16 Tips to Get More Bookings on Vrbo (Boost Your Vrbo Listing)
As Vrbo’s popularity continues to rise, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Vrbo property hosts to stand out amongst the competition.
Keep reading to discover effective strategies for getting more bookings on Vrbo, improving your Vrbo description, securing more reservations, and optimizing your Vrbo property advertisement with strategic boosts.
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How to Get More Bookings on Vrbo?
Boosting your bookings on Vrbo is within your reach through thoughtful optimization and streamlining the booking process for potential guests. To learn how to increase Vrbo bookings, upload high-quality photos, write an eye-catching listing title, and tag the amenities and location of your Vrbo property.
Make it easier for Vrbo guests to book by enabling instant bookings, maintaining a fast response time, and avoiding cancellations. Always ensure that your listing is accurate, your calendar is up-to-date, and that you’ve got great reviews on your listing.
How to Boost a Vrbo listing
Boosting a Vrbo listing will push your listing higher up the search rankings, enabling it to be seen more easily by guests. Vrbo provides a feature allowing hosts to boost Vrbo listings for specific date ranges, especially during periods of lower demand.
To boost a listing on Vrbo follow these steps:
- Attain Vrbo Premier Host Status: Elevate your status to become a Vrbo Premier Host.
- Accumulate ‘Power-Ups’: Earn ‘power-ups’ through bookings and completed stays.
- Navigate to Your Vrbo Account: Ensure you are logged into your Vrbo account.
- Choose the Property to Boost: Select the Vrbo property within your account that you wish to boost.
- Select ‘Choose Dates to Boost’: Locate this option in the Boost widget on the right-hand side of the page.
- Define the Date Range: Utilize the calendar to specify the date range you want to boost.
- Allocate Power-Ups: Choose the number of power-ups you’d like to use.
- Assess Your Search Position: Review both your current and projected search position.
- Finalize the Boost: Click ‘Accept’ and subsequently ‘Confirm’ to complete the boosting process.
Additionally, consider these five tips to optimize your Vrbo SEO.
16 Ways to Increase Vrbo Bookings
The best way to promote your Vrbo listing, generate more revenue from your short-term rentals, and market your Vrbo is to optimize it regularly. This proactive approach keeps you ahead of the competition and ensures your listing shines amidst the crowd. Vrbo’s search algorithm rewards listings that are both relevant and of high quality, catering to the desires of potential guests.
Accept Bookings Quickly
To enhance your Vrbo listing and bolster your vacation rental’s occupancy rate, streamline the booking process. Enable instant bookings to eliminate the need for guest approval, and ensure you promptly accept booking requests to satisfy Vrbo’s preference for responsive hosts.
Read more: What is a good booking rate on Airbnb?
Include All Amenities
Guests often filter Vrbo listings based on amenities like Wi-Fi, pet-friendliness, laundry, parking, air conditioning, and more. Include as many relevant amenities as possible to cater to a wide range of guest preferences. Vrbo mandates a minimum of five amenities.
In the example above, the Vrbo host has included 62 amenities in their short-term rental property listing, and they are categorized into ‘essentials’, ‘kitchen’, ‘outside’, ‘entertainment’, ‘laundry’, ‘parking’, and ‘safety’.
Tag the Location
Utilize Vrbo’s location tagging feature to describe your property’s setting with keywords such as ‘downtown,’ ‘beach view,’ or ‘mountains.’ These phrases offer potential guests insight into your Vrbo property’s unique characteristics.
Avoid Cancelling Bookings
Like other short-term rental platforms, Vrbo favors hosts who rarely cancel bookings. Minimizing cancellations not only boosts your search algorithm ranking but also attracts more potential guests.
State Cleaning Practices
Recent research by Vrbo indicates that listing cleaning practices is a desirable feature for guests. Share information about your property’s cleaning schedule, who performs the cleaning, and your commitment to guest hygiene and safety.
Gather Great Guest Reviews
Five-star guest reviews play a pivotal role in building guest trust and increasing your occupancy rate. When starting out, encourage family and friends to leave reviews. To consistently earn great guest reviews, and deliver a top-notch experience with clean accommodations and responsive customer service.
The Vrbo host above boasts an impressive 130 five-star reviews, a testament to their ability to instill trust in potential guests and provide assurance that their stay will be enjoyable. This track record also affords the host the flexibility to adjust prices in alignment with the demand for their Vrbo property.
Learn how to respond to negative guest reviews on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
Ensure Your Listing is Accurate
Provide precise details about your Vrbo property, including the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Avoid exaggeration, as misrepresenting your property can lead to guest dissatisfaction and negative reviews.
Respond Quickly to Your Guests
Maintaining a quick response rate to booking requests and inquiries greatly contributes to your listing’s success. Download the Vrbo app so that you can accept bookings, respond to guests, and manage your listings on the go.
Post High-Quality Photos
High-quality, professionally taken photos that showcase your Vrbo property’s best features are essential. Your photos are the first thing potential guests notice, so they must make a positive impression. Capture your vacation rental’s cleanliness and unique attributes.
In the example above, the Vrbo host has provided 21 high-quality photos of the property, and they immediately catch your eye as you scroll through the options. The vacation rental is presented beautifully, with tasteful décor and furnishings throughout.
Write an Attention-Grabbing Headline
The headline should be creative, and eye-catching, and highlight unique aspects of your vacation rental. Make the most of the 80-character limit to encourage prospects to click on your listing.
Read examples of catchy Airbnb titles.
Regularly Update Your Calendar
Regularly update your calendar to indicate availability. Active engagement with your listing not only improves performance but also prevents double bookings.
Become a Vrbo Premier Host
Aim to become a Vrbo Premier Host, similar to an Airbnb Superhost. Premier Hosts have an average review rating of 4.3 or higher, a booking acceptance rate of 90% or higher, an owner-initiated cancellation rate of 5% or lower, three or more Vrbo reviews, and a minimum of five bookings or 60 booked nights. In addition, premier Hosts have a badge on their listing, a filter for guests to search with, and access to the Boost program to improve the reach of their Vrbo property listing.
Optimize your Vrbo Description
Craft a scannable, detailed, and engaging Vrbo description that addresses guest needs and caters to your target audience. Use short paragraphs and bullet points to improve readability.
In the example above, the Vrbo host has thoughtfully provided extensive details about the property and its ideal audience. The Vrbo description also offers additional insights into the property’s amenities and its location. Notably, the vacation rental description is thoughtfully organized into paragraphs, simplifying the scanning process for potential guests. To further enhance readability, the host could consider incorporating bullet points for a more easily digestible format.
Learn how to write Airbnb descriptions that convert.
Price Your Vrbo Property Competitively
Ensure your rates are competitive and consider dynamic pricing to align with demand and seasonality. Setting your rates too high or too low can be off-putting for guests. Research similar listings in your area and initially price yours slightly lower. As your occupancy rate and reviews grow, consider adjusting rates accordingly.
Limit House Rules
Set reasonable house rules to manage guest expectations without overwhelming them. Too many house rules will be off-putting for guests who just want to relax. Simplicity in your rules can make it easier for guests to make a decision and book with you.
Need a hand writing your listing copy or Airbnb house manual? Get in touch to find out more about my vacation rental copywriting services.
Apply ‘Power-Ups’ to Certain Dates in Your Calendar
If you’re a Premier Host, earn and apply ‘Power-Ups’ to your listing. This enhances your property’s visibility on Vrbo, potentially leading to higher occupancy rates and increased revenue.
By implementing these 16 strategies, you can significantly boost your Vrbo property listing’s performance and elevate your success in the short-term rental market.
Summary: How to Get More Bookings on Vrbo
Hosts can learn how to get more bookings on Vrbo through a comprehensive approach that includes optimizing their listing, fostering trust with guests, and streamlining the booking process.
Optimizing the Vrbo listing involves several key components: captivating photos, an attention-grabbing headline, an informative Vrbo description, a competitive pricing strategy, strategic location tags, and an accurate list of amenities.
Building trust with guests hinges on cultivating a repertoire of positive customer reviews and maintaining a fast response rate.
Simplifying the booking process for guests includes implementing features like instant booking, setting concise house rules, achieving Vrbo Premier Host status, minimizing cancellations, and regularly updating the booking calendar.
To further enhance their property’s visibility, hosts can boost their Vrbo listing for specific date ranges, ensuring increased exposure to potential guests and a subsequent rise in bookings.
If you’re looking to improve your Vrbo listing and aren’t sure where to start, I can help you craft an enticing listing headline and description. Get in touch for more details about my Vrbo listing description services.