Liability of Being "Fine"
Guests don't return to "fine." They return to specific. This post shows how to find or create one memorable moment that earns direct bookings and referrals instead of handing repeat guest revenue back to OTAs.
Why Adequate Stays Lose to Memorable Ones
Your reviews are strong. Guests say "nice stay" and "would recommend." No complaints. And yet, repeat guests keep booking through Airbnb, costing you commission.
You recognize their name in the reservation. They loved it last time and still paid the platform to find you again.
Guests don't come back to "fine." They come back to specific.
What You Can't See on Your P&L
Roughly 77% of repeat guest revenue still flows through OTAs. Only about 8% of Airbnb guests switch to booking direct. A property doing $500,000 a year with 10% repeat guests? That's nearly $6,000 handed to platforms for people who already loved you.
They're not unhappy. They just search the platform instead of your name. They remember the deck, not the domain.
You've probably tried the usual stuff. Wine. Handwritten note. Nice, but interchangeable.
Nice gestures aren't what stick. A bottle of wine could be anywhere. What sticks is specific to your place. Specific enough to describe to a friend.
Your Reviews Are Talking. You're Reading the Wrong Part.
Those reviews that say "great stay, nice place, would recommend"? No details. No story.
When guests can't describe what stood out, they can't pass it along. Most people say they'll recommend. Almost nobody does. They just can't remember what to say.
This tells you nothing:
"Great place! Clean and comfortable. Would definitely recommend."
This is a story:
"We didn't expect much from the welcome basket, but the local honey and the note about the farm down the road meant we spent a whole afternoon there. Kids still talk about the goats."
That first review could be any rental in any city. The second? That guest is telling their coworker about the goats next week.
The Moments Created and Missing
You might think you need to invent something. Your guests might already be having memorable moments you're not noticing.
Find sensory details in reviews. "The view from the deck." "The outdoor shower." "The light through the kitchen window." Those aren't throwaway lines. They're evidence. You're sitting on your differentiation and treating it like trivia.
Guest photos tell you what they remember.
When guests thank you, what do they mention unprompted?
You don't need to add anything. You need to notice what's already working.
One Moment. No Budget. No Staff.
A peak doesn't take money or extra people. It takes specificity. A rubber duck in the bathtub isn't a peak.
Orientation: A hand-drawn map of your three favorite walks, laminated and left on the counter. Takes 30 minutes.
Sensory: A bag of the dark roast from the farm stand on Route 12, with a note: "This is what we drink." Four dollars.
Discovery: A recommendation they can't Google. "The bakery doesn't have a sign, but it's the blue door next to the hardware store. Go before 9am."
"But my place isn't that distinctive." Most aren't. You're not looking for a unique property. You're looking for one specific thing you can point guests toward that they wouldn't find on their own. The taco truck that's only there on Thursdays. The pool that's least crowded at 7am. The walking path behind the grocery store. Local knowledge beats unique architecture.
What's something only you could tell them? That's your peak.
The best peaks are discoveries, not gifts.
Self-Checkout Doesn't Mean Silent Goodbye
Contactless checkout is efficient. But when the last thing guests experience is "please leave the keys," that's what sticks.
Think about your last vacation. You remember the best meal and the goodbye. A transactional ending wipes out the rest.
You're not waving from the porch. But you can shape how it ends.
Before:
"Check-out is at 11am. Please leave the keys on the counter and start a load of towels in the washer. Thanks for staying!"
After:
"Tomorrow's your last morning. The point past the marina is worth the walk before you pack up. Most guests miss it. Safe travels, and thank you for staying with us."
No marina nearby? Use this formula: name one thing within walking distance that isn't in any guidebook. The quiet coffee shop. The sunrise view from the parking garage. The shortcut to the beach. You know something. Put it in the message.
48-hour follow-up:
"Hope the weather held for your trip. When you want to come back, book direct at [your site] and I'll knock 10% off. Thanks again, [your name]."
Now the last thing they remember isn't the leaving.
Only have an hour this week? Rewrite your checkout message. That's the highest-leverage change.
When Repeat Bookings Aren't the Point
Some guests can't come back. Destination properties get this. For them, the goal isn't repeat booking. It's referral.
They need a story specific enough to hand to a sibling, a group chat, a colleague. "It was nice" goes nowhere. "That café they told us about, not on Google Maps" travels.
The Ten-Review Test
Pull your last 10 five-star reviews. Not the most recent. The most positive. These guests liked you enough to say so. The question is whether they liked you in a way they can describe.
If you want to see this pattern clearly, here's a fast way to surface it. Copy your reviews into ChatGPT or Claude with this prompt:
You are a hotel and short-term rental consultant analyzing guest reviews for memorable moments.
I'll paste 10 five-star reviews from my property. For each review, categorize it as:
Sticky: Contains a specific detail a guest would retell. Examples: "the honey from the farm down the road," "the view from the deck at sunrise," "the bakery they recommended." NOT sticky: "great location," "beautiful home," "had everything we needed."
Generic: Positive but vague. Could describe any rental. Examples: "Great stay!", "Super clean," "Would recommend."
Utility: About logistics, problem resolution, or communication. Examples: "Easy check-in," "Host responded quickly," "Fixed the AC right away."
After categorizing, answer:
- How many are Sticky vs Generic vs Utility?
- What specific details appear in more than one Sticky review? List them.
- If no details repeat, what's the closest thing to a pattern?
Here are my reviews:
[PASTE YOUR 10 REVIEWS HERE]
When more than half are generic, you have a gap.
When a detail repeats across sticky reviews, that's your existing peak. Amplify it.
When nothing repeats, pick one peak from the list earlier in this article. Try it for a month. Run this test again.
The Most Expensive Compliment in Hospitality
"Fine" is what people say when they can't think of anything specific. It's the polite version of "I have no memory of this."
Ratings tell you whether guests complained. Not whether they'll remember you.
Platforms can't create a peak. Only you can.
Next time a guest calls your place "fine," what story will they tell? When you can't imagine one, neither can they.
This is the kind of thing we get into each week.
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