Guest Personas: Stop Hosting for Everyone
Because "everyone's welcome" isn’t a strategy—it’s a missed opportunity
You know that awkward middle ground where bookings slow down and guest expectations feel… fuzzy?
That moment where you start to wonder: Am I even speaking to the right people?
Hotels figured that out a long time ago.
They stopped talking to "everyone"—and started building guest personas: clear, strategic profiles of who they serve and what those people actually value.
Good news: You can do the same.
And in the vacation rental world, this isn’t just helpful. It’s necessary.
🧠 Why Guest Personas Actually Matter
This isn’t about trends or AI gimmicks.
A persona is a lens. It shows you how to align your space with the kinds of guests you want—so your listing, your amenities, even your pricing starts working with you, not against you.
We’re talking about:
The solo traveler who values safety and quiet
The adventure guest who just needs a hose, hooks, and trail maps
The digital nomad scanning photos for decent Wi-Fi and sunlight
The family that notices blackout curtains and kid-friendly plates
The business traveler who sees a standing desk and sighs in relief
These aren’t personas pulled from nowhere. They come from what you already have:
Guest reviews
Booking data
Direct messages and DMs
Local travel trends
Your gut (which is more reliable than you think)
🧭 How This Actually Works
You’re not trying to be everything. You’re trying to be exactly the right thing for someone.
That means:
Showcasing the features that matter most to that guest
Writing listings that speak their language (literally, sometimes)
Adjusting pricing or upsells based on use case, not just demand
Designing a welcome message or local guide that makes them feel seen
When that happens, three things follow—almost automatically:
More Relevant Bookings
Stronger Reviews
Better Differentiation (without trying to scream above the crowd)
🛠️ Need Help Getting Started?
I put together a free prompt guide with six AI-powered templates.
You can use them in ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude—whatever you prefer.
Inside, you’ll find:
A listing rewrite prompt based on guest type
A welcome message template that doesn’t sound like a robot
A review analyzer to help you figure out what your guests are really saying
A local guide generator tailored by persona
And a few extras, like social captions + pricing ideas
No fluff. No formulas. Just tools that help you make smarter decisions faster.
👇
[Download the Guest Persona Prompt Guide]
(No sign-up needed. Unless you want weekly tips, in which case… you know what to do.)
💡 Guest personas aren’t about segmentation.
They’re about alignment.
Because when you know who you’re for, everything sharpens—how you host, what you highlight, and what you charge.
That clarity doesn’t just help guests. It helps you.