Google Vacation Rentals and TripAdvisor are search and metasearch channels: they show your property, rates and availability to travelers who have not decided where to book. Optimizing them means accurate listing content and photos, rate parity and availability across channels, and a direct booking link that is competitive with the OTAs.
Des Moines sells mostly through Airbnb, Vrbo and Booking.com. Short-term rental revenue management in Des Moines starts with the State Fair. We open fair dates at high rates as soon as the calendar is loaded, set three or four night minimums, and ease them only in the final weeks if a home is still open. Outside August we price Sunday to Thursday nights for insurance and government travellers, add premiums for the Drake Relays, tournaments and arena concerts, and offer monthly rates to relocating professionals through winter.
Airbnb leads for State Fair groups and tournament families, Vrbo picks up larger households heading to the fair and to Adventureland, and Booking.com brings business travellers and drive-in event visitors comparing apartments with hotels. We keep rates in parity, state the drive time to the fairgrounds and Wells Fargo Arena in each listing, and push Booking.com visibility on winter weekdays.
The full service is described on our other ota optimization page; this page covers how it applies in Des Moines.