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The Top-Searched Vacation Rental Amenities
Which amenities are at the top of travelers' lists?
Homeowners often ask us which amenities that they should add to make their property more rentable. To help answer this question, we recently analyzed search data to ascertain what travelers are looking for.
Here's what we found:
1) Pool. No big surprise here. When people go on vacation, they typically want a body of water of some kind nearby.
2) Hot Tub. Hot tubs have become a must-have amenity in many markets and can increase the shoulder season rentability of properties in areas with chilly springs and falls.
3) Pet Friendly. Mr. and Mrs. Jones like to bring Fluffy on vacation with them and will keep searching until they find a property that accepts pets with open arms. According to a APPMA survey, around 39% of American households own and least one dog and almost 29 million took their pet on vacation with them in 2004.
4) TV. Even with the rising popularity of HDTV's, just plain “TV” remains the no. 1 search term in the television realm.
| 5) Tennis. If you don't have a tennis court in your backyard, subdivision, or complex, consider looking up local courts and including information about them in your ad. |
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6) Internet. Even on vacation, travelers still want to be connected.
7) "Jacuzzi" Bath Tub. Just like Kleenex and Google, "Jacuzzi" is a brand name that has become synonymous with its category. Many travelers search for "jacuzzi" when seeking a whirlpool bathtub and some use "jacuzzi" interchangeably with "hot tub." If you own a jetted bathtub, consider checking off both the "hot tub" and the "jacuzzi" checkbox in the amenities section of your HomeAway listing-- just be sure to be clear about exactly which type you have in the free text section.
8) Pool Table. An odd one that's frequently searched. Especially popular in certain mountain regions.
9) Fireplace. When vacationing in a cooler climate, renters look forward to cuddling up by the fireplace after a long day of activity.
10) Porch. If you have one, be sure to mention it in your listing and display a nice photo of your porch (rocking chair optional).
Runners-Up: Air conditioning, balcony, telephone, cable/satellite, washer and dryer.
The amenities on this list are great additions to your vacation home and will likely delight your guests; however, if you don't specifically mention them in your HomeAway ad, how are they to know that you have them?
Also, many travelers use the refinements function on the left-hand side of the HomeAway search results to "drill-down" their results. If you haven't completely filled out the amenities section of your ad (that is, checked off all of the checkboxes), your property won't show up when travelers refine their search.
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