Maui Vacation Rental - Marketing strategy during gaps...

[Justin Brophy]

My wife and I recently purchased a condo in Maui (5 minutes north of Ka’anapali).  The history of the unit/complex shows very good repeat renters, families, etc.  My wife has an amazing eye in regards to interior design (Her day job).  We will be making some changes to the unit to make it even more attractive to vacation renters.  My question is:  Does anyone have suggestions in regards to filling those gaps (3 - 4 nights) in between rentals?  The property management on site allows booking through their website directly, we have transferred the VRBO to us from the previous owners, and I am using my personal facebook account, and craigslist to get the word out.  My goal is to fill those gaps in between rentals.  I am wondering if there are any other owners out there with any suggestions which have worked for them?  Any other good methods, facebook groups, etc.?  Any help would be much appreciated.  Thank you in advance. 

[Mike V.]

@Justin Brophy, congrats on the new condo!  I own several on kauai and absolutely love it!  I've found that facebook, craigslist, etc is pretty ineffective at filling these weird gaps as the odds of finding the right group that needs it for that time is slim to none.  I've ended up discounting those gaps on a sliding scale. 

If the gap is within 30 days i'm ultra aggressive with discounts to fill it.  Typically 25% off 
 If the gap is within 30-45 days, I'll go 10-15% off  

Outside 45 days I keep it around 5% off.  

My calendars stay VERY full using this approach.  (Avg 92% occupancy).  I'm also pretty liberal with pricing.  I'd rather give it to someone for a decent discount that have it sit empty.  

One thing to make sure is to manually set your minimum nights to allow the shorter reservations for that window.  You should set a minimum of at least 5 nights as a general rule.

How were you able to take over the old VRBO account?  Unless it's their only rental and they give you their login, it's my understanding that VRBO will not separate a listing and transfer to a new account.  Very curious if this changed.