When it comes to owning rental real estate, there’s been a huge shift in the marketplace over the past several years. It’s no longer just dominated by long-term rentals and full-time living. Vacation rentals have become increasingly popular among both investors and travelers. More specifically, there’s been an uptick in the popularity of Airbnb rentals.
5 Airbnb Vacation Rental Design Tips
If you own an Airbnb rental or are thinking about investing in a property and using it as a rental, it’s important that you maximize the look, feel, and experience. This will give you more satisfied guests, which leads to more positive reviews and feedback. In turn, this creates a positive cycle of momentum that keeps your rental booked year-round.
Here are several tips for designing the ultimate Airbnb vacation rental:
Know Your Target Guest
Treat your Airbnb like a business – because it is! And as any good business knows, you have to know your target audience. You need to understand who they are, what they’re interested in, how old they are, where they come from, and what their greatest desires and pain points are.
At first, you might not know specifically who your target guest is, but use some critical thinking skills to sort of generalizing into buckets. Common types of Airbnb guests include families with kids, snowbirds, millennials, wedding parties, travelers with pets, probationers, Baby Boomers, etc.
If you own an existing Airbnb and have had lots of previous guests, comb through your records to see if there’s anyone group that dominates your bookings. If you’re purchasing a new Airbnb, think about why people travel to your city and pick a demographic to target based on this.
When you know precisely who your target guests are, it makes it easier to design a space that’s convenient and compelling to them.
- Keep Location in Mind
Location is a big factor. When people rent an Airbnb, they’re typically traveling from out of town. And when people travel from out of town, they want to experience something totally different than their everyday lives back home. Give them a unique feel by melding your design with the personality of the property’s location. If you’re in the mountains, it should be cozy and rustic. If you’re near the beach, make it coastal. If it’s a downtown loft, make it posh.
- Add Engaging Features
Integrate engaging and interactive features into your Airbnb rental to make your property stand out from all of the other cookie-cutter rentals in the area. Here are several ideas:
- Purchase a fire pit table and create a fun outdoor living area for people to congregate.
- Add some sort of game room element like a ping pong table, pool table, dartboard, or retro arcade game.
- If you’re in a colder region – like the mountains – put a hot tub or Jacuzzi on the porch.
Engaging features like these make your listing stand out and totally elevate the guest experience at your Airbnb. You don’t need a ton of features like these – just one or two will do.
- Use Minimalist Design
You don’t need to over-stylize the property or fill every square inch with decor. In fact, most Airbnb’s look best when they have a minimalist design. This allows the space to breathe and gives it a feeling of luxury and sophistication. Try one focal piece per room – like a piece of art, a coffee table, or a light fixture – and let everything else merely complement that element.
- Focus on Convenience and Comfort
When people are on vacation, they want to feel pampered. And if you’re willing to spend a little extra on the details, you can create a five-star hotel experience. Here are some items to always have on hand: extra toilet paper, travel-size toiletries, fluffy towels, disposable paper towels, bottle openers, a clearly posted WiFi password, and a welcome basket with some snacks and drinks.
People remember details. If you have all of the essential amenities and a few extras, you’ll get positive reviews almost every time a guest stays at your property.
Give Your Guests What They Want
Your guests want to enjoy a getaway from the stress of everyday life. By tactfully designing your Airbnb rental, you can help them relax, unwind, and enjoy themselves. This will ultimately produce more positive feedback and a greater likelihood of future bookings. Good luck!
