Property manager Pete Smith used Instant Booking to boost his performance year over year.
150 properties under management
Holiday rental homes
Vrbo partner since 2015
Our tools helped this property manager double his bookings
The challenge
The property management firm Weekenda, based near Sydney, Australia, has been providing excellent accommodation options and professional property management for over 10 years. With 150 properties now under management, Weekenda CEO, Pete Smith, is always looking for ways to improve his business.
Many of the rental homes managed by Weekenda are located in the beautiful Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s best-known wine regions. For the last five years, these properties have been listed on Stayz, part of the Vrbo family of brands.
When the pandemic hit, Pete turned his focus to finding new ways to improve bookings across the portfolio he manages. He sat down with his account manager and explored a number of possible strategies for boosting business. As a result, Pete made several changes to his approach and saw his bookings double year over year!
‘We’ve seen our bookings double year over year and Stayz, now Vrbo, contributed massively to that success’.
Pete Smith
CEO, Weekenda
The solution
After talking with his account manager, Pete landed on three key strategies designed to improve his results:
First, he decided to change all Weekenda listings to Instant Booking. This feature lets travellers go straight to a confirmed booking — without you needing to review the booking request. With Instant Booking, Pete was able to save time, increase conversion rates and improve the performance of his properties in search results.
Then, Pete reviewed his length-of-stay policies and pricing and moved to a more proactive effort to adjust minimum stays for different times of the year. Being flexible on the length of a stay helps you maximise your rental return. Depending on the season, a guest who wants to stay only one night may be willing to pay a premium for that. Or guests may want longer stays around public holidays.
Changing to a more relaxed cancellation policy was another strategic change that Pete made. His account manager shared insights on how, due to uncertainty from the pandemic’s impact on travel, guests were looking for the confidence of flexible cancellation policies and fully refundable rates. As he aligned with travellers’ desire for shorter cancellation windows, Pete was able to attract more bookings.
Pete was able to significantly improve the performance of his properties by partnering with his account manager and taking advantage of the wide array of tools available through our platform.
From your dashboard, visit ‘property’ then ‘rules and policies’, then ‘booking type’ and select ‘Instant Booking’.
