Most STR guests book experiences before check-in

Key Takeaways

A new study found that 74 percent of short-term rental experience bookings happen before check-in
Guests staying at properties charging $500 or more per night spent an average of $1,000 per stay on experiences
In-property services such as private chefs generated average order values 27 percent higher than off-site experiences

Short-term rental guests may be spending a lot more money on their trips before they ever unlock the front door.

Nearly three out of four experience bookings, or 74 percent, are made before check-in, new data shows.

The State of STR Experiences 2026 Report shared by Localbird analyzed booking activity across more than 7,500 stays in the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica.

For STR hosts and operators, the numbers point to a potentially lucrative window between booking and arrival, when guests are still deciding how they’ll spend their vacation fund and, in some cases, how much more they’re willing to spend on excursions during their trip.

That opportunity gets even bigger at the higher end of the market.

At short-term rentals charging $500 or more per night, 44 percent of guests engaged with Localbird’s digital concierge and 18 percent went on to make a booking. Those guests spent an average of $1,000 per stay on experiences.

At properties charging less than $100 per night, a smaller number of guests (35 percent) engaged with the concierge, but only 4 percent booked an experience.

“This data confirms something we’ve believed for a long time: the guest experience doesn’t start at check-in, it starts the moment someone hits ‘book.’ Operators who treat the property as the whole product are leaving money and loyalty on the table, because guests are already planning their trip well before they arrive,” Ben Levy, CEO and Co-Founder of Localbird told REWire Media in a press release.

“Operators should begin curating the entire journey, using technology to understand a guest’s profile early, tailor recommendations before check-in, and build a relationship with each guest. This is especially true for premium properties, where guests are already telling us through their spending that they expect a fully curated stay,” Levy added.

Guests are planning before they arrive

What guests book also appears to affect when they spend.

Higher-priced experiences that take more planning, including private chefs, boat charters and guided tours, were typically booked further ahead. Transportation requests tended to come closer to arrival.

Sailing boat in San Diego, California, United States (Photo credit: Unsplash/big.tiny.belly)

That timing could give hosts a clearer idea of when to start putting add-ons in front of guests. Waiting until check-in may mean travelers have already filled their itineraries and decided where their vacation budgets are going.

Levy said operators who think of the property as the entire product could be missing opportunities to build more value around the stay, particularly with premium guests who are already showing a willingness to spend more on the overall trip.

Private chefs bring in bigger orders

Guests also appeared willing to pay more when the experience came to them.

Services delivered at the rental generated average order values 27 percent higher than experiences that took place elsewhere. Private chef bookings averaged $464 each.

Transportation was the most commonly booked category, making up 39 percent of all experience bookings, but it accounted for only 18 percent of revenue.

Adventure and land tours made up 16 percent of bookings, followed by water activities at 13 percent and vehicle rentals at 9 percent.

Families and big groups are spending too

The guest mix mattered too.

Families accounted for 31 percent of digital concierge engagement in Localbird’s data, while groups of five or more adults made up another 24 percent.

That could make experience add-ons particularly useful for larger short-term rentals, where several guests may be planning meals, activities and transportation together.

The findings also arrive as more travelers look beyond the property itself when choosing where to stay, from fall weekend getaways to the game-day destinations Airbnb says are drawing travelers this fall.

The takeaway here may be less about selling guests more once they arrive and more about reaching them while they’re still putting the trip together.