Importance of Quality Vacation Rentals Photos on Booking Rate

The importance of quality vacation rentals photos on booking rate cannot be overemphasized. Vacation rental is fast gaining acceptance among travelers and most, if not all, book their accommodations online. There are several factors that are considered when reserving a vacation home online. Among them are the vacation rentals photos, the description, the listing title and the online reviews.

Even though all these factors are equally important, your vacation rental photos is a big determinant to the number of bookings you get. As we proceed, we shall talk about how to take professional photos for vacation rentals.

Why do you need quality photos for your vacation home listing?

Your vacation rentals photos are the first images a prospective guest will use to determine if to choose or not to choose your property. This could be as little more than the beds and beddings. If you make sure that you display the best features your property has to offer in images with no blemishes on any of the surfaces, then after viewing these pictures they would definitely book yours!

How to take professional photos for vacation rentals

Tidy up before the photoshoot

Tidy up before you take the photos. If you have a photo with litters all over, your guests can definitely choose not to respect your property by not cleaning up after themselves. After all, the owner litters the house too. 

How to prep your vacation home for photoshoot

1. Get rid of food on tables or rough beddings!
2. When we say clean up, make sure that your personal business items are kept out for privacy reasons because they will be photographed every time there is activity around those things.
3. Remember the clutters: leave some space behind where books and magazines would normally sit.
4. Empty out the trash bin.
5. Arrange the utensils properly without leaving a dirty dish lying around. (Also important to keep in mind any household waste can become litter).

Use professional camera

When listing your vacation rentals, it is very important to upload cleanly taken recent photos. The key is getting an above average digital cameras without cropping corners too much so you don’t lose any detail when shooting some features.

Avoid using blurry photos or bad quality pictures that look like they have been overly edited in Photoshop (or other editing software). Use a properly functioning camera with good ISO capabilities and importantly at great angles. 

Image quality with better lighting

Many people would prefer better lighting than sharpness but you should take as many shots as you can, so you have a lot of options to choose from. The photos you upload has to be the closest to matching the description of your property! You will need the full resolution picture for all parts of the property including every bed/room as well! And always make sure everything looks professional before posting images.

Show Important Areas of the Property

We advise that you upload images that at least show sleeping arrangement, balcony (if any), garden or free parking, the living room, laundry room, and of course most importantly the kitchen/kitchenette (whichever applies to your property) among others. This helps give potential guest an idea of where they can go from here with their reservation! In this case as for all other pictures please include: the exterior image, special features like elevator, gym, the views from the windows, bathroom with the basic toiletries included in the package, your swimming pool views will definitely attract pool lovers.

Update your photos seasonally using the holiday theme

In as much as photos gets you bookings, it is important to regularly update them to portray the present condition of the property. It also pays to decorate your holiday home to actually portray the important holidays. Vacation rentals photos taken with Christmas decors awaken the spirit of the holiday in your prospective guests to make an early booking. The same should apply to holidays like Valentine’s day, Easter, Mashujaa day among others.

Identify paid amenities shown in the Photos

Finally, if your photos show some amenities that are not offered for free, you have to point them out in your description as additional services at a fee. This will avoid misleading or making the guest feel trapped with non-existing or expensive enticements. If possible please use an image of what’s on offer but try to always avoid images with promotional titles such “free” – this is usually unnecessary anyway, since the visitor will read the description. It is much easier to write: “There are no WiFi access points and we only provide one water filtration system” in the description area than on the image.

For instance, if you have uploaded a photo of the gym, the spa and sauna facilities, and none of these has free access, please state it clearly in the description with sentences like: “The property features a well equipped gym for paid members only. Entrance fee to be paid at the entrance of the gym for non-members”.

Seek the service of a profession photographer

Now, it is time to get your photoshoots started, should these vacation rentals photography tips be too much of a work for you, hire a professional photographer. If you need assistance with this, we surely are happy to help at a token.

Summary

Your knowledge of vacation rental photography is quite important. The number and quality of the vacation rentals photos on your listings show how professional you are and it builds trust even before your guest meets you. Your vacation home can be great with lots of amenities to boast of but if these features are not displayed in your photos, prospective guests will keep skipping your listing.

Remember that the success of your vacation rental lies in the photos. Take professional photos, show all the amenities your property has to offer. Upload and update as many photos as you can regularly to sit the preference of your guests.

You might also like to read 10 useful tips to increase booking.