Naming your vacation rental is the first and simplest step in building a brand for your property. It is also something where owners can have a little fun!
Should you Name your Vacation Rental?
Yes you absolutely should! Your vacation rental is more than just a home. It is also a brand.
Referring to your property online as “2 Bed/2 Bath Beachfront Condo” is boring and none of your guests will remember “1234 XYZ Avenue.”
Fortune 500 companies spend countless hours and millions of dollars on naming. You don’t have to go to that extreme with your vacation rental, but naming your property is something that deserves a bit of your time.
Define Your Property
Your guests should be able to identify the main selling points of your vacation rental simply from reading the name. A tranquil beach cottage would have a different type of name than a city apartment, for example. Make sure you are consistent in the message that you are trying to portray to your guests.
Give your Vacation Rental a Unique Name
You should avoid names that are already in use by one or more of your competitors. I would bet there are at least a dozen vacation rentals in my market with the name “Island Time.” We are on an island so it is a good name in theory, but it is so overused that the name does nothing to differentiate your vacation rental.
Additionally you should avoid naming your vacation rental something so similar to a competitor that it might confuse your customers. Many vacation rentals in our area incorporate the word “sand” or “sandy” into their property name. Your renters could easily confuse your “Sandy Cay” for your neighbor’s “Sandy Key”. This can lead to frustration on the part of your guest before their trip if they can’t remember where they are staying. Even worse they might stay at your neighbor’s house next time thinking it is yours!
Have a Strategy for your Target Renter
Think about what the main selling points are for your home. Essentially why would your target renter want to rent your vacation rental? Once you have done this, find a way to incorporate this somehow into your vacation rental name.
If you are like me and not a creative type person, there is a wealth of information online to help you pick a name.
Think of SEO
It will be difficult to rank high with search engines using a generic nickname. It might be a good idea to conduct some keyword to see if there are any relevant search terms that you can incorporate into naming your vacation rental. This could be especially fruitful if you plan to incorporate something about your property location into your brand name.
You should also research relevant available website domain names that can pair with your vacation rental name (your domain name doesn’t have to be exactly the same as your brand name).
The Best Names are Simple and Catchy
Ideally your vacation rental name should be no more than 2 – 3 words long. Avoid using overly long or complicated names. Make your name short and catchy so that your guests will have no issues remembering it and booking with you again in the future.
Also make sure your name is easy to read and pronounce. Avoid using acronyms or peculiar or obscure words in your vacation rental name. Your name should clearly and concisely describe your property to someone that has never been inside it.
