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* FREE Summary of the 250 STR Property Study - click here: Summary 250 STRs in 10 U.S. Markets 2025
Some Airbnb listings get noticed, remembered, and talked about. Others look perfectly nice—but get scrolled right past.
In this episode of Step Up Your STR, Cara examines what makes a short-term rental stand out from its competition. She shares findings from her study of 250 short-term rentals across 10 U.S. vacation markets and identifies three design characteristics associated with higher average nightly rates: Distinct Personality, Highly Unique features, and Instagrammable Features.
You'll learn:
- What makes an Airbnb distinctive—and why “different” isn't always distinctive
- How Distinct Personality, Highly Unique features, and Instagrammable Features were scored
- Why properties with a strong Distinct Personality had a 77% higher average ADR than properties scoring 0
- Why properties with an Instagrammable Feature had a 92% higher average ADR
- Why Highly Unique properties had a 66% higher average ADR
- Why standing out matters when guests are scrolling through competing Airbnb listings
- How to analyze 20 competing properties to find opportunities to differentiate your own STR
- Why Distinct is different from Desirable and Designed
Cara also introduces the first part of her developing 3D STR Decorating Framework: Distinct, Desirable, and Designed.
Key takeaway: Your STR doesn't need to be the weirdest property in town. It needs to give guests a reason to notice, remember, and choose it.
Keywords:
Airbnb design, short term rental design, STR design, vacation rental design, Airbnb decorating, Airbnb marketing, Airbnb differentiation, Airbnb ADR, short term rental revenue, vacation rental revenue, Instagrammable Airbnb, Airbnb interior design, STR owner, Airbnb owner, vacation rental owner
