Blue Ridge saw nearly 20,000 tourists in 2023 despite being a small market.
With affordable real estate and a great tourism industry, Blue Ridge is the perfect place to purchase your first vacation rental property. Like any town that relies on tourism, Blue Ridge has busy and slower times of the year.
Attracting guests in the offseason is key to your success as a short-term rental owner. Keep reading and we'll give you some tips for increasing the number of bookings to boost your overall ROI.
No Minimum Stays
A great way to reduce vacancies during busy seasons is to add minimum stay requirements. When you only accept 2-3 day bookings, you prevent single-night bookings that prevent you from maximizing ROI on your Blue Ridge vacation rentals.
During slower times of the year, you can get rid of this requirement to secure more single-night bookings. This won't eliminate vacancies entirely, but where you'll really notice a difference is with weeknight bookings, which can be difficult to find when fewer tourists are around.
Offer Discounts
Believe it or not, lowering your rates and/or offering rate discounts can boost your rental income. Sliding scale vacation rental pricing is one of the year-round guest strategies you must employ as a property owner.
When there are fewer potential guests available, you can stand out from other rentals and attract more visitors by offering competitive rates. As tourist season heats back up, you can gradually raise your rates again to continually maximize ROI.
Rate discounts incentivize return guests or longer bookings. Give your guests a special price when they've booked your rental before or if they book four nights instead of three.
Work With the Local Tourism Industry
There are always plenty of events going on throughout the year in Blue Ridge. You can partner with the local tourist industries to offer promotional discounts to your guests.
Collaborating with local events can be mutually beneficial. You might include a complimentary pair of tickets to the event with your booking to entice guests who might be in town to attend the event.
Work With a Property Manager
In terms of off-season travel tips, the best advice we can give is to hire a property manager. A property manager will have local knowledge to help you maximize your bookings year-round.
They'll also put rental management strategies in place to ensure guests are happy. When you have satisfied guests, they're more likely to leave a positive review. Having positive reviews is essential to securing more bookings no matter how many tourists are in Blue Ridge.
Start Attracting Guests in the Off-Season
Attracting guests in the off-season isn't easy. Follow these tips, however, and you'll put yourself in the best position to secure bookings year-round. By being proactive with promotion and rental rates, you can appeal to those guests who come through Blue Ridge during the off-season.
Partnering with the right property management company can make it all so much easier. At PMI North GA Mountains, we're the top vacation rental manager in the Blue Ridge area. Contact us today to find out how we'll increase your bookings in 2024 and beyond.
