How to Create Custom Property Collections on Your Vacation Rental Website (and Why It Drives More Bookings)

As vacation rental operators, we know firsthand how easy it is for guests to get overwhelmed by a long list of property options. Guests want to find their ideal stay quickly, whether that’s a cozy lakefront cabin, a collection of pet-friendly homes, or a city-center apartment. This is where custom property collections make all the difference — transforming your vacation rental website from a directory into a curated experience designed to nudge more visitors directly to booking.

Why Custom Property Collections Drive More Direct Bookings

Guests are drawn to vacation rental sites that immediately speak to their needs and dreams — not just endless lists of properties. When we cluster our listings into relevant, themed collections, we create paths for guests to find exactly what they’re seeking. Here’s why this approach boosts bookings and creates loyalty:

• Effortless discovery: Guests can filter down to collections matching their trip style, like “Luxury Villas,” “Family-Friendly Homes,” or “Downtown Lofts,” cutting decision fatigue.
• Memorable branding: Collections build micro-brands within your portfolio, each with its own story, visuals, and unique value proposition.
• Deeper engagement: Themed landing pages, striking imagery, and tailored details encourage guests to explore, driving up conversion rates and repeat visits.
• SEO power: Each collection creates a new landing page targeting highly-specific search terms, helping you stand out in the crowded direct booking space.

Our analytics consistently show that when guests land on a collection tailored to their interests or travel party, they’re far more likely to convert.

Key Strategies for Creating Effective Collections

We’ve worked with hundreds of property managers and agencies, so we’ve seen the most successful ways to group properties. When planning collections, keep these approaches in mind:

• By Location: Neighborhood, coastal vs. city, mountains vs. downtown — make it fast for visitors to filter by the area that fits their travel plans.
• By Theme or Experience: Think “Golf Getaways,” “Pet-Friendly Retreats,” “Corporate Housing,” or “Romantic Escapes.” Curated themes tap directly into guest desires.
• By Brand or Owner: Have multiple brands or sub-portfolios? Give each its own visual language, features, and booking style.
• By Property Type: Highlighting “Luxury Villas,” “Cottages,” “Condos,” or even “Multi-Unit Stays” helps travelers quickly narrow down options.

Step-by-Step: Building Custom Collections with HomeRunner

Creating and publishing custom collections is seamless on a HomeRunner-powered WordPress site. Here’s our process, based on what’s worked for hundreds of operators:

1. Connect and Sync Your PMS

• Securely integrate your property management system (PMS) with HomeRunner. We support platforms like Hostfully, Guesty Pro, Hostaway, Hospitable, OwnerRez, and Lodgify.
• Property details, photos, pricing, and availability sync automatically, so your website is always up to date.

2. Define Smart Segments

Ask yourself: what are my most valuable guest personas, and what types of experiences do they seek? Draft your collections accordingly, based on:

• Property features (number of bedrooms, pet-friendly, pool, accessibility, etc.)
• Location clusters (beach, downtown, ski-in/ski-out, neighborhoods)
• Special themes (kid-friendly, eco-friendly, remote work, romance, luxury)
• Owner or brand segments (helpful for agency-managed portfolios)

For example, if you manage a portfolio with both mountain lodges and lake houses, offer separate “Lakeside Retreats” and “Mountain Escapes” collections rather than relying on generic filtering. This mirrors real guest search patterns and maximizes relevance.

3. Create and Organize Collections in Your Dashboard

• Within the HomeRunner dashboard, use the custom property collections feature to assign listings to one or more collections according to your segments.
• Give each collection a descriptive name, enticing description, and distinct hero imagery. These are the hooks that immediately tell guests, “You’re in the right place.”
• No need to move or duplicate listings; you’re simply categorizing and layering your inventory for discovery.

4. Design Engaging Landing Pages for Each Collection

• Each collection should have its own landing page, styled using your WordPress theme for seamless visual identity and navigation.
• Add collection-specific content — highlights, value proposition, local tips — so guests know exactly what sets this group apart.
• Use filter controls (bedrooms, amenities, price range, date picker) tailored to the collection, making the search process simpler and more satisfying.
• Spotlight handpicked or high-value properties at the top, featuring the best imagery and guest reviews.

5. Customize the Booking Journey

• HomeRunner gives you full control over the guest journey, so each collection’s booking flow can be optimized — add unique upsells for family properties (cribs, high chairs), or highlight local partnerships in your “Adventure Packages” collection.
• All payments and availability remain tightly synced with your PMS, ensuring smooth reservations and record-keeping.

6. Promote and Fine-Tune Your Collections

• Introduce new collections via targeted email, social campaigns, and blog features that resonate with each audience segment.
• Update your main navigation to make collections easily discoverable — this can drop bounce rates and keep visitors exploring longer.
• Utilize HomeRunner’s business intelligence dashboard to see which collections convert best, allowing you to tweak content, pricing, or filters based on real guest behavior. For more on this, learn about using business intelligence and analytics to grow bookings.

Practical Ideas for High-Converting Collections

• Luxury Collection: Curate your highest-value properties, emphasize premium amenities, and highlight local partnerships (spa, chef services, private tours).
• Pet-Friendly Homes: Group all listings that accommodate pets, and include info on nearby parks, beaches, or pet services. Add custom upsells like pet welcome baskets.
• Beachfront Escapes vs. City Stays: For managers with homes in contrasting environments, offer distinct collection pages optimized for each guest segment, complete with tailored search filters and unique branding schemes.
• Family Favorites: Segment homes with bunk beds, playrooms, fenced yards, or close proximity to family attractions. Use fun visuals and reassuring content.
• Ski-In/Ski-Out Chalets: Highlight homes with direct ski access, storage for gear, and proximity to lifts or après-ski venues during the winter season.

How Custom Collections Impact Your Booking Conversion Rate

• Shorter search process: Concentrated, relevant options make decision-making easy, reducing drop-off rates and boosting completed bookings.
• Deeper guest connections: Showcasing properties that anticipate and address different guest needs builds trust — and trust leads to more direct bookings.
• Repeat bookings and loyalty: Guests who connect with a themed or branded collection are more likely to return the next time they travel for the same experience.
• SEO differentiation: With dedicated, keyword-rich landing pages, you capture guests searching for “Luxury Beach Rentals in Destin” or “Dog-Friendly Cabins in the Catskills” — organic traffic third-party sites can’t compete with.
• Revenue optimization: Easily apply collection-specific discounts or last-minute deals to target unsold dates, keeping occupancy high all year round.

If you’re interested in further optimizing your site’s usability and booking journey, our guide to essential search and filter features for vacation rental websites is a great next read.

Getting Started: Our Best Advice for HomeRunner Users

1. Think from your guest’s perspective: What types of travelers are you serving? Segment by their travel motivations, needs, and preferences.
2. Experiment and iterate: Start with a few collections, measure their impact, and refine as you learn what attracts the most guests.
3. Keep your collections dynamic: Add seasonal or event-based groupings like “Holiday 2025 Getaways” or “Festival Rentals” — they drive urgency and attract niche traffic.
4. Make them discoverable: Highlight collections throughout your site, not just in navigation but in homepage features, blog content, and even targeted email nurture campaigns.

Final Thoughts — Your Website as a Destination

In today’s crowded vacation rental landscape, guests crave a personalized, effortless booking experience. Custom property collections raise the bar — they give you control, flexibility, and the ability to connect with guests on a deeper level. Whether you manage a handful of homes or hundreds, curating your inventory into relevant, appealing collections transforms your website from a directory into a destination in itself.

If you’d like to go deeper into optimizing your vacation rental brand experience, explore our article on building a vacation rental brand guests remember.

Ready to make your WordPress vacation rental website work harder? With HomeRunner, you can be live and taking commission-free direct bookings — with custom collections tailored to any audience — in under an hour, no complicated rebuild required. See how our approach delivers results at homerunner.io.