Airbnb Upselling:
the 8 upsells compared
Early check-in, welcome basket, self-service shop: here are the main upsell levers in short-term rentals, the work each one asks of you, and the one that runs without you.
What is Airbnb upselling?
Airbnb upselling means offering a guest who has already booked a product or service that complements the stay: early check-in, late check-out, a welcome basket, drinks, local products or experiences. Unlike raising your nightly rate, upselling doesn't change the price shown on your listing.
An extra on top of the stay
Your nightly rate is boxed in by the competition in your area. An upsell is an optional offer, made alongside a stay that is already booked.
You set your prices
You choose your products and your prices. With Jalunia there's no commission on your sales: you keep 100% of the amount, minus SumUp's 1.69% payment fee.
A satisfaction driver
A guest who finds a bottle of local wine available at 10pm doesn't experience a sales pitch; they experience service. It shows up in the reviews.
The 8 Airbnb upsell levers compared
Compared by when the guest can buy and by the real workload for the host. You set the prices; what each lever brings you depends on your property, your guests and your offer.
| Upsell lever | Buying moment | Workload | Automatable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early check-in | Before arrival, on request | Low, but constrains cleaning | |
| Late check-out | During the stay, on request | Low, blocks turnover | |
| Prepared welcome basket | Ordered before arrival | High: buying and assembly every stay | |
| 24/7 self-service shop | Any time, 24/7 | Near zero once installed | |
| Equipment rental (bike, cot) | On request, handed over | Medium: handover and checks | |
| Enhanced end-of-stay cleaning | At check-out | Outsourced but needs coordination | |
| Experiences and local partnerships | Booked in advance | High upfront, low afterwards | |
| Transfers and private parking | Booked in advance | Medium to high |
The takeaway: the self-service shop is the only lever available at any point in the stay with near-zero workload once installed. Local partnerships take effort upfront, then little involvement.
Why manual upselling runs out of steam
Manual upselling
- You have to pitch it by message, for every single booking
- The guest replies after arrival, when it's already too late
- Payment happens in cash or by transfer, with no traceability
- A welcome basket has to be bought and assembled before every arrival
- The result: hosts give up after a handful of stays
Automated upselling
- The offer is permanently visible in the property, no follow-up needed
- Guests buy the moment they want to, including at 11pm
- Payment is taken by card, traced and accounted for
- You prepare nothing per stay: you restock a shelf
- The result: an offer that works without depending on your availability
The real upselling problem is timing
In practice, upselling happens less at booking than during the stay. A guest contacted three weeks before arrival has no interest in picturing what they'll drink on Friday evening. That same guest, arriving at 10pm after a six-hour drive, will buy a bottle without hesitating, if it's available right then, and payable immediately.
That gap is exactly what a self-service shop closes: it turns a sales message guests ignore into an offer that's present the moment the need appears.
Setting up upselling in 5 steps
Find what your guests already ask for
Read back through six months of messages. The recurring questions ('where can I buy wine on a Sunday?', 'is any shop open?') are your ready-made catalogue.
Pick 6 to 10 items, no more
A wider catalogue doesn't sell better, it just restocks worse. Aim mostly for local products, plus a few convenience essentials.
Set convenience prices, without apology
You set your prices freely. Guests don't only compare you to the supermarket, but also to the effort of going there: what matters is that every price is clearly displayed before purchase.
Make buying possible without you
QR code, card payment, unlock code delivered automatically. If a purchase requires messaging you, many guests simply won't bother.
Measure and trim the catalogue
After a few weeks, your dashboard shows what sells and what doesn't. Drop the items that don't move and build up stock of the ones your guests choose.
The self-service shop: the upsell that runs without you
Jalunia is self-service shop software for short-term rentals. You fit a bottle lock, a code box or a locker unit, display a QR code, and your guests buy on their own 24/7. Payment is taken by card into your SumUp account, the unlock code is delivered automatically, and you track sales and margins from a dashboard.
Everything about Airbnb upselling
What hosts ask before setting up upsells
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Move to automated upselling
Set up your self-service shop and offer your products on every stay, without preparing anything between guests. From €9.99/month, no commitment.