Why It Pays To Name Your Vacation Rental Property – and How To Do It

What’s in a name?

Well, contrary to what Shakespeare’s star crossed lovers might think – quite a lot actually!

We spend hours debating names for businesses, people, pets, places… you name it. And rightly so. Names give us a sense of unique identity, a connection with history, community and transmit vital information.

Holiday home names provide guests with a crucial insight into your property’s key features and personality. Especially in high density areas, an eye-catching name sets your property apart from the crowd, increases direct bookings and helps people remember your holiday home.

If you’re struggling naming your vacation rental, you’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we’ll explore the importance of property names and how they can generate direct bookings – as well as some key tips for choosing your perfect holiday home name.

Why have a property name?

Vacation home names provide your property with its own identity, helping it stand out from hundreds of other listings.

Try scanning through listings in a popular destination (say Ibiza) and you’ll soon see why a memorable and original name is essential. It’s all about appealing to potential guests the instant they glance across your listing – encouraging them to click through and learn more.

If you’re still unsure, here’s six reasons why you need a great name for your holiday home…

1. Stand out from the crowd

If there’s a lot of rentals in your area (especially offering relatively similar amenities) – how do you stand out from the crowd?

Choose a unique name.

Instead of a seaside escape on “12 North Street” – what about Cliffside Cottage, Serenity by the Sea, going “punny” with Snuggler’s Den or the alliterative Anchors Away?

2. Evoke emotions

People book holidays to spend precious time with loved ones, enjoy a much-needed rest or a bit of adventure. So appeal to their emotions.

Consider your ideal guest and what might draw them in. For instance, would they prefer some laid back Coastal Charm or a Party Palace? A few words say a lot.

3. Convey information

With hundreds of listings to choose from, you need to communicate your property’s key selling points as quickly as possible. Mountain View? Gorgeous Gardens? Beachside retreat?

Whether you own a vast villa or cosy cottage – ensure guests understand your offering from the off.

4. Build your brand

Brilliant branding isn’t just a marketing buzzword.

If you reference your property name in all your descriptions, this helps people recognise your holiday home across multiple online platforms – and your direct booking site will be easy to find and validate.

5. Seamless socials

A unique name for your property allows you to have a unique social media presence - an account set up as "@_a_villa_in_Dalyan is virtually anonymous. A memorable name makes it easier for people to find and verify your property online. As well as online listings, use your name consistently across social media accounts.

If people search for your property on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest – you’ll ensure they’re taken straight to your property (rather than a competitor!).

6. Be memorable

It’s much easier to remember a catchy name than a generic address. As well as encouraging repeat bookings, this also makes it easier for people to tell friends about your holiday home – and for those people to remember the name, too.

How to use vacation home names to get direct bookings

So, we’ve established why holiday home names are a must.

The next step is using your property name and some truly memorable marketing to increase direct bookings.

Here’s eight expert tips…

1. Don’t forget your URL

Featuring your vacation home name in your website URL is crucial. This will improve your rankings on google and ensure anyone searching for your property arrives at your website.

2. Titles and headings

Once you’ve come-up with a wonderfully memorable property name – update all your headings across all your online listings. This will build your brand, improve SEO and encourage visits to your direct booking site.

3. Update descriptions

It’s not just about your website URL and headings. Audit your property description and utilise your holiday home name within your text.

Take the idyllically named “Rosemary Cottage Buxton” for example. Instead of simply describing a “delightful terraced house, full of charm in the centre of Buxton”, use your property name throughout – i.e. “Rosemary Cottage Buxton: a delightful terraced house, full of charm in the centre of Buxton.”

4. Link your socials

When you’re creating or updating your social media accounts, use your vacation rental name as your page name.

This means your unique name appears in the URLs of all social media accounts – improving your searchability and brand recognition.

Take “Windsor Hills Retreat” as an example. What do you notice about their Instagram and Facebook accounts and URLs?

5. Hashtags

Hashtags are essentially a way of categorising social media posts. Originating on Twitter, they’re used across almost all social media platforms and help users research specific interests and build a sense of community.

You can use your unique property name as a hashtag, and encourage your renters to do this too, on their social media feeds, when they are staying in your rental. This helps spread your property's name, essentially building your brand and general awareness of your holiday home.

6. Email signatures

Use your holiday home name across all communications with guests, whether that’s in your email signature, letter-heads and stationery, or automated email campaigns. It all reminds potential guests of your property and its selling points.

7. Install signage

Build some beautiful signs that highlight your property name when guests check-in.

Install a sign above your front door or garden gate, or even just a framed card on your welcome table. This will be the first thing guests see when they walk through your door – letting them know their holiday has started.

8. Personalised items

Branding doesn’t stop with a single sign – where else could you reinforce your property’s unique identity? Be careful not to overdo it, but consider personalised items such as towels, guest books, mugs and even Wi-Fi passcodes…

How to choose your holiday home name

It’s now time to pick your perfect vacation home name.

So where to start?

As a rule of thumb, begin with what makes your specific location appealing or unique.

This could be local history at your “Historic Tudor Townhouse”, popular attractions at “DisneyLand Dream Villa” or nearby landscape, activities and landmarks – for instance “Stargazer’s Hideaway”, “Beachy Keen Bungalow”, “Rambler’s Retreat” or “Owl’s Nest Cottage”.

If you’re struggling, play around with combinations of the following elements:

• Local landmarks or wildlife
• Local culture and language
• Your type of building
• Your property’s history
• The street or neighbourhood’s history
• What you love about it
• Your name or a name important to you
• Features or decor of the property

Don’t be scared to incorporate what you personally feel about the property. If your name is too generic, people won’t remember it. Unique and ever-so-slightly quirky is fine!

On the other hand however, if your name is too personal, with in-jokes or tricky-to-spell words – people won’t be able to search for your property. As always, balance is key.

Test your new name with a broad group of friends and family, asking for genuine feedback on what appeals, and which names evoke the perfect image of your property.

Still feeling stuck? Join the Rentalsystems direct booking Facebook group and discuss your ideas with fellow vacation rental owners. It’s a unique and supportive community, allowing you to connect with other property owners and generate more direct bookings for your holiday home.