Many vacation rental managers dislike selling things to their visitors for fear of seeming greedy, but are you losing out? Possibly, since inventive and elegant Airbnb upsells can quickly increase your earnings while also improving the visitor experience.
Upselling is a simple approach to increasing income while providing the greatest possible experience for your visitors. It doesn’t have to be obnoxious or sleazy either.
It all comes down to what you sell and how you sell it. Put yourself in your visitors’ perspective and consider the personal touches you wouldn’t mind paying for to make your vacation more pleasurable.
Let’s look at some novel approaches to increasing vacation rental earnings via upselling.
What exactly is Airbnb upsells?
Upselling is a sales approach that encourages customers to spend a little extra for a better overall experience. This strategy has been utilized for years by hotels, but it has only just found its way into the vacation rental business.
The objective is to consider how you may improve someone’s vacation from beginning to end. It may sound counterintuitive, but charging extra might enhance how your visitors recall their time at your Airbnb or vacation rental.
What is the difference between upselling and cross-selling?
They seem to signify the same thing at first glance. The distinction is that cross-selling is the sale of a product that complements another purchase, while upselling is the sale of an enhanced version of something. Cross-selling and upselling may be utilized to boost vacation rental revenue while improving the overall visitor experience. It all comes down to what you sell and how you sell it. Put yourself in your visitors’ perspective and consider the personal touches you wouldn’t mind paying for to make your vacation more pleasurable.
Let’s look at some novel approaches to increasing vacation rental earnings via upselling.
Cool and discreet Airbnb upsells that your visitors will love
1. Early and late check-ins and check-outs
Managing check-ins and check-outs may be difficult for vacation rental owners, but it can be much more difficult for guests.
If visitors check out at 2 p.m., but their flight does not depart until 9 a.m., they are stuck roaming about the city or lugging their bags through the airport for hours. Most visitors would rather pay a little more to spend the day at the rental property or leave their bags there while they explore the neighborhood a little more.
2. Transportation
The airport terminal’s bustle might be daunting. Even the most relaxed visitors’ blood pressure will rise as they try to figure out where to go, who can drive them there, and how much it would cost.
Many visitors will be overjoyed to be rescued from the chaos and stress of the airport by paying for airport transportation to your resort. You earn more money if you pick them up from the airport, and your visitors generally enjoy the personal touch.
If this is not feasible, another approach to assist your visitors while earning a little additional money is to partner with a transportation provider. Sign up as an affiliate, offer your visitors a link to the company’s website or include it in your property description, and when they book a ride via the link, you receive a percentage of the proceeds.
During their stay, several vacation rental owners hire out their second vehicle or motorbike for visitors. In this scenario, you should verify local legislation as well as your insurance coverage to prevent any legal difficulties.
3. Storage for luggage
Naturally, early check-ins and late check-outs are only possible if booking schedules do not clash. Checking in early or staying late is not an option if you have another guest coming on the same day your previous visitors depart.
Guests must then pay for a baggage locker. Finding trustworthy storage services is difficult, particularly in a major city. Not to mention that your visitors will have to haul their bags about until they locate a luggage locker that isn’t too far from your rental house or the airport.
In this instance, offer to keep your visitors’ baggage at your Airbnb or with a reputable provider. Allow guests to drop off their baggage for a modest charge and keep it securely guarded if they come early enough in the day to do some sightseeing.
4. Local Experiential Learning
Similarly, you might improve your guests’ experience by collaborating with others to provide extra activities such as horseback riding, white water rafting, culinary workshops, or yoga sessions. Developing a working partnership with these specialists will not only benefit the local economy but will also benefit your visitors.
You retain a share of all sales made by the local vendor while improving your clients’ overall experience.
5. Health and beauty products
We’ve all experienced the agony of traveling on vacation without a toothbrush, toothpaste, or contact lens container. Offering a few cosmetic or health items for emergencies at your property for a little price might eliminate the need for a last-minute shopping trip.
Other necessities might include bug spray, sunscreen, and local beauty items or services such as facials or massages provided by local providers.
6. Increase the value of your welcome basket.
A free welcome basket is a terrific way to make your visitor feel welcome, but an optional upgraded basket allows the guest to contribute something more for a more customized experience.
You may, for example, provide a luxury basket with champagne, salmon, olives, artisan cheeses, and gourmet meats to encourage a romantic evening.
Other enhanced basket options include:
- Local Chef’s Basket: regional recipes, spices, and wines
- Facials, bath bombs, locally created soaps, lotions, tea, chocolate, and a list of the top spas in town are included in the self-care basket.
- Farmer’s Market Basket: local farmers and bakers provide fresh fruits and vegetables and baked bread.
7. Snacks and beverages
Most customers will not expect you to give complimentary beverages or food. The hotel mini-bar idea, on the other hand, may be a hit. Offer chilled beverages or wine in the fridge and a few snacks like popcorn, chips, crackers, or chocolate bars with a pricing list.
Avoid raising costs too much, but charging a little more than they’d pay if they had to go out and purchase the things themselves is appropriate.
8. A pre-arranged mid-stay cleaning
This is a fantastic concept that we received from a business called Host.Co, which provides some fantastic ideas for things you can sell from your Airbnb or short-term rental. They provide free assistance in setting up a shop on your website. This is one tiny extra that we would gladly pay for. After a long day of touring, who doesn’t appreciate the comfort of returning home to a newly cleaned space?
What are the advantages of short-term rental upselling?
Increasing earnings
You must be inventive and put in the required hours to establish a lucrative vacation rental company. You may enhance your yearly earnings by changing how you do things and contemplating what modifications to provide to your home.
Pro Tip: Use vacation rental software to better manage your business and increase earnings permanently.
Positive feedback
By providing services that ease the holiday experience and go above and beyond, you will make visitors feel cared for and pampered, resulting in favorable evaluations and repeat customers.
More reservations
Travelers wishing to simplify their vacation arrangements would choose homes that provide upsell options such as airport transfers or mid-stay cleanings over hotels that merely offer basic facilities.
Begin your Airbnb upsell process right now.
Which Airbnb upsell options are best for your property? Housekeeping, food delivery, honeymoon gifts, or even a personal driver are all options. The list goes on and on!
Every vacation rental is unique and based on where yours is situated and your specialty, you should be able to discover a selection of exceptional and discreet enhancements that will not only not upset your visitors but will make a significant difference in their stay. Consider the tiny amenities you would be willing to spend more on throughout your vacation.
