Refining our Airbnb experience to increase bookings/revenue

Refining our Airbnb experience to increase bookings/revenue

Member since 2025 · 1 post · 0 votes

Hey - it's been awhile since my last post where we were just getting our STR started. We opted for a quick kitchen refurb, finishing the basement with a 4th bedroom and games room.

We had a great first full year with the peak season pretty much fully booked for 2026.

Now with that being said, we are lacking in the off season. 

Here is the listing if you wanted to have a look - any feedback is appreciated 
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/1184366023372083392?viralityEntr...

We went with a small farm vibe and built to suit larger groups (upto 12).  Guests get to use the pool, hot tub, games room and fire pit - we incorporated audio in these locations with volume limits and give access to the small orchard and garden for fresh fruits and veggies.  We run a few cows and some chickens, so guests enjoy farm fresh eggs daily.  All of that has taken really well.


The question is how do I make it better, so here are the items I have come up with 

1. Sauna in the woods - I have a staircase off the porch that heads into the forest with a 100’ path to a clearing with a great lakeview.  The thought was to add a sauna and cold plunge setup there.

2. Shop/outbuilding: near the carport is. 700sq-ft unfinished shop that could be turned into a bunkhouse/small cabin for extra guests - or into some other amenity 

3. Serviced rv sites.  I have 2 fully serviced seasonal rv sites near the fire pit.  Do I offer these with a trailer in place? For rent vacant?  I think it would be best to keep one group at a time on the property, but wondering how best in increase that offering

4. We are 2min from the lake, I have been working with an insurance broker to get proper insurance for boat rentals and have contemplated making a pontoon boat rental available to guests for an additional fee.  Most groups are staying for a week at a time in the summer

5. Adding some cheap amenities like bicycles that can be used to head down to the beach etc

We are also near some world class snowmobiling and have struggled to break into that market in the off-season but the property would do well for groups.  Anyone specialize in that market and have any advice?

A bit long-winded but have a number of things on my mind on how to improve/what to do next!

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  • MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    9mo

    The grounds and exterior photos are amazing. Love the idea of produce and fresh eggs. I have no idea of your market so take this with a grain of salt but I don’t like the homey farm vibe and things like the white refrigerator put me off.  If it were my property I would finish the inside off in a modern, sleek style which would go well with sauna and cold plunge idea. Again just my opinion but an RV anything is a no. I also wonder how creative you need to get as each year will build on itself with repeat guests and your excellent reviews. Beware of over improving. 

  • Andrew SteffensBusiness Member
    Tampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    9mo

    Awesome place and congrats on your initial success!

    As for the amenities I think the answer can be found in the data. I am not familiar with your market, but I can draw some parallels to how I answer similar questions about my own market. If you have an average 3/2 renovated house 5 mins from the beach in Pinellas County you can expect about $45k average in gross annual STR revenue. That is roughly $200/nt ADR 65% occupancy. If you add a nice pool and outdoor aesthetics that can jump about $30k based on $300/nt 70% occupancy. In this example the pool is fairly easy to quantify at about $100 extra per night with a bump in occupancy. Now, if you add a hot tub your jump is negligible because hot tubs are not in demand in FL. Now adding a pool in a mountain market may be negligible where adding a hot tub could be a big jump.

    My point is if you use a tool like AirDNA and study your competition you should be able to quantify to a degree what your competition offers and what their revenue is.  In my pool example you can make $30k/year on a $60-70k pool addition which is a 50% give or take return, a no brainer.  I do not know what the amenities you listed can bring you in, or what they cost.  If you can quantify those 2 variables to a degree I think you will find your answer.

    Good luck!

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