Save time by outsourcing these 7 vacation rental tasks

As a vacation rental host, you may find yourself faced with the question of which management tasks to do yourself and which to hire professionals for. The latter can save you a lot of time and stress, and help to meet guest expectations. In this article, we’ll explore outsourcing options and the benefits this could bring you, your property, and your guests.

1. Cleaning

While tidying up after guests may seem like something you can do yourself, guests expect a property to be cleaned to a professional standard. In fact, our 2023 Travel Trends research revealed that uncleanliness and a lack of hygiene measures are one of global travelers’ top four worries. Using a professional cleaning service can help reassure guests and meet their expectations. Companies can also manage cleaning staff and schedules on your behalf, taking further responsibility off your hands.  

2. Maintenance

Property maintenance may demand different skills than cleaning, but it’s another job you may be tempted to do yourself. Although it may be an investment to hire professionals, maintenance jobs often take longer than expected, and if done incorrectly, they can lead to extra expense and disruption. Outsourcing repairs and audits to local contractors is a good way to make sure your property remains in great shape, and it saves you time to focus on other areas of your business. 

3. Guest communication

If you own multiple vacation rentals, communicating with different guests and potential customers can take up a lot of time. This is another task that can be outsourced or automated using messaging tools. Receiving replies in a timely fashion increases guest satisfaction, meaning more bookings for the future.

4. Interior design

Owning multiple vacation rentals can make the task of interior design time-consuming. Do all your properties follow a theme? Are they identical? Or as different as possible? Whatever the answer, outsourcing this task to an interior designer can make your properties look extra special and help attract guests.

5. Branding and photography

You may have the most luxurious or unique vacation rental in the world, but if your branding and photography don’t do it justice, people will never know. Outsourcing this to graphic designers and professional photographers would be a small investment with a potentially very big return.  

6. Managing your online listing and reservations

If you have multiple vacation rentals, it’s wise to use a technology solution—such as a channel manager or property management system—to manage your online listing and reservations. These solutions can automatically update your rates and availability on Booking.com, centralize your reservations in one place, and make sure your listing is synchronized across multiple channels if needed.

Need help choosing the right solution for you? Booking.com partners with over 600 of the best technology solutions in the industry. You can find them here. 

7. Property management 

If you’d prefer to outsource all the day-to-day management of your vacation rental, a property management company may be for you. You’ll find different companies offering different services, but in addition to managing listings and setting prices, they can greet guests, schedule cleaning, and more on your behalf. This page contains a list of top property management companies we recommend. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to outsourcing, and it’s worth considering what balance works best for you. The time saved from offloading time-consuming tasks can be spent on making your business even better, improving guest experiences, or just allowing yourself some time to rest and recharge.