12 Steps to Converting Enquiries to Bookings

Renting homes, cottages, villas and other self-catering arrangements in time for the holidays presents its own challenges. However, with these simple steps, you can easily convince a holidaymaker to book your place in a snap.

Step 1

The internet proves to be a valuable resource for holidaymakers’ searches for homes for rent. To easily grab their attention, provide four important things: location of your property, its size, the dates your property is available for rent and the estimated price.

Step 2

If you meet the holidaymaker’s demands, immediately make a contact by placing an enquiry mail of by phoning that potential client.

Step 3

Immediate response is essential when it comes to dealing with holidaymakers. Usually, the first property owners that respond to the holidaymakers successfully secure bookings. Even if your property is not available for a particular requested date, always respond to enquiries because it might secure bookings for alternative dates.

Step 4

Remember that a holidaymaker has already decided to rent your Portugal property even before they made a contact. The moment you are contacted, make time to chat with them to find out more about their personality or expectations.

Step 5

If you decide to take a booking, always have a rental agreement signed. Also, it is important to agree on a payment method or payment schedule. This should help you confirm the rental price and discuss security deposit details on agreed dates. A sample payment agreement would be a reservation deposit of £150 or 10% of the total rental amount, with payment for 50% of the rental amount paid 30 to 60 days before the rental date, and payment for the remaining 50% of the rental amount, 14 to 30 days before the rental date.

Step 6

Offer payment options; be flexible for payments thru cheque, bank transfer or credit card and wait for the holidaymaker’s signed copy of agreement. In your rental agreement, make it clear that the booking of your place will only be secured once all the agreed payment is done with the rental agreement signed and returned.

Step 7

Immediately confirm bookings to the holidaymaker. Send him an email or phone him to formally give your confirmation. Mark the rental dates on your calendar as ‘booked!’ to prevent mix-ups with bookings. Remember that mistakes and slipups are bad for this business.

Step 8

30 days prior to the start of the rental period, remind the holidaymaker if he has not yet paid the final payment. This will give you and your client plenty of time to settle with payments and rental arrangements, which lessens the likelihood of last minute cancellations.

Step 9

Immediately send the holidaymaker a confirmation that his payment has been received. Also, provide him with a receipt for full payment.

Step 10

Don’t forget to provide the holidaymaker with the full address of your property. Also, don’t forget to give him a list of all possible ways and directions to reach your property; from the airport or marina to your property. Assure them that in case of any problem, they can immediately contact you to attend to your concerns.

Step 11

The guests will not always stay in your property so instruct a housekeeper to inspect the condition of your property, with a view of returning security deposit. You may also prefer to check your holiday home yourself.

Step 12

Be prompt in returning your guest’s security deposit in full, ideally within 30 days since the holidaymaker’s stay. In case of any problem, inform your guest about that to also make them understand why you will be unable to return all or part of their security fee.