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Work From Home Rentals: 7 Tips for Hosting Remote Workers
What started out as a Coronavirus safety protocol has very quickly changed the way that we think about traditional work arrangements. Earlier this year, Upwork 1 released a report showing that 40.7 million American professionals will be fully remote in the next five years, which is 22.9% more than what was expected pre-pandemic.
This presents a vital opportunity for work from home rentals and the hospitality industry as a whole. Now that remote workers have settled into their routines, many are overcome with an eagerness to take advantage of their flexible lifestyles. Whether that means exploring new parts of the world through workations or simply taking extended holidays close to home, people want a change of scenery and they want it now.
As a property manager or owner, there’s a lot of things that you can do to attract remote or virtual workers. We’ve put together 7 invaluable tips, backed by market figures that we gathered from leading database companies, that will help you maximize your vacation rental income and grow your business.
What are work-from-home rentals?
Work-from-home rentals are properties that are equipped with workplace essentials such as Wi-Fi and office desks. They can range from houses and apartments to shared living spaces—all as long as they provide an environment from which guests can productively work.
You may have also heard of the terms flexible rental homes and mid-term rentals. Because remote workers can travel while still doing their job, they tend to book accommodation for longer periods of time.
This way, they can spend a month living near family members that they haven’t seen in over a year or disconnect from the same home office that they have seen every day since the pandemic. A survey by Airbnb shows that guests choose long-term stays so that they can “escape their daily routines, be closer to loved ones, nature, or outdoor activities, enjoy access to different amenities, have more space, or save money staying somewhere with a lower cost of living.”
Why should you host remote workers in your vacation rentals?
Hosting WFH renters is an opportunity to increase vacation rental occupancy and maximize income , even during the low season.
According to Booking.com, property managers and owners should strive to make their rentals work-friendly because business travelers are 57% less likely to cancel bookings than leisure travelers and 19% more likely to check in on weekdays.
In fact, remote work vacation rentals have become so popular that Booking.com started a Work-Friendly Programme in which properties equipped with the required business amenities were able to receive a special badge.
In 2020, Airbnb found that 60% of longer-term guests were working or studying during their stays. Longer stays equal less guest turnover, which ultimately helps you save on cleaning and maintenance costs.
Tima Miroshnichenko from Pexels
How to attract remote workers to your vacation rentals
The best way to attract remote workers to your vacation rental is by understanding their needs and efficiently checking off those boxes.
Back in 2020, a report by McKinsey & Company found that the finance, management, professional service, and information sectors had the highest potential for remote work. With this piece of information alone, not only can you narrow down your target audience but you can also make strategic changes to your remote work rentals to appeal to this specific demographic.
That said, without further ado, let’s dive right into the 7 best ways to attract remote workers to your vacation rental!
1. Upgrade your rentals to make them remote-work friendly
Nothing will shoo away work-from-home guests faster than a weak Wi-Fi signal or connectivity issues. To save your visitors from the agony of trying to decrypt the broken-up sentences of their colleagues over a Zoom call, invest more time and money into good Wi-Fi by asking for high-speed Internet plans from companies likeAT&T and Xfinity.
Be sure to check that there is a Wi-Fi signal throughout the rental property. You can do this by buying long-range routers. For remote workers that are traveling with kids, having the flexibility to roam around the property and still get work done is a huge plus.
Up next are your workspace features. The main things you’ll need are:
- A quiet space or room with natural light (you can offer multiple workspaces within the property but make sure that you have at least one that’s quiet enough to take calls in)
- A sturdy desk
- A high-quality office chair
- Charging stations
If your rental property has a garden, consider setting up an outdoor space for working. This is a great addition to any remote work rental and can be a real game-changer for people who want to switch up their day-to-day routine and get some fresh air.
To go the extra mile, provide a welcome basket with complimentary office supplies such as pens, pencils, highlighters, and notepads. Print your logo on said items and rest easy knowing that you’ve left a lasting impression on your visitors!
2. Tailor your property listings to remote workers
If you don’t showcase your WFH-friendly amenities in your listings, you’re missing out on a lot of potential clients.
Not only is it crucial to update your property’s descriptions to highlight the previously mentioned office equipment, but you should also showcase leisure amenities like pools, hot tubs, fireplaces, smart TVs, tennis courts, and gyms.
Did you invest in a top-notch ergonomic chair or install lights in the pool so that guests can have a quick swim after work? Humans are visual creatures so take professional pictures to make sure that nothing goes unseen!
To avoid confusion or negative reviews down the line, clearly state how many people can work remotely from your vacation rental and whether the space is suitable for making video calls. The more specific you are now, the fewer problems you will have to deal with in the future.
3. Advertise your listings on various platforms
While Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com all make it easy for guests to find and book extended stays, you’ll be able to increase your exposure to remote workers even more if you expand to specialized platforms.
Consider options like Furnished Finder, Zillow, Hotpads, and Facebook groups (like this one for travel nurses and medical professionals) to target people who are working remotely or looking for accommodation for extended stays.
4. Provide discounts on longer stays
Offering discounts for long-term stays is a quick and easy way to attract remote workers. On OTAs like Airbnb, you can set up weekly and monthly discounts to stand out from competitors.
Seeing as extended stays result in fewer guest turnover fees, you’ll actually be saving money even with promotions in place! Plus, your guests will be more likely to re-book your property in the future or pass the word on to friends if they have been rewarded with a discount.
5. Adapt your guest communication to work from home guests
Guest communication and text messaging for vacation rentals are always crucial, but they’re especially important when it comes to remote workers. Because this type of guest tends to stay for longer periods of time, they’re more likely to have questions throughout their visit.
To make your clients as comfortable as possible, you can provide a digital guidebook with essential information like arrival times, check-in and checkout instructions , house rules , and local recommendations . The more questions that you can answer ahead of time, the better your guest experience will be and the more time you will have to focus on other tasks.
Fortunately, there are guest communication tools for vacation rentals like RueBaRue that can help you do all of these things. To show you how effortless the process is, here’s how to set up RueBaRue’s message templates in just a few minutes:
- Log in to your RueBaRue account
- On the dashboard, click on Automate and then Message Templates
- Click Add a message template
- Fill in the template name, subject, folder, and message
- Click Save
- Now, when scheduling a message to remote workers, simply click on the template that you just created!
Preview of RueBaRue’s Scheduler
Another useful tip is to expand your house rules and provide extra information to keep your property in good condition. This can include taking out the trash every week, leaving dirty towels and bed linen in a basket for laundry service, or watering indoor plants every other week.
You can add a special touch by leaving thank you notes for vacation rental guests and letting them know that you appreciate their cooperation and efforts!
6. Think about who remote workers will be traveling with
What many vacation rental homeowners and property managers forget is that the people traveling with their target audience are just as important as their target audience itself.
Let’s take a look at an example: According to Statista, the majority of remote workers in the U.S. are between 25 and 44 years old.
As this tends to be an age group with more financial stability, most people between 25 and 44 years old usually have at least one of the following: a pet, a partner, or a child. That said, there’s a high chance that your WFH visitors will be traveling with either a furry or human friend.
Include the following amenities to make your vacation rental property kid-friendly:
- Changing tables
- A crib
- A high chair
- Bibs
- Children’s books, movies, and indoor games
- Outdoor games and gear
- A pool safety cover
For a more pet-friendly property, you can provide feeding bowls, toys, and treats.
7. Partner up with local businesses
Remote workers are looking for a healthy work-life balance. However, after a hard workday, most people aren’t too keen to spend their free time researching things to do.
As a property manager, you can easily enhance the time that your guests spend away from their screens by recommending a variety of activities upfront. Partner up with local businesses and offer discounts for interactive experiences. These can include:
- Guided trails
- Cooking classes
- City tours
- Wine tastings
- Spas
- Golf
The list of activities is endless—find out what’s popular in your city and start making connections!
Conclusion
Now that you know what remote workers expect from WFH vacation rentals, you can start making changes to your business today.
Whether you’re making adjustments to your office space or getting more active on alternative platforms, the most important thing to remember is that remote workers are a valuable target market to consider in your business strategy. Focus on creating a balance between leisure and business and you’ll be on the right track in no time!
FAQs about work from home rentals
Who are remote workers?
A remote worker is anyone who is able to do their job without having to commute to a central office. Most people who have this working arrangement either work from home, a co-working space or different accommodation while traveling.
Remote work may also be referred to as telecommuting, mobile work, or working from home (WFH).
What is a workation?
Workation stands for ‘work’ and ‘vacation’. The term essentially describes an out-of-office holiday in which you mix leisure and business. Most people who take workations are able to work remotely from anywhere in the world, making it easier to set up their offices wherever they go.
Is there a difference between remote work and a workcation?
Remote work refers to a working style in which individuals don’t have to commute to a traditional office environment every day. Because of this, remote workers are often able to take workations.
What are the benefits of hosting remote workers?
The main benefits of hosting remote workers include increasing your occupancy rate, maximizing income, and reducing your cleaning and maintenance costs.
What’s the best way to market remote work rentals?
The best way to market remote work rentals is to update your listings on online travel agencies like Airbnb, Booking.com, and Vrbo. You should also keep your vacation rental website up-to-date to ensure that potential clients are aware of the amenities and features that are included in the property.
1 Upwork, 2021. Future Workforce Report 2021: How Remote Work is Changing Businesses Forever. [online] Available at:
