It’s never too early to start prepping your marketing for Christmas travelers to your short-term rental. In this blog post, we will share ten tips that will help attract winter break travelers and keep your holiday hosting calendar full. By following these tips, you can ensure that your short-term rental is booked solid during the holiday season!

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!

Tips for Attracting Christmas Travelers

Let’s dive in!

1. Start early with your marketing

One of the best ways to attract Christmas travelers is to start your marketing early. By starting your marketing efforts a few months in advance, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience and increase the chances that potential guests will book your rental for their holiday stay.

2. Target families

Another great way to attract Christmas travelers is to target families. Families are often looking for spacious accommodations that can comfortably accommodate everyone under one roof during the holiday season.

If you have a family-friendly rental, be sure to highlight that in your marketing materials. Don’t forget to include some games for your guests to enjoy!

3. Offer special deals

Who doesn’t love a great deal? Offering special deals and discounts is a great way to attract travelers on a budget.

Be sure to highlight any special deals or discounts in your marketing materials so that potential guests are aware of them. You could even consider throwing in a free experience that you might typically charge as an upsell.

4. Make sure your property is festive

Decorate your property in a festive fashion! Add some photos of what your property looks like during the holiday season to let guests see just how cool your home looks during that special time.

Be sure to decorate both the inside and outside of your rental so that it looks like a winter wonderland. You could even consider leaving out some holiday treats for your guests! If you are decorating your listing for the holidays, and advertising the holiday treats you provide, you may even increase the nightly price, rather than offering a discount.

5. Be flexible with check-in times

Folks traveling over winter break often have to travel on specific days and times due to family commitments. As such, it’s important to be flexible with your check-in and check-out times. This will show potential guests that you’re willing to work around their schedule and make their stay as convenient as possible.

6. Sell the experience

You’re not just selling a place to lay your head; you’re selling a memory-making experience. When writing your listing description, use imagery words that help guests envision themselves baking cookies and reading holiday stories next to the fireplace.

7. Focus on your amenities

When travelers are searching for a place to stay, they’re often looking for specific amenities. Be sure to highlight any unique amenities that your rental offers, such as a fire table,  hot tub or ski-in/ski-out access.

8. Highlight your location

If your rental is located near a popular winter destination or landmark, be sure to feature that in your listing description and marketing materials. Travelers often choose their holiday destination based on location, so this is an essential piece of information to include.

9. Allow pets

Many travelers have pets, and they’re often willing to pay a premium to find accommodations that allow them to bring their furry friends along. Since winter travelers are often traveling with the entirety of their family, allowing them to bring their pets is a great way to attract them to your rental over the competition.

10. Maximize your SEO

Finally, it’s important to make sure that your rental is easy to find online. One way to do this is by optimizing your search engine optimization (SEO). Make sure to include relevant keywords in your title and description so that potential guests can easily find your listing when they’re searching for a place to stay. During the pre-holiday and holiday season, be sure to update your listing titles and descriptions to maximize seasonal keywords and rank higher.

Final Thoughts

If you follow these tips, you’ll be sure to attract Christmas travelers to your short-term rental. Just remember to focus on selling the experience, be flexible with check-in times, and highlight your unique amenities. With a little bit of effort, you’ll be able to keep your hosting calendar booked solid through the winter holidays!

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!