Are you ready to attract the perfect guest for your property? If so, you’re going to love this guide:
You own a vacation rental or any other similar short-stay properties, but you are boggled by the competition. You feel you need to do something to convert prospects into customers. You know that your property has some great attractions and can provide your guests with a lovely stay. But how to convey this to them?
Things don’t get picked themselves, you have to market them. One of the key ingredients is the way you describe your property to your target audience. You need to make the most of this space. Writing a captivating property description has the power to pull your audience towards your property. Remember, choosing your property means not choosing your competitor’s property. To make this happen, you have to showcase your property most attractively.
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Key elements of a captivating property description…
Describe Your Amenities: Gone are the days when you could attract your audience with a list of amenities your property offers. Everyone has mostly all these amenities. It’s how you market them that matters. If you have a swimming pool, don’t just mention it. Showcase it. Something like below would make your description engaging:
“Forget your woes by relaxing at the poolside and enjoying a glass of wine. Read a book, lounging on a bright sunny morning or a starry night. Or simply enjoy a swim, the pool welcomes you. We have a shallow pool for your young ones too. All you have to do is pack your bags, we take care of everything else. Swim-wear, pool toys, floats, and rings, everything means everything!”
Along with this, you may mention a disclaimer that some items may require a small renting fee. Such descriptions bring your prospect’s attention to the services and facilities available. Further, they give them ideas of things to do at your property, which they have not thought of earlier.
Another example could be the availability of Karaoke or a Bonfire. Later, if your guest arrives in summer you can always say that Bonfire is a seasonal facility. However, mentioning in the description is enticing.
Make it like Casual Friday: Don’t take it literally but these two words describe what should be the tone of your description perfectly. Don’t have this misconception that the property description has to be a strict and formal one with the language of a Grammar Nazi. You have to mix it up. Just like the Casual Friday attire to your office doesn’t mean that you can go wearing just anything. You can’t be too informal, however, you should not be too formal too.
Something like, “Sunshine Villa, fondly anticipates your arrival” might not build up as much excitement in young visitors as “ Sunshine Villa, an Ultimate Party Paradise, wants you
here!” So knowing what is the extent to which you can keep it informal is important. Having a clear-cut idea of the target audience is essential in this respect.
Another important aspect is that you want to create a certain image of yourself while writing a description. You won’t want to sound too strict and stern if it is a fun place you are advertising. You might want to sound a lot more fun-loving and open to mingling with your guests. So once your audience is known, put on the appearance of the ideal host.
Your description is not a Rant: Be a person of few words when it comes to descriptions. Too long ones are never read fully. You don’t have to boast everything your property has. Highlight the unique ones and take care of mentioning them right at the very beginning. This will ensure that these get to the notice of your prospect. Don’t make it a long rant, that’s the last this anyone would want in a property description.
Do mention your contact information for any further queries, in addition to the ones filled in the portal, so that the readers get a chance to contact you personally. This makes them feel closer to you already and gives you an opportunity to capture their attention even further.
Highlight your Unique Selling Points (USP): Last year, I went to a National Park. I stayed in a resort that was a little far from the pickup point of the Jungle Safari. Safari being one of the major attractions of the park, was a must-do thing. Still, I stayed far because I loved the property and the property owner mentioned that he can arrange for pick-up and drop from the resort for a few extra bucks. So these are what your Unique Selling Points or USPs should be and these should be highlighted.
However, highlight only those things on which you can actually deliver. Don’t make false promises, you don’t want the wrath of an unsatisfied guest. As in this case, I would have been furious had I missed the jungle safari just because I picked a faraway resort. But thankfully, the property owner kept his promise.
Show you care: The reception desk is not just for check-ins and check-outs. It is there for helping your guests with all their queries. Once, I went to a foreign country. This was back in the times when googling was not too common. I didn’t know that it would rain day in amd day out. But I was glad that the property owner was well aware. He kept spare umbrellas for unaware souls like me and loaned them for a small refundable security deposit. He even had wifi repeaters if internet speed was slow in the rooms. This was my first foreign tour so I didn’t know that my mobile charger won’t fit in the wall socket. The reception came to my rescue again and loaned me an appropriate connector.
These are the things that make your place stand out. This level of care and concern makes the guests really feel welcome at your property. It even helps to spread good word of mouth. So mentioning such pointers in the description can be helpful. You don’t need to be highly specific. Just a one-liner would suffice. Something like, “Call Reception for any help, power banks, phone chargers, umbrellas, or anything of the likes. Whatever you forget, we have you covered!”
It’s not a nature diary: You might think that mention of your property’s location is a must. You might think that you should highlight the sightseeing spots and nearby attractions. Remember, everyone will do that. Not only does this make your description boring and common, but it also doesn’t set you apart. But what can you do to inform your audience that you don’t lack closeness to these attractions?
You may mention a one-liner about the nearby attractions such as “Hit the beach, Take a stroll, Go hiking, biking and fishing, We are close to everything!” This space is not for lengthy and flowery descriptions. It needs to be as informative as possible and yet be descriptive for the right reasons. Along with such one-liners, you can mention that the reader can contact you for more information.
Set the expectations right: Some years back, I went to Auroville. It is an Experimental township in South India. This town has a unique lifestyle. Here people live like a community and share their daily chores. Motor vehicles are not permitted and it gives the feel of staying in ancient times or a Hermitage. It is an environmental experiment. So the place I stayed in had a few strict rules. They required us to do our own dishes. While on a vacation, you might not want to do so. However, experiencing the true nature of the place requires you to be a part of the community living.
The description of my place of stay clearly, but politely, mentioned some of the rules of the stay there. This prepared me and kept my expectations aligned. Such pointers are necessary for such exceptional places.
Keep it up to date: Recent happenings should be incorporated in your description. For example, in the light of the Covid-19 Pandemic, the business will take time to gear up. In such times you may highlight a few steps you have taken to ensure your guests’ health and well being. Keep the description relevant to the changing times. Not only does this keep you in the game, but it also tells your readers that you are operational and not shutdown.
So now you know, the property description is an important space. Making the best use of it can set you apart and bring you a lot of views and bookings. It is not the only factor that helps, but it does help and that is what matters.
You can use it in many different ways depending upon your property and your target audience. Give it a good thought, jot down your points, frame it well, and then post it. Also, keep in mind that it should be periodically reviewed or edited. Last but not the least, keep it genuine. Don’t build castles in the air and then not fare well on expectations. Be ethical and responsible, because a bad reputation is hard to shed.
