How to Leverage Local Restaurants to Market Your Vacation Rentals

Learn how to market your vacation rentals with local restaurants. Collaborate with restaurant owners, create a local network of partners, and increase bookings.

Short-term rental guests have too many decisions to make when planning their holidays. From the rental property and amenities to the surrounding area and dining options, they have a lot on their plate. With so many possibilities, it's no wonder guests opt for personalized and immersive stays.

Gone are the days when a place to crash for the night was enough. In 2024, travelers choose vacation rentals that allow them to engage with the local culture, make meaningful connections, and discover off-the-beaten-path gems.

By collaborating with local restaurants, hosts can efficiently market their vacation rental properties and unlock various benefits for them and the local economy. In this guide, we'll share the most important perks of restaurant collaborations and the steps to make them possible.

What is Cross-promotion?

Cross-promotion is a marketing strategy where two or more businesses combine strengths to advertise to each other's audiences.

For example, as a property owner, you can collaborate with local restaurants and recommend them to guests upon arrival. At the same time, your restaurant partners can promote your rental property to their customers to entice them to book with you.

This is a win-win situation where both parties benefit from each other. They combine their resources and generate marketing exposure without additional costs.

How to market vacation rental with local restaurants

Why Should You Partner With Local Restaurants for Your Vacation Rental Business?

Here are the most important benefits of partnering with local restaurants:

1. Invest in a Low-risk Strategy

Contrary to paid advertising on Google and social media platforms, cross-promotion through word of mouth doesn't cost a dime and can bring high rewards for both parties.

2. Boost Your Brand's Exposure

Generate free visibility for your vacation rental business and attract guests from the local community. Enhance your reputation and build credibility with visitors.

3. Broaden Your Customer Base

Although hosting guests worldwide is exciting, don't neglect the local community. Staycation is a trend here to stay, and through cross-promotion, you can attract new tenants from your city.

How to market vacation rental with local restaurants

4. Enhance Guests' Experience

Guests are thirsty for authentic experiences and personalized recommendations beyond sightseeing. By partnering with restaurants in your area, you allow them to immerse themselves in local cuisine, ensuring a stress-free and memorable stay.

5. Support the Local Economy

Through the success of your rental property, you can create more opportunities for others. Collaborating with local eateries can encourage tourists to spend money locally, supporting sustainable tourism and forging a sense of community among vendors.

6. Gain a Competitive Advantage

In the competitive vacation rental industry, few property managers offer a 360 experience for guests. As a host, leveraging local dining options as exclusive services for visitors can add that "wow" factor that makes you stand out from other vacation rentals.

7. Get Support From a Network of Local Allies

Running a short-term rental business can get lonely. However, with local restaurants' support, you can build meaningful connections that turn into long-term partnerships. By nurturing these bonds, you'll have a referral network that generates a steady income for your rental listings.

How to market vacation rental with local restaurants

How to Leverage Local Restaurants to Boost Your Rental Listings

1. Create a List of Local Eateries

Embarking on a vacation doesn't mean taking on a research project. Guests already have a lot on their plate during their trip. Looking for nearby restaurants only wastes their precious time and requires too much effort when they should be relaxing.

Having a ready-to-use list of local eateries you vouch for will save them time, and they'll appreciate the input of a local. While establishing a jacuzzi or hot tab might be tricky, a list of five-star restaurants in your neighborhood is an easy-to-offer amenity that'll reflect in guest reviews.

2. Highlight Unique Dining Experiences

If guests wanted a typical dining experience, they'd stay at home. When compiling your restaurant list, highlight international cuisines and exciting culinary adventures. If your rental property addresses specific niches, offer options that'll appeal to those niches.

For instance, if your vacation home is all about sustainable tourism, suggest restaurants that eliminate food waste. On the other hand, if you have a beach house, recommend dining options on the seafront, as guests will spend most of their time there.

How to market vacation rental with restaurants

3. Create Partnerships

The next step is getting in touch with your selected restaurants. Reach out and offer cross-promotional collaborations. Ask if they can offer guests printed menus or special discounts and suggest adding their logo to your direct-booking website.

At the same time, offer your marketing material, such as a QR code, affiliate links to your rental listings, or printed leaflets you can leave in their restaurant. Explain how this will benefit both parties, with prospective renters supporting both businesses.

4. Leverage Social Media and Email Marketing

Social media and email marketing are free tools to promote partnerships with local restaurants and generate exposure. For example, you can leverage your vacation rental's Facebook page to promote special events and dining deals or share photos of your favorite eateries in the area.

On the other hand, restaurants can promote your rental property on their social media to encourage their customers to book with you. Especially if there's a music festival or dining event in the area, visitors will be looking for a place to stay, and local eateries can recommend your place as a trusted host.

How to market vacation rental with local restaurants

Boost Direct Bookings With Restaurant Collaborations

Whether you're a new property owner or a seasoned pro, use the power of cross-promotion with restaurant collaborations. This is a fruitful and affordable way to build trust with staycationers and create a supporting network of local vendors.

Especially if you want to increase traffic to your book-direct website, these partnerships can help you secure more bookings without paying hefty commissions to online travel agencies like Airbnb.

Don't have a website for direct bookings yet? At Houfy, we give you the tools to create yours and take your vacation rental brand into your own hands. Get started today!