The holiday season is fast approaching! If you’re hoping to book your property with vacationers coming to the Sarasota area during the holidays, you need to act now. The holiday season can be a busy time for vacation rental owners, but if you do it right, you can charge higher rates and get plenty of bookings. But you’ve got to do it right. Here are a few tips that can help get you started.
Provide a Sarasota Holiday Season Guide
There’s a lot to do in Sarasota and the surrounding area during the holiday season! From Christmas concerts to theatrical productions to boat parades and more! Share some of your favorite events with your guests in a fun guide so they know what there is to do. Here are a few of our favorite events you might think of including.
- Venice Holiday Parade: The season kicks off in Venice with the annual holiday parade. A tradition for over 40 years, this family-friendly event features displays from over 100 local businesses, plenty of drinks and goodies for sale, and the ceremonial lighting of the downtown holiday lights.
- Siesta Key and Village Holiday Parade: If your vacation rental is in Siesta Key, direct your guests to the 37th Annual Light Up Siesta Key and Village Holiday Parade. This parade comes with everything, including prizes for displays like the most festive, best decor and lighting, and the most original display. A very special friend from the North Pole even makes a special appearance for the kids at the end of the parade to take pictures free of charge!
- Hands-on Hanukkah: To celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah, check out the Hands On Hanukkah community event held each evening at the UTC Mall. It’s a family-friendly event with fun activities, live performances, delicious food, giveaways, and traditional hanukkiah lighting.
- Annual Sarasota Holiday Parade: Of course, we hold our only holiday parade right here in Sarasota! The 26th Annual Sarasota Holiday Parade is a can’t-miss event. This year the theme is Winter Wonderland!
Keep Your Guests Informed About Local Travel Issues
While it’s lovely to visit the Sarasota area during the holiday season, all the many events and activities can sometimes lead to road or attraction closures. If your property is near a major holiday event, like a parade route or local attraction, inform your guests of any road closures or travel delays they may experience. It’s a simple way to make spending the holiday season in a new place easier for guests!
Provide Holiday Season Amenities
One of the biggest reasons people don’t like to travel during the holiday season is that they can’t keep up with their regular traditions like cooking a holiday dinner, decorating the house, or arranging a holiday display. But what if you provided the guests with the necessary amenities to keep those traditions available? For example, you could add a holiday tree and decorating kit or ensure that the kitchen is fully stocked with cooking utensils so they can recreate their holiday feast. You can even charge a fee for these extra items and advertise them in your property listings on rental sites!
The holiday season is a busy time for vacation rental owners here in Sarasota. If you want to take advantage of the busy travel season and charge holiday rates, let us help. Our property management team can ensure that your rental is in tip-top shape for your guests this holiday season. Call our team to sign up for our services so you can get your property fully booked during the holidays!
