Stop. Take a breath.
I know - this is not what was supposed to happen. You had been promised to be fully booked. At insane rates. To the moon! I still see ads and posts claiming you're going to make a killing during the World Cup, yet the reality is shaping up to be a different story from what they told you. Now you're seeing newspaper headlines like these:
And you wonder how you're going to capitalize on this once-in-a-lifetime event, if the hotels are throwing in the towel? I have a question for you - are you listening to the hype or are you basing your decisions on research and data?
If you want to learn how to build a data-driven short-term vacation rental business, you've come to the right place (but if you don't want to do the work, then our way of running a business won't help you, sorry, but it takes effort to succeed).
We're here to share how we've done it, but you'll need to adapt it to your type of vacation rental business, the city that you host in, and what benefits your listings offer guests.
Here's the TL;DR: focus on what your guests need, and you'll do well. It's simple, but it's not easy.
Everything we teach here will always be rooted in the never-ending quest to make your guests encounter true hospitality.
I know. It sounds too easy to be true. "That's it?" you ask, "All I have to do is put my guest first?" Don't believe me? Read the message that came in today for a reservation request:
"…but after reading the reviews about your home and your hospitality, I was sold."
See? Simple. But not easy. What this guest saw, time and time again, when she read our reviews, was that more than 4 out of 5 past guests mentioned our hospitality.
That's all well and good, but what on earth does this have to do with my calendar being empty for FIFA? Well, I'm glad you asked, and we'll dive into this now:
- First, we'll take a look at how to understand your market. That's the foundation of your strategy, and not just for FIFA.
- Secondly, we'll look at fan behavior and why it's imperative that you are willing to adjust when the conditions change.
- Thirdly, we're going to walk you through some details on how you can make the fans stay unforgettable.