U.S. short-term rental demand hit a record high in 2025 — but so did supply, and average occupancy has slipped to the low 50s as more listings compete for the same guests (AirDNA). When the market gets more crowded, the cheap ways to stand out are worth more than ever. Here's one that costs nothing, takes thirty seconds, and the data says most hosts are skipping it.
At IntelliHost we analyzed 91,809 active U.S. listings, matching what each property actually offers against what its title says and what it earns. The clearest pattern in the data: hosts are hiding the amenities guests pay the most for.
The sauna test
Start with saunas, because the result is the most extreme. Among listings that have a sauna, we split them into two groups — the ones that put the word in the title and the ones that have it but never mention it. Same amenity, same ZIP codes (we compared each listing to the median nightly rate in its own ZIP, so this isn't expensive markets beating cheap ones). The listings that name it in the title book at a rate 28% higher.
And only one in five sauna owners actually does it. The other four-fifths are sitting on a feature guests will pay nearly a third more for, buried in an amenity list almost nobody scrolls.
It isn't just saunas
The pattern repeats across the features guests get excited about:
- Pools: listings that say “pool” in the title earn 15% more than those that have a pool but stay quiet. Only 39% mention it.
- Hot tubs: putting “hot tub” in the title is worth 11%. Only 35% of hot-tub owners do it.
The exception that proves the rule
Not every amenity belongs in your title — and the data is just as clear about which ones don't. Among listings with an EV charger, the ones that put it in the title actually earned about 5% less than the ones that left it out. An EV charger is a real perk, but it isn't what makes a guest book a vacation rental. Leading your title with it spends your most valuable space on a feature few people are searching for — and crowds out the one that would have won the click.
That's the real lesson. The title isn't a place to list everything you have. It's a place to lead with the one feature guests are actively looking for. Sauna, pool, hot tub: yes. Niche conveniences: save them for the amenity list.
Why a single word moves the price
Two forces, both in your favor. First, search: when a guest types “cabin with hot tub” or “house with pool,” the platform leans heavily on your title. The feature buried in your amenity list barely helps. Second, the click: your title is the one line a guest reads before deciding whether to open your listing at all, against dozens of competitors on the same results page. “Modern 3BR near downtown” is fine. “Modern 3BR with sauna near downtown” tells the right guest, instantly, that you have what they came looking for.
One honest caveat: are these hosts earning more because of the word, or are the hosts who optimize their title simply better operators overall? Some of both. But we compared listings that all have the same feature, in the same ZIP codes, which controls for the most obvious confounder — and the EV-charger reversal shows this isn't just “good listings do everything right.” The effect is specific to leading with the feature guests actually book for. Because the lever is free, the math is overwhelmingly in your favor.
What to do this week
- Identify your single strongest amenity — the one a guest would search for. Sauna, pool, hot tub, lake access, a hot tub with a view. Then make sure it's in your title, using the exact words guests type.
- Lead with it. You have roughly 50 characters and half a second of attention. Spend them on the feature that makes someone click — not on filler like “cozy home” or a niche perk like an EV charger.
- Cut what everyone has. “Wifi,” “parking,” and “kitchen” in a title signal nothing — every listing has them. Advertise what's scarce in your market, not what's standard.
Your title is the most valuable 50 characters you own. For most hosts, it's quietly hiding the one thing that would let them charge more. Fixing it is free.
If you'd like to see how your own listing's title and pricing stack up against your market, you can learn more at intellihost.co.
Methodology
Figures are from an original IntelliHost analysis of 91,809 active U.S. Airbnb listings (2–5 bedrooms, at least 10 reviews and meaningful booking activity over the trailing 12 months). For each amenity, listings that have the feature were divided by whether the title mentions it; nightly rates are medians, each normalized to the median rate of the listing's own ZIP code, in USD. Market-size context is drawn from the linked third-party source above. No individual property is identified.
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