What you can do right now to attract holiday guests

Remember holiday travel? It’s back, as remote work, vaccines, and border reopenings allow people to visit loved ones and take leisure trips again.

To attract guests and get the most out of seasonal hosting and other busy booking periods, here’s how to update your listing—and your space.

Guests often filter their search results for popular amenities, such as wifi, free parking, and a pet-friendly space. To help your listing stand out, thoughtfully outfit your space and update your amenities so guests can find you in search.

Check your Opportunities tab for timely, actionable insights you can use in your hosting business. The information you’ll find there—such as popular booking dates, average length of stays, and top amenities in your area—are customized for your listing and updated as travel and guest preferences change.

Did you know that 60% of listing discoveries begin when guests notice a photo of your property? To entice more guests to explore and book your listing, make sure you’re showing off your space with high-quality photos.

Put your best shot first—it’s what appears in search—and write captions that help set guest expectations. You can take photos yourself or work with a professional photographer to make a great first impression.

Travellers also frequently search for accessibility features, like a step-free entryway. You can help guests decide whether your space is a good fit by providing clear photos of these features.

The travel landscape has changed dramatically in recent months. People can now take more frequent and longer trips, visit more locations, and even live anywhere.

Stays of 28 nights or more have become increasingly popular. Over half of all global listings provide discounts for stays of one month or longer,* and listings with a discount of at least 10% get highlighted for it.

Guests who book longer stays often search for listings with discounts. Lowering your listing’s nightly price may seem counterintuitive, but offering discounts for longer stays can actually help you make up for vacancies between shorter stays.

A little market research can help you figure out the best seasonal price for your space. Find out what other Hosts or local hotels are charging for similar accommodations in your area and use different pricing tools to fine-tune your strategy.

Or you can turn on Smart Pricing, which automatically updates your nightly price based on your settings and over 70 other factors, including seasonal demand. You can set a minimum price, so it’ll never fall below a number you’re comfortable with.

Do seasonal celebrations and special events tend to draw more visitors than usual to your area? If so, make sure your calendar isn’t blocked on the dates you expect local accommodations will be in high demand.

You can use the availability and booking settings in your hosting calendar to free up more nights. Many Hosts choose to set a longer minimum stay for popular dates. Requiring guests to book more nights can mean less time managing reservations and cleaning your space—while maximizing your earnings.

If you’re listing your space elsewhere, use the calendar sync feature to avoid double-bookings and associated cancellations.

Hosting children and pets may not be possible in every space, but catering to families can help attract more bookings. You could outfit your space with a crib and a highchair, pet bowls for food and water, and other items that can make a family’s stay easy and comfortable. For local entertainment, consider putting together a guidebook of nearby activities.

Food is often a huge part of holiday gatherings and other family celebrations. If your space includes a kitchen, keep its appliances in working order, stock basic baking gear, and provide enough place settings to serve your maximum number of guests.

As you prepare to host guests at festive times, you may want to make your house rules more strict or lenient—and remind guests that they need to agree to your rules before they book.

We encourage you to review our latest Parties and Events Policy to avoid any issues.

Your space’s gas heaters, generators, and chimneys may be used more in the colder months. With that use comes an elevated risk of home fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Make sure to install fire extinguishers and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in your space and include them in your listing’s safety features. It’s also a good idea to have chimneys and heating vents serviced annually, checking for things like blockages and corrosion.

It’s a hectic time of year, but with a little planning, you can use the uptick in travel to get more bookings. For some inspiration, find out how expert Hosts put these seasonal tips into practice.

*Based on internal Airbnb data from November 2021.

Information contained in this article may have changed since publication.