“I Know My Airbnb Should Be Making More Money”… Now What?

If you own a vacation rental, you’ve probably had this thought at some point…

“I know this property should be making more.”

Maybe you compare your bookings to another home nearby and wonder how they seem to stay full while your calendar has gaps. Maybe you look at your annual revenue and think, “This feels low for the quality of home we have.” Or maybe you just have a gut feeling that something isn’t clicking.

And if that’s you, I want you to know something:

You’re probably right.

Not because you’re doing a bad job. Not because your property isn’t good enough. And not because the market is dead.

Most of the time, the problem is much less obvious.

The biggest mistake I see owners make is assuming revenue problems are caused by the house itself.

Usually they aren’t.

Beautiful properties underperform all the time.

The reality: guests don’t book properties. They book experiences.

Owners know their properties better than anyone. You remember the family gatherings, summer sunsets on the lake, coffee on the deck in the morning, campfires at night, kids jumping off the dock.

Guests don’t see any of that.

They see:

  • 35 photos
  • A nightly rate
  • A title
  • A few seconds to decide whether to keep scrolling

That’s it.

If the listing doesn’t communicate the experience, guests never discover what makes the property special.

Here’s a simple exercise

Open your listing and pretend you’ve never seen it before.

Ask yourself:

Do the first five photos immediately answer these questions?

  • Why is this property special?
  • What experience am I buying?
  • Why would I choose this over the next listing?

Many listings unintentionally lead with:

  • A picture of the driveway
  • Random bedroom angles
  • Kitchen appliances
  • Empty walls
  • Basic utility spaces

Instead, think about emotion first:

  • The lake view at sunset
  • Coffee on the deck
  • The fire pit
  • The dock
  • A cozy reading corner
  • The place where families gather

Guests buy the feeling before they buy the house.

Pricing is usually more complicated than owners think

Many owners ask:

“What should my nightly rate be?”

The better question is:

“What should my nightly rate be today?”

Pricing isn’t static anymore.

A Friday in July isn’t equal to a Tuesday in August.

A local festival changes demand.

A rainy forecast changes demand.

Nearby competition changes demand.

Remaining booking windows change demand.

One of the most common mistakes is setting prices once and rarely touching them again.

The second most common mistake is lowering prices too quickly when bookings slow down.

Panic discounts usually create less revenue, not more.

The owners seeing the strongest results are constantly making small improvements

People sometimes imagine top-performing vacation rentals underwent huge renovations.

Often they didn’t.

Many improvements are surprisingly small:

  • Better bedding
  • Updated lighting
  • Fresh paint
  • Higher quality photos
  • A coffee bar
  • Better outdoor seating
  • Clearer listing copy
  • Small guest touches

The highest-performing properties usually aren’t standing still.

They continuously improve.

One last thought

If you feel like your property should be making more money, trust that instinct.

But before assuming you need a renovation or before dropping your rates, take a step back and ask:

“Is the property underperforming… or is the presentation underperforming?”

Those are two very different problems.

And one is much easier to fix than the other.