The Internet no longer has the potential of being the most important marketing channel in holiday rentals . . . it is the most important!

The Internet has changed the ways in which consumers research their holiday and travel decisions. More holidaymakers than ever before now prefer to select and book their preferred holiday-home location direct with the rental property owners. As a consequence, offering web-based information has become an essential tool in promoting your rental property.

For all aspiring rental property owners it is essential that you have a dedicated website to send potential renters to.  Depending on your budget you can appoint a web design company to build a bespoke site, which can cost many hundreds of pounds, or build and create your own website completely free of charge using an online service.

Whichever route you take your aim is to drive enquiries to your website and to secure bookings.

From research with property renters, it was discovered that the two most important parts of a rental website is the pricing page and photographs. Make sure that you clearly display the weekly cost of your property for any particular season, but most importantly, get as many sunny photos of your property and the local area on to your site as possible. After all, a picture tells a thousands words. Good pictures of your holiday home can sell it on an immediate and an emotional level.

Also remember that when potential customers contact you about your rental, they are in the mood to buy. Answer their questions promptly and you are one step closer to a confirmed booking. Enquirers are probably looking at several rental possibilities so aim to reply as soon as possible. 

The holiday rentals industry is extremely competitive and holidaymakers typically enquire about several properties at once. With this in mind, aim to reply to all telephone calls and e-mails as soon as possible, ideally within 24 hours. Responding by telephone is more likely to close the sale - if enquirers provide a phone number, call them!

Good luck with your marketing and we hope that preparing a good web site this winter will help you to fill your 2007 summer rentals calendar.