Why Every Host Should Think Like a Media Brand
4 PROVEN WAYS TO BUILD AUDIENCE CONNECTION
Have You Wondered
“How do I build a fan base?”
In a saturated vacation rental market, visibility isn't enough. Sure, professional photos and SEO-rich listings can get clicks—but how do you CAPTURE hearts?
How do you build a brand travelers remember, return to, and rave about?
Well, start by thinking like a brand. But not just any brand.
Your guests have their own unique travel lifestyle, so we often talk about building your vacation rental like you would build any lifestyle brand. The most successful brands, from small business to corporate giants, know who they’re speaking to and how to speak to them.
But marketing today is no longer just a megaphone. For short-term rental hosts, it’s not about shouting your listing from the rooftop or hoping pretty photos will do all the work. Sure, visibility might help travelers find you—but it’s connection that makes them commit for life.
If you’re ready to think like a successful brand…
think like a media COMPANY. MAKE MOVIE MAGIC.
They don’t just promote; they immerse, engage, and invite a targeted audience by sparking imagination and activating loyalty over time. Think about this: the best TV series have you showing up weekly for watch parties (or binge watching after your friend has dropped a hint). Media brands understand the power of emotional connection.
As an STR host navigating one of the most competitive and evolving industries, it’s time to apply their experiential marketing strategies to yours.
In this article, you’ll learn how to build a fan base from the inside out. Where to begin??
Start with story. Learn from science. MAKE MOVIE MAGIC.
How do you build a fan base?
Start with an unforgettable story arc.
INVITE YOUR TRAVELER INTO
THEIR NEXT STORY ARC
Every unforgettable stay mirrors the arc of a powerful story: a moment of arrival, a spark of connection, and a meaningful shift that stays with the guest long after they leave.
Guests don’t just want a place to stay—they want to step into their own hero’s journey.
So when you think about audience engagement, make sure you don’t stop short.
instead of just asking, “How do I drive more bookings?”, flip the script:
“How do I create connection that lasts beyond the booking?”
This is where story-driven hosting comes in. When you embrace a storytelling approach that’s focused not on features, but on feelings, you begin creating a stay that’s rooted in meaning and designed with intention—one that reflects your target traveler’s values, stirs emotion, and becomes part of their personal transformation. Your space is a meaningful, curated stop along the way.
So, stop thinking transaction. Start thinking transformation.
When you deliver transformation, you build trust.
Trust builds loyalty.
Loyalty leads to repeat bookings, referrals, and raving reviews.
So, if storytelling marks the path to guest loyalty, let me help you understand what’s happening in your guest’s brain when they do connect with your brand. Knowing the science equips you for making every touch point feel like…movie magic.
You may already know that The Olive Jar SPECIALIZES IN VACATION RENTAL DESIGN, AMENITIES & MEDIA CONTENT CREATION.
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING IS OUR EXPERTISE, AND we MAKE MOVIE MAGIC OUT OF YOUR AIRBNB.
IF YOU’RE TAKING NOTES, FOLLOW THE science.
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Enter the Brain: The Science of Guest Loyalty
Your strongest marketing strategies are not just strategic—they’re neurologically aligned with your target traveler. In other words, they work because they tap into how the human brain is wired to respond to pleasure, safety, memory, and community.
According to marketing psychologists and branding experts, customer loyalty is driven by emotional triggers in the brain.
Whether you realize it or not, your guest experience is already interacting with your travelers’ brains. The goal? To turn what you offer as a host into an experience your traveler will act on.
Let’s break down the FOUR key neurological drivers of brand loyalty—and how they apply to Airbnb hosting through The Olive Jar’s experiential hosting styles.
1) DOPAMINE
Hosting Style: THE GIVER
TRAVELER FEELS: Gratified, lucky, motivated to give back
Dopamine is the brain’s reward chemical. It surges when we encounter something novel, pleasurable, or unexpectedly satisfying. It’s what makes us click “book again,” open your emails, or rave about your space to a friend.
In STR hosting, this is your surprise-and-delight category. When guests receive more than they expected—a personalized gift, an upgraded amenity, a thoughtful welcome—they get a dopamine hit.
Your takeaway: Build micro-rewards into your guest journey.
Use surprise, personalization, and creativity to offer moments that make guests feel “lucky to have found you.” We offered you LOTS of ideas you can steal in our recent article, “TOP 5 AMENITIES AIRBNB HASN’T DEFINED (BUT SHOULD)
2) OXYTOCINE
Hosting Style: THE DEEP FEELER
TRAVELER FEELS: Seen, nurtured, deeply moved
Oxytocin is released through bonding experiences. It’s what helps humans develop trust, compassion, and empathy. In the context of hospitality, oxytocin is activated when guests feel emotionally understood.
This is the *heart* of your brand. Through meaningful design touches, emotionally connective copy, and thoughtful gestures, you foster an environment where guests feel cared for and safe.
Your takeaway: EMBED EMOTIONAL CUES INTO YOUR EXPEREINCE.
From a journal prompt on the nightstand to the way you write your listing description—lead with empathy and watch your guests connect on a deeper level. Soulful doesn’t have to mean serious either. The best comedy taps into the nuance of life!
3) HIPPOCAMPUS ACTIVATION
Hosting Style: THE OPEN BOOK HOST
TRAVELER FEELS: Assured, secure, and at ease
Memory isn’t just about what guests experience inside your rental. Take it from the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming long-term memories. It’s activated when an experience is personal and emotionally charged—exactly what a very present host provides.
It’s about how well a traveler can get to know you. This host understands the golden rule of business: people buy what they “know, like, and trust.” When guests are exposed to consistent branding, thoughtful communication, and your unique human touch that shows up over and over, it creates a sense of familiarity—which the brain loves.
Your takeaway: DON’T HIDE BEHIND YOUR LISTING.
Lean into your identity as a host. Show your personality in your visuals, your voice, and your guest experience. The more your guests recognize and remember you, the more likely they are to book, rebook and refer.
4) SEROTONIN
Hosting Style: THE SOCIAL BUTTERFLY
TRAVELER FEELS: Included, empowered, part of something bigger
Serotonin supports feelings of status, satisfaction, and belonging. It’s the neurochemical that lights up when we’re acknowledged, included, and valued within a group. In other words: social affirmation matters.
Hosts who lean into community, local partnerships, and co-creation build serotonin-rich experiences that make guests feel like insiders—not outsiders.
Your takeaway: TURN YOUR TRAVELERS INTO CONTRIBUTORS.
Let them vote on updates, co-create the story, and access unique ways to share their experience with others. Overnight, your guest becomes a real character in the story you’re telling. When your brand is a community, you’ve built an organic marketing powerhouse.
Ready to discover the loyalty drivers that work for you?
Every host leans naturally toward one of these 4 experiential marketing HOSTING styles.
But to really maximize your brand power, you need to know your dominant driver—and then design your guest experience around it.
TAKE THE OLIVE JAR HOSTING QUIZ
CLICK HERE to find out whether you’re a Giver, Deep Feeler, Open Book Host, or Social Butterfly—and unlock the science behind connecting with your audience in a true to life way.
Start telling your story like a media brand. Because when your space feels personal, layered, and intentional?
Your guests feel it—and they’ll never forget it.
NEW TO HOSTING?
Maybe you’ve just launched your first property, or maybe you’re still in research and development all together. It’s never too early to start learning experiential marketing strategies that will change your trajectory over night. Just to help get you thinking, we’ve planted plenty of ideas in our hosting quiz.