Design-Focused Vacation Rentals Surge as Guests Seek More Than Just a Place to Sleep, Expert Says

Written by:

Steve Marcinuk

Date:

11 Aug 2025

Share

Share via Facebook

Share via Linkedin

Share via X

Copy to clipboard

The short-term rental industry is experiencing a fundamental shift in guest expectations, with design and aesthetics now playing a crucial role in booking decisions, according to Nisha Franklin, Co-Founder of From Where, a platform connecting vacation rental design with consumer shopping.

“People aren’t just booking a place and looking for a place to sleep. They are looking for an experience, for connection and curation,” Franklin explains, highlighting how the industry has evolved beyond basic accommodations.

The Rise of Host Tastemakers

Franklin, who brings extensive marketing experience from the advertising world, has observed a dramatic transformation in how hosts approach property design. “Hosts are becoming tastemakers,” she says, noting how guests increasingly look to rental properties for design inspiration.

This shift represents a marked change from earlier days of vacation rentals. “You think about when people used to book places with three photos and that was enough,” Franklin recalls. “Now there needs to be professional photos, they need to be good photos. There needs to be reviews. They need to be good reviews. It’s different.”

The Business Impact of Design

According to Franklin, this emphasis on design isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s reshaping the entire guest experience and creating new revenue opportunities for hosts. The trend has become so significant that guests frequently reach out to hosts asking about specific items in their rentals.

Franklin shares her own experience that led to founding From Where: “We loved the mattress we had, the best night’s sleep. It feels rare for two people to like the same mattress, and we both were amazed.” When she reached out to the host for information, this interaction sparked the idea for a broader solution.

Creating Shoppable Experience

From Where’s platform, which has already built over 200 storefronts for properties across the U.S., aims to transform beautifully designed rentals into shoppable experiences. The company handles the technical implementation, allowing hosts to focus on curation.

“We’re doing a lot of the heavy lifting for hosts and owners,” Franklin says, describing their approach to making spaces shoppable. “They can really just kind of turn it on, we build a storefront, it’s on, and they let their guests know about it.”

Looking ahead, Franklin envisions this trend continuing to grow: “The ideal is that down the line, every beautifully designed rental is a shoppable experience.” While From Where represents one early solution in this space, the broader shift toward design-focused stays appears likely to reshape how hosts approach property preparation and guest experience in the coming years.