Remember, vacations are the time taken off from our busy lives. Most of us have had a hectic few months and need to relax for a while. In these circumstances, if we get to spend some time in a soothingly decorated vacation rental property, half of our tiredness instantly vanishes. As a property owner, giving your guests a pleasant experience is your top priority.
Another important reason for decoration is the property’s marketing literature comes out better. Images, videos, property tours all get enhanced when your property is pleasingly decorated. It makes your property more presentable and attractive. This helps you gain more traction on Social media and listing websites. Ultimately, it adds to the odds of getting higher bookings and profits follow.
Want some quick decorating ideas for your VR property? Browse through the slides below:
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A few high-level insights into the art of decorating…
1. Handpick your decorations: Anyone can order online these days. It is highly likely that you would end up with a mass collection of decorations. But remember, decoration is something that should make your property stand out. Keeping this in mind, it will always pay to handpick your decorations from the less-visited places. They could have a story to tell. For example, placing an antique grandfather clock at the reception could give your guests a photo opportunity. Decoration is not a race, it is like wine fermentation. The longer it takes, the better it tastes. Give it time and thought and your efforts will bring you dividends.
2. Pick a color palette: Imagine having a shocking green, pea-soup colored comfortable chair placed in a room with turquoise and chrome wallpaper. What an eyesore the room will look! When decorating a room, always stick to a color palette. Pastels and light colors work wonders. Mix blues with whites or creams. You can have a gradient color palette with several shades of blue. The curtains, the bed linen, the paintings on the walls, or a flower vase at the table, should all be aligned to a palette.
3. Pick a theme: The theme could be anything from popular characters to thoughtful concepts. Think about what kind of audience you are targeting. Suppose you only want families to stay at your property. You may want to appeal to the children then. Make one of the rooms a kids’ room with bunk beds. You may add a few popular character posters such as that of Batman or Harry Potter.
You may place a few collectibles in the rooms or hand over a few themed goodies. An example could be, gifting a Gryffindor printable badge or socks to every child who stays in the Harry Potter-themed room. These items are very lucrative to guests and make their visit a memorable one. These are more likely to get you a good word of mouth publicity. You may place a quill-pen, an ink bottle, and a piece of parchment on a table in the room. Create a well-rounded experience, but keep it subtle.
Also, you need to understand the copyrights required to create such themes. At the end of the day, you don’t want a lawsuit for some decorations. You may even go for something simpler, such as a minimalistic theme that will cost you less and make your property appeal to those, “High thinking, Simple living” guests.
4. Go Local: When a prospective guest is thinking about visiting your region, they want to know a little bit about the region. Be it the historical significance of the place or a famous product that is locally produced. Showcase your regional pride. You may have a painting of a famous monument or a famous ruler, but be careful you don’t hurt any sentiments. The Netherlands is proud of its Tulips. You will see the pictures of Tulips everywhere you stay. Switzerland is known for its mountain peaks. Even though you want to stand out, don’t forget to showcase your regional heritage.
5. Kitchen is not only for cooking: Keep your kitchen equipped but also keep it decorated and organized. You may pick high stools that reach the platform for sitting and chatting over a cup of coffee. You could have the Island and Hanging Pot Rack arrangement. This adds to the display of the kitchen. Your guest might not cook at all, but they may pick your property looking at the beautiful display in the kitchen.
6. Don’t Overdo It: The property is not an antique shop. Having too many decorative items is also not good. Leave some empty space on the walls, there needn’t be paintings on every wall. Also, arrange the furniture comfortably and give enough walking space. Try out this Airbnb furniture guide for your rental property.
A few knickknack and ornament ideas for the place…
Placards, Signboards, and Garden Ornaments: Suppose you have a huge garden with flower-beds and vegetable patches. You can have farm-style wooden placards each describing the farmed crop. These look highly attractive for guests interested in gardening or organic farming. You may even have a few garden gnomes or a scarecrow just to give your guests a few wonderful photo opportunities.
Reading lights: Believe it or not, people still prefer reading hard copies of books. Even in this age of smartphones, laptops, and tablets, nothing beats the old-school book experience. I was once on a vacation and was carrying a suspense thriller with me. I was halfway through it and couldn’t put it down. My room had a pull-down reading light near the bed. I can’t forget that piece of equipment ever. It made my stay full of adventure. I have traveled a lot but came across that equipment only once. That shows how much thought went into placing it there.
Potted Plants: The easiest, simplest, and most cost-effective items on any decorator’s list are the potted plants. You can keep them on the side table in the room or on the dining table in the meals area. You may even have a few waist-height flower vases or artificial plants in the corner of the living room. The room brightens up with a plant in it. You may even keep a low maintenance plant if you think you won’t be able to water it regularly.
Wind chimes & Door hangings: At the entrance of your property, you may hang a beautiful wind chime. These can be handmade by a local artisan. Some have the Feng Shui appeal. You have to be creative with it. Wind chimes are a symbol of good luck. According to ancient Chinese beliefs, wind chimes drive away the evil spirits. Or simply, they are pretty to look at. You may even hang Tibetan Prayer Flags at your door. They are believed to spread goodwill and compassion through the wind. These items could be conversation-starters and appeal to the spirituality of the guests.
Artwork: Many Indian homes, hotels, vacation rentals, decorate their entrance with colorful flowers or powder-art drawn on the floor. These are called, ‘rangoli’ or ‘alpana’. It is a beautiful expression of marking a special occasion. Some homes have floor art throughout the year as a tradition. In the west, murals and graffiti are popular. These can be incorporated into your vacation rental property, to make it unique. You may keep changing it based on the occasion and theme of your property. Sometimes these become a local attraction. Guests traveling to your region want to have a definite look at them. So they prefer booking your property.
Vintage Cars: I once visited Rajasthan in Western India. Every property there is like a palace. None of my friends could help me with a good reference for a place of stay. None of them had visited the place. So I did what people generally do in this age of technology. I looked up a few reviews. One place that caught my attention was the one with a few Vintage cars. The cars made me select that particular place among all others. Rajasthan is known for the Rajputs and their love for cars. It is a rich piece of their history, and I wanted to experience it. The owner was kind enough to give me a short ride in one of these and it was a memorable experience. However, even without the ride, the cars were so beautiful to look at.
Potpourri & candles: It’s not always about the sense of sight, the sense of smell matters too. You may have a corner of the living room dedicated to aromatic candles and potpourri. They will fill the place with the smell of a meadow. You may even have them in the restrooms. These make the place very romantic and attractive to couples.
So this was a short list of how you can decorate your vacation rental property. Remember, you might have the best property in the town, but the way you display it matters a lot. You can make a tiny cabin in the woods look exotic with proper lighting and decorations that bring out the beautiful natural surroundings. But without interiors and decoration, you can’t attract the audience even to a plush resort with luxurious amenities. Invest once, financially, and thoughtfully and then watch it work its magic.
