How to manage your vacation rental calendar

What is a vacation rental calendar?

A vacation rental calendar is a crucial tool for owners and property managers to track their rental property's availability and bookings. It visually displays dates and availability, making it simple to manage when the property is booked or unavailable for guests. Additionally, the calendar is usually visible on travel sites, allowing guests to reserve the property if the dates are available.

Avoid double bookings

When you list your property on multiple travel sites, there's a risk that several guests might attempt to book the same dates simultaneously. For instance, if your property is listed on both Booking.com and Airbnb without synced calendars, another guest could book the same dates on Airbnb. This situation would force you to cancel one of the bookings, which can negatively impact the performance of your listing. 

Please note that if you decide to cancel a booking on platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com, or Vrbo, they may impose a cancellation fee, leading to financial losses.

At Travelnest, we understand that managing multiple channels can be a hassle for property owners and managers. So, to make things easier, our customers can use tools like iCal or other software to import and export additional calendars into Travelnest, creating one synchronised view. This way, they can prevent double bookings even if they list their property on other platforms outside of Travelnest.

Source: The Travelnest calendar sync tool.

Stay in control of when your vacation rental is available

Having complete control over the availability of your vacation rental property is crucial. Whether you're going on holiday or renting out your space during specific seasons, it's vital to stay on top of the availability of your property.

If you're a Travelnest customer, updating your availability is straightforward. You can block specific dates in your calendar to ensure that your property isn't booked when you need it for personal use or when it's not suitable for guests. These changes are automatically synced across all your listings and channels, saving you time and effort. You can also customise your calendar by setting your booking notice, which allows you to specify the amount of advance notice you require between a guest's booking and their arrival. You have the option to choose a 1, 2, 3, or 7-day notice period for bookings. 

Managing your vacation rental's availability has never been simpler with Travelnest. If you’re a new host seeking an easy way to manage your calendar and advertise your property on more travel sites, sign up for free here.

Source: The Travelnest calendar has the option to block dates or make them available.

Save time and decrease manual work with one single calendar

Manually updating all your bookings across multiple travel sites can be a daunting task, with so many elements to keep track of. With Travelnest's single calendar, property owners can save time and effort by managing all their bookings from various platforms in one place. As soon as you list your property with Travelnest on over 30 travel sites, you'll have a single calendar that provides a consolidated view of all your bookings.

Source: The Travelnest calendar.

Be flexible with your calendar to receive more bookings

In the competitive field of property rentals, the key to attracting a wider audience and maximising bookings lies in the flexibility of your calendar. Our data indicates that the top 20% most flexible properties secure nearly double the number of bookings compared to the least flexible ones. 

Be flexible with check-in and check-out times: Many property owners set specific days and stay lengths during peak holiday times, such as Friday to Friday or Saturday to Saturday with a minimum 7-night booking. This strategy works well during high season, but during off-peak times, it can limit potential bookings. Consider allowing check-ins and check-outs on all days to ensure your property shows up in all search results.

Encourage short stays: Properties that offer shorter stays tend to be more successful, with 1, 2, and 7 nights being the most popular stay lengths. If your property has a minimum stay of 3 to 6 nights, you might be missing out on bookings from weekend or professional travellers. By reducing the minimum stay requirement, you could potentially double your bookings.

Travelnest tip: Remember, understanding your target market is crucial before implementing these changes. For instance, larger properties catering to groups may benefit from longer stays, while smaller properties targeting couples should consider offering shorter stays. With a flexible calendar, your property becomes more appealing to a wider audience, leading to increased bookings and revenue.

Source: The Travelnest calendar.

To sum it up, taking care of your vacation rental calendar is important for a successful business. A good calendar helps avoid booking the same dates twice and makes your property more appealing to guests.

You can use tools like iCal or other similar software to keep your calendars in sync across different platforms. This helps avoid any booking mix-ups. Being flexible with when guests can check-in and out, and offering shorter stays, can attract more people and increase your bookings.

The vacation rental market can be tough, but with the right tools and tactics, you can manage your calendar effectively and boost your bookings.