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Growing your business · 8 September 2026
How to get more returning guests
A returning guest already knows your property – and when the booking comes directly to you, you keep more of what you earn. Six moves to turn a good stay into the next booking.
Winning a guest is one thing. Getting them to come back is where the value is.
A returning guest already knows your property, your location and what to expect. You don't have to convince them from the start, and they're more likely to recommend you to friends and family.
The pattern is straightforward: a great stay, you stay in touch, and when they start planning the next trip they come straight to you. And when that booking comes directly to you, you keep more of what you earn.
1. Give guests a stay worth coming back to
Winning returning guests starts long before checkout.
Get the basics right: the property is clean, check-in is straightforward, essentials are easy to find, and your listing matches what guests find when they arrive.
Then add the details they remember. Your favorite restaurants, a quiet beach, a few local treats.
Make communication part of the experience
Guests don't expect everything to be perfect. They do expect an answer when they have a question.
Holidu brings messages from your booking channels into one inbox, translated into your language. You can reply yourself, or let the Holidu AI Assistant handle routine questions about your property, arrival details and local tips.
Guests get what they need without you answering the same question for the tenth time.
2. Help guests discover the place like a local
Your property is part of the experience. So is everything around it.
Share what you'd recommend to a friend:
- Your favorite restaurants and cafés
- The best beaches or swimming spots
- Family-friendly activities
- Local markets and events
- Walking and cycling routes
- What to do when the weather turns
Put the list somewhere guests can find it, and send it around arrival — Scheduled Messages can do that for you.
The more useful your tips, the more your property becomes part of the trip they remember.
3. Stay in touch after guests leave
The relationship doesn't end at checkout.
Start with a thank-you: you enjoyed hosting them, and they're welcome back any time. Include your direct booking link.
Then give them a reason to think of you when they plan their next trip — a new season, an improvement to the property, a local event, something new to discover nearby.
A few well-timed messages are worth more than a full inbox.
Set it up once with Scheduled Messages
Scheduled Messages cover the whole stay, from the arrival details to the message that brings a guest back — without you having to remember every one. A sequence could look like this:
4. Stay visible on social media
Social media gives past guests another reason to remember you.
Post seasonal photos, local events, things to do nearby and updates from your property. Show what guests can experience, not just what the rooms look like.
Ask guests to follow you during their stay, and keep your direct booking link easy to find in your profile.
The point isn't posting often. It's being visible when a past guest starts planning.
5. Make coming back easy
A guest can love their stay and still not know how to book with you again. Make the next step obvious.
Give them a direct way to book
Put your direct booking option in your messages after checkout, on your website and in your social profiles.
When a past guest searches for your property by name, your Google Business Profile can show them where to book directly.
The Direct Booking Toolkit gives you the pieces: a Direct Booking Website, a Booking Link to share, or a Booking Module for your own site. How the Direct Booking Toolkit works walks through each one.
The easier you make it, the fewer returning guests go back through a channel.
Give them a reason to choose direct
You can set a discount that applies to direct bookings only. It gives past guests an extra reason to book with you, while your margins on other channels stay as they are.
Reach out to the guests you really want back
The direct-booking discount applies to everyone. A Custom Offer is the opposite: one price, for one guest.
Some guests are obvious candidates. They come every summer, they loved the location, or they told you they'd like to return.
Don't wait for them to find their way back. From your calendar, select the available dates, set your price and send the Custom Offer to the guest with a link to book directly.
6. Keep it consistent — and personal
Returning guests want the experience they liked to still be there.
If you've changed sleeping arrangements, amenities or access, tell them before they book. Keep your property information, photos, amenities and house rules up to date. Consistency builds trust.
Improvements are a reason to return: a new outdoor space, upgraded facilities, something you've added since their last stay.
And remember the person. Asking how the journey went, or recommending something based on what they enjoyed last time, does more than any loyalty program.
Get this right, and guests say it back to you.
Why returning guests pay off
A returning guest is valuable through any channel. When they book directly, you keep more of what you earn — there's no channel commission on a direct booking.
Say a guest books your property for €500.
One returning guest won't change your year. A base of guests who come back and book directly adds up.
Where to start
Don't try to convert every past guest at once. Start with three moves:
- Make the stay memorable so guests have a reason to want to come back.
- Set up your messages after checkout – a thank-you, then a reminder around the time they'd be planning their next trip.
- Make returning easy with a clear direct booking link, and a discount or Custom Offer for the guests you most want back.
Then pick five past guests you'd genuinely like to welcome again, and send them an offer.
The most valuable booking may already be in your guest list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know which guests are likely to return?
Look for a natural reason to come back. They visit the area regularly, they return for a specific event or season, or they told you what they enjoyed about the property or the location. Those guests are worth a personal message.
Why focus on returning guests when booking sites already bring me new ones?
New guests matter. But a booking through a channel carries channel commission, and a direct booking doesn't. With a returning guest you already have the relationship — and you keep more of what you earn.
What if I don't have time to contact past guests personally?
Start with a scheduled message 150 days after checkout. Then hand-pick a few guests who are particularly likely to return and send them a Custom Offer.
What if a guest left a bad review?
It doesn't have to end there. If you've understood what went wrong and addressed it, you can still invite the guest back when the time is right.
Can I customize my scheduled messages?
Yes. You can adapt the wording and the timing, and messages can be translated based on the guest's booking language.
The next booking may already be in your guest list
A returning guest already knows your property. Give them a reason to come back, an easy way to book, and a price that rewards booking direct.
Your properties and your calendar are in your Holidu account. Open the dates you'd like to fill and send a Custom Offer to a guest you'd welcome again.
New to Holidu? List your property and you get the Direct Booking Toolkit, scheduled messages and one inbox for every channel from day one. A one-time activation fee, then a commission per booking: no subscription, no lock-in.