Beach and mountain getaways
Resort town properties with sharp seasonal swings. The pitch leans on location, the view and things to do, while ads in the off season rescue nights that would otherwise stay empty.
Vacation rental marketing that fills your calendar and cuts platform fees
Airbnb and Vrbo bring guests, but they also take a slice of every stay. Our vacation rental marketing services pair you with a specialist who knows short stays: sharper photos, a stronger Google presence, social accounts that look like a real brand and a booking site guests can use without paying a service fee. The goal is simple: more booked nights and more revenue per night.
Free, no obligation. A senior project manager walks you through the analysis.
Free analysis in 24 hours
Send us your website. Within 24 hours, you'll get a written analysis comparing your marketing with your competitors'.
Free marketing analysis
- PDF analysis
- 5 competitors
- Prioritized action list
Your analysis is prepared by a senior project manager with 15+ years of experience in marketing.
Key takeaways
The short version
Before you read on
- Guests decide in minutes, and the photo gallery usually wins or loses the booking before price does.
- Every stay booked on your own site keeps the platform commission and guest service fee out of the deal.
- Slow months need their own plan: weekend offers, longer stays at a lower nightly rate and ads timed to the dip.
- Past guests are the cheapest bookings you'll ever get, so collect their emails and stay in touch.
- A senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing picks the specialist for you and stays your one contact.
Good to know
Short term rental marketing runs on occupancy and nightly revenue
A hotel has a front desk, a brand and a sales team. A short term rental usually has a listing, a lockbox and an owner juggling ten other jobs. The numbers are unforgiving, too: an empty night is gone for good, while the mortgage, cleaning and utilities keep running. That's why marketing here is judged by occupancy and revenue per available night, not likes.
Guests open five or six listings side by side, scroll the photos, skim the reviews and check the map. Most book within minutes. A complete description, bright pictures and strong recent reviews often matter more than a small price gap.
Why platform fees change the math
Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com send traffic, and they charge for it through host commissions and guest service fees. A stay that comes through your own website, your Google Business Profile or an Instagram message keeps that money on your side of the ledger. Good marketing for rentals does both jobs at once: it makes your place look great everywhere travelers search, and it builds channels that bring guests straight to you.
Three situations owners bring to us
The first is a gap between seasons. Summer or ski weeks sell out, then whole stretches of the calendar sit empty. The second is heavy reliance on the platforms, where fees quietly eat into what you actually earn. The third is growth: you run several units or a small aparthotel and want a recognizable name with repeat guests and referrals. Each calls for a different plan, so tell us how many units you manage, what your occupancy looks like and what you'd like to change.
What vacation rental marketing costs in the US
A professional shoot with a short walkthrough video typically runs about $200 to $800 per unit, a one time spend that works for years across every channel. Paid social and search campaigns for a single property or a small portfolio usually start around $500 to $2,000 a month in ad budget. Specialist rates vary: a freelancer handling your Google profile, social media and one campaign often charges $800 to $2,500 a month, while someone covering photos, video, ads and a booking site for several units lands around $2,500 to $6,000 a month. Judge it against platform fees: if direct stays replace commissioned ones, each booking earns you more. You see your matched specialist's rate and scope before anything starts.
What you get
Channels in an Airbnb marketing strategy built for direct stays
No single channel does it all. A specialist blends the ones below around your location and guest profile. For the hotel side of hospitality, see our hospitality marketing agency page.
Interior photos and video
Bright, well framed shots of every room, the view, small details and the neighborhood. Travelers book off the gallery, so better images mean more reservations. Our <a href="/services/commercial-photography">commercial photography</a> specialists handle this.
Google Business Profile and reviews
A full profile with photos, rates and a steady flow of reviews catches people searching for a place to stay in your city or neighborhood, and good ratings tip close decisions your way.
Instagram and Facebook
Posts and reels that show the style of your units and what's nearby. They build a brand, keep past guests in touch and remind travelers planning a trip that you exist.
Google Ads and Airbnb Facebook ads
Targeted campaigns aimed at tourists, business travelers or couples looking for a getaway. You can push harder in slow months and send clicks to your own site instead of a platform listing.
A direct booking website
Gallery, unit descriptions, rates and a booking engine tied to your calendar. Every stay booked here skips the commission. Our <a href="/services/web-design">web design</a> team builds these.
Airbnb email marketing to past guests
Stay in touch with people who've already slept under your roof: early notice before peak season and long weekends, plus a reason to book direct next time.
Step by step
How we match you with a vacation rental marketer
Step 1
Tell us about your rentals
Beach condo, downtown loft, mountain cabin or a building of units: share the location, how many you run and the goal, whether that's fuller calendars, lower fees or a brand. It takes a few minutes.
Step 2
Get your analysis and a match
Within 24 hours you receive a free marketing analysis as a PDF, and we pick a vetted specialist who has promoted short stays before. You don't sort through profiles yourself.
Step 3
Talk it through, then decide
You meet the specialist, see the rate and hear how they'd approach photos, Google visibility and direct bookings. Nothing starts until you say yes.
Step 4
One project manager keeps it on track
A senior project manager with 15+ years in marketing runs the engagement, watches scope, deadlines and quality, and stays your single point of contact.
Who it's for
Which rentals we help market
City and business stays
Downtown apartments for tourists and traveling professionals. Your Google profile, reviews and visibility for searches like apartment plus city carry the load, because these guests book fast and practically.
Aparthotels and multi unit operators
Owners managing several units need one consistent brand, a booking site for the whole portfolio and a plan that balances platforms with direct channels at a bigger scale.
Luxury and romantic stays
Upscale interiors and trips for two. The message is about style, detail and mood, and strong photos and video draw guests who'll pay more for a better place.
Before you start
Start with a free analysis of your rental
Send us a few lines about your property and what you want to fix. Within 24 hours you'll have a PDF analysis and a specialist picked for your rentals. Read how it works or go straight to the contact form.
FAQ
Questions companies ask us
Short answers. The free analysis call covers anything specific to your company.
01How do I increase vacation rental occupancy?
Pair a flawless presentation with visibility wherever travelers look. Professional photos and video matter most, since guests compare several listings at once and judge by the gallery. A complete Google Business Profile with reviews picks up local searches, social media builds a name, and ads on Facebook and Google can be turned up during slow stretches. Point all of it at your own booking site so you earn more per night.
02How much does vacation rental marketing cost?
It depends on your market, the number of units and how hard you want to push direct bookings. A photo and video shoot is usually $200 to $800 per unit, paid once. Managing your Google profile and social accounts is mostly ongoing work. Ad budgets for Facebook and Google typically start around $500 to $2,000 a month, and a specialist covering one or two areas often charges $800 to $2,500 a month. You see the rate before you commit.
03How can I increase direct bookings and rely less on Airbnb?
Build the channels you own. That means a website with a gallery, descriptions, rates and a booking engine, a Google profile full of reviews and active social accounts. Send ad clicks to your site rather than your platform listing. Collect guest emails and keep in touch, because a returning guest often books direct. The platforms stay useful as one source of stays, just not the only one.
04Which photos help a vacation rental get booked?
Bright, well composed shots that show space, natural light, the view and whatever makes your place stand out. Cover every room: living area, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, balcony or deck, plus the neighborhood. Guests make up their minds in minutes, so the first five images carry most of the weight. A short walkthrough video helps travelers picture the stay.
05How do I fill a rental in the off season?
Give people a clear reason to come and aim your ads at them. Weekend packages, stays for couples, longer bookings at a lower nightly rate and midweek offers for business travelers all help fill quiet nights. Turn up Facebook and Google campaigns during those months, and email past guests with dates and perks before the season dips.
06Should I hire a freelancer or one of the vacation rental marketing companies?
For one property or a handful, a good freelancer or a small team is usually enough and costs less, because they work closer to you and react quickly when bookings shift. An agency makes sense for an aparthotel, a large portfolio or a big budget spread across many channels. What matters most is experience with short stays. Our project manager weighs that when making the match.
Free analysis
See where your marketing stands, then decide what to do next
Send us your website. Within 24 hours, you'll get a written analysis comparing your channels with your competitors', plus a call with a senior project manager who has run marketing for 15+ years.
- Analysis within 24 hours
- No obligation
- PDF covering 5 competitors
- Team picked by your PM
Free marketing analysis
- PDF analysis
- 5 competitors
- Prioritized action list
Your analysis is prepared by a senior project manager with 15+ years of experience in marketing.
Are you a marketer with experience in a specific industry? Join the team