Styling is the Best Way to Attract Your Ideal Guests

by Team HoliHomeAugust 10, 2021

Interior decorating Tips for your Vacation Rental

If you’ve been considering listing your home on any of the short term rental booking platforms, there’s no better time than right now.

The more you wait, the more opportunity you miss out on.

The biggest question for most beginners is – How do I style my Airbnb for every guest?

It often gets in the way of hosts opening and beginning to accept guests. The reason for this si simple; decorating can turn into a huge project, or it can be as simple as a having tidy up.

Of course every property will be different, but there are some general guidelines that make a great reference point.

Below we’ve compiled some of the top tips as suggeste by HoliHome’s professional hosting team.

Themed Stays Don’t Appeal To Everyone

Well, when styling for your travellers, we believe that it’s always best to keep it neutral and non-themed, with a neautral and balanced palette.

Unless you have a certain audience in mind, and the location to support the concept, it’s usually best to lean on the relaxing, welcoming, and comforting side of interior design.

Keeping a simple approach means you’re much more likely to appeal to a wider range of potential guests, and not just the minority who want an ‘unusual’ stay.

Clear The Clutter

If there’s too much going, you can’t create a relaxing environment for people to come stay and unwind in.
Make sure you’re not adding too much furniture. You are selling space when you rent your property out on Airbnb. So, don’t fill that space with clutter.
When designing, some feel the need to buy more just to fill a spot. This can feel like the right thing to do but often an empty wall only needs a frame, not a side table!

No Personal Items

Your guests are booking your holiday home, not your personal home. (Unless you’re providing a home stay and your experience is your home and self).
Needless to say, your guests want to feel like this is their home for the next two to three nights so it makes sense to remove yourself and your personal belongings from the equation.
Personality over personal! One to remember when choosing which items to keep for little decorative pieces.

Religious items might make a guest feel uncomfortable.

Say no more, right? Religion can be very personal and private practice for some, so having your beliefs all around the house is not going to be the most appropriate decoration.
The same can be said with cultural ornaments. Better to not have them on show than to potentially put your guests in an uncomfortable setting. Opt for some creative books, entertainment like board games, xbox, wii, etc.

Religious items might make a guest feel uncomfortable.

Say no more, right? Religion can be very personal and private practice for some, so having your beliefs all around the house is not going to be the most appropriate decoration.
The same can be said with cultural ornaments. Better to not have them on show than to potentially put your guests in an uncomfortable setting. Opt for some creative books, entertainment like board games, xbox, wii, etc.

Remove expensive and/or sentimental items.

Those pieces that hold sentimental value to you, shouldn’t go on show in your holiday home. If you cannot replace them easily, then it needs to stay safe!
Without these items around, you can also stay worry free!

Themes that don’t tie in with your location and surroundings.

Yes, you need a point of difference, as there are thousands of options for guests to choose from. But if you go too far with a theme then it’s important to remember you could be alienating a large percentage of travellers, which means you’re losing money for a silly mistake.
It’s always a good idea to do some market research and know what your location suits! For example, th beach is coastal and light so a hamptons style would be on trend and unlikely to date.

Colour Schemes Are Important

Other things to think about before you even think about furnishings is your colour scheme. This can be a deal breaker for your property!

When picking out your colours, you will need to keep in mind that colours can affect our moods and emotions.

So, what mood are you trying to create for your traveller? Is it a modern, cosy, industrial look? Or perhaps a scandi inspired mountain retreat – your choice! Just remember to consider your surroundings and what you have to work with.

Whatever the case may be, pick out your colours after you have selected a style and continue it throughout the home.