The Airbnb Host’s Guide to Experiential Marketing
One Powerful Way to Build a Loyal Following
Have You Wondered
“How do I turn my STR pain into gain?”
We love MARKET data. but your traveler is more than a data point.
When we’re working on your vacation rental, we rely on market data to ensure your guest experience checks all the boxes and exceeds competition in your region—and also, we look closer.
Call it soul searching.
While the data gives us information, we believe your traveler is more than a data point. They (and we) are emotional creatures looking for an experience that evokes a spectrum of feelings not confined by formulas.
When you forget to humanize your traveler, it’s easy to:
❌ Get lost in the numbers
❌ Lose yourself in the business
❌ Underestimate the power of your community
IN THIS ARTICLE I’M HIGHLIGHTING:
THE NUTS & BOLTS OF EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
HOW IT APPLIES TO STR HOSTS
ONE POWERFUL STRATEGY TO BUILDING TRAVELER LOYALTY
Maybe it’s time you invite your traveler to be part-owner in the life of your brand.
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING
Just like a person lives and breathes, your brand should be a living breathing character in the story of your customer’s journey. When you offer them a brand they can interact with, DO LIFE WITH, you’ve unlocked the core of experiential marketing.
Why is experiential marketing an essential approach to increase bookings?
Because THE FUTURE OF your STR depends on a growing connection with your traveler.
So often our hosting conversations circle around the guest experience, and rightly so. But while you’re focused on guest retention for rebookings, you must be simultaneously building your broader base of travelers just getting to know you.
Experiential marketing doesn’t begin by connecting to your guest. It starts the moment your target traveler first discovers you.
So, let’s get into one powerful experiential strategy that builds traveler loyalty.
One’s travel lifestyle is a life in itself. In today’s Transformation Economy, your traveler is on a journey of becoming. They love to get lost in brands that evolve and reflect the same kind of transformation journey they’re on, too.
THAT’S WHY A YOUR PROPERTY’S TRANSFORMATION STORY COULD BE SO POWERFUL.
Recently The Olive Jar helped first-time STR hosts of Know Where Ranch soft launch their property in Pioneertown, California, an iconic town tucked in the heart of the Yucca Valley. Joshua Tree National Park is in their very own backyard.
They saw so much potential in this desert ranch retreat—a beautifully expansive property just a short walk from legendary music venue Pappy & Harriet’s. A dream.
This property also came with significant challenges, however…from disjointed designs to property neglect and unfinished structures. It needed a fresh start with a new brand identity, cosmetic updates, and roll-out strategy.
“Where Old Hollywood meets the end of the Old West.”
“The Know Where Ranch guest is always keeping a pulse on what’s new and interesting while holding a deep appreciation for the cultural icons who have come before them. These travelers are coming for the music scene at Pappy & Harriet’s, while drawn to moments of solitude in nature. They long for an internal, soulful experience in the company of their closest loved ones.”
KNOW WHERE RANCH SPOTLIGHT
STEP (1): WE Defined the Know Where Ranch Brand Experience & STRATEGIC UPDATES
✔️ BRANDING GUIDE (DELIVERABLE)
Our hyper-focused creative direction “blueprint.” We identified the Know Where Ranch target traveler and the brand story. The Visual Narrative is always a key component to forming the design concept (excerpt on left).
✔️ DESIGN & AMENITIES UPDATES (CONSULT)
New brand story: “WHERE OLD HOLLYWOOD MEETS THE END OF THE OLD WEST”
Declutter—remove non-cohesive artwork & decor, then replace with brand-aligned accents
Attract Pappy & Harriet’s event go-ers with in-home music features and history
Implement movement spaces like patio rope swings, labyrinth, and a meditation “shed.”
Infinity pool landscaping
Hot tub install (market standard)
Personalized onsite mini experiences:
Original Know Where Ranch mixology recipe book inspired by cultural icons
Primary suite mini bar & lounge concept
Extensive record collection accompanied by a set of tuned guitars signed by the Greats, like Gene Autry
STEP (2): WE CREATED A SOFT LAUNCH ROLL OUT STRATEGY + AUDIENCE GROWTH STRATEGY
Ed & Chantal were not in a position to make ALL property updates at once, especially with one shining property feature (wait for it). But launching sooner than later was imperative for cash flow.
Can you soft launch your Airbnb? Yes. With the right strategy.
Soft launching an Airbnb isn’t just about instant cash flowing—it’s about building an audience, crafting an experience, and setting the stage for long-term success.
For Ed & Chantal, we created a roll out strategy that both prioritized the time-sensitive, essential property updates + leveraged future updates for one powerful experiential marketing strategy.
PSST—by now, you should be picturing your OWN STR’s transformation story inside of this one. So here’s your how-to…
YOUR SOFT LAUNCH STRATEGY MUST BE 2-pronged:
PART 1: Answer the data findings of your region—be sure to check the boxes that will drive immediate bookings
PART 2: Identify future property updates that can build excitement—audience anticipation
What’s the most unique experiential amenity of Know Where Ranch?
An unconventional barn with a ton of potential.
Years back, the original Hollywood “Know Where BAR” was uprooted and transplanted here into this eclectic, open air barn. It was great for hosting large events—but when the previous Airbnb hosts weren’t actually permitted to do so, they got shut down.
Here’s the challenge: What do you do with a massive structure sitting on an STR property permitted for a MAX of 8 guests??
HOW TO “EVENT-IFY” YOUR PAIN-TO-GAIN STORY
Transforming a sore spot of your property into a show-stopping experiential space may not be feasible in the NOW, but there is hope with the right strategy.
Rather than rush a renovation for launch, Ed & Chantal have made most of their “inheritance.” An inviting respite from the desert sun and change of pace, the barn has been branded into the Know Where “BAR-N.” The Hollywood bar is completely accessible, and that original Know Where Ranch mixology book is always nearby. Just enough to keep the space engaging, the BAR-N includes a bar lounge, lasso game, darts and corn hole that play into that new brand story: “WHERE OLD HOLLYWOOD MEETS THE END OF THE OLD WEST.”
But, over time Ed & Chantal will be leaning into one powerful experiential marketing strategy: EVENT-IFY THE BAR-N TRANSFORMATION STORY.
Instead of hiding the work-in-progress, the transformation of your biggest pain point CAN all be a part of the guest experience.
If you let your travelers in on the secret, both guests AND digital followers will get to witness the reinvention of a space that could one day become a destination in and of itself.
3 WAYS TO ACTIVATE YOUR AUDIENCE
#1/ SPREAD THE NEWS
Yes, get on social media around this. But, the optimal attention retention comes with eyeballs on your emails. Sprinkle guest reviews, new ideas, updates and CTA’s about that “pain point” project in every email. The entire newsletter doesn’t have to be all about that one property project, but keep leaving bread crumbs for sure.
You may be asking, How do I collect email addresses? StayFi and Happy Desk are my top recs—both with a treasure trove of other features.
#2/ ELEVATE YOUR EYE CANDY
Keep that pain-in-the-butt project fresh in their minds with elevated visual assets. Capture, capture, and capture experiential moments in the space. If you don’t give your viewers an experiential picture of your space, they’ll lack the visuals they need to imagine themselves in it—NOW and LATER.
Consistently share out a combo of assets spotlighting your transformation journey:
Behind-the-scenes—your raw footage moments of progress (AND set backs too)
Guest photos, mentions & reviews—even a one liner is powerful
Professional experiential photo & video—shot quarterly—to INSPIRE bookings NOW & tease out juicy details of what’s to come
#3/ INVITE COLLABORATION
As your travelers are checking off their bucket list—during their stay, or on their virtual scroll—they LOVE a unique invitation to *co-create* your 5-star experience. After all, they’ll get to reap the benefits in the end.
Give your travelers a choice in the matter:
Take votes on your brilliant concepts
Ask them for fresh ideas
Ask for specific feedback about this feature in private reviews—turn your traveler into an INSIDER
Elevate their voice, and you’ll elevate your following.
LEVERAGING THE TRANSFORMATION STORY OF YOUR STR MAKES FERTILE GROUND FOR CAPTURING AND MAINTAINING THE ATTENTION OF YOUR followers.
And BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THEY’RE INVESTED IN THE JOURNEY, ROOTING FOR YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
Chantal & Ed have chosen to be patient with the process, and now Know Where Ranch is not just a place to stay—it’s going to be an evolving place to return to, again and again.
If you don’t have the time or capital to do everything at once, start with an experiential marketing strategy that invites guests into the journey on every front.
DOES YOUR PROPERTY HAVE A SORE SPOT THAT NEEDS TO BE TRANSFORMED?
We offer focused virtual listing audits and deliver structured action plans customized within an experiential marketing strategy that’s right for you. If you want to give us an onsite tour, we’ll gladly accept the invitation.
WHAT SHOULD ED & CHANTAL DO NEXT WITH THE BAR-N?
Did this story get you thinking? Drop your ideas for the Know Where BAR-N below!