I think my background as a travel agent and front desk clerk (back in the early 2000s) is influencing how I look at short-term rentals.
In travel, people don’t buy Seat 14A. They buy a class of service.
- Economy
- Premium Economy
- Business
- First Class
The airline manages the actual seat assignment.
In STRs, we often do the opposite. We sell Room 3, Room 5, Room 7, and then create operational problems for ourselves when all the guest really purchased was a set of characteristics.
What if we sold room classes instead?
Examples:
- Private Bath Suite
- Dedicated Entrance Suite
- Budget Room
- Standard Room
Each class would have clearly defined characteristics and photos of all possible rooms in that category.
The guest is guaranteed the class, not necessarily the exact room.
Why?
Because operational reality changes.
A room may need maintenance.
A room may need extra cleaning.
A room may be strategically better for another reservation.
A host may need flexibility to optimize turnovers.
Today, if a guest books a room with blue blinds and gets a comparable room with gray blinds, some systems treat that as a completely different product.
From an operations standpoint, that can be absurd.
The guest still receives:
- The same property
- The same amenities
- The same room class
- The same quality level
- The same stay experience
Yet the system often creates friction around a change that may actually improve outcomes for everyone.
The guest avoids a cancellation.
The host avoids lost revenue.
Operations become more efficient.
Inventory becomes more flexible.
Implementation seems relatively simple:
- Create room-class listings.
- Show all comparable rooms in that class.
- Clearly disclose assignment procedures.
- Disable Instant Book.
- Start with short stays (2–3 nights max).
Estimated implementation effort: 3–6 hours for the first room class.
Has anyone experimented with selling room categories instead of room numbers? What challenges am I missing?