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French Connections
Special Offers to Promote your Property

Special offers and promotions are a quick and easy way to get your holiday rental property noticed and sell extra weeks throughout the season. Discounts can be posted quickly and conveniently enabling immediate responses. 

What Type of Sales Promotion should you Offer?

Among the promotions that owners offer are prices set in sterling, allowing visitors to book with knowledge of the ultimate cost, and fixed exchange rates, which also create certainty and confidence. Discounts of as much as 45% tend to be offered in return for early booking or for weeks outside peak holiday times – but some are straightforward discounts that include July and August. Incentives include free airport transfers combined with free bike hire or a case of champagne.

The owner of a manoir near Angers has been promoting a fixed euro exchange rate of 1.3, giving savings of up to £290 per week. “Lots of people enquiring mention the offer,” they say. “It gives them peace of mind and they seem to appreciate that we are doing something positive in the current market.”

Using Special Offers to Fill Your Season

Despite the tough economic climate, another couple are also doing very well with lettings for a barn conversion in the heart of the vineyards and sunflower fields of Tarn. This is, they believe, due to offering a quality product, their location in the ‘golden triangle’ of Albi, Cordes and Gaillac, the tight rein they keep on prices and their judicious use of special offers to fill every last week of the season.

“We have many returnees who book early as they know we’re popular”, they explain. They are typically retired people who want to stay for a fortnight. This can leave us in April or May with valuable one week slots to fill in peak season, so we need to find a new market. For the last six years we’ve used special offers for those weeks and we’re attracting younger couples. The level of discount isn’t based on science, we offer whatever seems appropriate at the time. This year, our last week in August sold within a day or two of posting the special offer and we’re pleasantly surprised to be doing so well in spite of the downturn.”

They like to use discounts because they can be posted quickly and conveniently enabling immediate response to circumstances.

“The speed of response varies”, say the couple. “The last time it was very fast, usually it takes a week or two. Almost always it means that we pick up new clients who can bring us repeat business in the future, so the discount we’re giving is well worthwhile.

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