Part Two: How To Make Your Airbnb Stand Out

Now more than ever, it’s critically important that you make your Airbnb stand out. According to AirDNA, since 2020, 54% of Airbnb listings are new additions. There are now over 6 million listings on Airbnb alone.

In my previous blog post, I talked about doing your research. So by now you should have a good feel for your market and the competition out there. What are you seeing? If you’re looking at a beach area, are the properties all white walls with blue accents and fish paraphernalia in the bathrooms? Or if you’re in the mountains, are they all golden wood paneling with moose and bear decor everywhere? Are there any pet friendly places? Do they all have hot tubs? Parking? By observing the other listings, you’ll start to notice trends in the area you’re looking at and how to make your Airbnb stand out.

Be Different

Find something that can make your property stand out from the crowd. Whether it’s amazing views, a large city lot, unique architecture. However if you can’t find a property with this already built-in, you can add unique features and amenities to achieve the same unique selling point.

Different By Design

You can add uniqueness through design. Choosing a theme for your property, especially one that somehow ties to your business, your background, or the local area, is a great way to make it stand out.

The Pink Castle in Hudson WI is a great (and slightly extreme!) example of how to make your property stand out.

The Owner has done a great job of understanding her target audience (bachelorette parties) and going all in on the the pink theme. I think you’d be hard pressed to find another bright pink historic home in Wisconsin!

A slightly more subtle theme, is the Tea Studio in Chicago. This industrial loft has a Japanese theme, with selection of rare teas. The theme is carried through to the artwork, the Japanese soaker tub and Japanese whiskeys.

My own brand of vacation rentals – The Hygge Suite – was created to stand out from all the traditional North Woods cabins in Northern Minnesota with their moose and bear ornaments adorning every wall and surface.

They’re decorated in a a modern Scandinavian theme which draws from the area’s history. They still feel like a cozy cabin, yet in a modern way using dark blues and lots of off-white to make the most of the natural light.

Unique Amenities

It feels like everyone that owns a vacation rental has some sort of coffee bar in their property (if you don’t, you probably should!) That’s the challenge of creating something unique, it’s only unique until someone else does it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t stand out with some more common amenities. It really depends on your local market.

Research your local market and look out for the common amenities that other hosts are offering. If the majority aren’t offering something, then add it. It could be a hot tub, a popcorn or s’mores bar, or in our case, we made our properties pet-friendly.

Some more unique ideas I’ve seen are:

• A chicken coop
• Petting zoo
• Giant chess
• An outdoor home theater
• Electric vehicle charger

My final tips? Let your imagination run wild. The wilder the better. Keep in mind your target audience, and link the theme back to something meaningful if you can.