How to advertise a holiday property

If you are looking to advertise a holiday property successfully, the key is not just where you list your holiday home, but how you present it. Over the years, we’ve seen that owners who take a structured approach, combining strong advertising copy with the right listing platforms, consistently achieve better visibility, stronger enquiry rates and more bookings.

In this guide, I’ll bring together the most important points from our experience at Schofields on both creating a holiday rental advert and deciding where to advertise a holiday home. The aim is to help you understand how to position your property effectively in a crowded market and make informed decisions about your marketing strategy.

Why it matters where and how you advertise a holiday property

Every holiday let owner eventually faces the same challenge: how do you get your property in front of the right guests?

The reality is that there are many online platforms available, and each one attracts different types of travellers. That means there is no single “best” place to advertise a holiday property that works for everyone. Instead, performance depends on your property type, location, target audience and competition level.

Major listing sites such as Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com are widely used by travellers and can significantly increase your visibility. These platforms invest heavily in marketing and often dominate search results for holiday accommodation queries, which can help you gain exposure quickly.

As we’ve seen in the market, listing sites can generate large volumes of traffic and bookings because of their global reach and strong brand recognition. However, the best results usually come from a combination of platforms rather than relying on a single source.

At the same time, your own holiday rental advert—on your direct website or standalone listing—plays a crucial role in converting interest into bookings. That’s why understanding both advertising strategy and advert creation is essential when you advertise a holiday property.

Choosing where to advertise a holiday home

When deciding where to advertise a holiday property, the key is to think like your potential guest. Start by considering how people search for accommodation in your area. Most guests begin their search on search engines or well-known booking platforms, so your property needs to appear where they are already looking.

Major platforms such as Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com are widely used for their reach and visibility. Many holiday let owners find that listing on multiple platforms helps increase exposure and capture different types of travellers.

A useful approach is to test where your competitors are appearing. Search for terms related to your location and property type, and note which platforms consistently appear on the first page of search results. These are usually strong candidates for advertising your own property.

It’s also worth considering niche platforms. While they may attract fewer visitors overall, they can deliver higher conversion rates by targeting specific audiences. These might include pet-friendly travellers, luxury seekers, or guests looking for unique accommodation styles.

In addition, country-specific or specialist listing sites can help you reach international audiences or niche markets that mainstream platforms might not fully capture.

Should you advertise on multiple platforms?

In most cases, yes, especially when you are starting out.

Listing your holiday property on several platforms increases the chances of being seen by potential guests. However, managing multiple listings manually can become time-consuming, particularly when it comes to updating availability calendars and responding to enquiries.

This is why many owners use channel managers. These tools allow you to update your listings in one place and automatically synchronise information across multiple platforms, reducing the risk of double bookings and saving time.

Over time, most owners find that a small number of platforms generate the majority of their bookings. This often follows a pattern where one or two major sites, combined with direct bookings, become the core sources of income.

The key is to regularly review performance and focus your efforts on the platforms that deliver the best results.

Paid vs free advertising options

A common question when advertising a holiday property is whether free listing sites are worth using.

While free platforms may seem attractive, they often require a significant time investment to maintain. You still need to keep calendars updated, respond to enquiries and manage listings, even if they are not generating bookings.

For many owners, paid platforms or commission-based listing sites provide better value because they attract more targeted traffic and reduce manual effort.

The general principle is simple: your time has value. If a platform is not generating meaningful enquiries or bookings, it may not be worth maintaining.

Instead, it is often more effective to focus on improving your strongest-performing listings and ensuring your advert is as compelling as possible.

How to create an effective holiday rental advert

Once you’ve decided where to advertise, the next step is ensuring your holiday rental advert is optimised to convert interest into bookings.

A strong advert does far more than list features, it helps potential guests imagine their stay. This emotional connection is often what leads to bookings.

Focus on the guest experience

Rather than simply describing rooms and amenities, think about how guests will experience your property. For example, instead of just listing a fireplace or hot tub, describe how guests might enjoy them during their stay.

Helping guests visualise moments, like relaxing after a day exploring the local area—can significantly increase engagement.

Include clear property details

At the same time, your advert must provide practical information. Guests need to understand:

• Sleeping arrangements

• Layout of the property

• Key amenities

• Location and nearby attractions

Clarity is important. A guest should be able to quickly determine whether your property meets their needs.

Use high-quality photography

Photography is one of the most important elements of your holiday rental advert.

Strong images help create first impressions and can heavily influence whether a guest clicks through or continues searching elsewhere.

Make sure your images are:

• Bright and well-lit

• High resolution

• Representative of the property

• Showcasing key spaces and features

Your main image, in particular, plays a crucial role in attracting attention.

Compare your advert to competitors

A useful exercise is to view your listing as if you were a guest. Compare it to similar properties in your area and ask yourself whether yours stands out.

This helps identify gaps in your advert and areas where improvements could be made.

Building trust through your advert

Trust is a major factor in whether a guest books your property.

One of the most effective ways to build trust is through reviews. Guest feedback provides reassurance and helps potential visitors feel confident in their decision.

Encouraging past guests to leave reviews can significantly improve the performance of your advert.

Your response time and communication style also matter. Quick replies and clear information help improve guest confidence and can positively influence booking decisions.

Over time, strong reviews and consistent communication help build your reputation across platforms.

Optimising your advert for better performance

Once your holiday rental advert is live, it should not be left unchanged. Continuous improvement is essential.

There are several ways to optimise performance:

• Update descriptions to reflect guest feedback

• Improve images over time

• Adjust pricing based on demand

• Refine your wording to better match guest searches

A well-optimised advert is more likely to rank higher on listing platforms and attract more bookings.

Strong communication, fast responses and positive guest feedback all contribute to better visibility.

Building a strong brand when you advertise a holiday property

Branding plays an important role in how guests perceive your holiday let.

A strong brand helps your property stand out and makes it more memorable. Over time, this can lead to repeat bookings and word-of-mouth recommendations.

Key branding elements include:

• Your property name

• Visual style (colours, imagery)

• Tone of voice in your descriptions

• Overall guest experience expectations

While branding takes time to develop, consistency across your advert and platforms helps build recognition and trust.

Common mistakes when advertising a holiday property

When helping owners improve their holiday rental adverts, I often see the same issues come up repeatedly.

Weak or uninspiring descriptions

A common mistake is focusing only on features rather than experience. Guests are not just booking a place to stay—they are booking a holiday.

Poor photography

Low-quality images can significantly reduce engagement, even if the property itself is excellent.

Lack of clarity

If guests cannot quickly understand what the property offers, they are likely to move on to another listing.

Inconsistent or incomplete listings

Missing information or outdated details can reduce trust and lead to missed bookings.

Over-reliance on a single platform

Relying on just one listing site can be risky. If visibility changes or competition increases, bookings may drop unexpectedly.

A diversified approach to advertising helps reduce this risk.

Final thoughts on how to advertise holiday property effectively

Successfully advertising a holiday property is not about choosing one perfect platform. It’s about combining the right advertising channels with a strong, well-optimised holiday rental advert.

In practice, this means:

• Choosing platforms based on your audience and testing performance

• Creating a clear, engaging and visually strong advert

• Continuously improving your listing based on performance data and guest feedback

• Building trust through reviews and communication

At Schofields, our experience shows that owners who take a proactive and structured approach to advertising consistently achieve better results than those who rely on a single listing or a static advert.

Ultimately, if you want to advertise holiday property successfully, focus on both visibility and presentation. When these two elements work together, you significantly increase your chances of attracting more bookings and building a sustainable holiday letting business.

Specialist Holiday Home Insurance

Once you're ready to advertise your holiday home, you may want to consider specialist holiday home insurance through Schofields. With flexible, tailored cover designed for holiday home owners, we can help make sure you're financially protected. Get a quote online today.