Airbnb repeat guests: a repeat guest strategy that stays within the rules

A guest loved your place and you'd like them back next year. The right move depends on one question you should answer before anything else: where did they book? Airbnb repeat guests belong to a different rulebook than guests who booked with you directly, and mixing the two up is how hosts end up with a suspended listing or a privacy complaint.

Start with one action today: sort your last twelve months of guests into two lists, "booked on an OTA" and "booked with me directly." Everything below depends on which list a guest sits on.

Can you market to Airbnb repeat guests off the platform?

No. Airbnb's policy prohibits asking guests to move current, future or repeat bookings off Airbnb, offering discounts to book elsewhere, and using guest contact details for marketing, so Airbnb guests should be won back on Airbnb.

The rule lives in Airbnb's Off-Platform and Fee Transparency Policy. It lists, among other things:

• Asking or encouraging users to move current, future or repeat bookings, including extensions, off Airbnb.
• Including links that take people off Airbnb in listings or messages.
• Offering or soliciting discounts to book off Airbnb.
• Soliciting a guest's email, mailing address or other channels through Airbnb messaging after a booking.
• Selling, sharing or using guest contact information for marketing, or signing guests up for a contact list.

The policy says repeated or severe violations can lead to suspended or permanently deactivated listings or accounts.

That rules out a "book direct next time" card in the unit, a checkout note with a code for your own site, or a newsletter signup aimed at Airbnb guests. Each one encourages a repeat booking to leave Airbnb. Our recommendation: treat every guest who first booked on Airbnb as an Airbnb guest for good, unless Airbnb's rules change.

Here's the decision aid to keep next to your guest list:

How do you win back Airbnb repeat guests without leaving Airbnb?

Make the stay memorable, thank them inside Airbnb Messages, make it easy to find the listing again, and answer any return inquiry with a special offer on Airbnb. The rebooking stays on-platform and so does the fee.

1. Say thank you where Airbnb allows it. Airbnb says you can use Messages to connect with guests "before, during, and after" a stay, according to its guest messages article. You can also set scheduled quick replies triggered by checkout. A short note after checkout that says you'd be glad to host them again is enough. Keep it free of links and contact details. For wording that fits the checkout moment, see our Airbnb checkout instructions guide.

2. Make the listing easy to find again. Guests can tap the heart on a listing to save it to a wishlist, and wishlist entries keep the dates they searched, per Airbnb's wishlists article. Pointing out that the heart icon exists is a reasonable, on-platform nudge.

3. Answer return inquiries with a special offer. This is the honest answer to "is there an Airbnb repeat guest discount?" Airbnb states it "does not currently offer any loyalty discounts" in its special offers article for guests. What you can do is reply to a guest's pre-booking message with a special offer: a custom price, different dates or another of your listings. The guest has 24 hours to accept, and acceptance confirms the reservation, per Airbnb's special offers guide for hosts. If they've already booked, Airbnb says you can still give a discount by changing the reservation details.

4. Earn the second review too. After each checkout, host and guest both get 14 days to review, and reviews publish when both submit or the window closes, according to Airbnb's reviews article. So a returning guest can leave a fresh review for the new stay.

5. Write a short repeat guest welcome letter. Send it through Airbnb Messages before arrival. Acknowledge that they're back, flag anything that changed since last time (new router, different parking, a replaced coffee machine), and skip the parts they already know.

What this costs you: the rebooking carries Airbnb's normal fees. Most hosts on the single-fee model pay 15.5%, and split-fee hosts pay 3% while guests pay a separate service fee, per Airbnb's service fees article. You can model the payout on a returning stay with the Airbnb fee calculator.

How do you invite direct guests back under GDPR?

Guests who booked with you directly are your customers, so you can invite them back, but you must tell them you'll use their details for marketing, let them object for free, stop when they do, and follow your country's email rules.

The European Commission's guidance on objections to processing sets out the core duties. A business "must explicitly inform individuals in its privacy notice or at the latest at the time of the first communication" that it will use their data for direct marketing and that they can object free of charge. Once someone objects, the business "may no longer process their personal data for such purposes."

Email adds a second layer. The Commission's page on marketing lists notes that email marketing must also comply with the ePrivacy Directive (2002/58/EC). That directive is applied through national law, so the exact consent rule depends on your country. Check your data protection authority's guidance before your first send.

A practical checklist for direct guests:

• At booking: your booking page or confirmation says you may send occasional offers for future stays and how to opt out.
• In every email: a one-click way to object or unsubscribe.
• After an objection: remove them from marketing sends the same day and keep a record of the opt-out.
• What to offer: a returning-guest rate or first look at next season's calendar. Keep it scarce so it still reads as a thank-you.
• What not to do: import OTA guest details into this list, or buy a list.

Keep it small: for a hypothetical two-unit host, two short emails a year, one for next season's calendar and one with a returning-guest rate, is plenty. For templates, send timing and list-building rules in more depth, see our vacation rental email marketing guide.

How do you measure your repeat guest rate?

Divide reservations from returning guests by all reservations in the same period, and split the result by booking channel, so you know whether your repeat business lives on Airbnb or on your own site.

Repeat guest rate = reservations from guests who stayed before ÷ all reservations in the period

Worked example with hypothetical numbers: a three-unit host takes 120 reservations in a year. Twelve came from guests who'd stayed before, nine through Airbnb and three direct.

This suggests two separate jobs: the Airbnb share depends on stay quality, reviews and special offers; the direct share depends on how easy your own booking page is to use. We found no primary-source industry benchmark, so compare against your own previous year.

When this advice does not apply

• Other OTAs: Booking.com, Vrbo and others have their own terms on guest data and off-platform contact. Read each platform's rules rather than assuming Airbnb's apply.
• Outside the EU: GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive cover the EU and EEA. The UK and other countries have their own marketing rules.
• Legal registration data: Airbnb's policy allows extra contact or identity details where local law requires it, disclosed in the listing. That data is for compliance, not marketing.
• Policy changes: platform policies change. Recheck the Airbnb policy before you change how you contact past guests.

What to do next

1. Split last year's guests into "booked on an OTA" and "booked directly," and delete any off-platform marketing plans for the first group.
2. Set a checkout-triggered thank-you as a scheduled quick reply in Airbnb, with no links or contact details.
3. Draft a special offer you're willing to give a returning Airbnb guest who messages about new dates.
4. Add a marketing notice and opt-out to your direct booking confirmation, then plan two emails for next year.
5. Calculate your repeat guest rate by channel and log it for next year's comparison.

FAQ

Is there an Airbnb repeat guest discount?

Airbnb says it doesn't currently offer loyalty discounts. You can offer a returning guest a custom price through a special offer when they message you before booking, or lower the price by changing an existing reservation.

Can a repeat guest review you again on Airbnb?

Yes. Airbnb prompts both host and guest to review after each checkout, with a 14-day window, so a new stay can bring a new review.

Can I give an Airbnb guest my website for their next booking?

Not under Airbnb's current off-platform policy. It prohibits links off the platform in listings or messages and encouraging repeat bookings to move off Airbnb.

What if a guest who first booked direct later books on Airbnb?

Treat that Airbnb reservation under Airbnb's rules. Your earlier direct relationship doesn't make it acceptable to use Airbnb messaging to move the new booking off the platform.

Sources

• Airbnb, "Off-Platform and Fee Transparency Policy" — Verified 2026-09-30
• Airbnb, "Boost bookings with special offers" and "How a special offer works" — Verified 2026-09-30
• Airbnb, "Managing guest messages" and "Reviews for homes" — Verified 2026-09-30
• European Commission, "What happens if someone objects to my company processing their personal data?" — Verified 2026-09-30
• European Commission, "Can data received from a third party be used for marketing?" — Verified 2026-09-30