Successful Vacation Rentals

In the eleven years I have been advertising online vacation rentals I have discovered a simple but often forgotten formula that separates successful private owner advertising from mediocre online ads; and it’s free. Stage your home for digital photos. Your homes greatest potential lies in its appeal to shoppers. Take the time to stage your home. Print this list and bring it with you. Many times I have told folks not to forget how important the items below are to their advertising, but with so many other important things to do as well that I have regretted not having the list below with me when I photographed my own vacation rental.

Take your photos in the late afternoon, or very early evening before the sun sets.
Turn on all the lights, this is an easy one to forget, but remains one of the most important aspects of advertising online photos. All those recessed lights, bedside lamps, candle lights; every single light in your home can help create an inviting, warm ambience when digitally photographed.
Turn on the amenities. Turn on the TV and find appropriate channels, Disney is good. Take the lid off of the spa, and turn it on, lights, jets even staging with some people is fine, but not necessary, as most shoppers like to picture themselves in the photo! Light the fireplace and set the table, candlelight is a nice touch.
Example: Big Sky Vacation Rental

4. Keep your lights on and after the inside photos have been taken; take exterior photos with all the lights still on before it gets too dark.

You don’t need to be a professional photographer, just pretend you are doing a photo shoot for a magazine and your assignment is to show your home to its full potential. Your home will always look better in person then in photos, so do your best to make it shine!
---Taylor Lewis Vacation Rentals http://lodging4vacations.com

3 Easy Ways to get more Business for your Vacation Rental

I hope business has picked up? I have some suggestions to help you with your advertising.


First, Google Places is a great free map listing, that’s right FREE! They do offer additional ways to get visitors' attention with some expense, but that is optional. I highly recommend Google places, and it is easy to set up an account here: Google Places
No time to set up an account with Goolgle places? no problem, I’m here to help, just e-mail me: taylor@lodging4vacations.com
Second, do you have a Facebook account for your condo? Facebook has always been a good way to connect with friends and family, but it is also a great way to connect with guests to your rental condo or home. Make a separate account for your condo, a fan page, this way it doesn’t have to be your personal account. No time? Have me help you! I can also contribute with fascinating articles.

Third, have you thought about a short 3 minute video of your rental home’s best features? If you have a video camera I can help you download the movie to Youtube and then I can embed the code on your web page. From Youtube you can link to your page helping it rank better in the search engines. Example: Islamorada Vacation Rental
Let me know if you are interested?


Also how about an online guestbook? With so much competition, recommendations are huge! So set out that guestbook for your visitors and then e-mail me any reviews, or suggest your guests go to an online review site such as Tripadvisor or Yelp. OR we can create one for you online. Give me a call: 760 258-0779 Taylor