WHAT TODAY’S AIRBNB TRAVELER EXPECTS—AND HOW TO DELIVER
Your greatest competition isn’t the Airbnb next door. It’s the boutique hotel down the street.
Even if you don’t have hotels nearby, don’t be fooled. Their growing popularity—and their ability to offer Airbnb-like features—is still influencing your travelers’ expectations. In fact, many boutique hotels are now operating like clusters of short-term rentals. They're showing up on all the major booking platforms: Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com. In many ways, they *are* your next-door neighbor.
If you’ve read Unreasonable Hospitality, then you understand the art of giving guests more than they ask for.
Just because your guests aren’t complaining doesn’t mean they don’t want more. The real magic happens when you deliver something they didn’t even know they needed.
That’s how you strike a chord. That’s what boutique hotels are doing best.
Ready to start taking notes?
“The microscopic is universal. If you get incredibly focused on your point of view, on what you want to say, on how you say it...you will have broader appeal.”
What’s to borrow from boutique hotels? Three experiential practices stand out.
I’ve enjoyed my fair share of hotel travel and taken notes along the way.
As an experiential marketing expert, what I'm looking for is more than just style—I'm looking for how these hosts invite me into an immersive experience through every detail.
Boutique hotels are masters of experiential marketing because they know how to build emotion into the environment. From the scent in the lobby to the playlists in the elevator, they guide you with gentle nudges to stay engaged in every space—and more importantly, remember something. Everything is intentional, immersive, and designed to build your sense of belonging in the brand.
In this article I’m spotlighting 3 of my favorite boutique properties* I’ve personally stayed in, their experiential marketing techniques and what I THINK every Airbnb host can learn from them:
Mellow Moon Lodge/ Del Norte, CO
Royal Sun Palm Springs/ Palm Springs, CA
Le Petit Pali/ Laguna Beach, CA
*website links located at end of article
If you're ready to turn simplicity into novelty, read on for 3 EXPERIENTIAL HOSPITALITY PRACTICES you can adopt to MEET & eXCEED YOUR TRAVELER’S EXPECTATIONS.
MELLOW MOON LODGE
Mellow Moon Lodge (images sourced from @steph.shootsfilm & Mellow Moon booking site)
1. CONCIERGE AT EVERY TURN
PRACTICE presenCE from check-in to check-out
Boutique hotel teams are deeply hands-on when it comes to curating the guest experience. Every touch point furthers the plot of their guest’s unfolding travel story.
Even when they’re not physically present, THESE HOTELS ARE guiding guests with subtle, YET HIGHLY intentional cues.
They do so thru creative executions, including PRINTED materials WITH CLEVER COPY AND SHARP GRAPHIC DESIGN.
At Mellow Moon Lodge, a boutique road-side motel, owner Lauren Coleman has reimagined the dusty old travel brochure into a printed field guide that’s yours to keep in your back pocket. It strikes a perfect balance between house manual, local recs, and poetic invitation. It also points guests to explore the onsite Rodeo Mercantile shop, the Lunar Lounge coffee bar, and my personal favorite: the Canteen, an honor-system general store stocked with local provisions. Each space serves as a soft landing into local culture honoring local makers, whether it’s original artwork on display and for sale, the coffee & live music served up at the bar, or travel essentials with pizazz available in that canteen.
MUST NOTE: As a host, you can have great ideas that flop in execution, landing ineloquently. Not a single one here skips a “howdy” beat. The brand voice of Mellow Moon Lodge makes a strong delivery—their copywriter is a cowgirl queen.
When you’re hosting your Airbnb guests, think concierge as a concept at every touch point. Your presence doesn’t have to mean a suit behind the front desk.
IT CAN almost BE INVISIBLE, seemingly effortless THROUGH SMALL TOUCHES.
But if we are talking about a human guide, let me introduce you to a friend I made at another unique boutique stay…
Patricia Realini is the F&B Director at Le Petit Pali, who started her career as an event chef. Back then she didn’t like catching people for quick one or two hours at the end of the night. She was craving the opportunity to build relationships overnight and explained:
“I joined the hotel space so I could catch people on their first morning, not their last night.”
She went on to describe how she curates every interaction like a warm invitation—offering trolley maps, nature guides, or her own local favorite stops. From my own POV, I witnessed her reading the room over and over. She knew when to linger with guests and when to move along.
Yes, we were guests who gladly shared an extended convo with her at multiple points of our stay.
So, let’s move on to Le Petit Pali, shall we?
LE PETIT PALI
Le Petit Pali Laguna Beach Continental Champagne Breakfast—what’s pictured is 100% true to experience (image source: LPP booking site)
2. SPECIFICITY SIGNALS INTENTIONALITY
PRACTICE TAKING CARE IN THE DETAILS
Let me back up. My husband and I were searching for a special place to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary in Laguna Beach, California. Le Petit Pali had won us over with charming design—but I was really sold when I spotted the star of their morning offering: an *8-minute egg*.
Not just any eggs, like some ordinary (or even soft) scramble…
As part of their GUEST-EXCLUSIVE complimentary Continental Champagne Breakfast, they serve what they call the “Perfect 8-Minute Egg.” Not quite soft-boiled. Not quite hard. Jammy. Luxe.
That egg said it all: “This stay tastes like nowhere else.”
That’s the power of specificity.
And, the cost of that egg is no more than scrambled—but its intentionality? That’s priceless. This kind of distinguished elevation actually extends the take-away:
“This stay tastes like nowhere else…because you deserve it.”
Even the mint-green earplugs and travel toothpaste of Le Petit Pali match their color palette. Subtle. High touch. Intentional.
It's the *specificity* of your offeringS that signal high touch intentionality.
At The Olive Jar, we believe your ideal guest is craving intentionality that provides ease in an artful way. That’s why we create Branding Guides that spotlight your unique values through specified details throughout your guest stay.
***
On a final note about Le Petit Pali…this boutique offers a generous bowl of fruit for the taking around the clock (pictured up top).
In our first afternoon we had just settled by the pool when I was craving one of those grapefruits. I asked Patricia (who had stopped by in perfect timing) for a spoon or a knife to dig in—to which she replied,
“How about you skip the work, and I’ll segment that grapefruit for you?”
This leads me to our final destination and practice.
ROYAL SUN PALM SPRINGS
3. THE RIGHT REWARDS TRANSLATE
PRACTICE GENEROSITY with “ON THE HOUSE” SURPRISE & DELIGHT
When I checked in at Royal Sun Palm Springs, I dropped my bags and headed straight to an early dinner. The general manager stopped by my table, and we started chatting. I was eager to share my admiration for the rebrand they were undergoing and mentioned the experiential marketing work I do for vacation rental hosts. I wanted to know more about Royal Sun—thinking to myself, I wish I could see under the hood of their process. Then…
AS IF HE had READ MY MIND, he OFFERED something unexpected:
“Want to see our branding guide?”
YES, please! Was my reply. I geeked out as I turned the pages.
This wasn’t a complimentary drink or piece of swag. Sure, I wouldn’t turn down either, and those can be the right surprise & delight reward when especially relevant to that guest. But this gesture was so much more dialed in.
He offered me something of deeper value that would resonate with me specifically, something that hit me right where it mattered. It felt exclusive, personal, generous.
That’s hospitality with a human pulse.
Hospitality isn’t just about offering more—it’s about knowing what to offer and when.
Since that visit, I’ve stayed in touch with that GM, William. I follow Royal Sun on socials. I’m planning a return.
That’s what happens when a host makes a guest feel like a winner—by investing in them with no strings attached.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Royal Sun Palm Springs (this + opening image source: Royal Sun booking site)
THE CLIFF NOTES
You don’t need to become a hotel to meet boutique standards. You just need to think like one:
#1 Stay Present
Guide the guest journey through thoughtful, creative touch points.
#2 Get Specific
Incorporate small, distinctive details to spark big emotional impact.
#3 Offer Meaningful Rewards
Anticipate needs and surprise guests with value they didn’t see coming.
The most memorable hospitality is unreasonable because it goes beyond what’s expected and makes people feel seen.
Let’s raise the bar—beautifully.
TAKE A TOUR & VISIT:
Mellow Moon Lodge, Royal Sun Palm Springs, Le Petit Pali
OPENING QUOTE SOURCE:
Want help turning your Airbnb into an experience that rivals the best? That’s exactly what we do at The Olive Jar.
If you want to identify where you’re hitting the mark, and where you could use some new ideas, take our hosting quiz. It’s quick and to the point (with some creative flare).