As a vacation rental manager, you’re probably noticing that the push toward eco-friendly practices isn’t just a trend—it’s becoming essential for both sustainability and business success. Green is not only about hitting marketing buzzwords; it’s also a way to attract eco-conscious travelers who prioritize sustainable choices. The good news? Vacation rental software can help you lead the way in this shift. Here are actionable tips to help turn your properties eco-friendly, at a minimal cost, while staying ahead of the curve.
Switch your guidebooks to paperless
Before your guests even arrive, you have a great opportunity to start reducing your short-term rental’s carbon footprints with the help of technology. One simple but impactful change is moving away from old paper guidebooks, which are often overlooked by guests anyway.
Switching to digital guidebooks offers much more than just eco-friendly benefits too. They can get you more 5-star reviews, help you guide guests and revenue to local businesses that support your sustainability initiatives, and reduce repetitive questions.
Offer carbon offsets as an upsell
Modern digital guidebooks can add to the guest’s stay by offering upsells. This is done through a Marketplace where vacation rental managers or hosts can list any product service and collect payments.
An innovative touch is to offer your guests the chance to buy carbon offsets for their air travel as an upsell. Sites like EcoTree offer calculators to help you figure out how much carbon a flight generated.
To set up a Marketplace, you’ll need one of the better digital guidebook providers like Hostfully and a payment processor like Stripe or Paypal. When a guest makes a carbon offset purchase you’ll receive a notification and the payment. You can then manually buy the offsets, or, you can automate the process with integrations like Zapier.
So how about it? Go green and try out Hostfully’s Digital Guidebooks. You can get one free, forever! Click here: https://www.hostfully.com/pricing/pricing-guidebooks/
Promote eco businesses in your area through the guidebook
Your digital guidebook can be more than just a source of information—it can actively guide guests toward local eco-friendly businesses. By offering curated recommendations, you can encourage guests to support sustainable options. With a customizable guidebook like Hostfully’s, you can even create a dedicated “Eco-Friendly” section to highlight these businesses.
This approach integrates sustainable tourism directly into your offering. You can also invite eco-conscious guests to share their own recommendations, fostering a community of like-minded travelers. It’s a win for you, your guests, local businesses, and the planet.
Smart thermostats and lights linked to your PMS
Smart thermostats can be programmed on schedules or when the vacation home is empty through your property management software (PMS) central calendar. Integrating your PMS and smart thermostats helps reduce heating and cooling costs, which is great for lowering energy use but also for your (or your homeowners’) pocketbooks.
With the same software, smart lighting is also controlled centrally through a PMS, which improves energy-efficiency by ensuring no lights are left on when the property is vacant. This will also cut down on energy bills.
PMS-managed smart locks eliminate in-person greetings
Your property management system (PMS) can streamline check-in by eliminating the need for in-person greetings. By integrating your PMS with smart lock software, you can automatically generate unique PIN codes for each guest stay. These temporary codes are sent to the guest in advance, allowing them to access the vacation rental property without requiring a physical handoff.
This simple change not only cuts down on unnecessary car travel, reducing your carbon footprint, and emissions, but also enhances the guest experience. Today’s travelers appreciate the flexibility of self-check-in, giving them the freedom to arrive at their convenience rather than sticking to a set schedule. Our case study on smart locks highlights their positive impact on security, guest satisfaction, and energy efficiency.
List your properties on eco-friendly sites
We’ve already seen how important optimized distribution is to maximize occupancy. Of course you need to be visible on Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com and all the well-known sites, but you need to cover more specifically targeted sites too. With channel manager partners like NextPax and Rentals United you can list your properties on eco-friendly sites. Both are integrated into leading PMSs like Hostfully, meaning you’ll cover every possible channel and make your offering visible to clients who want their vacation rental experience to be as green as possible.
By attracting eco-conscious travelers, you’ll also have better chances at selling some of your eco-friendly upsells. These travelers are also more likely to see value in the small steps you took to be environmentally friendly. That translates to higher average daily rates.
Install EV charging stations to boost sustainability and earn extra income
Installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at your vacation rental properties is a smart move if you’re looking to reduce your environmental impact and attract eco-conscious guests. If you manage multiple properties in the same area, the investment can become even more cost-effective. With more travelers driving electric vehicles, having an EV charger on-site is a great way to stand out from the competition.
Services like EVmatch and Ok2Charge not only help cover the installation and maintenance costs but also allow you to rent out the charging station when it’s not in use. This means you can earn extra income by charging guests for the electricity they use. With Ok2Charge, you can even bill for the exact amount of power consumed and pocket the profit. It’s a win-win situation—offering a valuable amenity to your guests while generating additional revenue for your business.
Streamline eco-friendly supplies with turnover and cleaning management software
Staying stocked with eco-friendly cleaning products and toiletries can be a challenge, especially when they come from smaller, sustainable vendors that may have longer shipping times. That’s where turnover and cleaning management software comes in. By automating your inventory tracking, you can ensure your turnover teams are always equipped with the supplies they need, without the last-minute scramble.
This software helps you monitor stock levels, set up automatic reordering, and track shipping times, so you’re never caught short on eco-products. With a system like this in place, you can confidently maintain your commitment to sustainability without worrying about disruptions. Your teams will always be well-stocked, and you’ll continue providing a consistent, eco-conscious experience for your guests.
Optimized and greener—tech is the key
From the start of the vacation rental process, through the experience to check-out and beyond, tech holds the key to optimizing your operations and making your business greener. Don’t be left behind using out-of-date, inefficient and wasteful methods; leverage technology’s power and use eco-friendly practices to become a sustainable accommodation and homeowner in the rental industry.
