Stop Designing for Everyone
One of the easiest ways to make a property forgettable is to try to make it appeal to absolutely everyone.
That instinct is understandable. If you own a short-term rental, you want as many people as possible to see themselves staying there. Families, couples, friend groups, remote workers, wedding guests, retirees, adventurers, people traveling with children, people traveling with dogs. The broader the appeal, the larger the potential market should be.
In practice, the opposite is often true.
The most memorable hospitality properties usually know exactly who they are for. That does not mean other people cannot stay there. It means the property has a clear point of view, and the design, amenities, photography, copy, and guest experience all support a particular kind of stay. That clarity is what turns a listing into a hospitality brand.
When that happens, the right guest can look at the property and immediately feel that it was made for them.
Your Ideal Guest May Be a Lot Like You
In many cases, the ideal guest is not some abstract marketing persona. It is someone a lot like the person who acquired the property in the first place.
Maybe you bought the cabin because you wanted somewhere quiet to disappear for a few days. Maybe you were drawn to the lake, the view, the hiking, the old farmhouse, the architecture, or simply the feeling you had when you arrived. Maybe the property began as your own retreat space before it ever became a rental.
That instinct is worth paying attention to.
Too often, owners start changing a property based on what they think “the market” wants. They add amenities they would never personally use, fill rooms with things they do not actually like, or redesign the property around trends that have very little to do with why they loved the place in the first place.
But the guest you are trying to reach may be a lot like you.
They may be looking for the same quiet, the same connection to nature, the same kind of gathering space, the same sense of escape, or the same details that made you want the property yourself.
That does not mean ignoring practical guest needs. It means you do not have to abandon your own instincts in order to make the property marketable.
If you would never want a television dominating the living room of your own retreat, you do not necessarily need to add one because you assume guests expect it. If you value beautiful lighting, a great bed, books, a well-equipped kitchen, a fire, and a quiet porch, there is a good chance there are guests looking for exactly that experience too.
The strongest properties often come from owners who understand what they themselves value and are willing to build around it.
Rather than asking only, “What do people want?” it can be much more useful to ask, “What did I want when I found this place, and who else is looking for that?”
That is often where the most authentic version of the property begins.
Start With the Experience, Not the Demographic
Defining your ideal guest does not necessarily mean deciding that your customer is a 42-year-old woman with two children and a particular income.
Hospitality is much more about experience than demographics.
Ask yourself what someone is coming to your property to do.
Are they disappearing into the woods for a quiet weekend? Gathering three generations of family around a lake? Coming for a romantic weekend without an itinerary? Working remotely for a month? Hiking all day and coming home to a fire and a hot shower? Celebrating with a group of friends? Resting after a difficult season of life?
Those answers are much more useful than simply saying your property is “for everyone.”
Once you understand the type of experience you are creating, you can begin designing around it.
Let the Guest Guide Your Decisions
A clear sense of your ideal guest can help you make better decisions about almost everything in the property.
If you are designing a romantic cabin for two, you may care more about an exceptional bed, beautiful lighting, a soaking tub, privacy, and a great place to have coffee in the morning than you do about squeezing in another sleeping area.
If you are creating a lake house for extended families, the priorities may be very different. You might invest in a large dining table, durable outdoor furniture, a well-equipped kitchen, plenty of refrigerator space, games, life jackets, and comfortable gathering areas.
A property designed for hikers may need a place for muddy boots, hooks for gear, easy-to-clean floors, maps, an outdoor shower, and somewhere to dry wet clothing.
None of those choices are universally better. They are simply better for a particular kind of guest.
And often, if you acquired the property because you wanted that same kind of experience yourself, you already have a strong instinct for what matters.
More Amenities Are Not Always Better
There is a tendency in the short-term rental world to keep adding things.
A hot tub. A game room. A fire pit. A desk. A bunk room. An arcade machine. A coffee bar. A selfie wall.
Some amenities can absolutely increase the value of a property, but adding features simply because other rentals have them can dilute the experience.
Before adding something, ask whether it strengthens the reason your ideal guest is coming.
A quiet retreat designed around rest may not need a television in every bedroom. A romantic cottage may not benefit from converting the living room into additional sleeping space. A design-forward property may be harmed by adding bulky amenities that disrupt the architecture simply because they appear on a popular STR checklist.
If you would not want that amenity in the property for yourself, it is worth questioning whether it truly belongs there.
A strong property is not the one with the longest amenity list. It is the one where the right things have been chosen thoughtfully.
Your Ideal Guest Should Influence the Styling
Once you know who the property is for, the styling becomes much easier.
A family property can feel warm, durable, relaxed, and generous rather than delicate. A romantic retreat can feel intimate and layered. A nature-focused cabin can be simpler and allow the landscape to do more of the visual work.
This is also where you can begin removing things that do not support the experience.
If the entire property is about slowing down, does a giant television need to dominate the living room?
If the experience is built around gathering, is there actually enough comfortable seating for everyone?
If you are marketing to people who want to cook together, is the kitchen truly equipped for that?
If you bought the property because you loved reading by the fire and drinking coffee on the porch, are those parts of the experience actually being supported?
The physical property should reinforce the reason people are coming.
Your Ideal Guest Should Influence the Photography
The same property can be photographed in completely different ways depending on who you are trying to reach.
If the experience is romantic, you might emphasize the bedroom, fireplace, bathtub, private outdoor areas, and evening light.
If it is about family gathering, you may lead with the dining table, dock, large kitchen, fire pit, game space, and photographs that show how people can spend time together.
If the primary draw is solitude in nature, the forest, porch, trail, view, reading chair, and quiet corners may be much more important than photographing every room from three angles.
The property has not changed.
What changes is the story you choose to tell about it.
And if you are clear about why you loved the place in the first place, that story is often much easier to find.
Your Ideal Guest Should Influence the Website
One of the advantages of having your own direct-booking website through Haven is that you are not limited to describing the property as a collection of features.
You have room to tell the right guest why they should come.
Instead of simply saying, “Three-bedroom cabin that sleeps eight,” you can communicate what those eight people might actually experience there.
Long breakfasts around the table. Afternoons on the water. Kids running between the house and the dock. Dinner outside. A fire after dark.
The factual information still matters, but it becomes part of a larger story.
That story is what helps one property feel different from another.
Do Not Be Afraid to Say Who the Property Is Not For
Clarity can also prevent disappointing stays.
A secluded cabin with a rough access road may be magical for someone looking for solitude and completely wrong for someone expecting an easy resort experience.
A historic home may be full of character but have narrow stairs, smaller rooms, and quirks that are part of its charm.
A quiet retreat may not be the right place for a bachelor party.
Being clear about those things is not turning away business. It is helping the right guests choose you and helping the wrong guests choose something that suits them better.
That can lead to better reviews, fewer misunderstandings, and a much easier hosting experience.
Look at the Guests Who Already Love the Property
If you are struggling to identify your ideal guest, look at the people who have already had the best experiences there.
Who writes the most enthusiastic reviews? Who comes back? Who recommends you to friends? What do they mention?
They may tell you what the property is really about.
Perhaps you thought the selling point was proximity to town, but guests constantly talk about sitting on the porch and watching wildlife. Maybe you invested heavily in a game room, but everyone remembers the outdoor shower.
Sometimes the guest understands the magic of a place before the owner does.
And sometimes they are simply confirming the thing you loved about it from the beginning.
Build for the Guest You Want More Of
Your ideal guest does not have to be fixed forever. Properties evolve, markets change, and owners learn what works and what does not.
But having a clear sense of who you want to attract gives you a filter for making decisions.
When you are considering a new amenity, ask whether your guest actually needs it.
When you are choosing photographs, ask which ones would make that person want to stay.
When you are writing your website, ask what they actually care about.
When you are styling a room, ask how they will use it.
And when you find yourself tempted to add something simply because you think “that is what people want,” come back to the reason you were drawn to the property in the first place.
The person you are marketing to may be more like you than you think.
Over time, those decisions begin reinforcing one another. The property becomes clearer, the marketing becomes easier, and the guests who arrive are more likely to be the people who genuinely appreciate what you have created.
You do not need everyone to want to stay at your property.
You need the right people to feel like they have found exactly what they were looking for.
Want a Second Set of Eyes on Your Property?
If you are not sure who your property is really for, or whether your design, amenities, and presentation are attracting the guests you want, you can book a complimentary 30-minute consultation with Carley Montgomery of Sanctuary Found.
Bring your website, photos, ideas, or questions, and we can look at who the property is best positioned to serve and where the experience could become more intentional.
