Do you upsell any extra services?

[Liv]

Hey everyone, 

A few Hosts have been experimenting with selling extra amenities and services to guests - apart from the stay itself. This got me thinking and I’m curious to know if any of you have ever tried or thought about doing something similar.

It could be an optional meal that you cook yourself, a ride to the airport that you charge for separately or perhaps some paintings made by a local artist.

Either way, I’d love to learn more about extras you might offer guests. Do you upsell anything in your listing? How do you advertise it to guests?

Thanks,

Liv

[Aurora237]

Our manager for our rental has offered to do light shopping upon request with a small upcharge for the service.  Seems nice for travelers who arrive late and can have the fridge stocked with breakfast/drink/snack items.   I find it awkward to mention, however.    Stating it in the digital guidebook might work.

[Paige208]

We offer what we call "packages" we try to market towards specific groups of people, ie: bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, family brunch, boogie dinner. I have teamed up with local vendors for the following:

1.  Brunch for 12

2. Brunch/Yoga for 12

3. Private Chef Dinner for 12

4. Casino night for 20 (roulette, craps, poker with dealers, etc.)

We do not make a ton of money off of these but I am able to up my nightly weekend pricing by offering these package additions, so it works out! 

[Laura2592]

@Paige208 interesting idea, but wondering how you are getting around the ABB party ban with these sorts of packages? Sounds like you have some events going on in your space. Perhaps Peerspace would be a better platform? ABB is not set up for events and it could end up causing you some angst if a neighbor reports an issue. Just a thought.

[Paige207]

Good point! We try to keep our packages at the number of guests that can actually stay. We’ve since reduced the casino night package to 12 based on a lot of good recommendations here! Since we are so rural it’s just an addition should they want it so they don’t have to drive into town to get breakfast, dinner or do an activity!

We do throw larger events without using Airbnb obviously! We were originally just a event venue so we are lucky to have options. Thanks for the peerspace recommendation!  

[Laura2592]

@Paige207 yeah I hear ya. We used to hold "microweddings" pre-pandemic on our property a few months out of the year. We never booked through ABB though. Way too risky. And no way to charge for extra clean up, catering, florists, etc without being accused of either fee avoidance or markup as ABB takes their "cut." You kind of leave money on the table doing an event on this platform. Better to open your space to stays here and offer events through another site. Plus  you don't want to be reviewed on how much fun someone had rather than what the accommodation was actually like!

[Vivek72]

Hi @Paige208 ,

Are you still offering these packages? would love to know how guests are reacting to these packages?

Thanks,

Vivek

[Heather1284]

We've reached out to all the tourism type business around us ask if they offer any referals. Think little more then half did. We dont promote them unless asked. We have a few flyers in nightstand. Out of this one now has us listed on there site as a place to stay. Im suprise a advertising company hasnt took this up. To offer host something for place advertising. That has to be a profitable thing i would think

[Chris15166]

Our apartment is in S America, and guests often arrive in the nighttime, sometimes after midnight. We charge a small fee for late arrivals, and also offer a driver pickup service from the airport, the cost of which is currently paid direct to the driver. This is good to ensure we don't end up with guests having to search for the location in middle of the night in an unfamiliar capital city

It would be really helpful if there were an option to include extra items like these within the booking with airbnb.

[Lynette152]

My sister in-law owns a shop near-bye that tourists enjoy visiting for locally made art, craft, clothes, and home ware's etc.  I was going to start giving my guests discount voucher cards to use at her store, just as perk. 

Not really up-selling, I know, but always nice for guests to find a little bonus and always good for local businesses to get more visitors through the door.

[Ella4855]

We purchase beach chairs and provide this service to our guests free of charge.  It is a big advantage  to our listing show that your gusts can have set of two chairs with umbrella  on the beach free of charge. 

[Amy1975]

I have a washer and dryer they can use for $5 a load. They are in the unit. If they did not read the info in the listing, I still know when they use it, because they are smart enabled. The app tells me they are in use, and I remind the guest they need to make a payment. 

[Victoria1395]

How do you ask them to pay the extra, I.e, by what method do they pay for the washing? 

[Christina1288]

We’re still finding our feet as hosts so this is an interesting topic. As artists and photographers we have a lot of  our work hanging on the walls of our home and hadn’t especially thought of selling work this way, but recent guests showed an interest and suggested that it was something we should consider doing. If we did this we would most likely just put subtle prices on each piece and leave it up to guests to make an enquiry if they were interested. Would this be breaking any Airbnb protocols?

[Linnea-Or-David0]

I have a dear friend that does this with her artwork in her Airbnb and has never had any complaints.  I think it's a brilliant idea.

[Scott1431]

I'm curious about this too.  We've spent some money on framing and matting some nice art.  I've heard others suggest letting guests know that art pieces are for sale. Didn't know if we should put a price on them or not, or maybe just create a binder with copies of the art and the price.  We had one guest ask about buying a piece on the wall we got at a garage sale.  We accepted their offer.  I suggested they could leave cash or use PayPal or Venmo to pay.