26,000 Clicks Later - The 32 Most Read Vacation Rental Articles From Our Newsletter

Since VR Weekly’s inception before Christmas, the newsletter has received 110,000 opens and over 26,000 clicks to articles we feature.

Our goal has been and is still to “make vacation rental professionals better” by curating useful content every week. The positive response we’ve received from both owners, managers and content providers is overwhelming. Thank you.

Therefore, I thought I’d share with you the 32 most read articles over the last 24 publications and 250 shared links – just incase you missed out.

I’ve ordered the links by category and date descending (the most recent articles are at the bottom of each category).

Enjoy!

Industry News

Woman has home ‘trashed’ on New Year’s Eve after Airbnb tenant throws 100-person strong party

£128 per night for 100 guests and a trashed home.

Booking.com Secretly Removes “Cancel At Anytime Advert” – Booking.Whoops

Booking.com has quietly removed their “Cancel at anytime” advert after a recent backlash amongst the vacation rental industry.

Revealed: the “most popular” rental property ever listed on Airbnb

Take a look inside what has been described as the most popular rental property ever listed on rental site Airbnb

Controversial VRBO fees boost vacation rental costs

Vacation rentals are suddenly more expensive, thanks to a new guest service fee tacked on to the rental price by the big sites VRBO and HomeAway.com.

VRBO Bombs To One Star Rating

When the #### hits the fan it tends to get spread around. A lot!

Owners and Managers Report Drop-off in HomeAway Bookings and Inquiries

“I have seen a 75% drop in page views over last year.”
“I have a calendar that is WIDE OPEN. for the first time ever.”

VRBO ‘luxury villa’ turned out to be cockroach-infested ‘nightmare’

Couple relied on VRBO reviews, but Go Public’s test of system reveals fake reviews easy to post.

Frustrated homeowners say Expedia’s HomeAway changes ‘dramatically impact’ their rentals

“My inquiries — they just tanked,” Susan Frank said.

Must Read

Is HomeAway Telling The Truth About Best Match?

HomeAway’s changes to their sort order are having a big impact on owners across the globe – This article looks at some of what’s going on.

Vacation Rentals in 2016 – Be Prepared

How this business is evolving, with new businesses arising, old ones dying away and the landscape changing dramatically in front of our eyes.

Phone Calls vs Book Now – Mobile Pushes Online Booking Aside

There is a weight of statistics to show the increasing importance of mobile across the planet. You only have to watch people in a queue, at a bus stop, train station or coffee shop.

Duck Hawk Your Vacation Rental Inquiries & Dramatically Increase Your Bookings

A 10min guide to answering vacation rental inquiries.

I Just Individually Consulted 500 Vacation Rental Owners And Here Are Some Surprising Discoveries

Because the vacation rental industry is so new and its potential so huge, I tend to spend my research hours doing activities that might otherwise be considered an inefficient or crazy use of one’s time.

HomeAway April 2016 Announcements: Everything You Need To Know

Here’s everything you need to know about the April 2016 updates from HomeAway, which impact every single listing on the platform.

HomeAway – Structured cancellation policies

HomeAway have announced upcoming changes to their cancellation policies. Once again they mimic Airbnb’s policies.

Tips & Tricks

15 things to do today to get more low season vacation rental bookings

When vacation rental owners start looking online for marketing advice, it is often to find ways to increase low season bookings.

Take You To Full Occupancy In 2016

In order to have a really high chance to convert it into a solid booking though, you need to have…

6 Steps to a Writing a Killer Vacation Rental Listing Description

Captivating headlines and persuasively written property descriptions can spark the imagination, pique guest curiosity, and influence booking decisions.

7 Things Your Holiday Home Guests Need To Hear You Say

And why it’s important…

Hands Down, The Best Way To Respond To A Negative Vacation Rental Review

One of the inherent challenges to vacation rental success is that you become vulnerable to numbers: the more guests you host, the more potential there is for a negative review.

5 Vacation Rental Upgrades That Convince Travelers to Book

You have a beautiful vacation rental – but you’re not getting the booking rates you expect. It might be time for a small upgrade.

8 Things Hotel Websites do to Generate Direct Bookings

The vacation rental industry has a great advantage: it can look at what the hotel industry does right & wrong and learn from it.

How To Convert Email Enquiries Into Bookings

How owners respond to an email enquiry can be the difference between a holiday maker choosing to book with them – or not! Here are 5 best practices on how to convert email enquiries into bookings.

Marketing

Facebook Ad Goals Explained For Vacation Rentals

The world of Facebook ads is very complex compared to running Google AdWords or Bing Ads…

7 Google changes that will make or break your SEO

Is your SEO strategy up to snuff for 2016?

Crash Course In Online Marketing Channels For Vacation Rentals

Today, I’m here to give you a crash course on the various digital marketing channels for vacation rental owners and marketers.

Where To Advertise My Holiday Home For Free?

You will need to invest some time. But it’s so worth it when the bookings start coming through. Bookings that you have proactively earned as a result of your efforts. How rewarding!

Which Listing Site is Best for Vacation Rental Owners?

Is HomeAway/VRBO still the right listing site for me? Could I get a better deal somewhere else?

Trends & Statistics

Study: 4 Tips to Increase Your Bookings on Airbnb

The study collected data from almost 6 million bookings for more than 400,000 Airbnb listings across more than 200 cities over the course of a year. More than 1,300 hosts from 83 countries also took part.

245+ Owners give feedback on the new HomeAway / VRBO service fee

See the results…

Technology & Products

Is this the future of booking accommodation, or anything for that matter? (VIDEO)

Watch the video and leave your thoughts in the comments…

3 Interactive Floor Plans Providers

Proven to increase vacation rental reservations and revenues, interactive floor plans have been a selling tactic for real estate companies for years but the buzz has just started in our industry.