They’re everywhere and have revolutionized the way we all shop online. Reviews. We consumers are increasingly basing our purchasing decisions on what complete strangers have to say about a product. Your rental home is no exception, and vacationers are demanding independent feedback from prior guests. So, if you don’t currently have any guest reviews posted on your online listing – including at least one from the most recent season – you may discover that vacationers are opting for your competitor’s listing, which boasts a list of rave reviews about their property.
A different perspective
In addition to the obvious benefits of guest reviews providing persuasive compliments and votes of confidence in your property, they also offer unique and valuable perspectives on your home and location. Often guests will wax poetic about a special experience they enjoyed at your place, an activity that your location offered, or an aspect of your home that particularly resonated with them. Inevitably, they offer insights about your property that either you didn’t think to include on your listing or are articulated in a different, more vacationer-centric way.
A marketing boost
Guest reviews provide an invaluable marketing strategy – more credible, as they don’t come from the homeowner, and more unique, as the property’s seen through vacationers’ eyes. And, mark my words, guest reviews are here to stay. Thus, second only to pictures, providing as many guest reviews as possible is critical to creating the ideal listing.
And remarkably easy
There are myriad ways to solicit guest reviews from your past tenants - by emailing them after their departure, leaving a guest book in your property, or, easiest by far, using your WeNeedaVacation.com listing's Guest Review Request feature. The important thing is to make it as easy as possible for your tenants to give you their valuable feedback.
Read
Part 3 of the Ideal Vacation Rental Listing series focused on marketing advice about how to craft a creative, effective title and property description for your listing. In case you missed it, see
Part 1 for ways to build visual appeal with pictures, videos and captions.
Do you agree with the importance of guest reviews as they rise in popularity? Would you say your listing has been more successful as a direct result of your guest reviews?