[Matt Landau]

Good property names stand out and inspire.
Even cooler, good property names drive repeat and referral bookings!

But bad property names disappear from our memories the moment we depart.

Settling on great property names is tricky.

I am recently going through this process with MeganM about her new property in Cocoa Beach, FL.

• It's located on the Space Coast where Megan grew up (she had friends whose grandparents were astronauts)
• Megan loves space and rockets and the moon
• But doesn't want to leave out the fact that it's a beach destination (why most people visit)
• Megan, maybe you can post some pics so others can help?

WHAT IS THE RIGHT NAME?

So I wanted to start a thread on some great examples of vacation rental name-ology with the hope others can jump in with advice, inspiration, or just movement on Megan's quest to find the right name!

• Tamara uses the history of the old firemen's look-out in her property The Enchanted Look-out
• DMartinez pulled inspiration from the iconic mollusk surrounding her coastal California home at Sea Ranch at Abalone Bay
• ROster uses radical simplification pairing his last name with his niche in Oster Golf Houses
• Jefferson has zeroed in on pop culture and decorative themes with properties like Wizards Way and Raptor Retreat
• JPrugh uses Swedish words like Tradhuset and Vetehuset naming his Lindsborg, Kansas properties

What's the commonality of all good names? Google any of these names and our members' properties (whether website or listing site) dominate the search results.
Good names are the lynchpin of a strong repeat/referral booking strategy!

QUESTIONS
What are some names you never forgot?
Could rebranding a property with a better name generate launch-style excitement?
Does a name HAVE to be connected with the theme of the home itself? (Or are there instances this isn't necessary?)
What is a name you've always wanted to use but never had the chance!
What's a name that does NOT sound like a vacation rental but totally works?

P.S. I'm attaching David Birdy of Birdy Vacation Rentals in San Antonio's property line (with logos to boot!)

 

[MeganM]

Thanks so much for all of your help, brain power and wisdom in working to select a name for our new house, Matt Landau ! 🙂 I feel like we're getting warmer (pun intended) in this process but I still feel like everything thus far has never rang that "this is the one" bell.

This home is 2.5 blocks to the beach. When you look to the left you see the jetty and the launch pad, look at to sea, you'll catch surfers and cruise ships and then over to the right, you've got the Cocoa Beach Pier. I may be bias but it's just such a special place/ location. In the design, we brought elements of space (as in outer) + sea into every area so I am trying to represent that space & sea balance in the name as well. Attaching a few pics if there is any inspo. 🙂 That said, it's definitely more beachy than spacey since that is the main draw for folks.

My current top contender is Moontide (play on the space shuttle program combined with a common ocean term, tide).
Others I have considered are:
- Salty Moon
- Moon Shine (for obvious reasons I believe many would associate this with alcohol)
- Luna Litore Bungalow (latin for moon beach)
- Salty Astronaut (loved it but it feels too much like a dive bar kind of name)
- Moonkiss Cottage (combo of moon + sunkissed)
- SpaceSea Bungalow (pronounced Spacey)
- StarSurf
- VanderZon (meaning of the sun in Dutch- we were born, raised and lived in this area for 30 years and it's sort of a "returning home for us". My grandparents were Belgian and last name was Vander Hagen so we were trying to pull that in. Just think the story line may be hard to quickly communicate.

Attaching some photos and open to any and all suggestions! 🙂

Edited to add: all of our other homes are currently in the Nashville area and their names are:
- Country Cottage
- Lyric at Leiper's Fork
- Lonestar
- Vibe

 

[ToonTownRob]

Sunkissed Cottage popped into my head as I looked over your post.

This thread reminded me of something, so I dug this article here out of my blog and posted it. I put it in a new thread so as not to disrupt the discussion here. But it may help you in your journey.

The first step in Branding: Naming or Re-Naming Your Vacation Rental

 

[Jefferson]

I like "moontide" but if you google it you get a movie from 1942. I would just add something to that to make it your own. Like "Moontide manor" or "moontide escape".

 

[MeganM]

Thanks to those who jumped in. After a lot of debate, we landed on Lunar Beach Bungalow. 🙂

 

[TeenaNH]

Good property names stand out and inspire.

Wildly, I just went through this process!

After 31 years of owning Four Seasons Lodge, I SOLD it last week.

I'm morphing into running 3 STR's at my ranch; a 1 bedroom loft, a studio, and a travel trailer.

I struggled with a name that reflected my sense of humor, business style, and property.

After much thought and the help of my friends, Russ-Tee Bucket Ranch was born!

Originally, the name was Rusty Bucket Ranch, then a friend of mine came up with Russ-Tee

My husband's name is Russ and my name is Teena hence, the Russ-Tee.

We are very involved STR owners and by the time folks book our getaways, they have spoken with us a few times.

My logo is in the works now...

Happy renting to everyone!
Teena

 

[ToonTownRob]

Wow! TeenaNH That is a practically perfect name!! Well done!

May I suggest a slogan/tag line for that name?

“Put a stay with us on YOUR bucket list!”

 

[Sherry]

Whatever you do pick something that is easy to spell and easy to pronounce. Our property name is a marketing blunder. The name is French, Mais Oui and is a good play on words in the hospitality business if you know French. 90% of our guests are Anerican and 90% don’t know French so the meaning is lost on them. We love the name and it has special meaning to us but it’s a challenge. Lesson … meaning is great but make your name easy to say and spell.