Your ranking in channel search results depends mostly on the content you provide and your guest reviews. A higher ranking brings more visibility, bookings and revenue. These tips work for your own booking page and all OTAs, and hosts who applied them improved their conversion rate on leading OTAs by up to 140% in 30 days.
For Airbnb, Booking.com, the Vrbo group and Hometogo, you can manage all your listing content directly in Beds24.
Table of Contents
- Airbnb
- Booking.com
- Vrbo
- Pictures
- Features and amenities
- Rules and policies
- Descriptive texts
- Guest communication
- Reviews
- Check your listing regularly
Airbnb
On Airbnb, quality and convenience for the guest count most.
- Aim for the Guest Favourite badge: listings with the Guest Favourite badge get on average 30% more bookings and have room for a higher price. Airbnb updates Guest Favourites daily, based on your overall ratings and review feedback, category ratings (check-in, cleanliness, accuracy, host communication, location and value), host cancellation rate, quality incidents reported to Airbnb customer service, and a minimum of 5 reviews.
- Offer a non-refundable discount: guests book at a lower rate that isn't covered by your standard cancellation policy and get no refund if they cancel.
- Have a flexible cancellation policy: flexible policies bring more bookings and higher revenue.
- Use Instant Booking: it removes uncertainty for guests. Instant Booking is the default in Beds24; if you asked Beds24 to change it, consider switching it back.
Booking.com
- Use occupancy prices: prices for different occupancies increase visibility and bookings. You can send them directly from Beds24.
- Offer several price options: manage multiple rate plans in Beds24.
- Join Booking.com's programmes: the Genius Programme and the Preferred Partner Programme give you tags, banners and listing badges that bring more page views and bookings.
Vrbo
- Aim for Premier Host status: Vrbo gives Premier Host badges to hosts who consistently deliver outstanding guest experiences, assessed every quarter.
- Use a Relaxed or Moderate cancellation policy: Vrbo recommends them. Compared with Strict, flexible policies bring 26% more bookings, 53% higher revenue and 39% better conversion.
- Use Instant Booking: it's the default in Beds24; if you asked Beds24 to change it, consider switching it back.
- List Vrbo's top amenities where they apply: pool, private pool, hot tub, 4+ stars, beach, kitchen, free cancellation, air conditioning, internet/Wi-Fi, outdoor space and pets allowed. Top locations are beachfront, oceanfront and waterfront; the top property type is house.
- Vrbo needs at least 6 pictures.
See the Vrbo listing guide for more information.
Pictures
Pictures are the guest's first impression. Add as many high-resolution pictures as you can: 20 or more is recommended. Give every picture a caption, and make sure your first (key) picture and your headline work together.
- Go to Settings > Booking Engine > Pictures.
- Put the pictures in the right order. Picture 1 goes to the OTAs as the top picture, which they use as the hero or header image.
- Add tags where the OTA supports them. Pick a common tag from the dropdown or type your own.
Tip: Booking.com recommends adding seasonal pictures tagged with the season. Booking.com then shows the picture that matches the season the guest wants to travel in.
Features and amenities
The right amenities keep your listing in filtered searches. Some channels also support location type and nearby features that guests use to narrow their search. Put first the amenities that fit your location and guests, such as children's amenities at family destinations. On Airbnb, pools, hot tubs and washer/dryers can significantly improve listing performance; pets allowed, a kitchen, Wi-Fi and TV have a smaller but noticeable effect.
- Property features: set amenities and location type that apply to the whole property in Settings > Properties > Description. They apply to all rooms. Example: all your units have internet.
- Room features: set amenities that apply to one room only in Settings > Properties > Rooms > Setup. Example: one unit has internet and another doesn't.
- Click Edit next to the Features field.
- In the popup, click Amenities.
- Tick the amenities you offer. They also show on your booking page if the Features module is active.
- For features that aren't in the preset list, copy them from the All Features section of the channel's help page and paste them in.
- Close the popup and click Save.
Each channel has its own set of features and amenities, listed on its help page. If a feature a channel supports isn't available yet, send Beds24 a support ticket.
Rules and policies
- A flexible cancellation policy can significantly increase your bookings: travellers value getting a refund if their plans change.
- Listings where guests don't pay the full amount upfront tend to perform better.
Descriptive texts
Some channels use a headline instead of the property name. Choose it carefully and match it to your first picture. Keep your descriptions accurate: guests who get what they expected are less likely to leave a bad review.
Guest communication
Good communication brings happy guests, 5-star reviews and repeat bookings.
- Set up automated messages with Auto Actions so guests get the right information when they need it. For example, about a week before check-in, send a message on how check-in works and when they get any further details.
- Beds24 integrates with the messaging of Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia and Vrbo, so you can message their guests directly and securely from Beds24.
- For an example messaging flow, see the Beds24 blog post Ultimate guide to effective guest communication.
Reviews
Most travellers read reviews before they book, and guest feedback helps you spot problems early. Review every guest straight after departure: hosts who review their guests are more likely to get a review back.
- Manage Airbnb, Expedia and Vrbo reviews directly in Beds24: read them, reply and review the guest. See How Reviews work.
- Ask for reviews actively with an Auto Action.
Check your listing regularly
- Pricing: keep prices competitive with demand, seasons and local events. Consider the Yield Optimizer (Prices > Yield Optimizer) or dynamic pricing tools.
- Guest feedback: ask for feedback and update your listing to address common concerns and show improvements.
- Listing audit: check that your listing is accurate and complete, with no outdated information, all amenities listed and high-quality pictures.
- Keywords: use relevant keywords in titles and descriptions, based on popular search terms for your location and property type.