Aberdeen is an interesting market for holiday let owners because it does not rely on just one type of visitor.
The Granite City attracts business travellers, conference delegates, university visitors, people attending events and tourists exploring Aberdeen and the wider north-east of Scotland. That variety can be a real advantage for holiday let owners, but it also means your property needs to appeal to different guests at different times of the year.
At mySTAYINN, we see this as one of the most important parts of managing a successful short-term let. It is not simply about putting a property on Airbnb and waiting for bookings. It is about understanding who is likely to stay, what they need from the property and how to make sure the right guests can find it.
Aberdeen has more than one type of visitor
One of the things that makes Aberdeen particularly interesting for short-term lets is the balance between business and leisure demand.
The city has a strong business and events sector, with Aberdeen Convention Bureau working with venues, universities, local organisations and other partners to attract conferences and business events to the area.
For a business traveller, the priorities can be quite different from those of a family booking a weekend away. Reliable Wi-Fi, a comfortable workspace, easy check-in, good transport connections and a quiet place to sleep can all make a difference.
Then there are university visitors, whether they are parents visiting students, prospective students and their families, academics or people attending university events. These guests may be looking for somewhere comfortable and practical rather than a traditional hotel room, particularly if they are staying for several nights.
Leisure guests, meanwhile, may be interested in Aberdeen itself as well as the surrounding coastline, countryside and attractions. VisitScotland highlights everything from walking routes around the city to access towards Royal Deeside, while Aberdeen also has a calendar of theatre, music, food, drink and family events.
That means there is no single ‘Aberdeen guest’. A good holiday let strategy needs to recognise the differences.
Start with the property, not the platform
Before thinking about pricing or advertising, take a step back and look at what your property actually offers.
If you are targeting business travellers, a proper dining table or desk, reliable Wi-Fi, comfortable seating and a well-equipped kitchen can be valuable features. If you are targeting families or leisure visitors, storage, practical kitchen facilities, comfortable bedrooms and space to relax may be more important.
Presentation matters too. Guests make decisions quickly when browsing short-term lets, so your photographs and listing need to communicate what makes the property useful and appealing. A bright, tidy and professionally photographed property gives guests a much clearer idea of what they are booking.
This is something we pay close attention to at mySTAYINN. Our full management service includes professional photography, while our listing and channel management tools help ensure the property is presented consistently across booking platforms.
It is worth remembering that listing optimisation is not about making a property sound better than it is. It is about making the genuine strengths of the property obvious.
Think about the guest before you set the price
One of the easiest mistakes to make with an Aberdeen holiday let is treating every night of the year in the same way.
Business demand, university activity, events, school holidays, weekends and leisure seasons can all influence the type and volume of guests looking for accommodation. A fixed nightly rate does not necessarily reflect those changes.
This is where a more flexible pricing strategy can make a difference.
At mySTAYINN, our pricing service combines four pricing software systems with human expertise to adjust rates according to market conditions and demand. The aim is not simply to make every night more expensive. It is to find the right balance between occupancy and nightly revenue.
For example, a property that is particularly well suited to corporate visitors might need a different strategy during a busy period of business travel than it does during a quieter weekend.
Likewise, if a major event is bringing additional visitors into Aberdeen, leaving your usual rate in place could mean missing an opportunity. Equally, keeping prices unnecessarily high when demand is softer can leave gaps in the calendar.
The important thing is to keep reviewing rather than assuming last year’s pricing will work this year.
Make business travellers feel at home
Business travellers do not necessarily want a hotel experience. Often, the attraction of a short-term let is having more space, a kitchen and somewhere that feels more comfortable for a longer stay.
That makes the practical details particularly important.
Clear check-in instructions, reliable communication, a well-presented property and straightforward information about Wi-Fi, parking and local transport can remove a lot of friction.
The same applies to guests attending conferences or events. If someone has travelled to Aberdeen for work, they probably do not want to spend their first hour trying to work out how to access the property.
At mySTAYINN, guest communication is managed alongside the booking, with a single inbox and message automation tools helping to keep information organised. Full management also includes 24/7 guest support, as well as self check-in or meet-and-greet options.
These might sound like small details, but they are exactly the things that can shape how a stay feels.
Do not overlook leisure guests
While Aberdeen has a strong business market, leisure travellers should not be treated as an afterthought.
The city provides a useful base for exploring the wider area, and its events calendar creates additional reasons for visitors to book. VisitScotland highlights local food and drink, theatre, music and family events, alongside access to the surrounding landscapes.
Your listing should therefore help guests understand what they can do during their stay.
That could mean highlighting proximity to the city centre, explaining parking arrangements, mentioning nearby attractions or simply providing useful local information through a digital guidebook.
At mySTAYINN, digital guidebooks form part of our guest experience offering, giving guests useful information alongside the practical details they need for their stay.
Again, it comes down to understanding the person behind the booking. A family visiting Aberdeen for a weekend needs different information from someone arriving for a three-day conference.
Reach guests beyond Airbnb
Another important part of the strategy is making sure your property is visible where potential guests are actually searching.
Relying on one platform can limit your exposure. Different types of travellers use different booking channels, and a property that works well for one audience may find additional demand elsewhere.
mySTAYINN uses channel management technology to distribute listings across multiple platforms, with a unified calendar and inbox helping to keep bookings and guest communication organised. The current service includes marketing across 20+ platforms, with the wider mySTAYINN network advertising properties across more than 60 platforms.
For an Aberdeen property, that wider exposure can be particularly useful because you are not relying solely on one source of demand.
It also means your listing needs to be consistent. Accurate descriptions, good photography, clear amenities and up-to-date availability all contribute to a more professional presence.
Keep the experience consistent
Attracting a booking is only the beginning.
A property might have the perfect location and an excellent listing, but if the guest arrives to find poor cleanliness, missing amenities or a maintenance issue, the experience can quickly change.
That is why operational management matters just as much as marketing.
mySTAYINN’s full management service includes professional cleaning and laundry, hotel-quality linen and amenities, property maintenance, guest support and compliance.
For owners, this creates a joined-up approach. The same business that is thinking about pricing and marketing is also thinking about what happens once the guest arrives.
For guests, it simply means the stay works as expected.
Building a stronger Aberdeen holiday let
There is no single formula for success with Aberdeen holiday lets. The strength of the market is that there are several different sources of demand, but that also means owners need to be prepared to adapt.
A business traveller might value convenience and workspace. A university visitor might want a comfortable base close to family or campus. A conference delegate may prioritise simple access and reliable communication, while a leisure guest might be looking for a well-presented base for exploring Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
The property itself does not necessarily need to change for every audience. The way you present, price and manage it does.
That’s where good holiday let management can make a real difference. At mySTAYINN, we combine listing optimisation, multi-platform marketing, pricing strategy, guest communication and property management to help owners make the most of changing demand.
If you own an Aberdeen holiday let or are considering turning a property into a short-term let, we would be happy to talk through what could work for your property.
Get in touch with mySTAYINN to find out how we could help you attract more of the right guests and manage your property with less day-to-day hassle.
