5 Tips for Choosing the BEST Vacation Rental Business Name

Choosing a vacation rental business name is easy.  Choosing the BEST vacation rental business name takes a little more thought.  

I wish I would have had this advice when I first started!  Read more to see what I’m talking about.

Let’s dive in as I give you some tips for naming your vacation rental business in a way that makes the most sense.

Tip #1 – Choose a name that will work for multiple properties

GUILTY!  When Ernie and I first purchased a vacation rental, we had no dreams or expectations of ever owning a second.  So, I got our domain, created a logo, made social media business pages, and began marketing our new baby.  We named our sweet little newborn “Asbury Cottage”.  (You can see pictures of her at https://asburycottage.com.)

Flash forward 5 years later…

We got the bug to purchase a second vacation rental.  And we did.  OH!  Wait a second – what are we going name her?  Yep, you see our dilemma.  

We now have Asbury Cottage 1 and Asbury Cottage 2.  Uuuggh!  I’m not kidding – that’s how we have them listed on our site.  Recently, I have added Asbury Cottage 2 – Stone House.  But I don’t like that either.  It’s confusing for us (as owners), for our cleaning service, our exterminator, etc. 

Most importantly, it’s confusing for our guests!

But we have this whole marketing thing tied up with our domain name, our logo, all the printed marketing materials and on and on.  I just haven’t figured out a way to convert this to a new name without a ton of hassle and extra costs.

It was newbie mistake. 

Be sure your vacation rental business name can be used for multiple properties.   You never know when you might decide to add property #2.

Bottom line, don’t name your business Asbury Cottage, Blackberry Cabin, or Snowflake Chalet.  You may really regret it later!

Tip #2 – Make sure the domain is available

Before you settle on a business name, check to be sure the domain name is available.

Your domain name will be the anchor for all of your marketing techniques.  

You will want to choose a name that has a .com available and a name that is not hyphenated.

Tip #3 – Choose a name that is clear and easy to spell

Consider what your name sounds like when you say it.  If it isn’t clear what the spelling is, you’re going to have to spell it out for the rest of your life.

This is another problem I have had with “Asbury Cottage”.  Even though “Asbury” has historical significance in our area, most outsiders have never heard of it.  A lot of our inquiries and guests think it is “Ashberry”.  

The name should not be a homonym.  “Lazy Daze Condos” might not be the best choice.  

I don’t recommend abbreviating a word in the name, either.  “Mtn View” is also going to get confusing. 

Lastly, don’t hyphenate your business name.  Example:  “Rest-up Rentals”  = bad choice.

Tip #4 – Choose “A”, not “Z”

I’d like to say I came up with this brilliant idea, but this was something I hadn’t thought of when I named “Asbury Cottage”.  Basically, I just got lucky.

Most local listing sites, such as your local Department of Tourism, Chamber of Commerce, travel guides, etc., list the properties in alphabetical order.

The closer you can be to the top of that list, the better chance you’ll have of getting seen by your audience.  You may even be on the first page, and above the fold.

Even if you want your business name to be “Sunset View”, you can still tap into this marketing trick by naming it “A Sunset View”.  Now your business is one of the first on the list alphabetically, instead of being on page 9.

Tip #5 – Be unique

Our two vacation rentals are in Pigeon Forge, TN – the Smoky Mountains. 

I’d guess that close 90% of the vacation rentals here have the words “Smoky” or “Bear” in their name.  I’m sure their cabin is “beary friendly”, but so are 50 others just down the mountain. 

Guests are not going to be able to find your listing if the name is not unique.

But don’t be TOO unique!  Here’s an example of what NOT to do.

It’s fine (and recommended) to play into the local culture.  But choose a name that sticks out.  When guests hear it, they should think of your property.

What’s Next?

Now that you know how to choose a name, let’s head on over to “How to Get a Domain Name and Website Hosting for Your Vacation Rental Business”.