9 ways to secure last minute bookings on Airbnb

Empty nights in your rental calendar don’t have to mean lost revenue. Last-minute bookings represent a significant opportunity to boost your occupancy rates and maximise earnings. Travellers booking within days or hours of arrival are actively searching for available properties, often willing to pay competitive rates for convenience and quality.

When your property is optimised for spontaneous bookings, you can transform those calendar gaps into profitable stays. Here are nine proven strategies to increase your occupancy rates through last-minute reservations.

Why last-minute bookings matter for occupancy rates

Last-minute travellers represent a valuable market segment that can fill your booking calendar when traditional advance reservations fall short. These guests prioritise availability, convenience, and trust over extensive research, making well-positioned properties highly attractive for immediate bookings.

1. Location, location location

Location plays a crucial role in your ability to capture spontaneous reservations. Whether you’re selecting a new property or working with an existing one, understanding your location’s potential is essential for maximising occupancy rates.

– If you’re choosing a location

Strategic location selection drives consistent last-minute bookings. When purchasing an investment property, prioritise areas with high demand for short stays.

Research these key factors:

• Proximity to business districts, airports, and transport hubs
• Neighbourhoods popular with both leisure and business travellers
• Areas with consistent year-round visitor flow
• Locations near hospitals, universities, or conference centres
• Emerging neighbourhoods with growing tourist interest

Properties in these high-demand areas consistently outperform others in occupancy rates because travellers know these locations offer convenience and accessibility.

– If you already have a property

Every location has last-minute booking opportunities – the key is identifying and promoting yours effectively. Rather than focusing on what your area lacks, research what draws travellers to your neighbourhood and emphasise these strengths.

Analyse your location’s advantages:

• Proximity to transport links (train stations, bus routes, major roads)
• Local businesses that attract visitors (hospitals, universities, conference centres)
• Nearby attractions or amenities (parks, restaurants, shopping areas)
• Unique neighbourhood character or historical significance

Promote location benefits in your listing:

• Highlight walking distances to key destinations
• Mention public transport connections
• Include local gems that guests might not discover otherwise
• Emphasise any 24-hour amenities nearby (essential for last-minute arrivals)

Even properties in seemingly quiet areas can attract last-minute bookings by positioning themselves as peaceful retreats, budget-friendly alternatives to city centres, or convenient bases for specific activities.

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2. Know who your guest is

Understanding your target guest is crucial for maximising last-minute booking conversions. Different traveller types have distinct needs, booking behaviours, and decision-making patterns when searching for immediate accommodation.

Common last-minute traveller profiles

Business travellers often book within 24-48 hours due to unexpected meetings, conferences, or work assignments. They prioritise reliable high-speed wifi and dedicated workspace areas, along with proximity to business districts, airports, or client offices. Make your Airbnb business-ready.

Professional amenities like ironing facilities and coffee-making equipment matter significantly, as does responsive host communication and clean, modern spaces that project professionalism.

Weekend escapists represent leisure travellers making spontaneous getaway decisions, typically booking Thursday through Saturday for immediate weekends. These guests seek comfort and relaxation amenities such as comfortable seating and entertainment options.

They value local attraction recommendations, Instagram-worthy spaces, and unique or characterful properties that offer something special whilst maintaining good value for money.

Emergency bookers are dealing with unexpected situations like cancelled flights, family emergencies, or last-minute event attendance. They need immediate availability with flexible check-in times, clear and responsive communication from hosts, and basic amenities that provide comfort during stressful situations.

Proximity to their urgent destination—whether a hospital, event venue, or transport hub—often trumps other considerations.

Event-driven travellers respond to sudden event announcements, ticket availability, or social invitations. They look for location convenience to specific venues, group accommodation options for multiple attendees, and local insider knowledge about events or areas.

Flexible cancellation policies and quick confirmation processes are particularly important for this segment.

Tailoring your message is key to visibility and trust.

3. Keep your pricing flexible

Static pricing can harm performance. A fixed rate during a low demand week might leave your property empty. Guests looking at the last minute tend to compare several options quickly, so being competitively priced matters.

With dynamic pricing, you can adjust based on demand, events and competitor rates. This keeps your listing attractive without devaluing the experience.

GuestReady’s pricing experts monitor market trends to ensure your rate is always aligned.

4. Stand out from the crowd

Guests booking last minute make decisions quickly. Your main image, title and first few lines need to do the work instantly.

Focus on:

• A standout photo that highlights space, light or location

• A title that mentions what sets you apart

• A clear description that answers the guest’s first questions

Avoid clutter or vague phrases. Show exactly what the guest needs to know to feel confident.

5. Get Superhost status ASAP

When guests are in a rush to book, trust is everything. Superhost properties are often filtered first and viewed more often.

To qualify, you need:

• At least ten stays in the past year

• A response rate of 90 per cent or more

• An average rating of 4.8 or above

• No last minute cancellations

If managing several properties, GuestReady can help maintain consistent quality and response across listings so you stay eligible.

6. Consider setting up a newsletter

Many Airbnb properties attract repeat guests. This might be a particular company who send staff to a city for work events and use the same Airbnb to accommodate staff each time or it could be a family who fall in love with an Airbnb home somewhere in the world and want to return, year after year, for family holidays.

A good way of keeping your Airbnb short stay on the ‘radar’ when it comes to returning guests is to ask whether they’re interested in signing up for a newsletter or following you on Instagram. This way you can send reminders about events happening in your part of the world that they may want to attend, or information about discounted rates during the low season.

You can also:

• Thank them for their stay

• Mention upcoming availability

• Let them know about any repeat guest offers

These small touches encourage loyalty, especially for business travellers or regular visitors.

7. Encourage guests to write reviews

There are two reasons that guests tend to write reviews about Airbnb properties: they had a terrible experience and want to warn-off other guests; their experience was beyond their expectations and they feel compelled to give the Airbnb host credit for their efforts.

Even if your property is immaculate and ticks all of the boxes for a guest, it might not be enough to inspire them to write a good review. Glowing reviews from guests are one of the first things that travellers look for when searching for a place to stay on Airbnb so whatever you can do to impress your guests, do it! Also, don’t be afraid to ask them to write you a good review.

8. Widen your booking reach

While Airbnb is powerful, diversifying your presence brings in new guests. Travellers also book through other platforms, or discover listings through local connections and social media.

To increase your reach:

• List on GuestReady’s booking website, Booking.com, Expedia or Vrbo

• Promote your listing on Instagram or Facebook

• Let local companies or venues know your place is available for visitors

GuestReady manages multi-platform listings and visibility, so your property appears in more searches.

9. Get expert help to free up your time and increase performance

Running an Airbnb can be rewarding, but it also demands time, quick responses and attention to detail. This is especially important when trying to secure last minute bookings. If managing guest messages, cleaning, pricing and calendars feels overwhelming, you do not have to do it alone.

Partnering with a professional Airbnb management company like GuestReady allows you to step back while your property stays competitive, clean and guest ready. Our team looks after everything from:

• Guest communication and booking management
• Cleaning and maintenance coordination
• Dynamic pricing to attract bookings throughout the year
• Listing performance and review management

We support hosts in London, Paris, Dubai, Lisbon and other major cities. The properties we manage reach up to 80% occupancy across the year. So if you are looking for a simpler way to host with better results and fewer daily tasks, speak to us today to see how GuestReady can support your short stay goals.