Today’s vacationers have evolved way beyond your typical hotel room stays… Vacationers of today want to enjoy their trips in a place that feels like home but actually isn’t home. 

You would think that the luxuries of hotel stays like freshly made beds every day, breakfast bars, and room service are the things that vacationers look forward to the most. But on the contrary, the wants and expectations of travelers have shifted. 

Could it be a money-saving factor in the aspect that vacation rentals come with full kitchens, leaving less need to eat out? Or is it the family/close-knit dynamic that everyone can be in one location at the same time? It could be a combination of both, actually.

But the one thing that indeed does attract vacationers to rental properties is what they see online… In other words, interior design. 

Going on vacation and staying at home is the least enjoyable thing you can do, but to go on vacation and stay in a place that looks and feels like home, yet you’re on a vacation, is a totally different experience.

From the moment someone hops on a vacation rental site to check out properties, the initial thing they’re looking at is how the property looks, on the inside and outside. And ultimately, the look of the property is what makes or breaks a booking.

If you’re looking to get into vacation rental investments, be sure to follow these interior design tips to ensure your property earns more bookings.

Interior Design Tips to Earn More Bookings With Your Vacation Rental Property

Stay Consistent With Design Themes

In your design and overall decor of your rental, consistency is key. To have a victorian style living room and a coastal kitchen can come off as tacky and tasteless, and the last thing you need is to make potential guests look at your property and immediately feel overwhelmed.

To “wow” your potential guests from the moment they look at your property, impress them with one design theme. Maybe you visited Greece one year and fell completely in love with Santorini. If that’s the design theme you want, use that throughout your entire property.

Pull inspiration from the Santorini style themed penthouse you stayed in! And although your property may not be in Santorini, design styles from different countries in other countries are very whimsical and inspiring to guests… they absolutely love it and it will definitely earn you more bookings!

Manage Dirt and Clutter

According to vacayvisionary.com, a dirty and cluttered vacation rental is one of the biggest turn-offs of travelers, and it’s one of the biggest deadly sins you can make as a host. In your efforts to make your property as appealing to the eye as possible, you need to make cleaning your property between bookings your top priority.

Consider minimalism in your approach to clutter, and if you have the time and elbow grease to dedicate, clean the property yourself. If you opt to clean the property yourself, just be sure to invest in janitorial insurance… From dust to “junk,” this insurance will provide you and your rental business protection from unintentional mistakes, should a guest try to sue you for any environmental damages.

Go Easy on the Knick-Knacks

While you want to add personality to your rental with knick-knacks, you have to be able to realize when enough is enough. People are staying in your property for vacation, which also means they need space to put their things. 

Whether it’s on dressers or counters, give them the room and space to enjoy themselves and feel comfortable. This also speaks to managing clutter. Ideally, you’ll want to have a minimalistic approach with knick-knacks as well. But the small pieces of decor you do add, just make sure they’re consistent with the overall design theme.

Incorporate Vintage and Modern Furniture Pieces

The cool thing about this particular design tip is that it goes with any design theme. Mixing a little bit of old with a little bit of new is a design trend that’s here to stay. 

If you can, imagine the beauty of a vintage brass-cut glass table lamp sitting on an end table next to a leather sectional… It’s a unique beauty that your guests may not have in their own home but would definitely enjoy experiencing in their rental.

You, of course, would need to play around with your colors and layout to see which modern and vintage pieces work best together.

Don’t Forget About Mirrors and Wall Art

Ultimately, your vacation property walls are a blank canvas for you to express your creativity on. Mirrors are not only gorgeous but they also make rooms look brighter and feel bigger. Garage sales and thrift stores are great places to find antique mirrors. For wall art, you can basically go anywhere, but if you have a local art shop, purchase a few pieces from there as conversation starters for your guests. 

The goal is to give your guests an aesthetically wonderful experience staying in your property from the moment they see it online to the moment they hate to say goodbye. Just be sure to keep in mind that all your interior design efforts are for them and not for you… That’s how you’ll earn more bookings!