Two cabins sit side by side in the same mountain town. Same bedrooms, same view, same price. One shows its hot tub steaming under the stars. The other mentions "hot tub" in a bullet list. Guests book the first one.
Amenities are one of the biggest reasons a guest picks one rental over another, and the data shows some of them are worth real money. But an amenity only earns if guests can see it.
What the data says about amenities
AirDNA, the short-term rental data company, compared three-bedroom entire-home rentals with and without key winter amenities in 2024. The hot tub was the standout:
Winter 2024 performance of homes with a hot tub vs. similar homes without one: 9% higher occupancy and 32% higher nightly rates (AirDNA).
Other amenities showed a lift too:
- Ski-in/ski-out access earned 66% higher revenue per available night in peak ski months, with winter nightly rates averaging $507 compared with $300 for similar homes. In Breckenridge, about 31% of listings offer it, and in Vail and Avon about 30%.
- Indoor fireplaces brought 11% higher nightly rates and 5% higher earnings. In Winter Park and Idaho Springs, about 75% of listings already have one, so a fireplace is close to expected there.
These are averages across many listings, not a promise for any one property. But they line up with what Colorado hosts see every season: the amenities guests dream about are the ones they pay for.
An amenity guests can't see doesn't sell
Guests scroll on their phones and decide in seconds. A checkbox that says "hot tub" competes with every other listing that has the same checkbox. A bright, inviting photo of your hot tub with the mountains behind it is what makes them stop.
That's also why the order matters. Your best amenity should appear early in the gallery, not as photo 27.
How to photograph the amenities that matter
Hot tubs
Cover off, water clean and running, lights on. Shoot it with the view behind it, and consider a twilight photo where the water glows. A virtual twilight is a $55 add-on with our rental packages.
Fireplaces
Have the fire going and the room lights balanced, so the fireplace reads as the cozy center of the room rather than a dark box.
Ski, bike and gear storage
Show the rack, the boot dryer or the mudroom bench. For mountain guests, this answers a real question: where do our skis go?
Game rooms, decks and fire pits
Set them up as if guests just stepped away: cushions out, chairs angled toward the fire pit, pool cues racked. Drone photos can show how the deck and yard connect to the trees, trails or water.
The small details
The coffee bar, the welcome basket, the reading nook. Detail shots of these touches, a $50 add-on with our rental packages, help guests picture the stay rather than just the square footage.
Where amenities belong in your gallery
- Cover photo: your single strongest image, often the exterior at dusk or the hot tub with a view.
- Photos 2 to 5: the main living area, the kitchen and your top amenity.
- Later photos: bedrooms, bathrooms, then the rest of the amenities and the surroundings.
The bottom line
If you've invested in a hot tub, a game room or a ski locker, make sure your photos do it justice. Airbnb's own data shows hosts with professional photos earn 21% more on average, and amenities are where great photos earn their keep.