Does Your Vacation Rental Need a Theme?
How a Themed Rental Can Boost Your STR Business
While browsing through Airbnb or Vrbo listings, occasionally you’ll come across themed short-term rentals. You might begin to wonder: is it worth it to have a theme for your vacation rental? There are themed Airbnb’s for every interest under the sun, from Alice in Wonderland to Star Trek.
For owners who are wondering how to establish their rental as a themed Airbnb, we’ve got just the guide for you. First we’ll explore what makes a rental “themed”, then we’ll dive into popular types before finishing off with some tips to craft a unique and memorable themed rental experience.
What is a Theme for a Vacation Rental (and Why Do I Need One)?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with themed rentals, here’s a short refresher course to get you up to speed.
A short-term rental with a theme will usually be decorated in a very specific style, typically with memorabilia and themed decor items placed carefully around the property.
Think of a Star Wars fan entering into the home of their dreams, all decked out with Yoda mugs, Star Wars arcade games, and vintage posters on the walls for the original moves–they’d be ecstatic, right? That’s why some owners do this–they have a special interest they want to share with their guests or they just want to attract a certain type of audience.
Themes are not just a way to attract your target market, either–they’re also a great way to stand out from the crowd of basic short-term rentals out there. When someone is looking for somewhere special to stay, they’ll be more likely to choose your rental if it aligns with their own interests, and pay more for it as well.
Exploring Different Types of Vacation Rental Motifs
There are few different types of motifs that you can utilize to decorate your short-term rental in a theme. You can truly decorate your home in whatever way you see fit, but these are a few popular selections that tend to bring in the guests.
Location-Based Themes
Whether your vacation rental is located next to the beach or in a mountain town, there is a location theme for your area. These types of themes are great not only because they have a broad appeal, but decor for them is typically fairly easy to find and won’t break the bank either.
One of the most popular is a tropical or a beach themed vacation rental, which you’ll usually find in areas near the beach or the coast. Decorations for this type of rental will include tropical-themed paintings, brightly-colored walls, and beach-themed decor and memorabilia splashed all around the property.
Another popular theme is “skiing”, which can be found in many mountain towns located near popular ski resorts. These will include decorations like decorative skis on the walls and mountain-themed decor. They’ll usually be filled with anything a skier might need, such as boot warmers or a ski locker, as well.
Sports or Book-Inspired
Other popular motifs for vacation rentals come from media, such as books, sports teams, and movies. These themes, like the Star Wars one mentioned above, tend to be very specific and only appeal to specific audiences, but those audiences will often go all out on a vacation to visit one of their favorite themed rentals.
Tips for Crafting a Theme for Your Short-Term Rental
Make Sure You Know Who Your Audience Is
Before you dive into theming your property for a small subset of guests, it’s a good idea to do a bit of research. For whatever theme you have in mind, search for similar properties and try to discover how well they’re performing. Do they have good reviews? Are guests actually coming to stay? If the audience for that particular theme is too small, you may not be able to maintain the higher prices that themed rentals are known for.
This is why it’s a good idea to know your audience before you open your themed vacation rental for business. If you already have an understanding of whether the demand is there, you’ll have a better idea of how well your rental will perform.
Be Sure to Include Your Theme in Your Listing Description
Once you have all of your themed decor purchased and put into your property, it’s time to update your listing description to attract more guests. Be sure to include as many details and keywords as you can that relate to your theme–the more, the better when it comes to things that prospective guests might be searching for on Airbnb and Vrbo.
Another listing consideration is to submit your listing to the OMG! category on Airbnb. This category is reserved for only the most unique and interesting rental properties, and once yours has a theme to go along with it, marking this category is a great way to get more eyes on your vacation rental listing.
Find Out More Vacation Rental Tips With the LocalVR Blog
Although creating a themed vacation rental is a lot of work, the benefits of charging a premium price and attracting more guests will more than offset the cost and labor. You don’t need to go all-out on a theme, either–subtle themes work well and cost much less to produce than over-the-top homes do.
Hunting for more ways to improve your short-term rental skills? Check out the LocalVR blog for more, like our guide to staging your vacation rental or our how-to on marketing your STR for local events.