The vacation rental industry has evolved dramatically in recent years. In 2025, standing out from the crowd is no longer about having the nicest furnishings, latest on-property amenities, or the best location—it's about delivering experiences that impress travelers and create meaningful memories.
Today's travelers prioritize experiences over almost everything else.
This shift presents a massive opportunity for vacation rental brands. Businesses that integrate memorable, high-value activities with their properties can strategically attract more bookings and win guests back for future stays.
Many vacation rental brands rely on last-minute deals to fill their occupancy gaps. But these discounts are often a race to the bottom that erodes profitability. As an alternative strategy, properties can increase their desirability by offering activities as a part of a guests' stay. Including local activities such complimentary rounds of golf, kayak rentals, or tickets to local adventure parks—to enhance guest satisfaction—helps properties maintaining strong pricing power.
By changing the product guests receive to include access top-rated local activities, vacation rentals can charge more per night while clearly differentiating their properties.
Xplorie, in partnership with REVZEN and Key Data, recently analyzed how free-to-guest activity programs impact vacation rental performance. The findings illustrated that Xplorie was able to positively impact partner properties in the following ways: