With the growing popularity of Airbnb, vacation rental units are becoming more and more popular among millennials than typical hotels and resorts. Vacation rentals could be a luxury apartment, a townhouse, a cabin, or a condo unit. It may even be a single room or an entire house.
There are several reasons why millennial travelers prefer vacation rentals over hotel rooms. Apart from being cheaper than hotel accommodations, rental units allow millennials access to different amenities like a kitchen and private pool. Since millennials are always about experience, staying in vacation rentals provides them an opportunity to enjoy the local culture.
As the oldest of this generation is turning 40 next year, with the majority raising families now, vacation rental owners are noticing this trend. The question now is: How do vacation rental owners make their units more appealing to millennial vacationers?
Below are six helpful suggestions to make your vacation rentals more marketable to them.
Pet-Friendly Environment
The number one reason why millennials lean towards staying in vacation rental units over hotels or resorts is that the former has a more pet-friendly policy. Pets are more than just animals you domesticate; they are family. More than 50 percent of all vacationers love to bring their pets along while traveling. Just for their pet’s accommodation, they are even willing to pay a little extra.
Ensuring your property is pet-friendly promotes the likelihood of your millennial renters returning after their first visit. They will even recommend your property to their friends and families who are looking for similar accommodation. Hence, having an open space or a fenced-in yard in your rental property sounds attractive to millennial vacationers with pets.
Sustainable and Instagrammable Units
As a vacation rental owner, you should pay more attention to your home design. Millennial travelers base their decision to pursue a vacation rental unit based on how Instagrammable the property looks. Luxurious bed linens, jaw-dropping furniture, vintage items, swinging chairs, and infinity pools are some of the Instagram-worthy objects millennials are looking for.
Millennials are concerned about their environmental impact. Using eco-friendly materials, such as wood, energy-saving bulbs, and solar-powered appliances, makes your vacation rental property more attractive to millennials. Aside from that, it is a must that your rental units are clean and properly sanitized. It is a good idea to call a pest control company to ensure no bugs or rodents disrupt a peaceful vacation of your renters.
Tech-Savvy Amenities
Tech-savvy amenities are a plus for millennial vacationers. Having “free Wi-Fi” or “free internet access” is not enough. Since millennials are always connected to the digital world with their laptops, mobile phones, and tablets, they need high-speed internet, among others.
Other than HDTV, millennials prefer smart TVs that allow access to different streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Furthermore, most millennials who rent out vacation units are digital nomads. Having more than enough electrical outlets with available universal adapters and chargers ensures they are having a great time staying at your property.
Hassle-Free Booking
Much like with other aspects of their lives, millennials prefer a convenient and hassle-free vacation rental booking experience. Millennial consumers do not want complicated booking reservation procedures. Having rental websites or platforms that offer quick unit reservations with only a few button clicks is a must if you’re going to attract more millennial vacationers to your units.
Millennial travelers also prefer vacation rentals that quickly respond to their inquiries and concerns. In this age, when information is conveniently available in real-time, millennials expect vacation rental owners to invest in providing excellent customer service by immediately responding to any customer queries.
Social Media Visibility
The majority of millennials are on different social media platforms. Considering that vacation rental properties are still tagged as “alternatives” to traditional stays, millennials put high trust in reviews. Multiple positive reviews give you the chance to increase your market reach while having free business exposure.
Almost all millennial travelers share their vacations on social media. With this in mind, chances are their posts will encourage their friends to follow their footsteps and enjoy the same experience, opening opportunities for potential clients. In addition to those, being visible on social media makes your company conveniently accessible.
Off-the-Beaten-Path Experiences
Millennials are travelers, not tourists. They prefer authentic local experience over the cookie-cutter resort one. Contrary to misconceptions that millennials want luxurious holiday getaways, what they are looking for is creating memorable experiences that they can share.
Millennial vacationers value local advice and insider access. Most are even inclined to pay extra to enjoy it. An excellent rental business not only offers modern, Instagram-worthy units and digitally advanced amenities, but they also give out free advice on where to go and what to do.
With these ideas in mind, you can set up a rental unit that can capture a millennial’s attention. One day, you might even find your property in their SNS accounts.
