Advertise holiday accommodation for free in 2026

Advertise your holiday accommodation for free

To be a successful business, advertising your holiday accommodation in the right place is important. 

As a Marketing Software company specialising in clients with holiday rentals, we have spoken with many holiday home owners and managers who are looking for the right places to advertise.

If you're new to Bookster, our UK team provides software services to help holiday rental professionals to attract bookings, manage bookings and support guests. 

We can provide solutions to help you attract bookings, and guide you in the right direction with other strategies, so you can really excel in your vacation rental business. 

The first question we'd always recommend considering is, where are my perfect guests going to be looking for their next break? 

If you're advertising on three different places, but your potential guests are searching elsewhere, then the time and effort you put into advertising is wasted. 

How to promote your holiday accommodation for free

There are lots of options to advertise your holiday let that may have costs and this needs to be taken into consideration when you are thinking about the costs of running your holiday let.

There are free options to advertise your holiday accommodation that we'll look at below, but remember free is not always the best - there may be other options that work well for you. 

Free advertising options for your holiday rental

There are ample opportunities to promote your holiday rental business for free:

1. Take free bookings on your own website
2. Post on social media 
3. Promote your accommodation on travel forums  
4. List on online directories 
5. Free listing sites. 

Free guest bookings on your own website

This is the number one option for advertising your holiday accommodation for free. 

You can direct all guests and potential guests to your website.

Having your own website, with just the properties you want to advertise will present the best of your holiday homes, with no risk of guests being attracted to your competitors holiday homes.

You have a number of options to create a website:

1. Create a free instant template website with your property management software company (free)
2. Create a website using a website builder, like Wix, Wordpress or SquareSpace (can be free)
3. Work with a web designer or web developer to create a website for you (probably not free)
4. Ask a friend with some tech skills to create a website for you (free)
5. Work with the website designers in your property management software to create a custom website (probably not free).

No matter which you choose, being able to direct potential guests to your website is invaluable in helping you attract bookings with no booking fees. 

Let's talk booking widgets

If you use a website that has been created by your property management software, the instant booking option is likely to be built in automatically.

A website created by outside of your Marketing Software or Property Management Software, you are likely to need to use a direct booking widget or calendar link. 

A widget is a bit of code, added to your website that allows potential guests to make a booking. 

Without a direct booking option, there is a higher likelihood of potential guests leaving your site without ever contacting you. They will then search for a website from your competitors.

This is because guests are now more and more impatient.

Due to the growth of marketing channels (also known as OTAs or platforms) like Airbnb and Booking.com, guests now expect immediate bookings and confirmations.

They certainly don't want to wait for a day or so just to be told that the property isn't available. 

What are your widget options?

There are a number of different widgets available, including:

• A 3rd party direct booking widget (can be free)
• A direct booking widget from your friendly property management software company (can be free).  Booskter offer several types of booking buttons and calendars that you can read more on.

2. Social media - attract guests for free

Social media is a golden way to attract new business, especially in the hospitality business. 

There are growing numbers of free social media channels to use, and this shows no sign of going away.

In addition to the more established channels, such as Facebook, there are some great social channels that are image focused, perfect for creating a great impression of your holiday accommodation. 

There are two important aspects that I would suggest you consider.

A. Your time

• Attracting guests for your accommodation on social media channels is no small task.
• At some point, you should consider the time you invest in attracting bookings through social media, versus the cost of your time. 

B. Which channels to use

I can't begin to tell you how many times property managers have explained that they don't like to use social media. Or they don't use certain social media channels.

Whilst I respect this completely, I would suggest considering this one point - if you don't use social media, but all your potential guests do, are you willing to let those potential bookings go to your competitor?

Perhaps the answer is yes, that's fine.

If the answer is no, then get those bookings into your calendar.

If you're not confident or want to know more about using social channels, take a short course or a refresher in social media channels that your guests use.  

Well-established social media channels

Not all social media channels will suit your business and your accommodation, so don't try to spread yourself thin over all of them.

Choose the best ones for you, and focus your attention on getting the best results. 

Not sure how to select the best social media channel? 

Consider your guests - are they business travellers? Millenials? Young mums? Retired couples? 

Once you know who they are, you'll have a better understanding of the social media channels that they use - and therefore which you should use. If you're not sure, why not ask your guests?

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• TikTok
• Twitter
• Linkedin
• Reddit.

3. Travel forums - get posting and promote your accommodation

Travel forums are full of people looking for a short break, an annual holiday or the trip of a lifetime. 

For a lot of property managers specialising in holiday homes, this is a goldmine of opportunity.

There are 2 pieces of advice to consider:

A. Check, check, and triple check the rules of the forum

Some forums specifically say that you cannot promote your own business - on others you can.

On some you cannot directly sell, but you could reply to questions about your local area, and in some, you could link to a useful blog post on your website.

That's not to say that happy clients can't mention your holiday accommodation for free advertising. 

B. Your time

It takes time to trawl through the many travel forums out there, to find people looking for a trip to your area. 

Again, see my comments above about the cost of your time.

Travel forums we recommend researching 

• TripAdvisor
• Fodors
• Travellerspoint
• Mumsnet

4. Directories - List your business for free

Listing directories are still alive and well and could help you to attract guests. 

These are predominantly online directories of services, such as Yell.com. 

Although Yell is widely known, there are smaller directories that can advertise your holiday accommodation. 

Top recommendations for your holiday accommodation:

• Yell.com
• Google My Business
• Bing Places
• Yelp

These are official directories sources, but think about your guests.

Do they use other directories?

For example, universities often have directories of nearby holiday properties, which is helpful for families visiting students, or surrounding open days and graduations days. 

Another example would be local businesses, especially those that run events, or need accommodation for visitors or travelling employees. 

To be listed in these directories, you'll need to contact the establishments directly, and demonstrate the value of your accommodation.

5. Free listing sites

The number of listing sites, (also known as marketing channels, Online Travel Agencies - OTAs) have grown substantially in recent years.

The variation provides choice for guests, but also provides complications. 

Specialist or global?

Some listing sites / marketing channels specialise in advertising holiday accommodation with an area of specialism.

They could specialise in holiday rentals in a location, e.g. Scottish in VisitScotland or for larger families e.g. Vrbo.

This means you can target your guests, as you properties are exactly right for that channel. 

The alternative is to go global. There are plenty of listing sites / channels that provide holiday accommodation in every location, and rely on the guest to use filters to choose the location, property size and specific style. 

Should you advertise on all marketing channels? 

In our view, the answer is no. 

Channels have their own rules and unique algorithms that you'll need to understand to ensure your listing ranks highly and is seen by your ideal guests. 

The more channels you use to advertise your properties, the more time you need to invest in improving its performance.

Are marketing channels free?

Each channel will also have its own structure to pay for its services. 

Some listing sites / channels will promote themselves as free, but on digging deeper, there are sometimes fees.

These come in the form of set-up fees, annual fees, booking fees, or withholding guest payments from holiday owners until after the guest arrival date. 

Whenever you're choosing free listing sites that suit your holiday accommodation, you will need to read the small print carefully, to ensure you know what service you're receiving. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free way to advertise my holiday accommodation?

The best free way to advertise your holiday accommodation is with your own website that takes direct bookings, supported by free tools like Google Business Profile, social media and listing directories.

Are 'free' holiday let listing sites really free for owners?

Many 'free' listing sites make money through commission, booking fees or delayed payouts, so always read the small print and compare it with the value of your time and control.

How can I attract bookings without paying big OTA commissions?

Focus on direct bookings through your own website, use social media and travel forums to send visitors there, and list on carefully chosen channels that fit your ideal guests and cost structure.