Curated Guest Experiences Are the New Standard for Hospitality
The Expectation Shift
A decade ago, vacation rental guests were happy with a clean property and a set of keys. The bar was low because the alternative was a hotel, and the appeal of a vacation rental was space, privacy, and a kitchen.
That bar has moved dramatically. Today’s guests arrive expecting the convenience of a hotel concierge combined with the comfort of a private home. They want personalized recommendations, instant communication, seamless check-in, and experiences tailored to their trip. They’ve been trained by brands like Apple, Amazon, and Uber to expect frictionless, anticipatory service, and they bring those expectations to every booking.
Property management companies that recognize this shift are pulling away from the competition. Those that don’t are losing guests to the ones that do.
What “Curated” Actually Means
A curated guest experience isn’t about luxury upgrades or expensive add-ons. It’s about intentionally designing every interaction a guest has with your company, from the moment they inquire to the moment they leave a review.
Pre-Arrival: Set the Tone
The experience starts well before the guest arrives. A confirmation that includes local weather, a packing suggestion, and a link to your digital guidebook tells the guest they’re in good hands. A pre-arrival text asking about their plans, whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, or family reunion, lets you personalize the stay without intruding.
SendSquared’s automations trigger these messages based on reservation data from your PMS, so personalization scales without manual effort.
Check-In: Remove Friction
Digital check-in, smart lock codes delivered via SMS, and a welcome message with WiFi credentials and house rules eliminate the anxiety of arriving somewhere new. The goal is to make guests feel at home within minutes, not hunting for a lockbox in the dark.
Mid-Stay: Be Present Without Hovering
The best property management companies check in during the stay, but not with a generic “how’s everything going?” A message on day two that says “The farmer’s market on Main Street runs every Wednesday morning — it’s a local favorite” feels curated. A message that says “Reply to this text if you need anything” feels like a safety net without being intrusive.
Guidebooks filled with local recommendations, restaurant links, and activity bookings turn your local knowledge into a guest asset. Guests don’t want to Google “things to do near me.” They want someone who knows the area to tell them what’s worth their time.
Post-Stay: Close the Loop
A thank-you message within hours of checkout, a review request, and a follow-up offer for their next stay keeps the relationship warm. This is where most property management companies drop the ball. They deliver a great stay and then go silent, losing the guest to whatever OTA they find first next year.
Why Curation Wins the High-Value Guest
Not all guests are equal. The guest booking a $5,000 weekly rental for their family vacation is worth significantly more than the guest looking for the cheapest two-night stay. High-value guests have more options. They research more carefully. They read reviews more critically. And they’re willing to pay a premium for a property management company that makes them feel taken care of.
Curated experiences are how you attract and retain these guests. When someone books a luxury oceanfront home and receives a pre-arrival message with a personalized local dining guide, a mid-stay check-in, and a post-stay thank you with an exclusive returning guest offer, they’re not going to Vrbo next time. They’re coming back to you.
Scaling Curation with Technology
The objection property managers raise is always the same: “We manage 200+ properties. We can’t personally curate every guest’s experience.”
You can, if you build the systems.
Automation handles the repetitive touchpoints. Pre-arrival messages, check-in instructions, mid-stay recommendations, review requests — these can all be triggered automatically from your PMS data. The content feels personal because it references the guest’s name, their property, their dates, and their destination. But the delivery is fully automated.
SendSquared’s pre-arrival to post-stay solution orchestrates this entire journey across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, adapting the channel and timing to each guest’s preferences.
The human touch comes in where it matters most: responding to guest requests, handling issues, and going above expectations when the opportunity arises. Technology handles the consistency. Your team handles the moments that create memories.
The Competitive Reality
Guest expectations only move in one direction. The property management companies that set the standard today will attract the best guests, earn the strongest reviews, and build the most defensible businesses. Those that treat guest experience as an afterthought will compete on price, which is a race nobody wins.
Curating the guest experience isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the baseline expectation for modern hospitality.