How to make your Airbnb SUPER unique?
Investor · San Jose CA · Member since 2018 · 114 posts · 73 votes
Hi all,
I used to have a STR in JT and one thing that I realized is that travelers are looking for EXPERIENCES and UNIQUE, INSTAGRAMMABLE highlights when looking for an Airbnb. I want to know what are some of the MOST unique things that would boost your listing's desirability. I'm talking about SUPER unique. For example, I've been obsessed with the idea of a UNIQUE hot soaking tub. A lot of guests book a place if it has a nice outdoor hot tub or soaking tub. But I want to take it a step further and maybe build like a "UFO soaking hot tub". Or perhaps an indoor slide - yes, like a playground slide.
I want to hear some CRAZY unique things that I haven't seen in other Airbnbs. Please help me out! The crazier the better!
I just spent 6 weeks traveling and staying in Airbnbs, some of which could be described as insanely unique experiences. And you are right that their appeal from the get-go was their uniqueness. I came back home determined to improve my 4.89 rating to better compete with my neighbors who have a 4.96 rating and I'm well on my way to that goal. Since mid April my ratings have gone from 4.89 to 4.91.
Here are my take-aways from all of this. I don't think you can create the kind of uniqueness that attracts guests without being in a unique environment. For most locales, I think it makes more sense to concentrate on what you think guests most need. That often can be a great shower, great bed and a washing machine and dryer. If you are aiming for guests who stay a week or longer, a well equipped kitchen is a must.
I'm in a totally non-unique environment. But another thing I noticed about one of the 5 star Airbnbs where we stayed was that they had a knock down gorgeous fresh flower arrangement that it took me two days to even notice! They also offered us, upon arrival, fresh baked croissant from a local coffee shop. Not only was the croissant much appreciated but knowing where to get more was even more appreciated. I came home and switched my treats from being fresh flowers from the super market and reasonably expensive store bought chocolates to being freshly roasted coffee beans from a local coffee shop down the street and homemade ice cream from a local award winning ice cream shop up the street or freshly baked croissant from the French bakery around the corner. All of these items are now often mentioned in reviews. The fresh flowers and chocolates were never mentioned once in the 5 years I was leaving them out for guests.
The other thing I started doing with phenomenal results was a suggestion I got from a Bigger Pockets participant. One or two days into a guest's stay, I send off a message "Hey [guest first name], It's Bill & Carolyn. How's your stay? Do you need anything? Don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything you need." It is stunning how successful this message is.
If you still want to create something unique, focus on what you'd find both unique and appealing. If your heart's desire is a crazy hot tub, go for it, but not because it is crazy unique but because it will attract guests who enjoy the same kinds of things you enjoy.
While I agree that it's good to focus on both great customer service and unique experience, I think resale of the property has to be a strong consideration. Meaning, can someone get a loan to buy my property, or will I be limited to cash buyers? Also, will the property appreciate or at least hold the value I've spent creating it? And if I need to convert the home to a monthly rental or even LTR, can that work with the property despite it's unique aspects?
If the answer to one of those questions is no, I would keep the spending low (meaning I might setup a glamping site but I wouldn't build a container home), or I would otherwise make the unique aspects non-permanent or undoable (meaning I might use Etsy and antique stores to build a unique decor and activity theme but I wouldn't modify the structure of the home to look like a potato).
While I agree that it's good to focus on both great customer service and unique experience, I think resale of the property has to be a strong consideration. Meaning, can someone get a loan to buy my property, or will I be limited to cash buyers? Also, will the property appreciate or at least hold the value I've spent creating it? And if I need to convert the home to a monthly rental or even LTR, can that work with the property despite it's unique aspects?
If the answer to one of those questions is no, I would keep the spending low (meaning I might setup a glamping site but I wouldn't build a container home), or I would otherwise make the unique aspects non-permanent or undoable (meaning I might use Etsy and antique stores to build a unique decor and activity theme but I wouldn't modify the structure of the home to look like a potato).
There is definitely merit to this point if you expect to sell the property as a "home" (i.e., based on comps) ... but a lot of the talking heads in the STR space have been predicting we will be able to sell STRs as hospitality assets at cap rate in the future. i.e., sell the property + photos + Airbnb/VRBO/Instagram accounts + systems + operations manual as a turn-key business. This is already happening to some extent in markets where home prices have risen to reflect the average potential STR income. But for truly standout STRs, @Mitch Davidson is right ... they likely won't appraise for what they actually ought to be worth to an investor, which prevents them from buying solely with loan types that exist today (only option is to cover the gap w/ cash or other credit products like helocs, etc.). This may not always be the case, though ... we're literally 1 loan product away from valuing STRs as stand-alone businesses at cap rate rather than as homes based on comps. And in that scenario, all of the expensive investments in furniture and quirky property improvements have the potential to add to the value of your exit oppty, rather than becoming wasted dollars. We'll just have to wait and see :)
While I agree that it's good to focus on both great customer service and unique experience, I think resale of the property has to be a strong consideration. Meaning, can someone get a loan to buy my property, or will I be limited to cash buyers? Also, will the property appreciate or at least hold the value I've spent creating it? And if I need to convert the home to a monthly rental or even LTR, can that work with the property despite it's unique aspects?
If the answer to one of those questions is no, I would keep the spending low (meaning I might setup a glamping site but I wouldn't build a container home), or I would otherwise make the unique aspects non-permanent or undoable (meaning I might use Etsy and antique stores to build a unique decor and activity theme but I wouldn't modify the structure of the home to look like a potato).
Coming from a Lender's perspective, I totally understand this point. Lending will be hard - its one less exit strategy. Perhaps the potato home might not appraise, but I'm sure her ROI is over 100%. I mean, how much does it cost to build a 200sqft potato home? She's charging $200+ per night with VERY high occupancy year round. Why would she ever sell? I'm sure she's already made her money back and more.
I notice that most STR operators do okay today - but what about in 3 years? The number of Airbnbs have doubled in JT in the last few years, imagine in three years from now. Eventually, 75% percentile listings will become 50% percentile listings. I want to build something in the 99 percentile so that I can compete in more competitive markets. Typically, the best STR markets don't do that well for LTR - take Gatlinburg and JT for example. Typically the ones that do well on both are in metro areas like Austin - but most of them have regulations against STR. Austin doesnt allow STR for non-owner occupied homes. I guess I could do MTR - but I wouldnt do anything uniquely crazy for MTR (who wants to stay in a 200sqft potato for a month? Not me.)
It is more risky, but the way I see it is - the more people aren't doing it, the more it makes me want to do it because then I can stand out. There is an alien spaceship home in Joshua Tree that does amazing. It's true that you might not be able to get a loan on it, but how much would you pay for an spaceship that brings in 100k per year (just my estimate - could be more or less). If you pay 500k in cash, you'd still get double digit ROI and almost no competition in the sense that there are no other listings like this one.
What I'm talking about is truly unorthodox - not many people do it. But from the few people that I follow - like Kristie Mae - she's killing it.
kristiemaewolfe
I still want to buy a normal house, but offer crazy unique amenities. Like a super weird looking Hot tub, or a huge swing, or a playground slide, or something of this sort. I do still want the benefits of appreciation and tax benefits (not sure if these two apply with the potato home). For the record, I'm not looking to build a potato hotel - that is just an example that "unique" stay are killing it right now.
@Michael Hyun
My Mom Rhonda Blue and I manage cabins in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge area. Besides the normal sought after amenities like fire pit, pool, hot tub, grassy area for pets. New experience we have been playing with adding to the extremely private locations is a fully enclosed outdoor glass shower. We have seen it a few times in international listings and plan to try it soon.
I saw an article written the other day about how there is a hole in the market for single family home STR's and… creating an experience for couples to get away.
Hope that helps!
I still want to buy a normal house, but offer crazy unique amenities. Like a super weird looking Hot tub, or a huge swing, or a playground slide, or something of this sort. I do still want the benefits of appreciation and tax benefits (not sure if these two apply with the potato home). For the record, I'm not looking to build a potato hotel - that is just an example that "unique" stay are killing it right now.
Not to split hairs, but you do realize AirBnB just tweaked their front page to specifically feature those unique homes, which is a feature about two weeks old now? As an example, I just pulled up the site, they're showing me a $8500/night Cliff mansion in Joshua Tree with zero reviews. Translation: zero income, zero bookings, zero profit. Frankly, I have no idea who rents an $8500/night 3BR house, but it's no one I've met, know, understand, or much care about as a STR operator.
I've seen plenty of these types of listings around my rentals in New England, most with sky high prices and few reviews. While it's tempting to assume those reviews came from the listed prices we all know how easy it can be to tweak those prices, snag a few good reviews, and then bump pricing after the fact to make it look like they're killing it. Doesn't mean it's a great or sustainable business. Finding the right balance of ADR and occupancy takes time and rarely is it indicated by a handful of spotlight listings AirBnB has a vested interest in promoting for their own branding.
Thank you everyone for your replies! It’s great to see everyone actively participating and providing value in this forum.
I guess I have a different take on Airbnb than most of these responses. Of course, no airbnb can be successful without providing all of the basics - clean sheets, well stocked kitchen, clean space, etc. I also am a huge believer in LOCAL goods. I have been to Airbnbs that offer wine, but I know it’s not expensive wine, probably just a $5 wine, so I don’t usually like to drink it - I usually bring my own drinks anyways if I planning on drinking something.
However, I am basing this post off of what I’ve seen on Airbnb. And what I’ve noticed is a surge in “unique homes”. For examples, the potato hotel -a literal “30 foot potato” in Idaho. Does amazing on Airbnb. I want to be a home that is worthy of being on a youtube channel or a blog post. Like Robuilt’s tiny home in JT that got 2 million views. These stays are not necessarily more expensive but I think something CRAZY unique can make your home stand out especially when you have to choose what photo to make your listings main photo.
The best part of having a “Instagram worthy” Airbnb is free marketing. I’ve had many guests stay in my Joshua tree home that were influencers that would post about my home to their followers. I would want to create an Instagram account for my place and run marketing ads. That doesn’t work so well when your house is a normal looking home with just great amenities. It only works for stays that have something cool. That’s why Asheville glamping puts a blue slide in each of its Dome homes, and that’s why the Potato home does so well. It’s marketable. I didn’t like the fact that Gatlinburg cabins look exactly the same from one another with not much differences. That sure is fine when demand is crazy, but if demand every slows down, I’d imagine only the top performing listings will continue to do well.
Basically, I want to build something that would go on Levi Kelly’s youtube channel. Haha. Something where I could run effective ads, or get free marketing through stayamo.
A huge inspiration is Kristie Mae I think her name is. She’s currently building a lake side home where the home looks like a shipwrecked boat. Awesome theme. She even sends the guest a homemade video about some treasure hunt before they arrive. This is what I’m talking about.
The problem with stays like this is that you're most likely not going to get many repeat bookings. Part of what makes a successful short-term rental is building a roster of repeat bookings. The target audience will be guests who are one and done and on to the next. Also, think about the upkeep on a shipwrecked boat. You're going to need an especially skilled set of maintenance workers to keep up with the property. You need to strike a balance between unique and practical. Take for instance the Castle Estate in Joshua Tree. It looks great in photos but many of the reviews speak to how uncomfortable the castle towers are and how overpriced the stay was compared to the experience. Part of the experience is the comfort level. Sure, pretty pictures are great but if the place is so uncomfortable that you're only able to get a solid two hours of sleep, your guests are not going to be happy with their overall experience. You're probably misrepresenting yourself but it does sounds like you're focused on what you want (feature in Levi Kelly's YT channel, free advertising, etc) rather than what the guest needs and wants.
@Jason Kudo I don't necessarily think that comfort and providing a great experience is mutually exclusive, Im sure you can achieve both. Looking at Kristiemaewolfe's calendars, none of her places have any availability for the next two months. She's booked solid. and every listing has 4.9+ stars. The demand is high for unique stays and the CEO of Airbnb has even stated that the most successful Airbnbs are the ones that play off of the theme that the location is known for. Joshua Tree is like the land of creativity and desert themes. In my opinion, the most creative homes or the ones that make you really feel like youre in the desert - do the best. That's why there are so many homes with the Boho theme or just interesting themes. The homes that look like they are a "regularly" furnished homes don't do as well. My neighbor in JT had a home that looked like a "regular" LTR home and she charged half of what I was charging per night and I think it had to do with the fact that my home was themed correctly. But you're right, you have to nail comfort first before anything else.
As for repeat clients, I think that might be dependent on the location as well. As a traveler, do people really want to stay at the same place twice when going to Joshua tree? Maybe Gatlinburg, since every home looks kind of the same anyways? I had a 4.98 rating for my home in JT but I never had a repeat guest.
I'm wouldn't go build an A-frame home in JT - it doesn't fit the theme. But for every location, I feel like there would be a super unique amenity that fits the theme for that location perfectly and that amenity or unique feature could set that Airbnb apart from the rest.
One idea I had for Joshua Tree was to buy a home with a big backyard and just built a bunch of different photo backdrop stations (like one station could be a old western saloon entrance with the swinging doors and an arching sign above it that says "Joshua Tree"). And then fill the backyard with these photo backdrops.
Do you think something like that is worth doing? My basis for this idea is that a lot of people come to JT because it is instagrammable. So why not create a space that allows them to get more instagram content?
Like if my kitchen was an "okay" kitchen - would you rather spend 20k on the full kitchen remodel or would you rather install like 5 of these photo backdrops and maybe a hot tub made out of a giant boulder. I feel like the latter option is a much better ROI, although I can't back this up with actual numbers since I haven't actually tested this theory haha
Like if my kitchen was an "okay" kitchen - would you rather spend 20k on the full kitchen remodel or would you rather install like 5 of these photo backdrops and maybe a hot tub made out of a giant boulder. I feel like the latter option is a much better ROI, although I can't back this up with actual numbers since I haven't actually tested this theory haha
No, I think a bitchin' kitchen would add more value. Unless you know you're getting people who don't cook....
Lots of puddle-glums on this post trying to rain on your parade, @Michael Hyun, but I say you're heading in the right direction. I try to maximize the experience with as minimal cost as possible. A spaceship hot tub sounds expensive and high maintenance. But what could be done to show guests you're going above-and-beyond the "no frills" STR? (I like @Carolyn Fuller's ideas.) My wife and I were already making homemade wine, so we amped up the operation and now give a bottle to all our guests as a welcome gift. Easy peasy...and profitable.
@Jason Kudo I don't necessarily think that comfort and providing a great experience is mutually exclusive, Im sure you can achieve both. Looking at Kristiemaewolfe's calendars, none of her places have any availability for the next two months. She's booked solid. and every listing has 4.9+ stars. The demand is high for unique stays and the CEO of Airbnb has even stated that the most successful Airbnbs are the ones that play off of the theme that the location is known for. Joshua Tree is like the land of creativity and desert themes. In my opinion, the most creative homes or the ones that make you really feel like youre in the desert - do the best. That's why there are so many homes with the Boho theme or just interesting themes. The homes that look like they are a "regularly" furnished homes don't do as well. My neighbor in JT had a home that looked like a "regular" LTR home and she charged half of what I was charging per night and I think it had to do with the fact that my home was themed correctly. But you're right, you have to nail comfort first before anything else.
As for repeat clients, I think that might be dependent on the location as well. As a traveler, do people really want to stay at the same place twice when going to Joshua tree? Maybe Gatlinburg, since every home looks kind of the same anyways? I had a 4.98 rating for my home in JT but I never had a repeat guest.
I'm wouldn't go build an A-frame home in JT - it doesn't fit the theme. But for every location, I feel like there would be a super unique amenity that fits the theme for that location perfectly and that amenity or unique feature could set that Airbnb apart from the rest.
One idea I had for Joshua Tree was to buy a home with a big backyard and just built a bunch of different photo backdrop stations (like one station could be a old western saloon entrance with the swinging doors and an arching sign above it that says "Joshua Tree"). And then fill the backyard with these photo backdrops.
Do you think something like that is worth doing? My basis for this idea is that a lot of people come to JT because it is instagrammable. So why not create a space that allows them to get more instagram content?
I think it depends. Pioneertown is just up the road from JT and The Outlaw Airbnb has a real saloon within its grounds. Influencers tend to stay and promote properties that are exceptional so you're going to need to do better than a home with a big backyard and a few props. If you're going to go for unique, don't half-*** it and really go for it. A bitchin kitchen can be a prop on its own. I have a client in escrow on a property in the high desert now that has two large kitchen islands, a large copper sink, tongue and groove ceilings with exposed beams, and a fire place in the dining room. It is an over 100k kitchen, not a 20k kitchen. The front and backyard's landscaping are impeccable. Both the kitchen and front/backyards are instagrammable in their own right. There is a difference between a gimmick and unique and the difference is generally in the details.
In general, you can't take your personal experience and use that as the data point for the general consensus. If you aren't getting repeat bookings, that says more about your property than what's going on outside of your radius. I speak with property managers in JT regularly and repeat bookings definitely occur, regularly. The question is not whether people really want to stay at the same place twice when going to Joshua Tree. The question is what is it that makes people stay at the same place twice?
A giant boulder hot tub sounds like a nice start. It should have a boulder-lined pool to match with a boulder-lined grotto and cliff with a waterfall that you can jump off of. Now that is unique and would fit the theme in Joshua Tree.
My wife and I were already making homemade wine, so we amped up the operation and now give a bottle to all our guests as a welcome gift.
Great Idea! We might look at giving our guests some local microbrew beers......
This same type of debate happens in the software development community between "clever/unique" code vs "boring/easy" to understand code.
There's an acronym for it... KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid
I try to apply that thinking to my STRs and get 5-star ratings and great reviews 🤷🏼♂️
@Chris I.
Honestly I think I approach it differently. The idea is not to sacrifice comfort. The idea is to provide an amazing experience, and a unique experience as much as possible.
I personally think that anyone could get away with having basic amenities and doing well, but looking into the near future, I think the competition is only going to get harder. And I think in the long term it’s going to be hard to compete against everyone else by offering exactly what everyone else offers.
@Michael Hyun In the end, it's all about the dollar. None of us are doing this for fun, right? So if by adding these incredible 'experience amenities', you will definitely increase your return by a larger amount than just having a more ordinary (but still unique and super nice) STR, then go for it.
If you put in all these $$ and effort and your income only increases 20%, then is it worth it? That's what I'd ask myself...
@Michael Hyun In the end, it's all about the dollar. None of us are doing this for fun, right? So if by adding these incredible 'experience amenities', you will definitely increase your return by a larger amount than just having a more ordinary (but still unique and super nice) STR, then go for it.
If you put in all these $$ and effort and your income only increases 20%, then is it worth it? That's what I'd ask myself...
Yup - totally agreed.