These days, bookings aren’t the only way to make money at your vacation rental. Guests want convenience and all the comforts during their stay, and they are willing to pay you extra for it.
You know that feeling when you learn about something and suddenly you start seeing it everywhere? I experienced this recently when I discovered ATLIST, a tech startup that helps vacation rental hosts build custom guest experience pages for premium amenities, services, and experiences.
I first came across ATLIST the same way I find a lot of my other favorite tools for Airbnb hosts: by scrolling through Instagram. A few hosts in my network had posted about offering add-ons. And, coincidentally, Airbnb Superhosts Tarah and Drew from The Lofthouse (whom I interviewed last year) recently launched an ATLIST guest experience page. Now their guests can shop a curated selection of added conveniences and unique activities. Having seen The Lofthouse develop their brand over the past year, I was excited to see what kinds of add-ons they were planning to offer their guests. Their guest experience page, filled with all kinds of fun experiences like horseback riding, outdoor movie nights, and local treats, did not disappoint.
What is ATLIST?
I reached out to the ATLIST team to learn more and met with two of their co-founders, CEO Tiffany Lin and Head of Content Julia Eskins over Zoom. They are both clearly very passionate about elevating the guest experience.
As someone who loves hacks and the smart way around hard things, it was refreshing to discover how easy it is to use their free platform and start earning additional revenue immediately. As many of you may be curious about doing this for your own property, I decided to put together a guide to show you exactly how to do it.
What Can I Offer?
Maybe you have been thinking about add-on services, but are not sure of where to start. I polled over 50 Instagram hosts about the most profitable extras they offer guests. Here are some of the most creative ideas for Airbnb add-on services:
- Pre-stocking the fridge (bonus points if you shop from the farmer’s market)
- Charcuterie/cheese boards
- Breakfast or dinner
- Rental equipment: bikes, kayaks, baby gear, etc.
- Decorations for occasions
- Romantic packages: Flowers, chocolate, and chilled champagne
- Birthday packages: Cake, chilled wine, and flowers
- Outdoor movie nights with a projector, movies, and popcorn
Or offer services from local businesses:
- In-suite spa services: massage or facial
- Horseback riding
- Private yoga instructor
- Chef made dinner
- Mini photography session
- In-suite spa services: massage or facial
- Horseback riding
- Private yoga instructor
- Chef made dinner
- Mini photography session
Why Use a Platform?
You could send a long message to guests about your add-on services, but without photos and an easy way to click and pay, it’s not easy for your guests to book extras. Scheduling can lead to drop-off as guests grow tired of messaging back and forth. Cash and payment requests through Airbnb can be a hassle and it’s hard to enforce cancellation policies.
With a platform like ATLIST, you can create a visually beautiful add on-page in just a few hours. ATLIST provides all the templates for post creation and you’ll be guided through the process from start to finish.
If you need additional content support (copywriting, image sourcing, catalog consultation) or PMS integration they can do that for you for a one-time design fee.
How Does ATLIST Work?
Building your portal with ATLIST is pretty easy. You simply fill in the blanks of their user-friendly page-builder forms or edit one of their templated posts. You even get access to their beautiful stock photography library, which covers just about any add-on you can dream of offering.
If you would like to use their Scheduler, which allows your guests to book experiences or services for a specific date and time based on your availability, you can connect your Google calendar and easily manage things like the minimum booking notice and how far in advance guests can book. The “manual confirm” option is also a lifesaver for hosts that might want a heads up before they confirm a reservation.
If you would like to use their Scheduler, which allows your guests to book experiences or services for a specific date and time based on your availability, you can connect your Google calendar and easily manage things like the minimum booking notice and how far in advance guests can book. The “manual confirm” option is also a lifesaver for hosts that might want a heads up before they confirm a reservation.
How do Guests Book and Pay?
Guests book and pay through your page, hosted by ATLIST, to ensure transactions are as smooth as possible. ATLIST is integrated with Stripe, a secure payment system that accepts almost any form of payment. ATLIST charges your guests a small service fee (5-8% depending on the item) on all transactions to cover credit card processing and platform hosting costs. What that looks like in real life is if a guest is buying a $20 welcome platter from you, they’ll be charged $21, but you’ll get the full $20 at which you priced the item.
Who Provides the Services/Amenities?
You can take care of operations yourself, or you can work with an external vendor of your choice. You’ll have the option to onboard your favorite vendors by providing ATLIST with their name, email address, and your commission split (e.g., if you get 25% of the revenue, they get 75%). ATLIST will hook them up to their payment platform and link their Google Calendar to your Scheduler. They’ll handle payment splits on your behalf so you don’t have to worry about paying a vendor.
How do I Share my Page?
Once a booking is confirmed, the Airbnb app will let you share a link in messages. You simply send the link to the guest with a short message like:
“Thank you so much for booking with us! Shop our curated selection of convenient amenities, homemade treats, and local activities—hand-picked to enhance your experience at our Airbnb!” *link*
Here are some other ways you can share your portal with your guests:
- Add it to your navigation bar if you have a website
- Add the link and a QR code to your welcome book or a sign in your vacation rental
- Text the link to your guests if you use text messaging
- Add it to your Linktree on social media
Conclusion
Offering add-ons is a great way to increase your revenue while also making the guest experience more enjoyable.
The first 30 days are free for hosts and then it’s a small monthly fee under $10. But, with my code MAMMAMODE, you’ll get -50% off the monthly rate and -50% off if you need them to set up your page!
If you’re looking for a modern, user-friendly, and free platform to build a guest experience page and monetize your premium services, amenities, and activities, pop over and check out ATLIST for yourself here.
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