Marketing Your Vacation Rental to International Travelers: FAQs
Answers to commonly asked questions about advertising and renting to travelers form outside the U.S.
With the Euro (and other foreign currencies) continually gaining against the dollar, it's becoming more and more affordable for international travelers to vacation in the United States.
Europeans, in particular, have different school schedules and tons of vacation time. They're also more accustomed than Americans to renting vacation homes when they travel.
Q: Who should target international renters?
A: Properties in internationally known regions (i.e. Hawaii, Florida, Colorado Rockies, etc.). Take a close look at where your current renters are coming from. Do you have many from outside of the U.S.?
Q: What are the top U.S. markets for European travelers?
A: Florida destinations like Orlando, Miami, Naples, and Fort Myers lead the pack, but Europeans are also traveling to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Orange County (CA), Colorado, and urban destinations like New York City and Washington DC.
Q; How do I attract international guests using sites I already list on?
A: Many international travelers look on US listing sites like HomeAway and VRBO to find vacation rental accommodations. Since these travelers may not be as familiar with your vacation rental market as American travelers, be sure to include specific location and destination information and accept a variety of payment methods (e.g. many Europeans are used to paying by bank-to-bank transfer).
Q: Should I list on a European listing site?
A: If you own in a market frequented by European travelers, adding your property to a European site will widen your traveler base and increase your international exposure. Listing on European sites is a great way to increase the number of eyes that take a gander at your property listing. However, when you list make sure that you use the verbiage used by Europeans regarding vacation rentals. Use "holiday rental" and "holiday home" in place of "vacation rental" and "self-catering" instead of "rent by owner."
Q: What are the drawbacks to advertising to international guests?
A: With increased exposure comes an increase in inquiries and in work. You'll be dealing with a customer base with different cultural norms and currencies, and are also likely to get foreign language inquiries.
Q: I received an inquiry that is written in grammatically-incorrect English, is it a scam?
Many owners have become conditioned to red flag any inquiry with less-than-perfect English. However, as you embark into international markets, many of your potential renters may not fluently speak and write English. Don't automatically assume that any inquiry that doesn't exhibit perfect English is a scam.
Q: How should I accept payment from international renters?
A: Credit cards are the easiest and safest way to accept payment from renters for dealing with exchange rates, etc. However, not all international travelers are accustomed to paying with credit cards, so it is important to be flexible when taking a booking from an international guest. The same payment safety principles apply as when you are taking payment from an American guest. To avoid fraud and scams, don't accept untraceable wire transfers, cashier/certified checks, or money orders. Bank-to-bank transfers are acceptable and common practice for European travelers.
Q: How do I deal with a foreign language inquiry?
A: Use an online translation service like Babelfish or GoogleTranslate to get the gist of the inquiry. Then decide if you'd like to put in the work to coordinate a booking for the guest.
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