If you manage a vacation rental property, you know how important reviews are to draw guests in.

The key to getting good reviews is to offer as good of a guest experience as possible, but how do you do that?

Knowing how to cater to your guests' experience may seem convoluted, but there are certain steps you can take to help make sure your guests are happy and leave good reviews.

Here's a quick guide on what rental property management steps you can take to improve the experience of your guests and draw more in.

Welcoming Guests

First impressions are highly important.

Make sure your rental property is absolutely spotless and that the key handover is as easy as possible for your guests. You should also make sure your guests have the important information they need, like check-in instructions, through an email, welcome book, or both.

You may want to consider providing a small welcoming gift that may appeal to your target guest. For example, if your property is pet-friendly, provide a small bag of treats and toys.

Little touches like this will help personalize the experience for your guests and help them feel important and cared for, improving their experience and increasing the likelihood of them leaving a good review.

Knowing Your Guest Type

Different types of guests will have different needs. It's important to make sure the experience you are offering caters to your target guest.

If you are trying to attract families, add an area where children can hang out and watch a movie. You should also make sure you have the option for extra bedding and suggestions for family-friendly activities in the area.

If, instead you want to cater to those on business, you should include an office area and a stable internet connection.

Being There For Your Guests

To make sure your guests have an enjoyable experience, it is important to respond quickly.

There are few ways to sour a guest's vacation more than not responding when they reach out to you because of an emergency. Even if they only contact you for a small reason, if you stay silent, that may become the main focus of their review.

That being said, you do not want to overwhelm and annoy your guests with emails either.

Ask Guests to Review Your Property

This is simple but important. If you don't ask, you're much less likely to get a review, as very few guests will submit a review if they are not prompted to.

Timing is important. If you ask too early, they may forget to leave a review, and if you ask too late, they are going to remember fewer details about the property. It's best to ask one or two days after your guests have left, as the hectic traveling phase is more likely to be over.

Automating Review Requests

It can be difficult to remember to send a review request at the right time, especially if you're managing multiple vacation rental properties.

By automating review requests, you can ensure your guests will be reminded at the right time, increasing the number of reviews you will get. Automating as many rental property management tasks as possible will make it easier to streamline your business and focus on providing a great guest experience.

It is best to use software tools that will send messages with dynamic content, like the guest's name, so the request feels more personalized and less robotic.