Rental Advice - Spanish Homeowners.

Handling Enquiries

Effectively handling any booking enquiries you receive is more often than not the key to converting queries into firm reservations. People who find your property after searching for a holiday home in Spain will expect to be treated professionally and with courtesy when they contact you and not doing this will probably lose you a booking.

Have a look at our article on writing your advert to get some advice on how you can maximise your enquiries.

A few tips to convert enquiries into firm bookings are listed below but this is by no means an exhaustive list as you should always be prepared to treat holidaymakers who contact you as a potential customer and act accordingly.

• Make sure you are easy to reach if someone wants to contact you. If the only communication channel you provide is your email address, then you may be inadvertently turning away potential guests who would rather call you. Make sure you reply to answerphone messages and check your junk email folder regularly in case email enquiries have been filed there in error.

• Always reply to enquiries in a timely manner and definitely within any response timeframe you have stated. The most common complaint we receive from site visitors is that owners don't reply quick enough which means they will move on to another property.

• The next step. Ensure your potential guests know how to confirm their booking, pay deposits or their payment options, etc.

• Always be polite and helpful with enquiries. They may ultimately decide not to rent from you, but the 'word of mouth' advertising they could give you should not be dismissed.

• Think differently. You may need to be flexible on your booking conditions - for example, if you receive an enquiry for a period which is already booked, offer an alternative week instead. You must think like a sales person if you wish to keep your holiday home occupied.

• Follow up enquiries by giving the enquirer a courtesy phone call around 24 hours after your initial response. This will enable you to check if your email has been received and also, if they have decided not rent from you, the reasons why. Make sure you are brief and non-intrusive with this phone call.

• Customise your response by adding a personal touch, such as mentioning activities which would suit their group. This is a great way to create a connection with your potential guests which is very effective in converting enquiries into confirmed bookings.

• Be enthusiastic. Let your potential guests know about your property's special features and why they should rent from you.

• Get to know your guests. Ask questions to satisfy yourself that your rules will be adhered to. People will not be offended if you ask how many children they intend to bring or how old they are. You aren't obliged to take the booking, so don't be afraid to refuse it (politely) if you have any doubts.