Starting out in the world of vacation rentals is always exciting. From updating the property’s old-fashioned decor to installing the latest home automation gadgets, owners get a buzz from adding extra touches that will bring them more bookings and more happy guests.
There’s one thing that often gets left until last, even though it’s one of the best parts of starting a vacation rental business! That is: choosing a vacation rental brand name.
Your brand is the basis for your marketing and will help your rental make a name for itself – so you need to make it count. Finding the right words to describe your property or your vacation holiday could take time, but when you finally find the right one, all efforts will be rewarded. Your brand, together with your welcome book, are key elements that ensure you make a great first impression! Not sure where to begin? Let’s get started!
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Why does your vacation rental need a good name?
Your brand, image, and name are everything for your vacation rental business. Your business exists well outside of the walls of your vacation home. Your vacation rental business name is what defines your home before guests arrive or maybe even consider booking so why wouldn’t you pick a good one?
Not only does your vacation rental name help to shape your business, but it also builds on the professionalism of your business. “Dana’s New York Airbnb” doesn’t sound nearly as appealing as “Uptown Flavor.” Even if the name is silly or funny, it shows an element of care and dedication to your business and that you took the time to thoughtfully name it.
How to choose a vacation rental company name
With around 170,000 words in the English language, however, can you choose a good vacation rental name? Many owners find that they’ve developed an intricate business plan, decorated their home to perfection, and have even designed a sleek website but still don’t have a name! Sometimes picking a name can be the hardest task of them all.
Remember that your vacation rental name is frequently what sticks for guests, so you’ll want to make it a good one, but don’t let the pressure hold you back from coming up with a creative, catchy name. If you’re having a hard time finding a fitting name for your new home, there are some tips to get your creative juices flowing. We’ll guide you through how to name your vacation rental property and you’ll have a catchy new house name in no time!
1. Start with a strategy
Deciding on a vacation rental brand name takes more effort than just picking at random. With that said, you’re going to need a solid plan in place before you begin. You need to:
- Think about what connotations you want your brand to have
- Research local and national competitors to generate ideas (and avoid copying their names)
- Make a decision regarding the type of name you want (i.e., a completely made-up word like Zillow, a descriptive name like Rented, one that uses the company founder’s surname such as Sotheby’s Realty, or a geographical one like the Smoky Mountains)
- Create some guidelines to assess and shortlist the names you come up with. For example, the number of words (limiting to two/three words maximum is our recommendation) and the number of syllables (less than three is good and memorable).
2. Get creative and write down all potential names that come to mind
Finding the “perfect” brand name can often be a case of trial and error until you finally settle on the one that’s right for your business. For this reason, it’s better to have too many ideas than not enough!
To start brainstorming ideas, you can think about:
- Using a dictionary and thesaurus to find synonyms and less commonly used words
- Googlestorming – typing search terms that are linked to your vacation rental into Google and see what results it comes up with
- Analyze your vacation rental photos and pick out any outstanding features. This might be plants, colors, amenities, views, and so on.
Bonus tip: If you find it tricky to brainstorm alone, have some friends and family come over for an idea generation session!
3. Carry out keyword research
SEO is becoming increasingly more important for vacation rental owners who are looking to make their mark. That’s why it can really help to perform some keyword research to find relevant terms that travelers are already looking for in Google. This is especially useful if you’re planning on using something about your location in your brand name.
Start by Googling some of the names you’ve identified – could your website potentially make it to the top of the first results page?
If you choose a really generic name, chances are you won’t be able to rank very well. Also, it’s important to check Facebook, Instagram and any other social media sites you’ll want to use to see if the handle will be available.
Then, try to imagine how the name might display on the website of your vacation home. Think about how it could appear inside a logo or simply during online research.
If you still don’t have a website, what are you waiting for?
4. Refer back to your guidelines and the image you want to convey
For many vacation rental owners in competitive, over-saturated markets, you might not always get the first pick on the name you want.
To make your decision easier, compare your long list of ideas with the criteria you set out in the first step. Which ones are most closely aligned with your guidelines?
Always remember that your property is a vacation destination, so its name has to be eye-catching and attractive for potential guests.
You don’t want to scare them away from your website or listings with a name that sounds like a house of horrors!
5. Avoid acronyms, abbreviations and overly complex names
Your vacation home name must be simple and straightforward. Why? Because it’s crucial that it remains printed in the guest’s mind.
Try to avoid acronyms because not only will you have to constantly explain their meaning; it will also be difficult for your guests to remember them over time.
The same is true for weird or excessively peculiar names, which could sound interesting, but sometimes might mislead your guest or even deliver the wrong message.
Long names aren’t a good choice either – especially when it comes to your website domain name. Find the right length for a catchy name that describes your property and that can be easily remembered by anyone who reads or hears it for the first time.
6. Define your property type
Immediately identify which type of property your vacation home is in the brand name.
Being consistent in the choice of the name is vital for the image of your rental, as it needs to be truly credible in the eyes of the potential guest.
A quiet villa or a tranquil apartment by the sea with a name that recalls chaotic city life could be misleading and create confusion in your guests’ minds.
In the same way, the name of a house in the countryside must be consistent with your offer – related to the environment, nature and the rural landscape that surrounds it.
Your guests have to be able to identify the main features of your vacation rental just by reading the brand name.
7. Experiment using your vacation rental brand name
There’s no point coming up with a brand name that you don’t like saying, or worse – that you can’t pronounce! You’re going to be using this name on just about everything related to your business so make sure it’s one that you won’t hate in the future.
So before you set your vacation rental name in stone, you should ensure:
- It’s easy to read
- It’s simple to pronounce and spell (especially over the phone)
- It won’t confuse your guests
- It isn’t too similar to a nearby competitor’s name
- There is a relevant domain name available (although according to Buffer CEO Joel Gascoigne, this doesn’t have to be exactly the same as your brand)
- It conveys the right message and image.
Bonus tip: Check that Siri, Alexa and any other voice-activated app can understand it!
8. Think of your target audience
Your vacation rental name is a golden opportunity to define both your business and your target audience. If you want to attract adventure-seekers or families, you can include that in your name! For example, if you’d like to host mainly couples in your vacation rental, include words that might grab their attention, such as “romantic” or “secluded,” into your name. “Love Birds Loft” is going to indicate to guests that your property is geared towards couples and might help you to stay with your target.
Likewise is true if you’re aiming for a more general audience. If your scope is wide then your vacation rental vocabulary needs to be as well. Choosing more generic descriptors like “relax” or “picturesque” will appeal to a number of travelers.
9. Make it catchy
The idea is that your vacation rental name needs to stick. Using different literary devices like rhyming or alliteration helps to make your vacation rental memorable for guests and potential visitors. Just as we mentioned in tip five, you don’t want to overcomplicate it, but you also don’t want to oversimplify.
If your property name is overly generic, like “Beach Escapes,” you risk your property coming across as completely unmemorable and boring. Give your vacation rental some character and make the name catchy.
10. Go global
If you’re offering an exotic getaway or just want to play with some foreign words, feel free to add this into your vacation rental business name. Using words from other languages that are commonly known to English-speakers, like casa in Spanish or bella in Italian, gives your property an international edge and might make your guests feel like they’re traveling to another country, even if it’s just a staycation!
Bonus tip: You can even take it one step further by playing with expressions in a foreign language. For example, French expressions, like “C’est la vie,” can be used for a fun play on words with a beach house name like “C’est la sea”!
Vacation home name ideas
If you’re still lacking inspiration even after following these tips, don’t worry! You don’t need to go to the drawing board just yet, as we’ve compiled a list of vacation home name examples for you. We’ve categorized the different types of vacation rental names for you to choose from, be it a villa by the sea or a summer cabin name.
Beach house names
One of the best parts of owning a beach house is the ability to name it! If you’ve ever driven down the scenic streets of the Outer Banks or Hilton Head, you’ll see that each home has a charmingly displayed, customized sign with the beach house name. It’s a great activity for stirring up some ideas, but it also symbolizes just how important a good beach house name is for your business! If you’re feeling a little lost at sea, we’ve come up with beach house name examples to get you started.
- The Kiss of the Sun
- Endless Summer
- The Bungalow of Mirages
- The Charming Provencal
- The Marine Pearl
Just remember, when you’re trying to figure out how to name your beach house, stick with themes of sand, sun, the ocean or sea, and tranquility. If you were the guest, why would you be going to the beach for a vacation? Channel that and put it into your beach vacation rental name!
Lake house names
There’s a special charm that comes with owning a lake house. Now figuring out what you should name your lake house is vitally important as it’s a means of conveying that character. Just like beach house names, you’ll play around with some lake descriptor words to come up with a catchy, unique idea. Here are some lake house name ideas for your vacation rental:
- Catch the Breeze
- The Quiet Lake
- Lakeside Getaway
- The King of Fishermen
- Waterfront Wishes
Cabin names
There’s a number of things you can do with cabin names! Depending on whether your cabin is a seasonal vacation rental or a space that thrives all year long, you can choose certain words around snow, summer, or just nature in general! When guests book a cabin in the woods, they’re thinking of a wooded escape, so make sure your name reflects their wishes. For example:
- The Whispering Pines
- The Singing River
- The Wolf Builder
- The Forest Lair
- The Bear Cave
- The Song of the Fireflies
Feel free to play with adjectives surrounding nature, animals, flowers, or really anything that conjures up the idea of peace and serenity. Your guests will start to feel the relaxation from the moment they book!
Airbnb business name ideas
Many hosts get caught up in the idea of making their Airbnb name overly creative, witty, and cool. Airbnb brings a notion of one-of-a-kindness and while your name needs to match this sentiment, too many hosts find themselves stuck in the process of choosing a name for their Airbnb. Regardless of your accommodation type, your Airbnb business name should be memorable, but if you’re hitting a creativity wall, we’ve got some ideas for how to name your Airbnb.
- Sweet Refuge
- Wanderlust Castle
- Endless Dreams
- Virginia Destiny
- Happy Hearts
At the end of the day, it’s your Airbnb name and it’s up to you to decide how that fits into your overall vacation rental image. What are you trying to convey? Who are you hoping to attract? How important is creativity in your name? Once you outline these factors, you’ll be well on your way to a new Airbnb name idea!
Takeaways
Your vacation rental name matters; there’s no doubting that. How you define your home is entirely up to you and should be an exciting journey! If you’re feeling stuck on deciding a name for your vacation home, rerun through our tips and see what you come up with!
Above all, when naming your business brand, it’s important to keep it short and sweet – and relevant to your rental! How did you come up with your vacation rental home name? We’d love to hear your stories in the comments.
If you’re really stuck for ideas, there are plenty of online business name generators that can help!
Don’t see the form to download our Branding Checklist? Click here.
