Should I Design My Vacation Rental Based on My Personal Taste?

The most expensive mistake you can make is to design your rental around what you like. Your favorite colors, your style, the furniture you'd buy for your own home. But that will cost you bookings down the line.

Your taste doesn't matter. Your ideal guest's taste matters. If you're designing for yourself, you're designing for the wrong person, and that limits your market and your rate.

Ice cream themed vacation rental designed for content creators and families that want a fun backdrop.

Short Term Rental Design Is a Business Decision, Not a Personal One

Every choice should be made with your ideal guest in mind, not what you'd want to see when you walk in the door. Because you're not the one paying to stay there.

Your guest is. And if your design doesn't align with their expectations and preferences, they'll book somewhere else.

The Test Every Design Choice Should Pass

Next time you're tempted to choose something because you love it, stop and ask:

• Does my ideal guest love this?

• Would they expect this?

• Would they pay more for this?

  
  

If the answer is no, move on.

Why This Shift Is Hard (But Necessary)

This is one of the hardest mindset shifts for investors to make. You're spending your money, so it feels natural to design around your preferences. But this is a business, not your personal residence.

Once you stop designing for yourself and start designing for your guest, everything clicks. Your design becomes magnetic. Your bookings improve. Your rates go up.

Coffee table styled for vacation rental listing photos that attracts.

Design based on what your ideal guest values and will pay for, not your personal preferences. That's how you maximize ROI.