Debating 7 vs. 9 Guests for My STR’s Peak Season to Pay Off Startup Debt

[Diana Mulvihill]

Hi all,

Looking for some advice, please.

I started my STR about six months ago, and it's been going great. I took on some debt to prep the property and hope to pay it off this summer—our peak season with lots of river and swimming traffic.

It’s a 3-bedroom that currently sleeps 6 (king, queen, and a queen sofa bed). The sofa bed was always temporary, and I plan to replace it with a queen + twin bunk setup, bringing the total occupancy to 7 long-term.

To maximize income this summer, I’m debating keeping the sofa bed in a spare nook, bringing capacity to 9. But my gut might be saying no, the following are my thoughts and I'd love feedback:

*Not sure a bump from 7 to 9 guests would meaningfully increase nightly rates.

*I aim for a certain guest experience and keep occupancy lower to minimize wear-and-tear and respect my neighbors. So far, the BnB is well-received in the neighborhood, and a priority is to keep it that way long-term.

Thank you in advance!

[John Underwood]

Quote from @Diana Mulvihill:

Hi all,

Looking for some advice, please.

I started my STR about six months ago, and it's been going great. I took on some debt to prep the property and hope to pay it off this summer—our peak season with lots of river and swimming traffic.

It’s a 3-bedroom that currently sleeps 6 (king, queen, and a queen sofa bed). The sofa bed was always temporary, and I plan to replace it with a queen + twin bunk setup, bringing the total occupancy to 7 long-term.

To maximize income this summer, I’m debating keeping the sofa bed in a spare nook, bringing capacity to 9. But my gut might be saying no, the following are my thoughts and I'd love feedback:

*Not sure a bump from 7 to 9 guests would meaningfully increase nightly rates.

*I aim for a certain guest experience and keep occupancy lower to minimize wear-and-tear and respect my neighbors. So far, the BnB is well-received in the neighborhood, and a priority is to keep it that way long-term.

Thank you in advance!

 It may or may not bump up your nightly rate, but will likely bump up your occupancy from people looking for more sleeping capacity.

Can you replace the King with 2 Queen beds? I have done this, and it has been a great decision.