Loading...
Loading...
Category: Off-Topic & Lounge
By: Nolan Peters
Reply by Kevin O'Brien:
I've experimented with probably 15 different side income ideas. Some worked, most didn't. Here's the honest rundown. The easiest money is early check-in and late checkout fees. I charge $25-50 for each, automated through a Hospitable (https://hospitable.com) pre-arrival message. About 30% of guests take the option and it adds $200-400/month per property with zero additional work on my end. If you're not doing this, you're leaving money on the table. Mid-stay upsells have been surprisingly good too. I leave a little menu card in the property — professional photographer session ($99, I partner with a local photographer and keep 30%), private chef dinner ($150-350, I keep 15%), grocery pre-stocking ($50 base plus cost). Combined these bring in $300-600/month across my 2 properties. The photographer one is especially popular with anniversary/proposal guests. Affiliate income from local businesses is small but truly passive. I recommend specific kayak rental companies, adventure tours, and restaurants in my house manual and collect referral fees — $10 per kayak booking, 10% on the zip-line company, that kind of thing. Maybe $100-200/month but I literally don't think about it. The house manual generator at https://strspecialist.com/tools/house-manual-generator makes this easy to set up professionally. Pet fees have been worth it: $50-75 per pet per stay. About 20% of my guests bring dogs. The extra cleaning is real but the fee more than covers it. And firewood bundles are a seasonal win — buy for $5, sell for $15, leave 2 free bundles and offer more for purchase. October through March it adds $100-200/month. What didn't work: Airbnb Experiences was a massive time sink for the revenue. Leading tours for $40/person is terrible math when you could be optimizing properties. Selling branded merch (mugs, shirts) — sold maybe 3 items in 6 months. Nobody wants your Airbnb's merch lol. Vending machines looked great on YouTube but in practice it was constant restocking, mechanical issues, and an eyesore in listing photos. Pulled it after 2 months. And charging separately for amenities like board games — that creates a nickel-and-diming vibe that kills reviews. Just include everything and price accordingly. Bottom line: my 2 properties gross about $8,500/month in nightly rates and the side income adds $600-900 — roughly 8-10% additional revenue. Most of it automated or close to it. The key is only adding stuff that doesn't degrade the guest experience. If it feels like you're selling rather than hosting, skip it.
Reply by David Okafor:
One side income stream being overlooked: **direct booking rebookings.** After every 5-star guest checks out, I send a personalized email (via Hospitable): "Hi [Name], thanks for being an amazing guest! We'd love to host you again. Book direct at [my website] with code RETURN10 for 10% off your next stay." **Results after 1 year:** - 400+ guests received the email - 45 rebooked direct (11% rebook rate) - Average booking value: $650 - 10% discount per booking: -$65 - Saved Airbnb fees per booking: ~$60 (on guest side — they appreciate this) - Total direct rebooking revenue: $29,250/year - Airbnb platform fees saved: ~$4,500/year That's not exactly "side income," but the $4,500 in saved platform fees is PURE additional profit. And direct guests tend to be your best guests — they already know your property. This requires a simple direct booking website (OwnerRez and Hostaway both include this) and a good email capture system. Takes ~2 hours to set up and runs on autopilot.