For many Airbnb hosts, the end of peak season brings a familiar sense of dread: a slowing calendar and a dip in income. But the winter months, often viewed as the dreaded “off-season,” hold a significant and frequently untapped opportunity. The key isn’t to simply wait for spring; it’s to proactively adapt your strategy to attract a different kind of traveller seeking unique winter experiences. With the right marketing, property improvements, and price changes, you can turn the low season into a profitable time. This will increase your yearly occupancy rate. The Airbnb platform is thriving, with over 490 million nights and experiences booked worldwide in 2024, and a strategic approach ensures your property captures a piece of that year-round market. This guide provides proven strategies to fill your booking calendar and maximise your income when the temperature drops.
The Winter Opportunity: Understanding Your Off-Season Market
Viewing winter as a liability is the first mistake. Instead, recognise it as a distinct market with unique demands. Success begins with understanding who is travelling during this period and what motivates their decision to book a stay away from home.
Why Winter Guests Book: Beyond the Obvious
The motivations for off-season travel are diverse and often more nuanced than summer vacationing. While some seek ski slopes or festive holiday markets, many are driven by a desire to escape, recharge, or connect. They might be looking for a quiet, cozy retreat to read by a fireplace, a remote workspace with a scenic view, or an affordable getaway without the peak-season crowds. Understanding the appeal of “hygge,” calmness, and peaceful quiet is very important for your marketing. A guest booking in winter isn’t just looking for a place to sleep; they are often seeking a specific mood and experience that your property can provide.
Identifying Your Target Winter Guest Personas
To effectively market your property, you must know who you’re talking to. Winter travellers are not a monolith. Consider these potential guest personas for your local market:
- The Adventure Seeker: These guests are drawn to areas with specific winter activities. The global winter adventure tourism market is substantial, valued at USD 320 billion in 2025 and projected to grow. For hosts near ski resorts, this is a prime audience, especially as the industry saw a third straight healthy season with over 366 million skier visits globally in 2023/24.
- The Cozy Escapist: This guest craves a break from routine. They are searching for properties that promise warmth, comfort, and relaxation. Think couples looking for a romantic weekend or individuals seeking a solo retreat. The appeal is the property itself—the fireplace, the bathtub, the comfortable reading nook.
- The Digital Nomad: With remote work now mainstream, many professionals can travel year-round. They seek well-equipped properties with reliable Wi-Fi for longer stays, combining work with a change of scenery. The off-season offers them lower prices and fewer distractions.
- The Local Explorer: Don’t underestimate the power of the staycation market. Residents from nearby cities often look for short, accessible weekend trips to decompress, especially around holidays or long weekends.
Optimising Your Listing for Irresistible Winter Appeal
Your Airbnb listing is your digital storefront. During the off-season, it needs a seasonal makeover to stop scrollers in their tracks and convince them your property is the perfect winter haven.
Captivating Listing Photos that Tell a Winter Story
Photos are the single most important element of your listing. Generic, sunny pictures won’t attract a guest looking for a winter escape. Stage your property and hire a professional photographer to capture the essence of a cozy stay. Focus on:
- The Warm Glow: Turn on all lamps and, if you have one, light the fireplace. Photos taken during the “golden hour” (just before sunset) can create a warm, inviting ambience.
- Cozy Details: Showcase plush blankets draped over a sofa, a stack of board games, a coffee mug steaming on a side table, or a curated bookshelf.
- Exterior Charm: If your location gets snow, a picture of the property lightly dusted in white can be magical. If not, focus on evening shots with exterior lights on, creating a welcoming beacon.
Crafting a Compelling Winter-Centric Listing Description
Your listing description should paint a picture. Use evocative language to transport the potential guest into the experience of staying at your property. Update your title to include seasonal keywords like “Cozy Winter Retreat,” “Ski-Lodge Getaway,” or “Secluded Cabin with Fireplace.” In the main description, lead with winter-specific benefits. Instead of “great for summer BBQs,” write “perfect for sipping hot cocoa by the crackling fireplace after a day of exploring.” Mention nearby winter activities, festive local events, or simply the profound peace of an off-season stay.
Showcasing Amenities That Matter in Winter
The amenities a guest values change with the seasons. Reorder your listing’s amenities section to prioritise what matters most in winter. The star of the show is often a fireplace—mention it in your title, description, and feature it prominently in your photos. Other important amenities include:
- Reliable, fast Wi-Fi for remote workers and indoor entertainment.
- A smart TV with access to streaming services.
- A fully equipped kitchen for cooking comforting meals.
- Extra blankets, throws, and high-quality bedding.
- A hot tub or deep soaking tub, if available.
- A collection of books, board games, or puzzles.
Preparing Your Property for a Seamless & Cozy Winter Stay
A beautifully marketed listing must be matched by a flawless real-world experience. Preparing your property for winter goes beyond aesthetics; it’s about ensuring safety, comfort, and a warm welcome.
Winterising Your Property: Beyond Basic Maintenance
Guest safety and comfort are paramount. Before the first cold snap, perform a thorough check of your property. Ensure the heating system is serviced and functioning perfectly. Have the chimney and fireplace professionally cleaned and inspected. Check all windows and doors for drafts and seal any leaks. Provide clear instructions for operating the thermostat and fireplace. For properties in snowy regions, have a reliable snow removal plan for pathways and driveways, and provide guests with a snow shovel and ice melt.
Thoughtful Touches for a Warm Welcome
Small details can elevate a good stay into a great one, leading to stellar reviews that attract future bookings. Create an arrival experience that immediately makes your guest feel warm and cared for. Leave a welcome basket with items like hot chocolate packets, local coffee, or gourmet popcorn. A handwritten note adds a personal touch. Make sure extra blankets that are easy to reach are available. You could also create a custom guide to the best local winter attractions, from scenic drives to the coziest cafes in town.
Strategic Pricing and Calendar Management for Off-Season Profitability
Attracting guests in the low season requires a more flexible and strategic approach to pricing and booking. A “set it and forget it” mentality will leave your calendar empty. Your goal is to balance competitive prices with profitability to drive occupancy.
Embracing Dynamic Pricing for Winter Seasonality
Static pricing is a recipe for low occupancy in the off-season. Your prices should fluctuate based on demand. Use an Airbnb-integrated dynamic pricing tool or manually adjust your rates based on:
- Weekdays vs. Weekends: Offer lower prices mid-week to attract digital nomads or flexible travellers.
- Local Events: Research local winter festivals, concerts, or sporting events and increase your prices for those high-demand dates.
- Lead Time: Offer a small discount for last-minute bookings to fill unexpected gaps in your calendar. The overall Airbnb market is booming, and dynamic pricing helps you claim your share.
Crafting Attractive Off-Season Promotions and Discounts
Promotions are a powerful marketing tool to create urgency and attract value-conscious guests. Consider offering a “3rd night free” deal or a 15-20% discount for stays longer than five nights. According to recent data, properties using Airbnb’s new listing promotion see a 79% increase in bookings within a year, demonstrating the power of platform-native tools. Analysis of booking patterns shows that reservations made 0-7 days before arrival often have the lowest prices. This suggests that last-minute promotions can work very well.
Optimising Your Calendar and Booking Settings
Review your booking settings to remove friction for potential guests. During the off-season, try lowering your minimum night stay, especially on weekdays. This can attract short trips. Enable Instant Book to make the booking process seamless, as many guests prefer the convenience. Ensure your calendar is updated and synced across all platforms to avoid double bookings and maintain a professional reputation.
Proactive Marketing & Promotion: Attracting Winter Guests
You can’t rely solely on Airbnb search to fill your calendar in the low season. A proactive marketing strategy is essential to reach your target guest personas where they are actively looking for travel inspiration.
Social Media Marketing: Showcasing Winter Wanderlust
Use social media to sell the winter experience. Post high-quality photos and short video tours of your property showcasing its cozy features. Create content that evokes emotion—a time-lapse of the fireplace, a shot of steam rising from a coffee cup by a window, or a video of snow falling outside. Use relevant hashtags like #[yourcity]winter, #cozygetaway, or #wintercabin. Since 58% of guest bookings were made via the Airbnb app in 2024, ensure your content is mobile-friendly and visually compelling.
Leveraging Local Partnerships & Events
Collaborate with other local businesses to create packaged experiences. Partner with a local spa for a discount on massages, a nearby restaurant for a dinner voucher, or a ski rental shop for a special guest rate. Promoting these partnerships in your listing and social media provides added value and sets your property apart from the competition.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for Winter Bookings
Think about what your ideal winter guest is searching for on Google. They might type “cabin with fireplace near [ski resort]” or “quiet weekend getaway from [major city].” Weave these long-tail keywords into your listing title and description. If you have a direct booking website, create a blog post titled “Top 5 Winter Activities in [Your Town]” to attract organic traffic and establish your local expertise.
Re-engaging Past Guests and Building Loyalty
Your past guests are your most valuable marketing asset. Send a targeted email to previous visitors a month or two before winter begins. Offer them an exclusive “Welcome Back” discount for an off-season stay. Remind them of the wonderful experience they had and entice them with the unique appeal of your property in the winter.
Enhancing the Winter Guest Experience & Fostering Loyalty
Getting the booking is only half the battle. Giving guests a great experience creates 5-star reviews. It also encourages guests to come back and helps spread good word-of-mouth that leads to future success.
Providing a 5-Star Winter Stay
Excellence is in the details. Ensure the property is impeccably clean and comfortably warm upon arrival. Provide clear, concise instructions for everything from the Wi-Fi password to the coffee maker. Be a responsive and proactive host; a quick message to check in on your guest after their first night shows you care and can help you address any minor issues before they become problems.
From Guest Feedback to Future Bookings
Positive reviews are social proof that your property delivers on its promises. After a guest checks out, send a polite message thanking them for their stay and kindly asking them to leave a review if they had a wonderful experience. Actively read your feedback and use it for continuous improvement. If a guest mentions loving the collection of board games, highlight that in your listing description.
Analysing Performance and Sustaining Off-Season Success
To build a truly resilient year-round business, you must track your performance and continually refine your strategy. What works one winter may need adjustment the next.
Monitoring Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Regularly track your core metrics to understand what’s working. Your key KPIs include:
- Occupancy Rate: The percentage of available nights that were booked. Compare your rate to the local market average. For reference, the average Airbnb occupancy rate in the U.S. is 54.4%, providing a useful benchmark.
- Average Daily Rate (ADR): The average rental income per paid occupied night.
- Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR): Your ADR multiplied by your occupancy rate, giving a comprehensive view of your revenue performance.
Continuous Improvement and Iteration
Your off-season strategy should be dynamic. At the end of each winter, review your KPIs. Which promotions drove the most bookings? Which photos got the most engagement on social media? What feedback did you receive from guests? Use these insights to iterate and improve your marketing, pricing, and property amenities for the following year.
Conclusion: Embrace the Winter Opportunity
The off-season doesn’t have to mean off-duty. By shifting your perspective and implementing targeted strategies, you can transform the winter months from a period of low occupancy into a cornerstone of your annual revenue. Success lies in a proactive, multi-faceted approach that starts with understanding the unique motivations of the winter guest.
Recap of Key Strategies
To thrive during the winter, focus on optimising your listing with cozy, evocative photos and descriptions, highlighting crucial amenities like a fireplace. Prepare your property to be a warm, safe, and welcoming haven. Implement a flexible, dynamic pricing strategy and create compelling promotions to drive bookings. Market your property proactively across social media and by re-engaging past guests. Finally, give guests a great experience that earns excellent reviews. This helps you keep improving.
Long-Term Benefits of Off-Season Success
Mastering the off-season does more than just boost your winter income. It builds a more resilient, year-round business, diversifies your guest base, and enhances your property’s reputation on Airbnb. By proving you can deliver a 5-star experience in any season, you build a powerful brand that attracts guests all year long, ensuring your property stands out in a competitive market.
