Summer is already winding down, while demand generally slows after August in summer destinations, there is still a chance to transfer some of the momentum to the mid-season.
Learning how to take advantage of the good that summer has left us is a super advantage and applying successful trends to future seasons is even more advantageous. That is why from Chekin we want to bring you the analysis carried out by Rental United of the trends generated in summer and how to learn to use them for future seasons.
1. 90% of Travelers Book Flexible Rates: This trend persists: Booking.com findings show that no fewer than 90% of travelers booking summer vacations chose rentals with flexible policies. Whether it’s cancellations or date changes, guests want to be sure they won’t lose their hard-earned money due to travel disruptions due to COVID-19.
2. This summer, guests booked longer stays than usual, which would likely waste their accumulated vacation days.
Specifically, there was a higher proportion of bookings for stays of 7 days or more than during the same period before the pandemic. There was a higher proportion of bookings for stays of 7 days or more than in 2019. Since many people have not been able to travel during the summer, extended stays are likely to last well beyond August.
To attract guests who stay longer, it is essential to offer weekly or even monthly discounts. Adding extended stay rate plans to your listings could help keep your occupancy high in the mid-season.
3. Property managers showing health and safety measures saw 11% more bookings
Despite rising vaccination rates, hygiene and safety remain major concerns for travelers. This trend is reflected in the performance of Booking.com listings: showing the security measures of a hotel or rental resulted in 11% more bookings. Keeping your property information up-to-date has perhaps never been more important. Since OTAs release new services all the time, it is essential to keep an eye on their announcements and keep adding new health and safety measures.
4. Genius partners saw 29% more bookings
To help its hotel partners and vacation rental property managers weather the storm, Booking.com recently expanded its Genius program to all travelers with a Booking.com account. Since then, Genius partners have seen 29% more bookings.
5. More than two-thirds of bookings were made on mobile devices.
Last but not least, Booking.com research showed that mobile devices now dominate bookings. More than two-thirds of summer bookings were made on mobile devices, making Booking.com the fastest growing segment of reservations on mobile devices.
In summary, this is what you should do if you want to keep the momentum of summer going:
Add flexible rates to your listings.
Give discounts on longer stays.
Update your health and safety measures.
It is part of the Booking.com Genius program.
Add mobile rates to your ads
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