wants a piece of the action. A calendar showing many booked dates is almost as good as a recommendation. If others plan to stay there, then a good reason to book must exist. They’ll tell their friends, “We were so lucky to get this!” Consequently, you create a new group of potential guests eager to book next year.
2. Speeds up the decision time.
Your guests may have limited travel times. If they see only small windows of opportunity, then they will move quickly to secure their dates. They worry someone else will snap them up. This taps into FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). Ultimately, a quickly filling calendar creates urgency.
3. Confirms the property is genuine.
An empty calendar makes a guest uncomfortable. They might wonder: Does the home actually exist? Will the owner go bust before next year’s holiday? Or will they arrive to find the home already occupied?
Direct Villas UK offers a free service to confirm ownership. Still, a regularly updated calendar goes a long way. It helps reassure holidaymakers you are genuine owners right away. Plus, how excited will they be to see you add their confirmed dates to the calendar? They start counting down to their visit immediately.
4. Addresses the “What’s wrong with the home?” question.
The potential guest is happy that both you and the rental are genuine. But with no bookings for months, what is the catch? Your description says the home is fabulous. So why aren’t people lining up to book?
If they are queuing up, shout about it! Make that line even longer! Don’t panic if you have no bookings for genuine reasons. For instance, maybe you just purchased the property. Or perhaps you only used the home personally. Clarify this in your description. Turn it into a selling point to fill that calendar quickly. Use phrases like, ‘New to the vacation market’ or ‘Be one of our first guests in this new home.’
5. Saves time in the long run.
We know many owners juggle several calendars and commitments. But how much time do you waste sending “Sorry, we’re unavailable” replies? You could be much more productive sending quotes to most enquiries.
Make updating your calendar a habit. Log into your owner’s area once you bank a booking deposit. Update your calendar with the new dates. After all, adding dates one by one is less daunting than you think. Bookmark your owner dashboards for easy access to all adverts. Moreover, regular updates also mean you are less likely to double book. You avoid forgetting to make a note on the one calendar you use.
6. Helps target the dates you want to fill.
Your home may be fully booked well into next year. That’s great news! However, don’t wait too long to start marketing future months. Instead, show your full calendar. Start attracting guests already planning a year or more in advance.
Do make sure close-up dates you need to fill show clearly on your calendar. Have you shopped on Amazon? The phrase ‘only one left in stock – buy now’ pushes me into a quick decision every time! Guests without commitments like school holidays may travel next week. Similarly, they can clearly see that week is the only time your home is available for months.
7. Redirects enquiries back to your listing.
An enquiry may still come through for booked dates. Redirect them to look at your calendar again. Show them the available dates. Work with them from there. Keep in touch with a polite response. If they admired your home and service, then you captured their attention for the future.
Don’t redirect them if they face the same frustrating process. They will find their alternative dates booked too. Therefore, they will soon give up and book elsewhere. Don’t make your guests play guessing games. They just want to know your available dates and the price!
If you can only do some of the requested dates, still send a quote for those you can. If your home is their favourite, they might juggle flights, or perhaps consider a twin centre.
8. More security, not less.
Some owners worry about showing empty times. They fear theft or ‘uninvited guests.’ Consequently, they show a home that looks empty at all times! Using your calendar brings in bookings. Your property will be regularly occupied. Thus, this makes it less likely to be targeted by scammers or opportunists.
New Marketing Edge: Modern Reasons to Synchronise Your Calendar
In today’s fast-moving market, everyone expects instant, accurate information. These reasons focus on leveraging modern booking tools and search technology.
9. Capture the Instant Booker with Direct Booking Integrations.
Modern travelers don’t wait for an email reply. They expect to see real-time availability. In fact, they often complete the booking immediately. An up-to-date calendar is the only way to enable instant booking. If your platform offers it, enabling instant booking dramatically increases conversion rates. Specifically, this appeals to guests who value convenience.
10. Improve Your Search Ranking (SEO) on Listing Sites.
Direct Villas UK may not punish you. However, many other major listing sites do. Their algorithms favor listings that show higher “bookability.” An empty or inaccurate calendar signals that your listing is stale. As a result, you drop down the search results list. Your property essentially becomes invisible to most guests.
11. Eliminate Double Bookings with Calendar Synchronisation (iCal).
The biggest time-saver is using iCal (Internet Calendar). This automatically synchronises all your calendars across all platforms. You may advertise on five websites. In this case, a single booking needs to block those dates on all five. Manually doing this risks an expensive mistake. Instead, use the iCal feed functionality. Nearly all modern dashboards offer it. You can “set it and forget it” and virtually eliminate the risk of a double booking.
12. Deliver a Seamless Mobile Experience.
Most travel research and booking now happens on mobile phones. Guests quickly filter by date. Your property may pop up in their search. If the dates are unavailable, they immediately swipe away. Conversely, an accurate calendar ensures that your property only displays to guests who can book it. This provides a smooth, positive experience. It encourages them to click “Book Now.”
Still Not Convinced? A Final Tactic.
If you still have reasons not to update your calendar, then please make this clear on your listing.
You may only use the calendar on your website. If so, add a link from your listing page. Direct them to where they can check the latest availability.
Alternatively, state that you don’t use the calendar. Ask them to contact you directly for up-to-date availability. A visible phone number helps in this case. Make sure you have an answerphone machine when you can’t pick up.
Do be prepared to send a reply whether you are available or not. Above all, don’t leave them hanging around too long. They will have moved on and booked elsewhere. You will miss the opportunity to sell alternative dates.
Have you explored the time-saving power of iCal synchronisation? What technical barriers might still prevent you from keeping your calendars up-to-date? Direct Villas Florida provides owners with the functionality to integrate the iCal synchronisation to their listings , saving time and ensuring that your calendar is always up to date.
