Listen to this: “Fabricating authenticity key to hotel success”
This little gem popped up in my inbox today in a hotel industry newsletter. It was the title for a link to the article: “How hotels can compete with Airbnb on authenticity.”*
The vacation rental industry is booming, and hoteliers, along with other well-funded investors, want a piece of the VR pie.
Should you, the small business owner, be worried?
Let’s get back to that phrase: fabricating authenticity.
The big guys are banking on their hospitality expertise and deep pockets to lure millennials (who make up an estimated 50% of the global travel market) to their corporate versions of short-term rentals. They know that they’ve got the operations and standardization side of the business down and that they need to work on that “live like a local” thing that Airbnb markets so effectively.
Want some hotel design secrets? We got ’em & we’re spilling!
No problem. They’ll need to hire a market research firm, then an interior design firm, design their properties, get sign-off from their board of directors and their operators, implement the design, go through value engineering and procurement, do some remodeling, then bing bang boom, authenticity! Let’s not forget some marketing and PR are in there, too.
As a small business owner, you don’t have to manufacture authenticity. Because you are a real person, and real people manage your business. You know your area and property and care deeply about your guests.
Do your listings reflect that?
Properties with personalities are the difference between a commodity rental, one that could be exchanged for 50 others, and what Vacation Rental Marketing guru Matt Landau** calls a “limited edition” property or one which leverages features that do not scale, or those that scale only on your terms.
Limited edition properties are the ones the big guys are trying to mimic.
Converting your vacation rental to a one-of-a-kind space is the best way to ensure that you’re not caught up in a race to the bottom when thousands of competing listings flood the marketplace.
Creating a property with character, authenticity and a sense of place that looks great in photos and gets booked first takes talent, time, and expertise, and it’s not easy or free. It is, however, the critical first step in creating a limited edition listing. That is, a listing that telegraphs to a potential guest is not only is she going to have a great vacation, but that there is a human behind the listing, one who cares – a lot – about the property and about her guests, who knows the insider secrets of the area, and who will do her best to make her guests feel welcomed and special. That is something the big guys will have a very hard time fabricating.
Need help changing your vacation rental from a commodity listing to a limited edition gem? Almost there but could use a little guidance to get that “pulled together” look? New to vacation rentals and don’t know where to start? Schedule a discovery call to see how we can help you maximize the personality, functionality, and yes, authenticity of your listing.
**You don’t know who Matt Landau is? Get yourself to VRMB ASAP! While you’re at it, check out the Vacation Rental Show on YouTube.
