As a landslide of new technology and OTA expansion barrels down the slopes of the vacation rental industry, some opportunities for growth become buried along the way. Vacation rental marketers who leave no stone unturned will find some of those opportunities in niche markets, narrowly carved subgroups based on interests, values, geographic fences, and micro-demographics.
Serving such tightly defined groups opens the door to new traveler sets, smaller but more lucrative markets, groups with a ton of demand but very little supply, or all of the above. It can supercharge marketing ROI as tactics become simultaneously cheaper and more effective with less competition, and it affords property managers the ability to more mindfully tailor inventory and owner selection for the best fit. Furthermore, zeroing in on a niche can also create a major advantage for property managers in driving direct bookings by being the expert for a niche group of travelers where OTAs can’t.
But, serving a niche only works when its members can easily find and book the properties and experiences that meet their needs, so VRM Intel has compiled the following list of niche vacation rental listing sites. This list is not comprehensive and suggested additions are welcome in the comments. Don’t forget to connect with associations and travel agencies that specialize in your niche, too.
Read More: The Opportunities In Between: Capturing the Niche Markets Others Don’t
By Geographic Market:
AlabamaVacationHomeRentals.com
CarolinaVacationHomeRentals.com
HawaiianIslandsVacationRentals.com
WeNeedaVacation.com (Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket)
By Value/Interest Market:
Autism Travel: AutismTravel.com
Boat-Friendly Travel: BoatFriendly.com
Business Travel: CorporateHousingbyOwner.com
Cannabis Travel: BudandBreakfast.com, GreenTripz.com, 420TravelSpots.com
Disability Travel: WheelchairTraveling.com
Family Travel: Clanventure.com
Gay and Lesbian Travel: MisterBandB.com, GayHomestays.com, IGLTA.org
Healthcare Travel: TravelingHealthcareRentals.com
Luxury Travel: DreamExoticRentals.com, Boutique-Homes.com, TimeandPlace.com
Multiple Niches: NicheEscapes.com, TheVacationRentalGuide.com, VillaRental.com
Pet-Friendly Travel: BringFido.com, PetsWelcome.com, TripsWithPets.com, PetsPyjamas.com
Social Responsibility: BCorporation.net
Sports Travel: TripMVP.com, SpringTrainingVacationHomes.com, RentLikeAChampion.com
Great article to bring the attention of viable Niche Vacation Rental Sites to the forefront. A super way for savvy property managers to optimize their marketing mix and beat out their competition.
Cabins serve for a great family vacation
Great list of websites! Please add https://www.xplorie.com/ next time! Xplorie.com lists vacation rentals that offer free activities to guests every night of their stay. It’s a win-win-win website for guests, property managers, and activity providers! Although I may be a tad bias since I am in the marketing department at Xplorie.
The Jersey Shore (NJ) has a couple of others.
Long Beach Island : http://www.VacationRentalsLBI.com
Wildwood : http://www.VacationRentalsWildwood.com
All of NJ Shore : http://www.ShoreSummerRentals.com
Would love to see https://staytony.com included. Luxury corporate housing and furnished short-term rentals in Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Midtown Atlanta.
Excellent roundup, Alexa. Please don’t forget about SoCoastal (https://www.socoastal.com). We’re primarily based in the Myrtle Beach, SC area, but we specialize specifically in beach-based destinations.
Excellent collection of sites. We are a resort rental near Disney World Orlando at http://www.emeraldislandrentals.com and offer our collection of rentals to guests directly without the middlemen. I will have to go through your list and leverage any possible opportunities for us to list.
Thank you,
Sri
Excellent list of niche sites! Would love to add WeNeedaVacation.com who lists rentals on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. In our early years, we thought of expansion opportunities and covered Florida rentals as well. But as OTA competition grew, we scaled back to focus solely on being a niche, book direct, rental site for the Cape & Islands.
We are also thrilled to have SMOKYMOUNTAINSBYOWNERS.COM serving the TN valley area!