In the ever-growing industry of holiday rentals competition is diverse and plentiful. With so many options for travellers to choose from it is vital that you create the optimal presentation of your property with a sleek and inviting listing. This is the first step. You also need to think about the experience your guests will have when renting your property. What can you do to enhance their stay and encourage repeat customers? Let’s take a look at what you can do when listing and preparing your property to ensure you give the best offer to potential guests.

Show it, don’t tell it

We humans are visual creatures. In fact we are becoming more image reliant with advancements in social media and technology. That’s why having high quality photos for your property listing is the number one priority to showcase your property. Here are some key factors to consider when photographing your property:

Make it homely

Guests have chosen a self-catering option for a reason. They want a home from home where they can enjoy the freedom and privacy of an apartment or villa. Sterile images of a sparse interior with no personal touches can be off-putting. Simple additions such as books on bedside tables, magazines on coffee tables, candles and a few chic decorations create a lived-in feel and make the space feel familiar.

Dress to impress-

It goes without saying that your property should be clean and uncluttered in preparation for a photo shoot. Dressing your space is also important to achieve the most inviting images. Adding flowers and plants is a great way to liven up your photos and add colour – bougainvillea is abundant in Kalkan and brings ‘holiday’ to mind. Soft furnishings like cushions on sofas and throws on beds are another opportunity to add colour or contrast to your photos. Be sure your curtains are pulled back to allow in as much light as possible to show off the space in each room.

Set the mood

Think about how your guests will use the space and stage your space accordingly. Suggestive placings are a great way for you to indicate to guests that your space is set up for a holiday. A few great examples are:

• A bowl of fruit on the kitchen countertop
• Place settings and filled wine glasses on the dining table
• Coffee cups on balcony tables
• Sunglasses/sun hat and a pool-towel on sun loungers

Lighting is vital in creating the right mood. Displaying both daytime and evening photos is a fantastic way of setting different moods for your space. Daytime photos should be bright and sunny, avoid taking photos on dull cloudy days.  Al-fresco dining and enjoying a beverage on a terrace or at the poolside is a favourite pastime for holiday makers. So take some evening shoots which display the outside space lit up against a sunset sky. They make for very engaging photos.

Photo oversights you definitely should avoid

From our wealth of experience, we repeatedly see the same mistakes being made with property photo albums. These missed opportunities can be damaging to the strength of your property listing. The most commonly overlooked photos for properties are:

No bathroom photos

Adding in bathroom photos is a must. Not being able to see these rooms sets off warning bells for potential renters. They may think these rooms are not clean or modern and have been intentionally left out of the photo collection.

No building or entrance photos

Guests want to know where they will be staying. So displaying the entrance and exterior of your property gives guests useful visual information such as whether there is a gate or steps and helps them to identify the property for check-in. It also provides another perspective on the size of the property.

No photos of/from balconies

Most properties in Kalkan have balconies from at least one or two bedrooms and it is surprising how often photos of these balconies and the views they offer are missed out from property listings. Adding balcony photos adds to the feeling of outside space and can often be an opportunity to display sea or mountain views that are not visible from ground level.

Appeal to your audience with a great description

Your property description should compliment your photos and add vital information which cannot be conveyed in images. Think about who would book your property. Put yourself in their shoes and try to see through their eyes. Consider which features they may be looking for and write in a style that would appeal to that type of person.

“Relax in our charming Townhouse with spacious open-plan living and cool garden view bedrooms. Spend quality family time in the enclosed private garden with a large pool and al-fresco dining area. The central location is perfect for a leisurely stroll to the beach or discovering wonderful restaurants and quaint boutiques along the winding cobbled streets of the Old Town”

Make sure your description is not overly wordy and describe how guests can spend their time to help create a picture with words.

Help them navigate.

Include information about stairs to the entrance, pool terrace or garden. Let guests know which rooms are located on which floors. There may be some guests who want ground floor bedrooms due to mobility issues. Perhaps families may want the bedroom configuration to have adjacent twin and double rooms so parents can easily check on children at night. By adding this information to your description you have the chance to highlight these potential selling points, and save time on answering questions later.

Highlight major features.

Guests look for specific amenities so be sure to include details of what facilities are available for guests to use at your property. Kitchen appliances, WIFI, TV and entertainment devices and outdoor furnishings are important amenities which you should make clear for potential guests to see.

Manage expectations.

Let guests know if there are things about your property which may cause surprise or disruption once they arrive. It may be that your property doesn’t have a parking space. Is it situated on a steep hill which is difficult to walk to or located in a central location where there may be some noise? Make them aware of this beforehand. That way neither you or they will experience problems during their stay. Be sure to set out your rules, such as whether pets or extra guests are allowed and whether they can smoke inside or outside of the property.

Describe the area.

There are things about your property’s location that you love. So let your guests know about them. Be it favourite restaurants, places to visit and activities they may also like to try what’s available in the local area. A brief explanation of how to access these places whether it be on foot, by car or with public transport will help guests to plan ahead and feel excited about the prospect of staying at your property.

Provide a comfortable stay at your rental

You are offering your guests a home from home. Somewhere where they can spend leisurely hours in comfort with everything they need. Basic amenities which many hosts fail to provide and could easily rectify can have a big impact on guests during their stay. Not to mention this may lead to negative reviews and loss of a potential future customer. Adding the following items to your property will impress your guests and ensure they feel comfortable and welcomed.

Cleaning products.

Now more than ever cleanliness is of high importance to guests. So even though you may have the perfect cleaning team to prepare your property having some basic cleaning products guests can use during their stay is a must. Items like washing-up liquid, washing detergent, dishwasher tabs, dust-pan and brush, cloths and some disinfectant spray should be available.

Ice cubes or ice cube trays and bottle openers. In the heat of summer guests want to crack open something cold so make sure you have a working bottle opener and ice for refreshment.

Safety deposit box. Guests want to feel relaxed and secure when venturing out so having somewhere they can store their valuables is a much welcome feature.

BBQ. If you have the space then an outdoor BBQ is a much sought-after amenity for holiday rentals, guests want to make the most of your outside space and the great weather.

Local services information. Help your guests by providing contact details for a reliable taxi service, local grocery delivery services and your favourite eateries, you know the area they don’t!

Board games and books. A simple and inexpensive way to help your guests stay entertained.

Pool towels, Hair dryer, Slippers & Luggage scale. Help to keep your guests luggage light by adding these items to your property- they will thank you for it.

How Can Kalkan Owners Direct Help with your Property Listing?

Our team has years of experience in the property rental market and have created hundreds of property listings from small apartments to luxury villas. We know how to present your property to catch the eye of potential renters. We are ready to support you in designing your listing as much or as little as you wish. If you want to get creative and make your own listing we can give you guidelines for photography and descriptions or we can take the work off your hands complete the whole process for you. The Kalkan Owners Direct office and team are based in Kalkan so we can help to arrange photo shoots on your behalf with reputable local photographers if required. If you want help or advice in adding or improving a listing contact us today to get started.