Free booking software for renting out locations

How can I rent out my location online?

You have plenty of options when it comes to renting out a piece of property (or an object you own). Working with big platforms has become all the craze over the last couple of years. Big platforms can help you drive demand, but if you already have demand they just become an expensive middleman.

Vev is a free alternative to big booking platforms if you want to rent out locations yourself. Trusted and loved by owners of:

• Vacation homes
• Ski chalets
• Meeting rooms
• Event spaces
• Bed & breakfast
• Second homes
• Mobile homes
• Beach houses
• Timeshares

If you wanna start renting out your location via Vev, all you have to do is create an account. From there on you can tweak your offering, offer upsell packages to include stuff like bed sheets, or other amenities.

As soon as you picked the right color scheme, upload a couple of photos, and set your pricing and availability - it becomes time to start promoting your page.

Rentals can be set at fixed durations, depending on what you offer. For an event space used for photoshoots, it might be sufficient to offer packages that start at 4 hours, and up to a full day. But if you rent out your ski chalet, you might want to offer full weeks only.

What are the benefits of renting out a location yourself?

Platforms are great when you are just starting out. They are a great way to get your first couple of guests and reviews in. But if you are a bit more savvy, you probably realize quickly that these services don’t offer anything unique.

The biggest benefit of renting out a location yourself is that all revenue goes directly to you. This also goes hand in hand with offering the exact experience you set out to deliver to your customers. The anonymity of a platform is gone since guests will directly interact with you.

Renting out locations yourself via Vev is a perfect way if you are a hands-on owner, that is engaged in promoting your rental and doesn’t rely on the customer support that big platforms offer.

The benefit of renting out yourself is also that you can limit who is able to book. If you have a piece of property that you only like to rent out to friends and family - just only share the link with them! Big platforms force you to be available to everyone, which might not be a fit for you.

To sum up the benefits of renting out a location yourself:

• Maximize revenue, since there’s no middleman taking a cut.
• More personalized experience, guests book directly from you and not from a generic listing.
• Exclusive booking options, if you only wanna open up bookings to friends and family and not to the rest of the world.

How can I grow my location rental business?

Depending on your listing, there are several smart and cheap ways to grow your business. We talked to a bunch of business owners and asked for their recommendations:

Vacation rentals, such as vacation homes and second homes:

• Engage in online forums. Depending on how popular your destination is, there might be a couple of websites out there informing people about the area. This is a great way to establish yourself as a local expert. At the same time, use this opportunity to (in)directly promote your listing.
• Join local Facebook groups. Given your connection and proximity to the neighborhood, it’s advised to join local groups. Perhaps others in the community have family members or friends that they’d like to put up in your listing. Ensure that your neighbors become your ambassadors!
• Create online ads. Don’t dive into this if you don’t know what you are doing. But running ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram can help you reach the desired audience.
• Invite bloggers to write a review. This is especially helpful if your business is relatively new. It’s a great way to promote your business and get a public review on the internet.
• Partner up with other businesses. See if you can strike a deal with local nearby businesses. For example negotiate a discount on bike rentals, ski rentals, or a discount voucher for a local restaurant. This allows you to sell “all in one” packages that make you stand out from the rest!
• Be active on Instagram. Use the proper hashtags, and respond to questions people might ask on other channels. You are not only helping people, but people might check out your page too!

One-day rentals, such as event spaces and meeting rooms:

• Enroll in directories. Use Google and type in the keywords you’d like to be found on. Chances are high that you’ll stumble upon a directory or two that lists offerings in your city or area. Try to see if you can add yours for free or for a small fee.
• Promote on LinkedIn. Use your network! Now more than ever people are looking for meeting spaces away from their home office or to break from the office. Establish yourself as a local business, take some good photos, and turn it all into some posts.
• Join local Facebook groups. Find groups where people that often book your type of listing come together. If your space lends itself to photoshoots, try to see if you can find groups where art directors come together (just to name an example). See if you can introduce yourself and your listing.

Partner up with other businesses. Goal is to get on the radar of as many relevant businesses as possible. So either cozying up with office managers in the area if you wanna introduce your meeting space as an option to them. Or try to strike a deal with a local bakery that can provide the lunch for when groups book your space.