Tips to decorate your vacation rental for Christmas
July 2026
Ho ho ho! Is your holiday rental ready for Christmas? With so many people travelling over the festive season, December is a great time to work on your marketing strategy and attract guests to your holiday rental. Here’s how to get people to rent your house for the holidays and ensure a profitable Christmas:
Fill your home with Christmas spirit
It’s easy to add a sprinkle of festive magic to your holiday home. You don’t need a lifesize light-up Santa and Rudolph in the front garden — just a wreath on the door, some twinkling lights, and a few decorations will be enough to put a smile on your guests’ faces.
Preparing holiday home rentals for Christmas doesn’t require much effort or expense, but it’s a great way of creating a cosy, welcoming atmosphere. Christmas decorations for holiday homes should be simple and fun. Not all guests are Christian, but everyone can enjoy a jolly Santa and a few baubles, so choose cheerful decorations that focus on the lighter side of Christmas rather than the religious traditions.
If a group decides to rent your holiday home over Christmas Day itself, you might also want to include a Christmas tree. Take care when choosing the tree — a plastic tree is easy and doesn’t shed, but it may not be to every guest’s taste. If your business prides itself on being eco-conscious, a real tree is the best choice.
Create a special Christmas welcome basket
A welcome package is something that all guests love to find when they rent your house for the holidays. At Christmas, you can upgrade your standard offering to include some special festive details. For example, your Christmas rental package might include:
- Sachets of hot chocolate
- Marshmallows
- Mince pies
- Candy canes
- Christmas-themed baked goods from a local bakery
- A bottle of mulled wine (check in advance to see if your guests would appreciate alcohol)
Instead of writing a welcome note on your usual notepaper, consider putting it in a Christmas card and attaching it to the basket.
Provide information on local Christmas events
You probably already have a welcome book for your guests, telling them about things to see and do in the nearby area. Now, it’s time to make a special seasonal edition. Include Christmas markets, concerts, parades and other local attractions that your guests might want to see.
When guests stay in holiday home rentals for Christmas, they’ll also want to know about public holidays, opening hours, and so on. Add this information to your Christmas welcome book, too. Think about what your guests need to know: are the shops open or closed on Christmas Eve? Is there anything open on Christmas Day? What about Boxing Day? Does public transport still run over the festive period?
Make special offers for Christmas
To ensure optimal occupancy over Christmas, you can advertise your holiday home at a special price. This is a great way of getting people to rent your holiday apartment at this time of year.
One smart strategy during the Christmas period is to offer a discount on longer stays. Dealing with high guest turnover during this time is no fun, and your cleaner won’t want to spend Christmas Eve cleaning for new guests. Refilling festive welcome baskets multiple times is also a real drain. A compelling offer on your December holiday home rentals can help you attract guests looking to stay for a week or more, giving you and your staff more time to focus on your own celebrations.
Create a Christmas-themed package
Themed holiday home rentals for Christmas require more work, but they can result in extra bookings — and at a premium price.
If you are offering a specific Christmas package, you’ll need extra decorations in your home. You might want to include extra services and fun activities for themed Christmas holiday home rentals, which could include a gift-wrapping service or special meal delivery on Christmas Day.
Many Christmas packages are aimed at families with children, so they should contain a hefty dose of festive magic. For example, your package may include a “surprise” visit from Santa to delight the kids.
As well as this, your package can include some special extras for your guests to enjoy. When they arrive, they could have a choice of fun, family-friendly board games to unpack and play. Perhaps you can set up a hot chocolate station in the kitchen, complete with marshmallows and candy canes. Replace the regular blankets and cushions in your living room with appropriately themed alternatives, and have some popular Christmas songs playing softly when your guests check in.
You can also set the mood by plugging in an air diffuser with a festive scent. Of course, scented candles are another option, but you should always exercise caution, as they present a potential fire hazard. Plug-ins have the same effect without the risk.
Be sure to explain exactly what your Christmas package contains on holiday rental portals. That way, guests have a clear idea of what they can expect. To make sure guests have long, happy memories of their Christmas at your holiday rental, you can wrap up some small gifts for them to take home. These could be souvenirs from the area, local artisan food, toys for the kids, and so on.
Offer flexibility with check-in and check-out
Don’t panic at the thought of creating an entire Christmas package — there are easier ways to solve the problem of how to attract guests for Christmas.
At this time of year, many guests will be travelling long distances. You might even have several small groups, couples or individuals all coming together to stay at your home. Allowing some flexibility with check-in and check-out times can go a long way.
If you have an option for contactless check-in, be sure to highlight that in your Christmas marketing. You may also want to offer late check-out at a lower price than usual — or even include it in your Christmas deal. If that’s simply impossible due to your cleaning schedule or new guest arrivals, let guests know that you have a storage space where they can keep their suitcases securely. These little touches can make a huge difference at this special time of year.
Plan ahead for Christmas, and your holiday rental business can have a fruitful festive season. Whether you go all-out with special Christmas packages or just decide to add a few cute decorations to your property, this is a great time to attract guests to stay.