Building a Stay that is also an Experience

[Carolyn22]

Hi everyone! Brains trust input sought- I've read some exciting articles about places that are also a mystery solving experience not just a wannabe hotel room kitted out with little toiletries and white linen.

The next guest is going to try out my "escape room" with a difference - he has to crack the code to get into his room or sleep on the couch ... just kidding.

A full on mystery story utilising the props on the house would be amazing ... I just bought a ready made kit and used the puzzles blended with my props. Nothing complex, but I hope its a little bit cool.

Its a quirky old place i've filled with fantasy/harry potter themed items and board  games to give you something to do in the house. The garden is a medicinal collection,  guests often enjoy trying some petals 🙂 

Is there anyone else here who has ideas or has done something in this vein?

[Rebecca]

Hello @Carolyn22 👋

Thank you for sharing this topic with the Community Center. It's such a unique and exciting approach to hosting! Have you implemented this in your listing already? 

I love the idea of a medicinal/vegetable garden too and wanted to share these articles that might be of interest to you surrounding the gardening side of your post, whilst we wait for more hosts to pop by: 
🌱 [FESTIVAL] Urban Farming and Rooftop Gardens  by @Rekha10 

🌱 [FESTIVAL] The Shepherd's Hut, Ruinen the Netherlands by @Katja202

[Rebecca]

You've asked such a great question here @Carolyn22, I'm going to tag in some of our experienced hosts who may be able to share their advice and support. 

@Dave-and-Deb0, @Nash-Cottages-LLC0  and@Justin2179 - I wondered if you had any advice for @Carolyn22 that you could share? 

Thank you so much in advance! 😊

[Carolyn22]

Hi Rebecca,

Thx for the links. I don't know how to tag Judy in this reply.

I've had a few guests try out the "escape room" option. They enjoyed it 🙂 Only the chap i least anticipated would have any trouble was obviously going to wind up on the couch without a little guidance - he was attempting to crack the cryptex not the actual puzzle in the spellbook which yields the password for the cryptex inside the box. The room key is in that. 

Its a nice heavy aged bronze metal cryptex. The chocolate coin can be traded for a hint or eaten.

Theres a little chocolate prize that looks like a golden snitch waiting in the room.

There's a second puzzle in the  bedroom on a potion theme because that room has potions in it which are usable (relabelled perfumes)  Theres a little chocolate prize that looks like a golden snitch waiting in the room.

One guest has done all the puzzles in the house and achieved "cauldron snack" level.

I thought the language barrier might be too much for a recent guest who also had not had any airbnb stays so I didn't offer it to her. 

[Rebecca]

@Nash-Cottages-LLC0 is Judy's username her on the Community Center 😊 I'll tag them in so they see your response. 

I must say the puzzles sound amazing and such a different experience for guests! 

[Nash-Cottages-LLC0]

@Carolyn22 What a cool idea! How are your guests handling the puzzles—are they cracking the codes, or is your couch getting more love than expected? 😂

Seriously, how have your guest responded? Since your place may already be drawing people who love all things fantasy, why not ask them what else would make it even more magical? Asking guess who are already attracted to your unique space 'what else can I do?' might give you a lot of ideas for making tweaks here and there that would appeal to them.

Also, if there are any fantasy conventions or other type of gatherings nearby, you could tap into that crowd. Maybe drop a cheeky post on social media with a shoutout to those events—it sounds like your place would be the stay for them. Who wouldn’t want to solve mysteries surrounded by Harry Potter vibes and a garden you can nibble on?

Finally, if you haven't already done so, I'd suggest putting signs to identify those edible plants. Think of how a botanical garden does it. We have some signs in our yard. Here's what we did: bought small metal plant id stakes. Then, we printed on waterproof labels the scientific and common names of the plants. Then, we affixed those labels onto the metal ID stakes and sprayed then with a clear coating. Taking those steps has helped maintain the life of the ID tags. 

Good luck and please post pictures. Thanks for the tag @Rebecca. 

Judy

[Carolyn22]

Thank you for these ideas Judy. You reminded me I did get some little copper plant labels ... wonder where they are?