NeedMoreRentals released the results of their independent surveys of vacation rental home owners and managers relating to their use of listings sites titled Listings Sites, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. The survey was designed to discover what owners/managers believe about using listing sites/booking portals to market their rental properties to prospective guests. The survey included 648 respondents in 47 countries and took place in April and May 2014.
Takeaways
The survey results are interesting and are posted on NeedMoreRentals’s website. Here are a few key takeaways:
Which listings sites produce the most leads?
- The most productive sites for inquiries and bookings were HomeAway, VRBO, FlipKey, Airbnb, HolidayLettings, Booking.com, OwnersDirect.
1. HomeAway – 177
2. VRBO – 169
3. FlipKey – 92
4. Airbnb – 78
5. HolidayLettings – 62
6. Booking.com – 38
7. OwnersDirect – 33
Which listings sites are not recommended?
- The sites least likely to be recommended are AlwaysOnVacation, HomeAway, Airbnb, SunnyRentals, FlipKey, CraigsList, OwnersDirect, HolidayLettings, VacationHomeRentals and VRBO.
- Reasons are widespread but include aggressive sales calls, no inquiries or bookings, guest booking fees, hidden guest details and inflexible cancellation policies.
What are the biggest concerns about listings sites?
- The most common concerns owners and managers have with listings sites are spiraling cost, lack of inquiries, hidden guest details, payment not being received until after the guests’ arrival and the listing process being too time-consuming.
Which listings sites’ mobile apps are being used?
- The leading mobile apps currently used by survey respondents were Airbnb, HolidayLettings, HomeAway, FlipKey, VRBO and HouseTrip.
- 343 respondents (majority) do not use any mobile apps due to confusion, frustration with login and perceived limitations.
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