Guest Service Examples for Vacation Rentals

In today’s highly competitive vacation rental market, providing exceptional service to guests is a top priority for hosts. Excellent customer service can enhance the overall guest experience and is often the difference between happy guests who leave glowing 5-star reviews and come back again and again and frustrated guests who give you poor Airbnb ratings.

This means you need to provide your short-term rental guests with the highest level of customer service from when they book your property to when they check out. It also means that offering unique guest services can impact guest satisfaction and your bottom line.

What guest services and amenities can you provide to meet your guests’ needs and ensure that guests have an enjoyable stay at your rental?

In this article, we’ll share some ideas and guest service examples you can offer to your guests to improve the quality of their stay and make them feel appreciated.  

Guest Service Examples

Providing additional services and hotel-level amenities at your vacation rental is a great way to improve guest experience and increase your Airbnb passive income. Baskets of snacks, extra firewood, fresh flower delivery, in-home massage, bike rentals, local experiences, late check-outs. You can offer your guests many things for an additional fee; just make sure that they suit your guests’ preferences and add value to their stays.

Remember: being a successful STR host is about creating an inviting atmosphere of warmth and comfort to make your guests feel cared for and welcome. This requires commitment and dedication, but it will be easier to find time to focus on this aspect of hosting if you automate your daily repetitive tasks using vacation rental software like Hospitable.

Here are some examples of add-on guest services you can offer to meet your guests’ needs and make your Airbnb property stand out.

Early check-ins and late checkouts

These options can be a great way to enhance your guests’ stay while increasing your revenue. An early check-in is a valuable service for guests who arrive early in the day and want to leave their bags, relax, and start exploring their travel destination. Many guests will also appreciate a late check-out if it works better with their flight schedule.

Mid-stay cleaning

This service can be a top seller for large groups and families and may look appealing to business and leisure travelers who stay for longer periods and want a hassle-free vacation. Many people would appreciate mid-stay housekeeping service and would be willing to pay for the convenience of cleaning their rental during their stay.

Option to extend the stay

You can offer guests who booked your property to extend their stay at a discounted rate; for example, check in one or two days in advance or leave a few days later. This can help you fill in Sunday-to-Monday gaps or turn a weekend booking into a 3 or 4-night stay. It’s much easier to encourage an existing customer who has already booked a stay with you to prolong their trip than to find a new guest.

Grocery delivery

You can partner with local grocery stores to offer grocery delivery to your vacation rentals. Such a convenient service can save your guests time and effort when shopping for groceries. If your property is located in a remote area, offering home delivery of groceries can help you attract many guests.

Equipment rental

This guest service is perfect for vacation rentals near the sea and mountains. You can invest in buying kayaks, canoes, surfboards, bicycles, skis, and other equipment and rent them to your guests who want to explore the surrounding area or enjoy recreational activities. This way, you’ll offer a convenient and hassle-free way for your guests to enjoy outdoor adventures and will be able to increase your income.

Kid-friendly amenities

Families with children deserve special attention. You can enhance their stay by offering extra amenities like high chairs, cribs, strollers, beach toys, and babysitting services. If you market your STR property as kid-friendly, make sure to furnish it with children’s books, baby plates, and utensils.

Wellness

Today’s consumers prioritize their health and well-being, and a growing number of health-conscious travelers seek balance and rejuvenation during their getaways. So you can offer add-ons that enhance the wellness experience. You can partner with nearby spas, yoga studios, and other local wellness providers to offer in-home massages, yoga classes, or guided meditation sessions. This way, you can attract guests looking to indulge in self-care.

You can also wow your guests by offering add-ons like a luxury welcome basket, a fully stocked fridge, a private chef, a personal trainer, health and beauty kits, dog walking and pet sitting services, guided tours, and more.

Offer Guest Services Automatically

Upselling extra guest services won’t be a problem because there are software tools that can help you automate this process. Hospitsble’s latest Upsells feature is very straightforward:

1. Build a catalog of your offerings
2. Send your guest the link to their guest portal (you can automate this step as well)
3. Your guests will see the available options and purchase in the portal directly

The real magic happens when a guest opts in for an extended stay, such as an early check-in or late check-out. Hospitable will automatically reschedule all scheduled messages, cleaning tasks, and smart lock code expiration based on new timings. Learn more in our help article.

We recommend you include a link to your guest portal in your thank you message, one week before arrival message, and check-in message.