Rental Advice - Spanish Homeowners.

Get Repeat Bookings

It is estimated that it costs 5 to 10 times as much in advertising to attract new customers as it does to keep existing ones. The only problem is that you can't always rely on them to remember the warm welcome and first class service you gave them.

Therefore, if we consider word of mouth advertising to be one of the best forms of marketing for your holiday home, then we can say that a satisfied guest is your best (and cheapest) advert. These are the people who will return from their holiday singing the praises of your holiday home, show off their holiday snaps and may convince others to book with you. They may even like it so much that they rebook with you next year but it will take a little effort to make this happen.

It all starts at the first contact and how you present yourself to them. What you do and what you're prepared to do to ensure your guests have as good a time as they're able - everything counts! From that first welcome smile and handshake to the last glass of wine the evening before they're due to leave. Start with good impressions, be as helpful as you can be, and leave them with good impressions.

We've compiled a few things below that you could do which are aimed at recruiting your guests as your marketing team, once they have returned home from their holiday.

• Send a 'thank you' note via email and follow up with a posted 'Thank You' slip to your guests thanking them for booking with you.

• Probably the most appreciated little extra, is a welcome pack of the items most people would need when they arrive at your holiday home. Some owners provide a free welcome pack containing basic items such as a bottle of wine, tea & coffee, milk, bread and biscuits. This being free, it is unexpected by the guests and gets their holiday off to a good start. If you want to provide a more luxurious welcome pack then we would advise you to factor this into your asking price and itemize the contents on the guests booking form. They will be paying for the extra luxury and will want to ensure everything they've paid for is included.

• Keep good contact with your guests. Call them at the property (or on their mobile phone) to check if everything is OK. It's better to know sooner rather than after they return home as it shows good customer service and gives you chance to resolve any problems straight away. This is the reason waitresses in restaurants come to your table mid-way through your meal.

• Make sure you leave contact details of either yourself or your agent where your guests can find them. If there are any problems reported - fix them. No excuses - just fix them. This is what your guests will want to hear. They will not be interested to know that you will repair the broken toilet after they have gone home. You should arrange for it to be done straight away and allow them to enjoy the remainder of their holiday and go home reporting to friends 'How quickly your resolved an issue for them'. Keep in touch to give them progress updates regularly.

• Get feedback from returning guests. Email them on their return and ask them what they liked and didn't like about their holiday home. Take their comments on board and if necessary fix things. Let your guests know when you've corrected the things they didn't like as this will show them you've listened and acted on their comments.

• Keep email addresses of all your guests and contact them maybe 2 - 3 times per year to let them know how things are going with your holiday home, improvements you've made since they visited and anything else which may be of interest to them. For example, if one of their only concerns was the fact that 'the kids had nowhere to go', let them know about the new water-park being built in time for next summer. Offer them 'loyal customer' discounts for next year and send them Christmas cards to show you appreciate their custom.

At the end of the day, even after doing all of the above (and maybe more), the best way to get repeat bookers is to give them the best you can, make sure everything is handled efficiently, including payment and paperwork, the home is as described and clean and you treat them as though they are the most important guests you have.