What is an Experiential Stay?
This may go without saying, but an experiential stay goes above and beyond a simple overnight lodging. It is a curated experience that attracts guests and makes them feel amazing. When a guest books an experiential stay, they expect to be wowed and allowed to vacation as they’ve never done so before. In short, your goal is to provide an immersive and memorable experience that they’ll never forget.
At the 2024 VRMA Spring Forum in New Orleans, Louisiana, we were treated to many insightful panels, including one focused on experiential stays moderated by Jeff Iloulian, CEO and Co-Founder of HostGPO.
Unpacking an Experiential Stay
You might be wondering how to spot an experiential stay. Well, an experiential stay is Instagrammable, more expensive, and features custom amenities that make a property more than competitive.
Bryndee Barton, Co-Founder and Design Manager at Loma Homes, confirmed this line of thought, stating that people will pay premium prices for creating experiences and memories. Her advice? “Appeal to people who will pay a premium.”
Creating an experiential stay can help you command more money per booking for your vacation rental while meeting the needs of guests desiring to book unique and unforgettable stays for their families.
Crafting an Experiential Stay
When building out an experiential stay, the panel discussed the following criteria:
- Costs: how much to spend?
- Accessibility: does it need to be expensive?
- Allocation of Resources: what to invest in?
- Effort versus Benefit: you’ve already spent some money on this property. Go the extra mile because you’re almost there!
Something to remember is that creating an experiential stay is intentional. Uniqueness and novelty are what people look for.
Investing in an Experiential Stay
That being said, where should you spend your money?
“Invest more in the common areas like living and dining areas, and mainly outdoor dining. Next, spend in the primary bedroom,” shared Matthew O. Brimer, co-founder and chairman at ZZ Driggs.
When it comes to which guests will pay more for an over-the-moon stay, Ben Wolff, Co-Founder of Onera, confided, “Couples are the highest spending per square foot, willing to pay more when celebrating anniversaries, and so on.”
He went on to say that if your experiential stay is in an area where there are no 5-star hotel experiences, your vacation property providing an experiential stay could very well be the best stay in town. Be sure to leverage that advantage!
Investing in Family
Where else should you focus your energy and budget? Consider the dinner table.
Creating memories families will cherish means getting back to basics and prioritizing the dining experience.
“When saying how many people can stay at your vacation rental, make sure the entire party can eat at the dinner table together,” Amy Dourson, owner of Red River Gorgeous, advised.
Families want to sit around the same table when breaking bread. If you need to accommodate large groups like a family reunion, arrange for a dinner table that seats around 12 people and offer additional seating at coffee tables nearby to keep everyone in the same room and under the same roof. Family matters. Make it happen!
What Not To Do
Now that you know what to do, surely there are some missteps to avoid when creating an experiential stay. What might those be?
Matthew O. Brimer recommends you steer clear of:
- Flimsy furniture that moves
- Bad lighting…become a geek on light bulbs because people do not want to feel like they are in a dentist’s office!
Experiential Stays on the Lake
After hosting a family reunion at our cottage for 24 people, I assure you that creating an experiential stay is within reach for all vacation rental owners on the water. You just need to know where to put the focus!
Being on a lake fosters an inherent experiential stay with nature as your backdrop.
The lake provides a showstopping amenity, as do invigorating sunrises and glorious sunsets over the expanse. The moon’s reflection at night, the lake’s sparkling waters, and the gentle lapping of waves against the shore set the tone for what many consider an experiential stay.
Another perk of lakeside vacation rentals is easy access to swimming, whether for pure enjoyment or to beat the heat. If swimming is safe at your cottage, make sure you have more than enough life jackets for the number of people staying at your property. Given water activities are popular in your area, develop a relationship with a local boating or wakeboarding school so your guests have the option of booking lessons.
Imagine the experiential stay you could design by partnering with a company that allows your guests to use a standup paddleboard and learn how to water ski or wakeboard. The possibilities are endless!
Being situated on a lake means your vacation rental is home to a wide variety of wildlife, and as such, you might get some unsolicited help entertaining guests from furry and feathered friends. To give you an example of how an assortment of creatures lent a wing or a paw at our cottage, guests enjoyed loon calls heralding the new day, otters visiting the boathouse, and seeing curious red squirrels making the rounds, not to mention thirty Canadian geese that made themselves quite at home on the point, much to the delight of our golden retriever.
Fishing is another activity that your vacation rental may lend itself to. If you know that anglers (fishermen or fisherwomen) are coming to your place, ensure they can access rods, bait, and tackle. Also, provide guidance for those over 12 years of age to get a recreational outdoors card (or however fishing is regulated in your state or province). Putting a line out and watching the bobber go up and down is a real joy, as is reeling in what is sure to be a story to share over supper that night.
Your property is a haven where the simple pleasures of life can be experienced. Families just want to be together and have the space to connect, relax, and be in each other’s company, in this case, in the great outdoors.
Build upon the momentum your vacation rental’s location already provides through simple investments in the things that bring people together, namely opportunities to eat and play.
