Booking.com Search Techniques to Optimize Your Rental

Savvy property owners and hosts understand the need for robust marketing to showcase short-term rentals and boost conversions. Listing your property on an OTA website, or taking a multi-channel approach and listing on several is a great marketing move. There are plenty of platforms to choose from and one of the biggest in the business is OTA giant Booking.com.

Booking.com is the go-to site for many of those looking for a place to stay, whatever the property type. Be it cheap hotels, luxury hotels, or vacation rental properties. Listing on the website is a great move, but you’ll be one of many rentals and hotels, so you’ll need to use strategic Booking.com search techniques to optimize the visibility of your property.

If you’re listing on a site it’s always a good move to find out how the platform works, from a host’s point of view but also a guest’s perspective. Knowledge is power, and you need all the knowledge you can get as a property manager.

Today, we’ll give you a heads-up on how to boost searches to get your business noted and we’ll also give you the lowdown on the Booking.com process in terms of getting in touch, bookings, etc.

The Booking.com Search Process

Booking.com uses algorithms to determine search results. A hotel or rental appears in the results depending on market demand, and performance (how well the host performs and how well their competitors perform).

Guest search filters also play a part. When Booking.com customers search for hotels or rentals the search results appear in order of relevance, depending on factors such as preferred location, date, price, amenities and facilities offered by the hotel/apartment/rental, etc.  Customers are presented with a range of accommodations to compare and choose the best fit for their trip before making a reservation.

Feedback and guest reviews

Booking.com customers are invited to rate their customer experience and provide a review score in terms of the hotel or vacation rental’s amenities, facilities, cleanliness, etc.

Guest reviews cover customer service too, along with a review score related to their overall experience. As you would expect, a hotel or rental with a good review will attract more interest and bookings than accommodation with a poor review score.

Reservations and Contact

Booking.com is a relatively straightforward site. Guests can find their reservations by going to the Booking.com website, clicking on their profile, and selecting “My Booking.” This provides all the details associated with the booking and accommodation.

Sometimes people can’t find the info they want by browsing the website or logging into the account. Booking.com understands customers (guests and hosts) alike might need to make contact with an advisor. There’s a dedicated help center set up to provide support 24/7, you can either call or send a message. Travelers and guests can also send a message directly to the hotel or vacation rental they have booked.

How to boost visibility and your property page score

You need to boost your property page score to climb those rankings. There are several ways hotels and rentals can do this:

Identify your target customers

Take some time to consider your target market. Is your rental best suited to families, couples, groups, solos, or business travelers? Think about the rental you are offering in terms of location, amenities, etc. If you’re in the middle of nowhere with no electricity your rental could be perfect for those who are looking for a peaceful haven where they can go off-grid.

A funky apartment in the center of town will appeal to travelers seeking a convenient base and lots to do. Make sure your listing reflects the wants and needs of your target guests. That way you can generate interest and attract the right guests. The more views your rental gets the higher up the rankings you will go.

Craft an eye-catching property description

Highlight all of your rental’s best bits, this is your chance to show off your pad to the world and boost your bookings and revenue. Listings should be factual and attractive. What can you offer guests? What would they like to know about your rental? Make sure your place stands out by including special features, nearby attractions such as a beautiful beach or lovely restaurants.

Add appealing photographs

This is your chance to show off your pad to the world. Photographs should be clear and show all the best bits of your property, be that the grand frontage, a manicured garden, a state-of-the-art kitchen, or a decadent boudoir. If you’re lucky enough to have a USP such as a pool, cinema room, tree house, etc be sure to include photos of these too.

List house rules

It’s always good to be clear from the off. If you have rules include them in your listing to avoid any miscommunication. If you don’t allow large groups or loud gatherings, pets, or children under the age of five now is the time to say. There may be rooms you don’t want visitors to use, mention that too.

Include bonus extras

With so many hotels and rentals on the website, your place could get lost amongst the crowd.  Make sure you include anything likely to help you stand out. Perhaps you are close to a famous landmark or have negotiated a discount with a renowned local eatery. Anything extras you can offer will go down well with potential guests.

Offer first-rate communication

Customers expect first-rate communication. Hosts need to provide an efficient response to any queries to boost bookings. Lack of communication is a surefire way to disappoint customers and earn poor reviews. Efficient communication is important and you can use vacation rental software to keep in touch with guests, automating messaging for an easier life.

Update availability

If property availability is not up to date your guests might struggle to book. It can be difficult to keep track of bookings, especially if you’re renting out more than one property or using different platforms.

You can make sure your property availability is current by using vacation rental software to synchronize calendars across multiple channels. You could also reduce your minimum night stay so you appear in more searches. If you only offer five nights or more, you will miss out on the customers seeking a weekend break or a short stopover.

Set the right price

Customers often search for a particular property type be it a hotel, apartment, or house, based on the price they are willing to pay. You can set your rates to maximize profit by tweaking your prices to take into account the season, or celebrations such as Christmas.

Offering special offers can be a good way to attract guests, for instance, stay three nights and get the fourth half price, or stay for a week and get a discount on your next trip. You can keep track of how your financials are doing by using vacation rental software to create reports.

Provide flexible cancellation policies

Customers can be put off by fixed terms. Unfortunately, problems do crop off so a degree of flexibility is welcomed by guests. Booking.com has a free cancellation filter, allowing guests to seek out hotels and rentals that offer this.

If that’s a stretch for you offer a watered-down version e.g. free cancellation up to a month before your arrival date. If you are going to charge a cancellation fee make sure you let guests know to avoid any ill will. Utilize tools and exclusive programmes.

There are several Booking.com tools and programmes designed to help hotels and rentals get ahead. The visibility booster tool allows you to give your property a nudge during quiet periods or if you’ve been landed with a few cancellations. There’s also the Opportunity Centre which compares your property to others and proposes positive changes you can make.

The Analytics Dashboard gives you an interesting overview of guests and the Visibility Dashboard allows you to monitor how well your listing performs. There’s a Price Performance Dashboard too, and this helps you to compare your Booking.com pricing against other channels.

Hosts that meet the criteria can join one of the exclusive programs offered by Booking.com. The Genius Programme and The Preferred Partner Programme offer special tagging and ranking boosts designed to enhance your visibility so you appear in more searches.

Ready to boost your vacation rental business?

You’ve hopefully got a good idea now on how to strategize your Booking.com search techniques to optimize your rental. Put these methods into practice and streamline your operations and you’re on the way to a successful business.

You can save time and money by automating your business. Use vacation rental software to stay abreast of your booking calendar, guest communication, profit and cost, housekeeping, and property maintenance.

Why not give iGMS vacation rental software a try? Start your free 14-day trial now, and give your vacation rental business a welcome boost.