How to monetize your accommodation away from tourist destinations?

[Lucas596]

You can adopt some strategies and obtain many more reserves even if it is not close to areas of interest, such as beaches, natural landscapes, event parks, etc. In this article I bring together some of the lessons I learned during my career at AIRBNB, and which I believe will help other hosts.

First of all, you should know the full potential of your space. Although some places are far from centers of interest, they can be reasonably close to highways, being a great option for those who are traveling between destinations and looking for short-term accommodation. If this is your case, make this explicit in the ad with phrases like “3km from the 60route highway”. Make use of the minimum reservation for one night, have agile responses and an automatic check-in process (some guests may arrive at night) to attend this type of guest.

Also in this line, if your property is located in an urban area (even if it is a small town), you may be surprised by the number of short-term guests, such as businessmen, students or even people who come to visit relatives.

There is also another host profile, the digital nomads, people with no fixed residence and who travel the world staying exclusively on the platform. This type of guest seeks a space that resembles a home. They usually don't care so much about being close to a tourist spot, they are more interested in having a real local experience. Usually digital nomads make reservations for a longer period (months).

This may sound like chiché, but price can be another important ally when it comes to getting more reservations. If your accommodation is far from a center of interest, its intrinsic value is less and you can pass this difference on the daily rate and attract more guests. This means winning in a different way, as you may have less vacancy.

[Huma0]

@Lucas596 

I visited Florianopolis many years ago. You reminded me of some good memories (well except for the mosquitoes!).

Thanks for your post. I live in a non-tourist area but very close to central London so have no problem attracting tourists to my listing. However, as I favour long-term guests and have a long minimum stay requirement, I am more likely to get the 'digital nomad' type that you describe and, yes, there are many of them out there. I also get foreign students, interns, professors, people on short work contracts etc.

As well as weekly and monthly discounts, what I find helps to attract these guests include the following:

- A homely atmosphere and well furnished rooms that people would be happy to stay in for longer periods of time.

- Good WiFi and a desk in each bedroom.

- Use of a large, well equipped kitchen.

There are other factors, but those might not be so easily adapted to everyone's situation, e.g. good transport links, plenty of bathrooms, outdoor space and, probably more importantly, that they will be living with their host, other guests and my cats, so they don't feel lonely during their long stay. You would be surprised how many people are happy I have cats because they are missing their pets back home.