The season of carnival has various names and involves many customs depending on the region and country. Every year many people visit the carnival hotspots to escape the hustle and bustle for a few days. And usually they need a place to stay. What can you do as a host to ensure that your vacation rental is found and booked by this target group? Find out more in our blog post.
When exactly is Carnival?
The date of carnival is based on the Christian calendar and correlates with the fasting period, which begins on Ash Wednesday. So the precise date of carnival varies from year to year.
How to rent out your property during Carnival, Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday
Is your accommodation located in a carnival hotspot and you want to profit from the high demand during the “fifth season”? Follow these simple steps…
1. Booking portals
Make sure your vacation rental is advertised on all relevant booking sites. Which portals to use depends on your target group, your rental concept and of course your region. However, you will clearly reach the most people through the major portals such as Booking.com or Airbnb.
2. Optimize your website for carnival
You should also create your own host website. This way you are less dependent on booking portals, avoid commissions and have a platform where you can publish additional online content around your vacation rental.
Make sure to include relevant SEO keywords such as “carnival”, “Mardi Gras”, “Karneval”, “Fasching” etc. on your website. To do this, you could create a short paragraph or article about the traditions of carnival in your area. Add photos from previous years and link regional reports or related websites.
3. Promotions and extra services
Consider offering a special package for the carnival season. This could include promotions, maybe a collaboration with a costume rental company in your area?!
This way you can enhance your guests’ carnival experience by saving them some time and effort. And you can increase your own revenue through cross-selling and up-selling.
4. Digital guest guide
When will the parades start? Where is the coolest place to party? Which are the best restaurants for lunch? Share your personal recommendations with your guests. You can do this in person at check-in, but we recommend adding it also to your digital guest guide. Especially when you offer contactless online check-in. This allows your guests to access it from anywhere and find their way around during their stay.
Once your listings are optimized for the carnival season, it’s time to start promoting a bit. Share and like carnival posts about your city to make sure people become aware of your vacation rental. There might also be other opportunities in your region, such as dedicated websites or partnerships with magazines or tourism boards.
–> Tip: For ideas on Instagram posts for your vacation rental, check out our blog post.
6. Satisfied guests will come back
Stay in touch with former guests. Anyone who has booked your vacation rental for a carnival vacation will be happy to come back if they liked the place. This will help you gain regular guests who will stay with you regularly and are more likely to recommend you to others.
What do Carnival tourists expect?
Let’s face it. People who come to your city to celebrate Carnival are unlikely to spend much time in your accommodation. For guests who obviously like to party, it’s worth reminding them of your house rules. This will help you avoid unwanted parties in your vacation rental and prevent stress with the neighbors.
It is also important that the vacation rental is appropriately furnished and that your guests know how to reach the carnival parades etc. by public transport or walking.
Conclusion
If your vacation rental is located in a carnival stronghold, you should make sure to mention this in your listing. This will help you to attract an additional group of guests and improve your occupancy rate during the carnival period.
Make sure you include the dates of the parades etc. in your digital guest guide and share your house rules with your carnival guests as a precaution.
