Filling your rental in the low season: strategies that work

Filling your rental in the low season is the challenge every holiday rental owner faces. Summer is fully booked, then bookings collapse as soon as autumn arrives. Yet the low season is not inevitable. Many travellers are looking precisely for calm, gentler prices and another way to enjoy a place. Here are the strategies that work to fill your calendar all year round.

Understanding the low season

The low season varies from place to place. For a villa with a pool on the French Riviera, it is winter. For a mountain chalet, it is sometimes spring or autumn. For a gîte in Alsace, the Christmas period can be in high demand, and January much quieter.

Start by looking at your own calendar over the past few years:

• Which months are emptiest?
• Which days of the week fill least?
• Which guests already come off-season?

The answers shape your whole strategy.

Change your clientele

In the low season, your guests are not the same as in summer. You need to go after other audiences:

• Couples looking for a quiet weekend.
• Remote workers looking for an inspiring place for a few weeks.
• Companies for seminars, team meetings or retreats.
• Families during the shorter school holidays.
• Groups of friends for a birthday or a party.

A group house like Domaine La Rosière, able to host up to 50 people with an indoor pool heated all year round, can target seminars and family reunions in midwinter. Read our article on marketing a group holiday home.

Themed stays

Give people a reason to come off-season. A themed stay turns a quiet period into a sought-after experience:

1. The festive season: Christmas markets, decorations, festive meals.
2. Wellbeing: spa, hot tub, sauna, fireplace.
3. Nature: autumn hikes, mushrooms, the colours of the forest.
4. Food and wine: the Wine Route, the grape harvest, local produce.
5. Working in peace: reliable connection, a desk, weekly rates.

In Rosteig, in the Northern Vosges, the Aux Sons des Cloches chalet, with its hot tub facing the village, is perfect for cosy stays in autumn and winter.

Communicate at the right time

Travellers often book off-season stays a few weeks ahead, sometimes at the last minute. Plan your communication accordingly:

• Post your autumn content from the end of summer.
• Show your place in its seasonal mood, not with July photos.
• Get back in touch with past guests, with their permission, before each quiet period.
• Highlight availability: "A few dates left in November".

Seasonal video

A film shot in summer does not make people want to come in winter. Seasonal video shows your place as it is lived off-season: a crackling fire, a valley in the mist, a heated indoor pool, a hot tub under the stars.

A film that keeps circulating all year helps fill the quiet weeks. It is one of the arguments we make on our Rent page: a film that fills the low season too. To go further, read our article on getting more bookings.

Adapting the place to the season

Filling the low season also means adapting the place to the people who come then:

• Winter comfort: efficient heating, throws, a fireplace, a kettle, a selection of teas.
• Wellbeing spaces: spa, hot tub, sauna, indoor pool, highlighted in your content.
• Remote work: a desk, reliable connection, light, quiet.
• Activities: board games, a library, ideas for seasonal outings.

A place designed for winter sells far better than a summer place that simply happens to be available in winter.

Working with local partners

Tourist offices, restaurants, wine estates, guides and local producers are valuable allies off-season. Together, you can offer more complete stays: a tasting, a guided hike, a meal at a producer's. These partnerships also provide content ideas and widen your audience, as each partner can share your posts.

In Alsace, the Christmas markets, the Wine Route and autumn hikes in the Vosges offer many opportunities for themed stays.

Measure what works

Track a few simple indicators from one year to the next: occupancy by month, share of direct bookings, average length of stay, where guests come from. You will quickly see which actions pay off: a winter film, a themed-stay offer, a message to past guests. Keep what works and improve the rest for the next season. Read also our article on direct bookings.

An example low-season plan

Here is a typical action plan to adapt to your place:

1. Two months before: define the target clienteles (remote workers, groups, couples, seminars) and the matching offers.
2. Six weeks before: film or refilm the place in its seasonal mood, with the fire lit, mist over the forest or winter light.
3. One month before: post the first videos and put the offers on your website.
4. During the season: post regularly, reply quickly, get back in touch with past guests.
5. After the season: review the bookings and the content that worked best.

The low season has its own strengths

The low season is not a second-rate season. It offers calm, different landscapes, gentler prices and an availability the high season does not allow. For many travellers, it is even the best time: fewer people, more authenticity. The film should show these strengths without trying to imitate summer. A fireplace, a steaming outdoor bath or a forest in the mist are as tempting as a sunny pool. Read our article on marketing a group holiday home.

Frequently asked questions

Should you lower your prices in the low season?

Adapted prices help, but they are not enough. An attractive offer, such as a themed stay or a free night for a longer stay, often works better than a simple cut.

What length of stay should you offer?

Short stays, such as a weekend or two nights, work well in the low season. Long stays can appeal to remote workers.

Should you shoot a new film for winter?

It is ideal if your place changes a lot from season to season. Otherwise, short clips filmed in winter can complement your main film.

Are the platforms enough off-season?

They help, but competition is often on price. Direct bookings and social media let you stand out in other ways.

Should you close in the low season?

It is sometimes an option, to carry out works or rest. But with an adapted offer, many places can stay open and profitable for much of the year.

Do themed stays take a lot of organising?

They can stay simple: a basket of local produce, a hiking map, a booking at a partner restaurant. What matters is giving people a reason to come.

And your rental?

Discover how we support owners on our Rent your property page, and let's talk about your calendar in a 20-minute call.