BY ANNIE SLOAN

CEO & CO-FOUNDER, THE HOST CO

Before you add a pool, install a putting green, or spend thousands on new photography, try these.

When hosts want to increase occupancy, the conversation usually goes straight to pricing, photography, or adding expensive amenities.

But before you spend a dime, ask yourself:

Are you giving guests enough reasons to choose your property?

Getting someone to your listing is only half the battle. Once they're there, you still have to win them over.

And that means helping them imagine the trip.

The anniversary weekend. The girls' getaway. Yoga on the deck. A chef making dinner while everyone hangs out around the kitchen island.

You're not just selling bedrooms and bathrooms. You're selling what it feels like to stay there.

Here are five ways to do that without spending a fortune. In fact, most are free.

1. Stop selling the house. Start selling the trip.

Beds: 4. Baths: 3. Sleeps: 10.

Important? Yes.

Memorable? Not particularly.

What are your guests actually going to do when they get there?

If you can arrange a private chef, massage, yoga class, outdoor movie night or even a yacht charter, tell people.

Don't wait until after they book. And definitely don't wait for them to ask.

Because here's the thing: guests don't have to actually book an extra for that extra to help sell your property.

Let's say you can help arrange a yacht charter through your Host Co store.

Will 99% of your guests book it? Nope.

But will someone planning a 40th birthday see it and think, Wait, we could do a yacht day?

Absolutely.

Suddenly, you're not just a three-bedroom rental. You're the place where they can have the 40th birthday weekend.

That's a much better story.

2. Know who you're trying to attract.

Who is your property really for?

Couples? Families? Girls' weekends? Wellness travelers?

Now look at your listing. Would that person immediately think:

This place is for us.

If you're a romantic getaway, show the outdoor tub at night with flameless candles around it. Offer a romance package.

If you're great for girls' weekends, show the deck set up for yoga and mention that they can book a private instructor.

If families are your sweet spot, show the firepit with s'mores or the outdoor movie setup.

You haven't changed the property.

You've changed the way people imagine themselves in it.

3. Show people what's possible.

This is a big one.

Hosts tend to think of extras as things you sell after someone books.

They're not.

Your extras are a menu of what's possible at your property.

And a menu has value even when people don't order everything on it.

We've all walked into Costco for one thing and a hot dog and somehow walked out with $400 in groceries.

You can't want something you don't know exists.

Your guests are no different.

Don't wait for someone to ask, “Do you know a massage therapist?” or “Could we get a chef to come to the house?”

Show them.

Put your best extras in your listing. Show them in photos. Put the full menu in your Host Co store. Then show it again once they book.

Some extras will sell all the time. Some may barely ever sell.

They can still help you get the booking.

You don't need every guest to book every amenity.

You need every guest to see what's possible.

4. Give people something to talk about.

The yacht charter has another job, even if nobody books it.

It makes your property memorable.

Maybe your guest has zero interest in a romance package or yacht charter.

Six months later, they're sitting at a bar with a friend who's trying to figure out what to do for his milestone anniversary.

And they say:

“Wait. You should look at this place we stayed. They can set up this whole romance package, and I think they even had yacht charters.”

They didn't book either one.

But they remembered them.

That's word of mouth.

The best rentals are easy to describe:

“It's the cabin where they'll set up an outdoor movie night.”

“It's the place where you can have a chef come make dinner.”

That's a whole lot more memorable than:

“It was really clean.”

Give your property a story people can repeat.

5. Get those stories into your photos and reviews.

Now make all of this visible.

Look at the first 10 photos in your listing.

Are they documenting rooms, or are they making someone want to be there?

You don't need to ditch your professional photography. Add to it.

Show the massage table overlooking the view. The yoga mats on the deck. The firepit at dusk with s'mores ready to go.

And use your captions.

Instead of:

Outdoor deck

Try:

Start the morning with coffee on the deck, or book a private yoga session right here.

Then do the same thing with reviews.

“Great house!”

“Very clean!”

“Would stay again!”

We'll take the five stars, obviously. But those reviews aren't helping the next guest imagine much.

You can't tell guests what to write. But you can ask them to share what they particularly enjoyed about their stay.

You want specifics.

“We booked a private yoga instructor for our girls' weekend.”

“They helped us set up an outdoor movie night for our family reunion.”

Those reviews sell the next stay for you.

Getting found isn't enough.

Pricing matters. Search ranking matters. Great photography matters.

But once someone lands on your listing, you still have to beat the house down the street.

They're trying to picture the trip.

What will we do there?

Would this be great for our anniversary?

Will the kids have fun?

Can I picture my friends around that table?

That's why extras matter, even the ones that barely sell.

A late checkout might sell every week.

A private yacht charter might sell once a year.

Both can make your property more valuable. Just in different ways.

One makes you money when someone buys it.

The other might be the thing that gets someone to stop scrolling, remember your property, tell a friend about it, or choose you over another rental.

Show them what's possible.

The Host Co gives hosts one place to show guests everything they can add to a stay, from the boring stuff that sells all the time, like early check-in and fridge stocking, to the memorable stuff like massages, private chefs and local experiences.

But don't hide that stuff until after someone books.

Use it to sell the story of your property.

Show prospective guests what's possible. Show booked guests what they can add. Give current guests something worth talking about.

Because you may not need another amenity to increase occupancy.

You may just need to do a much better job showing people what they can already do there.

CREATE MY FREE STOREFRONT

5 Free Ways to Increase Your Vacation Rental Occupancy