Should I Market a Vacation Rental Property as Pet-Friendly?

When marketing a vacation rental there are many decisions to make, allowing pets in your property is one of them. Some vacation rental managers will immediately dislike the idea of having pets in their holiday home, yet many are tapping into this excellent marketing opportunity.

Since 25% of all US travellers in 2012 vacationed with their pets to pet-friendly lodgings, it is no wonder that vacation rental managers are wising up and letting guests bring their furry friends. For those that are still unconvinced, we have put together just some of the benefits of marketing your vacation rental property as pet-friendly.

Reach a Wider Audience

Marketing your vacation rental property as pet-friendly is an excellent way of tapping into a niche category. Niche marketing will allow you to focus on a specific portion of the vacation rental industry and will work to improve your SEO efforts. Not only will this expand your marketing appeal, it will increase chances of your vacation rental website being found by those looking to stay in a pet-friendly property.

A Competitive Edge

When travelling with pets, vacation rentals are a great alternative to hotels. Holiday homes are far more accommodating when it comes to catering for families, large groups or pets. Hotels can be very expensive especially if you are travelling as a family with pets. By advertising your property as pet-friendly, it will have a competitive edge over hotels or other vacation rentals in the area and increase booking chances. The vacation rental industry is booming which makes even more important for vacation rental managers to adopt a variety of marketing techniques to stand out above the rest.

List Your Property on Pet-Friendly Portals

There are many portal listing websites out there that can help to increase exposure to your vacation rental, including ones that are pet-friendly specific. Bring Fido for example has over 25,000 listings entirely dedicated to those wanting to vacation with pets. We always encourage vacation rental managers to list a property on as many portals as possible and implement a channel manager to easily update multiple pages. Advertising on both major and niche portals will help to expand your marketing reach and traffic to your vacation rental website.

Remember to Set Rules

It is important when considering whether to market a vacation rental property as pet-friendly to think of a strict set of rules for your guests. It may be worth creating a pet policy that is visible on your vacation rental website so that potential bookers know exactly what is expected before making an inquiry. Things like the type of pet, whether the pet has been spayed or neutered and the age of pet should all come into consideration. That way if there is any damage or extra housekeeping needed after your guest's stay, you can refer back to the policy.

We hope we have given a clearer idea of the benefits of marketing a vacation rental property as pet-friendly. Please feel free to share with those of interest or add any comments in the box below:

If you are interested in operating your own vacation rental website complete with a beautiful reservation system, we will be more than happy to help. You can request a demo from our website or call us directly: +34 512 702 104

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