Practical guide
Paid extras for vacation rentals: what to sell, at what price, and when
Late check-out, early check-in, breakfast, baby kit: your guests already ask for these services. Offering them clearly, at a visible price, avoids negotiating by message and pays for your team's work. This guide helps you choose your services, price them, offer them at the right moment and organise them with the cleaning team.
Updated
Which services to offer your guests
Start from the requests you already receive. Reread your recent conversations with guests: the questions that keep coming back (“can we arrive earlier?”, “do you have a baby cot?”) are your first services. Only then add what makes your property stand out.
| Type | Examples | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Early check-in, late check-out | Depends on the previous or next stay |
| Comfort | Breakfast, extra linen, baby kit, parking space | Stock and preparation before arrival |
| Occasions | Welcome basket, bottle of wine or champagne, romantic pack | Products to buy and set up |
| During the stay | Mid-stay cleaning, bike rental | Team availability on the chosen day |
| Logistics | Airport or station transfer, pet | Often approved case by case |
Only sell what you can deliver every time. A service paid for and forgotten costs more in reviews than it brings in. It is better to start with a few well-run services, then expand the catalogue.
How to price a service
A good price covers what the service really costs you and is obvious to the guest. Before setting an amount, list your costs:
- your team's time, including travel;
- products you buy (breakfast, basket, bottle) or linen to wash;
- for a late check-out or early check-in, the constraint on cleaning and sometimes the night next to it that you cannot sell;
- the commission taken on the payment.
Then choose the unit that fits the service: per stay (late check-out, baby kit), per person (extra linen), per night (parking), per person per night (breakfast) or per unit (a bottle, a transfer, a cleaning visit). A round price and a precise description of what is included (“until 2 pm”, “for two people”) prevent questions. Finally, adjust the price per property when the cost is not the same everywhere.
When to offer your services
A service sells when the guest needs it, not when you think of it. There are four good moments.
At booking
The guest is planning their stay: this is the moment for services prepared in advance (baby kit, transfer, early check-in). With direct booking, they can add them while booking; nothing is charged for them before the stay is confirmed.
In the arrival flow invitation
A few days before arrival, the guest receives their access information. Reminding them of the services still available for their dates is well timed: they already know when they arrive and who is coming.
In the welcome book and in the property
The welcome book is read before and during the stay: showcase your services there with their prices. A QR code displayed in the property lets guests book in a few seconds from their phone.
During the stay
A late check-out is often decided the day before, a mid-stay cleaning after a few days. Keep these services open during the stay, with a booking notice that gives your team time to organise.
Immediate payment or on approval
A breakfast or a parking space can be confirmed on payment. Other services depend on your schedule: an early check-in is only possible if nobody checks out that day, a transfer depends on a driver. For those, prefer approval: the guest's card is authorised, you accept or decline, and they are charged only if you accept.
Answer quickly
A request left unanswered frustrates the guest. Set yourself a short deadline and let them know it: they know what to expect, and you avoid follow-up messages.
Working with the cleaning team
Most services go through the cleaning team: they set up the baby kit, add linen, move their visit after a late check-out. A service sold without them knowing becomes a broken promise.
- Show every relevant service on the cleaning schedule, with its date.
- Set a booking notice long enough to prepare: nobody sets up a baby kit an hour before arrival.
- Automatically decline early check-in when other guests leave the same day, and late check-out when others arrive.
- Write the instruction once (where the kit is stored, how to set it up) in the notes of the room concerned.
What Check Easy does to sell your services
Check Easy gives you a service catalogue for all your properties, with ready-made templates: early check-in, late check-out, breakfast, mid-stay cleaning, extra linen, baby kit, welcome basket, bottle, romantic pack, transfer, pet, parking, bikes. For each service you set the price and its unit, the timing, the booking notice, the minimum stay, the maximum quantity, whether you approve it, and whether the cleaning team is informed; a property can have its own price or not offer the service.
Your guests book and pay by card from the CheckApp home screen; the welcome book, a QR code, the arrival flow invitation emails and the direct booking page showcase them. Requests on approval give you 48 hours, no later than the day before the service. The money is paid out to your Stripe payment account; Check Easy takes 5% of the price of each service sold, with no extra subscription. See pricing.