As vacation rental property managers and owners, optimizing your listings across multiple Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) is essential for maximizing bookings and revenue. With each platform offering unique features and catering to different traveler segments, understanding how to leverage their specific algorithms and preferences can significantly impact your success.
In this guide, we’ll explore proven strategies to boost your performance on three major OTAs: Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo. These insights are based on concrete data and platform-specific recommendations that can be easily implemented through your Guesty dashboard.
Airbnb: Engaging the experience-driven traveler
Airbnb attracts travelers seeking unique experiences and personal connections. Here’s how to optimize your performance on this platform:
Performance boosting statistics
Airbnb success relies on understanding key performance metrics. Properties that enable the New Listing Promotion get their first booking 20% faster on average, with approximately 50% of listings using this feature to secure a first booking in late 2023. Quality matters tremendously on Airbnb, as 65% of bookings on the platform last year went to listings with an average of 80% 5-star reviews. Additionally, properties using more flexible cancellation policies see a 9% improvement in conversion rates.
Earning the Guest Favorite badge
The Guest Favorite badge is awarded to the 2 million most-loved homes on Airbnb, based on daily evaluations of ratings, reviews, and guest data. Unlike Superhost status (which is account-level), this badge is listing-specific and therefore easier to achieve.
To earn this distinction, maintain 5+ reviews over 2 years with ratings above 4.7 stars. Properties need top marks for check-in, cleanliness, listing accuracy, host communication, location, and value. This badge significantly enhances visibility and guest trust.
Boosting guest reviews
Great reviews drive Airbnb success. Optimize guest communication with timely automated messages and gather feedback effortlessly through auto-reviews. The Airbnb Quality Dashboard provides access to key guest feedback, performance trends, and improvement areas, helping you continuously refine your listing quality.
Smart pricing and discount strategies
Strategic pricing dramatically affects booking volume. Through Guesty, you can combine flexible cancellation policies with non-refundable discounts to appeal to different traveler preferences. Implement the New Listing Promotion to accelerate your first booking, and explore additional discount options to attract more reservations throughout the year and during slower seasons.
Enhancing your listings
Visual appeal drives Airbnb bookings. Take high-quality photos that showcase your property’s best features, and select an eye-catching cover image that makes a strong first impression. Use strategic keywords in your property name to improve searchability, create detailed listing descriptions that tell a story about the guest experience, and provide an accurate, comprehensive list of amenities that highlight what makes your property special.
For more on boosting performance on Airbnb, check out our guide.
Booking.com: Tapping into global travel demand
Booking.com offers access to a vast global audience and provides several tools to increase your property’s visibility and booking potential.
Understanding traveler behavior
Booking.com users demonstrate specific search and booking patterns worth optimizing for. About 30% of travelers use filters to find properties matching their needs, making it essential to appear in smart filters and AI trip planner results. Properties with a 100% property score receive 18% more bookings, so checking your score on the Booking.com extranet is crucial. Visual content drives decisions, with 63% of travelers using photos as their primary filter. Family travelers represent 15% of Booking.com reservations, making child-friendly settings valuable for maximizing booking potential.
Achieving a 5/5 quality score
Quality scores dramatically impact visibility on Booking.com. To maximize your score, ensure all facilities and amenities are listed correctly per room, configure room size and capacity accurately, and describe your property with precise, honest details that set appropriate guest expectations.
Beyond listing accuracy, delivering exceptional stays is crucial for maintaining high scores. Focus on elements that drive positive reviews: quick response times to guest inquiries, clear check-in instructions, spotless cleanliness standards, and personalized welcome touches. Properties that consistently deliver on these guest experience fundamentals see significantly higher review scores, better visibility, and ultimately more bookings.
Partner programs worth joining
Booking.com’s specialized programs can significantly boost performance. The Preferred Partner Program endorses top-performing properties, with preferred partners receiving approximately 65% more page views and 35% more bookings overall. The Genius Program highlights your property with a special logo in search results, connecting you with high-value guests who generate around 30% of all Booking.com bookings. Strategic promotions, including Mobile Rates, provide special visibility badges that can be easily set up through Guesty’s Revenue Management section.
Diverse rate plans drive revenue
Strategic rate plan diversity increases revenue on Booking.com. Properties offering both flexible plans (allowing free cancellation) and non-refundable options (attracting confident travelers) see the best performance. Properties with two base rate plans and at least one customization maximize success.
Booking.com payments advantage
The platform’s payment processing solution offers comprehensive benefits for property managers. It helps take control of finances and cash flow while expanding guest reach through broader payment options. The system boosts security while reducing administrative workload, secures bookings through guaranteed payment processing, and protects against fraud and chargebacks while increasing overall net bookings.
For more on boosting performance on Booking.com, check out our guide.
Vrbo: Optimizing for family-friendly travel
Vrbo has established itself as a go-to platform for family travel, with a focus on entire homes and spacious accommodations. Here’s how to make your Vrbo listings stand out:
Key performance metrics
Instant Booking leads to 35% higher conversion rates and 25% more net revenue than Quote and Hold mode. With 70% of travelers’ viewing time spent on photos, Vrbo recommends having at least 30 high-quality images. To enhance visibility, include 50+ amenities and establish availability 18 months ahead, including pricing.
Flexible cancellation policies drive revenue
Vrbo specifically recommends Relaxed or Moderate cancellation policies to boost bookings. Flexible policies drive 26% more bookings, generate 53% higher revenue, and achieve 39% better conversion than strict policies, according to Vrbo. These more accommodating policies build guest confidence and ultimately increase your success on the platform.
Top Vrbo filters used by travelers
Understanding what travelers are searching for can help you optimize your property listings. The most frequently used filters on Vrbo include: Pool, beachfront, house, pets allowed, oceanfront, private pool, waterfront, hot tub, 4+ stars, and beach. Essential amenities like kitchen, free cancellation, air conditioning, internet/wifi, and outdoor space are also heavily filtered.
Premier host program benefits
Joining Vrbo’s Premier Host program can significantly boost your visibility and build trust with high-value travelers. Premier Hosts saw nearly a 75% increase in year-over-year net booking value, Vrbo reports. To qualify, you’ll need a 95% or higher accepted booking rate, 3+ guest reviews, 1% or lower cancellation rate, 4.4+ review score, and at least 5 bookings or 60 booked nights.
For more on boosting performance on Vrbo, check out our guide.
Cross-platform optimization through Guesty
One of the greatest advantages of using Guesty as your property management system is the ability to easily implement these platform-specific optimizations from a single dashboard. Here are some cross-platform strategies:
Visual content optimization
Across all platforms, high-quality visual content is crucial:
- Airbnb: Eye-catching cover images and great photos boost performance
- Booking.com: 63% of travelers use photos as their primary filter
- Vrbo: 70% of viewing time is spent on photos (30+ recommended)
Cancellation policy strategy
Consider a strategic approach to cancellation policies:
- Airbnb: Flexible policies improve conversion rates by 9%
- Booking.com: Offer both flexible and non-refundable options
- Vrbo: Flexible policies drive 26% more bookings and 53% higher revenue
Amenity highlights
Each platform has specific amenities that drive bookings:
- Airbnb: Highlight amenities that help achieve high ratings and the Guest Favorite badge
- Booking.com: Ensure accurate listing of all amenities to achieve a 5/5 quality score
- Vrbo: Focus on pools, location types (beachfront, oceanfront), and essentials
Maximizing your multi-channel strategy
Optimizing your properties across multiple OTAs requires attention to platform-specific details and strategic implementation of best practices. By leveraging the unique features and preferences of Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo, you can maximize visibility, increase bookings, and drive higher revenue.
With Guesty as your central management system, you can efficiently implement these optimizations across all platforms, saving time while boosting performance. Start by focusing on the highest-impact strategies for each channel, then continue refining your approach based on the results you see.
Remember that the vacation rental landscape is constantly evolving, so staying informed about platform updates and changing traveler preferences is key to maintaining and improving your performance over time.