10 ways to make your holiday rental in Murcia stand out from the crowd
1) Spend a little to get a lot on holiday rentals advertising
Advertise on more than one holiday rentals website to maximize exposure for your apartment or villa in Murcia. Self-advertise your holiday home on leading holiday rentals websites such as Holiday Lettings, Spain Holiday, Holiday Rentals and Owners Direct, which all have a vast international client base of holidaymakers looking to rent villas in Spain.
Owners should also use cost-effective and targeted holiday rentals websites that focus specifically on the Spanish Costa, area or region your villa or apartment resides in. For example, Connect Rentals is a dedicated, specialist site for golf apartments and villas with pools in Murcia on the Costa Calida in Spain, and affordable, dedicated websites like these offer a much more targeted audience for year-round and repeat holiday bookings.
By adding up the cost of advertising on these sites, property owners in Murcia can usually get a good return on their initial investment after just one booking in a buoyant holiday rentals market. Spending a little at first will market your Spanish holiday home in Murcia successful for villa rentals in the long run. Remember to rent your villa or apartment, you need to be online to be found.
2) Make sure your holiday rental has a unique selling point
There are thousands of villas along the Costa Calida in Spain and your villa or apartment needs to stand out from the crowd to be noticed. Perhaps your villa in Murcia has extra facilities like a heated pool, air conditioning throughout or a Jacuzzi or hot tub. Details such as these can make your rental property stand out and make it more likely to be chosen over a similar home. Additional items such as pool tables, tennis rackets, golf clubs or bicycles to loan or providing a simple welcome pack on arrival give a more unique touch. Offering extra cots, children's toys or high chairs will attract young families and could ultimately encourage them to rent your holiday home in Murcia.
3) Take great photos of your Murcia holiday rental
Although the pictures do, of course, have to reflect what the property looks like, taking photos which are light and attractive will give a more positive impression of the villa or apartment. Small details such as making up the beds, putting sun beds out, setting the dining table and putting flowers on the table all point towards a classy and relaxed atmosphere. In effect, your rental villa should look like a hotel - perhaps turn the lamps on to create a soft and relaxed picture, or pour a glass of wine to put on the table. These homely touches will give a less clinical impression of your villa or apartment and help you market your Murcia holiday rental more effectively as holidaymakers will be attracted to the pictures.
4) Keep your holiday rentals calendar up to date
This is more of a courtesy issue. There is no need to annoy clients by failing to mark off when your villa or apartment has been booked, leading them to believe that the dates they want are available. Making it clear what is available and what is not makes the process easier and more efficient for both you and the customer, and will make them more likely to deal with you in the future for other holiday rentals enquiries for Murcia
5) Be prompt, friendly and efficient with holiday lettings enquiries
Make booking apartments or villas with pools in Murcia as easy as possible by replying to email enquiries promptly with a polite follow up phone call. Look at offering alternative payment methods such as Paypal, Google Checkout, Internet bank transfers and cheques. The less customers have to do as a result of your service, the more likely they are to return to you and rent your property. Always treat holiday rentals clients as you would like to be treated.
6) Publish up-to-date holidaymaker testimonials
If somebody has had a brilliant time at your Murcia holiday home and tells you, then ask permission to tell others as well! Potential customers will know that other visitors will not be biased in their viewpoint and will not have any ulterior motives, and are thus trustworthy. Reading positive holiday rentals reviews gives people looking at Murcia more faith in the property they are about to rent.
7) Keep your holiday rentals pricing as competitive as possible
Check market rates as often as you can. For example, always compare 2 bed apartments or 3 bed villas with pools in Murcia to others in the same area to see if you are offering a competitive price. Customers will be looking out for affordable options so your holiday property should not be too expensive. Cheap Murcia villas and apartments in the summer months are always in demand and often people will shop around to find the best rental deal. Also try to be inclusive with your prices - nobody likes to feel that they have been duped by hidden costs so if there are extra charges make them as obvious as possible. Customers are unlikely to return if they feel that you have been attempting to trick them.
8) Provide plenty of local tourist information on Murcia, the Costa Calida, Costa Blanca and nearby Alicante
Tell holidaymakers about local entertainment and events. Telling rental clients, for example, about good local restaurants and bars in Murcia or nearby beaches along the Mar Menor or Costa Calida will not only make your property seem more appealing but will also make it easier for the customer (see point 5!). Tell customers about cheap car hire sites and transport links and provide accurate directions from Murcia San Javier or Alicante airport so that they feel that they are being looked after.
9) Provide emergency key holder contact details for your rental property
Give the holidaymakers a local Murcia contact number (with the international dial code) so that if anything does go wrong with the villa's pool or apartment's air conditioning system it can be dealt with as easily as possible. If you do not live on site, make sure that there is somebody there who can be contacted if there is a problem. If there are major issues, such as boilers or the air con systems breaking down, make sure that they are fixed as promptly as possible, as it makes the experience infinitely more pleasant for the holidaymaker and saves you time and money in the long run if the complaint is not efficiently dealt with.
10) Make your villa or apartment in Murcia a home from home
You want people to feel immediately at home in your Murcia villa or apartment so always add finishing touches. Invest in aerosols so that the property smells nice, and make sure that everything is immaculate and tidy with nice throws or cushions. The décor should be modern, simple and tasteful as well as comfortable and easy to clean, with everything that could be needed for a holiday in Spain. Extra details such as leaving a welcome note with home instructions and a bottle of wine for the visitors can make a big difference and really make guest cherish their villa holidays in Murcia.
Article written by Connect Rentals Ltd, the Murcia villas specialist 16.08.10, for more information visit http://www.connectrentals.com
Date posted: 16 August 2010
