Summer: getting your rental ready

For most of you, summer is a make-or-break season. But how do you go about filling your booking calendar? Read on!

Online

This is where it all happens! Start thinking now about:

• Updating yourprices
• Refreshing yourphotos
• Listing allthe activities availablenear you in summer

Just as important: showcase all your standout features. A swimming pool, a light-filled house, a sea view... The aim is to make guests want to book with you rather than anywhere else.

Summer at your place

At home, let the sunshine in! Don't forget to give everything a good spring clean (curtains, rugs, appliances...) and add a few splashes of colour!

Guests come to enjoy a pleasant break, to rest and soak up the sun, so help them out! Why not provide a few little extras:

• Sunblock
• Beach towels
• Straw hats (which can double as decoration...)

And to go one step further, do consider offering them on arrival:

• Cool drinks
• A lovely bowl of fruit

What about you: is summer or winter your busiest booking season?

By the way, did you know you don't have to be there in person to let your guests in? That's one of the advantages of a key safe. Find out more!

Here are the actions to take before and during summer, and what they deliver.

Action	Timing	Result
Update pricing	Before season	Fully booked calendar
Update photos	Before season	Better summer bookings
List summer activities	Before season	Guests want to book
Deep clean (curtains, carpets, appliances)	Before arrival	Welcoming and bright home
Provide sunscreen, towels, hats	At arrival	Positive first impression
Offer refreshments and fruit	At arrival	Transforms the guest experience

Frequently asked questions

When should I start getting my rental ready for summer? Right now. Updating your rates, refreshing your photos and listing the summer activities near you are three jobs that belong before the season, not during it. A calendar fills up ahead of time, rarely the night before.

Do I really need new photos before the season? Yes, and it is the best return on effort of the whole list. Photos that never show your place in the sun sell a summer stay badly. Take the chance to show the light, the terrace and whatever makes a traveller want to unpack.

What should I highlight in a summer listing? Your strongest assets, the ones that matter in July and August: a pool, a bright house, a sea view. Add the list of activities available nearby during the season. The goal is plain, make travellers want to book with you rather than next door.

What should I leave out for guests in summer? Sunblock, beach towels and straw hats, which double nicely as decoration. For the arrival, cold drinks and a generous bowl of fruit are enough to change the first impression. None of it is required, which is exactly why guests notice it.

What needs a deep clean before the first guests arrive? Everything that never gets cleaned mid season: curtains, rugs, appliances. This is the spring clean, the one you will not be able to squeeze between two checkouts. While you are at it, let the light in and add a few touches of colour.

Can I check guests in without being there? Yes. A key box lets travellers let themselves in, with no appointment to keep and no train to catch. It helps in high season, when arrivals pile up and nobody turns up at the time they announced.