Make Your Vacation Rental Stand Out

Many of our interior design clients today are customizing their vacation homes for the rental market. While they intend to use the home themselves, they also intend to capitalize on our booming rental income market here in Charleston.

PRD Custom Homes & Interiors has extensive experience renovating vacation homes on Kiawah Island, Seabrook Island, Isle of Palms, and Sullivan’s Island. Before getting started with designing your next vacation home, read about some of our tried-and-true must-have features to  increase demand for your rental and raise its value in a crowded, competitive marketplace. 

Keyless Entry

Keeping track of vacation rental keys can be frustrating, especially if you live in a different state as your second home. Installing keyless entry in your home will make managing access easy. 

Bonus tip: Install Wi-Fi enabled keyless entry locks so you can easily change the access code for each new renter. They also allow you to grant access from your phone. Doing this will improve security at your vacation rental and make managing access a breeze. 

Beverage Cooler

Something as simple as a separate refrigerator for beverages can boost your vacation rental’s appeal. Kiawah Island’s closest grocery store is a few miles away and your guests are going to be coming in hot with all the supplies they need for the week at your vacation rental. That means lots of beverages! 

A beverage cooler can help extend the life of your main fridge because it will cut down on the number times it is opened. And, if you are hosting families, parents will appreciate a separate place to put adult beverages or juice boxes and snacks for the kids. 

Outdoor Living

Vacationers come to the Charleston area to enjoy low country living, and an outdoor space will be something they look for in your vacation rental listing. Even the smallest of spaces, like a balcony or porch, will stand out in the collection of photos of your rental. 

Bonus tip: Be honest! If your rental villa doesn’t have the most spacious outdoor space, try highlighting the unit’s best view, showing ways to use it as a yoga corner, or reading nook.

Selfie Spot! 

Vacationers who stay in a Charleston vacation rental often jump at the chance to share their home away from home on Instagram and Tik-Tok. Incorporating a unique selfie spot feature for your vacation home, like an art wall or mural, will serve as a place for your guests to photograph and promote your home on their social media.

Spa Bathroom

It may not seem like a big deal with all the beaches and pools available to your guests on Kiawah Island, but a spa-inspired bathroom can be a major selling point for your listing. When you can showcase a large walk-in shower or soaker tub in your master bathroom, potential renters will be dreaming of the space before they even arrive. 

Bonus tip: Invest in your bathroom spaces. Even if you have a small bathroom, find ways to make it more inviting. Spend a little more time selecting a beautiful light fixture, or a fun wallpaper to make it stand out.

Dedicated Work Space

These days, working on vacation doesn’t seem that crazy with work from home still going on all over the country. In fact, a dedicated work space in your Kiawah Island vacation rental will make it easier for busy parents to commit to renting your space for more days, or digital nomads to take up residence for an extended stay. Having a dedicated work space adds to your rental’s appeal.

It helps if you can at least offer a small desk in a nook, or a nice work space with an incredible view! 

Think Outside the Box for Furnishings

Vacation homes should stand out, feel different than your primary home, and the listing pictures should represent that. If you’ve ever had an inkling to try something bold in your home, but haven’t had the nerve to pull the trigger, go for it in your rental home. Choose bold prints or colors, fun textures, or unique lighting fixtures to grab renters’ attention.
If you need help with the design of your Kiawah Island vacation rental, or would like to speak with one of our interior designers about improving your rental listing with some great new features, please get in touch with us.