Holiday Rentals on the Rise

26 Mar 2012 - Staff Reporter from http://www.rebonline.com.au

More agents are listing on holiday rental site Stayz.com than ever before.

“Over the last year we saw a 56 per cent increase on agent property listings…They now represent around 40 per cent of all listings,” general manager of the travel marketplaces division at Fairfax Digital Anton Stanish told Real Estate Business.

Stayz boasts 760,000 unique visitors every month and with over half a million subscribers to their weekly newsletter, Mr Stanish agrees it gives great exposure to listings.

“We had around 2.7 million enquires in 2011…and in the end of the day that’s all matters.”

The online review system allows vacationers to rate their stay and recommend it to others looking at spending their holiday at the same location.

"It’s like an online guestbook,” Mr Stanish said. 

“The guest’s feedback goes directly to the owner or property manager, and they’re given an opportunity to respond to that feedback. So if any issues arise, they can be resolved before it’s published.”

According to Mr Stanish, 33,000 listings for holiday rentals show that the Stayz website is a fast-growing tool that all agents should look into.

“We work with owners and agents to provide a simple way to market holiday rentals to a large audience,” he said.