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Vacation Rental Marketing Plan

A holiday home earns only on the nights it is booked, and the calendar fills in waves: school holidays, long weekends and the warm weeks of late spring. Guests judge with their eyes first, then ring or message with practical questions about dogs, parking, beds and the walk from the car, which is why enquiries matter so much. Many start on listing platforms, so every call or message that reaches you directly is worth chasing. Repeat guests often rebook the same week a year on, while midweek dates and the off-season stay empty without a push. A plan lines up the marketing with those gaps rather than spreading it evenly through the year.

Free · about a minute · with the searches your customers make

Driftwood Stays is a made-up vacation rental business with a small budget and one goal, more calls, messages and enquiries. Its plan starts from the searches guests make for a holiday let or a cabin break, then names the people it hopes to host, puts the channels in order and lists the pages its website needs. Each of the three months has its own actions, and the plan ends with content ideas, a budget split and five numbers to watch. Make your own around your homes in about a minute, built on the searches your guests really make.

What a marketing plan for a vacation rental should cover

  1. Market the gaps in the calendar, not the whole year

    Peak weeks tend to fill without help, and the empty nights sit midweek and out of season. Look at last year's calendar and aim each month's message at the gaps, with a reason to come then, such as autumn walks, a quiet midweek or a winter break. Give each gap its own photo and page.

  2. Answer the questions guests ask before they ring

    Guests want to know about dogs, parking, beds, the nearest shop and how they get in. Put each answer on the property page, and keep a ready reply for the questions that remain. A guest who finds an answer quickly books, while one who has to wait goes elsewhere.

  3. Make repeat stays the heart of the plan

    Guests who loved a week often rebook the same dates a year later. Keep a list of past guests, with permission, and write to them before the booking season opens. A card in the welcome pack that says how to rebook helps them remember.

  4. Work with the people who meet your guests

    Cafes, farm shops, activity providers and walking guides see your guests every day and are asked where to stay. Introduce yourself with photos and a short note, and recommend them in return. A friendly local often brings a better enquiry than an advert.

Sample

Driftwood Stays is a made-up vacation rental. Its plan shows what a 90-day marketing plan for a vacation rental covers: the searches its customers make, the channels in order and the work month by month. Yours is made for your own business, town and budget.

90-day online marketing plan

Driftwood Stays

Driftwood Stays will fill more nights by answering guests quickly by phone and message, showing real photos where holiday let searches begin and keeping in touch with the guests who come back.

More calls and enquiries · Under 100 US dollars a month

Your three priorities

  1. Make every property page answer the questions guests ring about, such as dogs, parking, beds and how to get in, with a call button and an enquiry form at the top.

  2. Complete the Google Business Profile with photos of every home in every season, so guests searching for a holiday let near me see real places and a number to call.

  3. Turn each finished stay into the next one by keeping a list of past guests, with their permission, and writing to them before the booking season opens.

What your customers search for

Search on GoogleSearches a month
“holiday let near me”not measured
“vacation rental near me”not measured
“cabin rental for a weekend”not measured
“pet friendly vacation rental”not measured
“self catering holiday home”not measured
“family holiday home rental”not measured
“midweek cabin break”not measured
“last minute holiday let”not measured

Searches a month in United States, from Google's own search suggestions, shown as a range.

Your customers

Families and friends planning a week away

What they need: A home with room for everyone, a kitchen, outdoor space and clear answers to practical questions before they book.

Where they look: Google searches, Pinterest boards of holiday ideas, Facebook groups and recommendations from other families.

Couples booking a short break

What they need: A quiet, characterful place for a long weekend or a midweek escape, with an easy arrival and a few local tips.

Where they look: Instagram photos, Google searches for a cabin break and emails from places they have stayed before.

Guests travelling with a dog

What they need: Confirmation that the dog is welcome, walks nearby and no surprises on arrival.

Where they look: Searches for dog friendly stays, dog walking groups and reviews that mention dogs.

Your channels, in order

  1. Website and Google search Medium effort · Low cost

    Guests searching for a holiday let or a vacation rental compare homes in minutes, and a clear page for each home lets them ring or message at once.

    • Give every home its own page with photos of each room, the sleeping arrangements, what is in the kitchen and a map of the area.
    • Put a call button, a message link and an enquiry form at the top of every page.
    • Add a page of plain answers about dogs, parking, check-in and house rules.
  2. Google Business Profile Low effort · Free

    It puts your homes on the map for near me searches and lets guests call or message with one tap.

    • Add photos of every home in each season and of the views from the windows.
    • Fill in the description, the area you cover and your phone number in plain words.
    • Reply to every review and thank guests for the details they mention.
  3. Email to past guests Low effort · Free

    Guests who enjoyed a stay often rebook, and a short message before the season opens reaches them at the right moment.

    • Ask each guest at departure whether you may contact them about future stays, and keep the list.
    • Write once or twice a year with open dates and a photo of the home in the new season.
    • Answer personally any reply that comes back.
  4. Pinterest and Instagram Medium effort · Free

    People collect holiday ideas on both, and a home shown well gets saved and remembered for later.

    • Make Pinterest boards for cabin breaks, dog friendly holidays and family weeks away, using your own photos.
    • Post a home, a view or a local walk on Instagram twice a week, with a link to the property page.
  5. Local partners Medium effort · Low cost

    Cafes, activity providers and tourism offices meet your guests every day and can point visitors to a place to stay.

    • Ask a handful of local businesses to share your details, and recommend them to your guests in return.
    • Offer the tourism office or a local magazine photos and a short description of each home.
    • Leave a card in each home listing the local places you suggest.
  6. Facebook adverts Medium effort · Low cost

    A small advert can fill a gap in the calendar by reaching people within a few hours' drive.

    • Show a home to people within a few hours' drive in the weeks before an empty stretch.
    • Send the advert to the property page with a call or message button.

What your website needs

  • A home page that opens with the words holiday let or vacation rental, names the area and shows a call button and your strongest photo.
  • A page for each home with photos, sleeping arrangements, kitchen and outdoor space, house rules and an enquiry form, for searches like cabin rental for a weekend.
  • A pets page for pet friendly vacation rental searches, with the rules, the garden and walks nearby.
  • A page for families and groups, for family holiday home rental, with beds, space and what is nearby.
  • A midweek and last minute page, for midweek cabin break and last minute holiday let, listing open dates and how to ring.
  • A guide to the area for each season, with walks, places to eat and what to do in the rain.
  • A check-in page explaining how arrival works and who to call, for guests choosing a self catering holiday home.

Your 90 days

Month 1: Make every home easy to ask about

  • Give every home its own page with room photos, sleeping arrangements and an enquiry form, then add the pets and check-in pages.
  • Complete the Google Business Profile with photos of each home and a call button.
  • Add a short sign-up card to each welcome pack asking permission to email about future stays.
  • Make Pinterest boards for cabin breaks, family weeks and dog friendly holidays using your own photos.
  • Write a message template for the questions guests ask most, ready to send within minutes.

Month 2: Be seen and recommended

  • Post a home, a view or a walk on Instagram twice a week and pin the same photos to Pinterest.
  • Ask every guest who stays for a review and reply to each one.
  • Visit or write to cafes, activity providers and the tourism office with a short note and photos.
  • Publish the midweek and last minute page and the area guide for the coming season.
  • Email past guests with the open dates for the season ahead.

Month 3: Fill the gaps

  • Check which weeks and weekdays are still empty and prepare a message and a photo for each gap.
  • Run a small Facebook advert for those gaps to people within a few hours' drive, with a call button.
  • Give departing guests a card listing the places you suggest and how to rebook.
  • Update the website with photos taken in the new season.
  • Note which calls and messages came from which source, and spend more time on the one that brings most.

Content ideas

  1. A tour of the garden or deck, for guests who plan to spend their days outsideInstagram
  2. Dog friendly walks near the home, with the route on a mapWebsite
  3. A winter break page: fires, walks and what is open locallyWebsite
  4. Places to eat nearby, with a note on which suit children and dogsWebsite
  5. A packing list for a week away, from boots to board gamesPinterest
  6. A sample house guide, so guests see what they will receiveWebsite
  7. A letter to past guests on what has changed at the home this yearEmail
  8. Answering a review that names a feature of the home, such as the gardenGoogle Business Profile

Your budget

Facebook adverts35%

Small adverts for gaps in the calendar, shown to people within a few hours' drive and sent to a property page.

Photography30%

Seasonal photos of each home, taken in good light, covering every room and the view.

Website20%

The domain and the tools that keep the property pages and enquiry form working.

Printed cards15%

Welcome pack cards with the guest sign-up, the rebooking details and local recommendations.

The numbers to watch

Calls and messages a week

Count the calls from the Google Business Profile and the messages and forms from the website and social media.

Enquiries that became bookings

Note each enquiry in a simple list and mark the ones that turned into a stay.

Where each enquiry came from

Ask every caller how they found you and tally the answers each month.

Past guests who rebook

Count the guests who book a second stay and note whether an email, a message or a call prompted it.

Empty nights in the next two months

Count the open nights in the coming two months every Monday to see whether the gaps are closing.

How AI Web Maker runs this plan

Your website is where every channel sends people. On AI Web Maker it comes with the tools that do the work of this plan every week:

AI SEO Tool. Scores every page out of 100 and fixes each problem with a click, so your pages climb on Google for the searches in this plan.

AI Blog Writer. Writes and publishes articles about your business on a schedule, so new visitors keep finding you on Google.

AI Social Media Marketer. Writes and posts to Facebook, Instagram and more on a schedule, sending people to your site.

AI Chatbot. Answers your visitors day and night from your own information, and takes the details of people who want to talk.

Contacts and leads. Every sign-up, contact form and chat lead lands in one place, so no customer slips away.

AI Marketing Outreach. Finds businesses that need what you offer and drafts a personal email to each, sent from your own domain.

After the plan

Every plan starts with your website

Google, your Business Profile and every post send people to your website. AI Web Maker builds one for your vacation rental in minutes, with the pages this plan asks for, ready to preview.

Make my plan first Build my website →

Free to build and preview · $119 a year hosting when you go live · domain not included

Questions

Marketing a vacation rental: questions and answers

How can a holiday let get more direct enquiries?

Make your own website easy to enquire from, with a phone number, a message link and a form on every property page. Keep your Google Business Profile up to date with photos and answers to common questions. Ask past guests to recommend you and to leave a review.

Do I still need listing platforms if I want direct bookings?

Many owners use listing platforms for reach and build their own website beside them, so guests can book direct next time. Put your own contact details on a card in the home, where the platform's rules allow. Over time, past guests and recommendations should bring you more direct enquiries.

How much marketing does a vacation rental need in the off-season?

Less often but more targeted, with a focus on autumn and winter breaks, midweek stays and long weekends. Email past guests, refresh your photos and post a few seasonal updates. Quiet months are also a good time to improve your website and collect reviews.

Are paid adverts worth it for a vacation rental?

A small advert can help with a particular gap, such as autumn midweek dates, aimed at people who live within a few hours' drive. Send it to the property page with a call or message button. Check how many calls and messages it brought before you run it again.

Marketing plan samples for other industries