AvantStay
Guest Experience—FY27 Plan

The guest journey, mapped from real reservation data.

Six personas built from a 12-month segmentation of every reservation and linked Zendesk ticket. Each persona below carries a directional revenue share, volume, and support-ticket load, rounded here for public sharing rather than left as unsupported guesses.

Who we serve

Six personas, ranked by what the data shows

Each one is built from the segments that actually carry the most revenue or the most volume in the last 12 months. Ranked by weight, not by how interesting the story is.

  • Maya pausing beside her suitcase to check her phone before heading in
    #1 by volume

    Maya, the Weekend Escape Booker

    Books a short, budget-friendly Airbnb stay for herself and 1–3 others. Usually her first AvantStay trip.
    85,000+ reservations under $3K, ~78% of all volume · Airbnb is ~42% of total value · the highest ticket-to-value ratio in the portfolio
    Wants
    Fast, self-serve answers. Her trip budget is tight, so friction reads as bad value.
    Risk
    Drives roughly 69% of all support tickets despite being the lowest-value tier. She's also the least likely to already know AvantStay.
  • Daniel unlocking his door with a smart-lock keypad, phone in his other hand
    #2 by efficiency

    Daniel, the Direct-Booking Regular

    Skips the OTAs and books straight from avantstay.com. Already knows the brand.
    Direct is ~27% of total value, the most efficient of the three major channels
    Wants
    To feel like skipping the OTA was worth it. Recognition, even before he's formally a repeat guest or member.
    Risk
    Currently under-leveraged. Active members are only ~2% of total value, so most direct bookers aren't yet enrolled or recognized as loyal.
  • Bailey and two friends laughing at a phone in the airport, one holding a Bailey's Bach flag
    #3 by friction

    Bailey, the Nashville Celebration Organizer

    Books a short group trip in Nashville for a bachelorette or milestone celebration.
    ~22,000 reservations, nearly 1 in 5 of all bookings, but only ~7% of value · tied for the highest ticket-to-value ratio in the portfolio
    Wants
    Fast, clear answers on party size and rules. Quick response if something goes wrong with the group.
    Risk
    The single highest-friction-per-dollar segment in the business. Group dynamics drive Trust & Safety escalations.
  • A multigenerational family unloading suitcases from a car in front of a large house, one holding up a keycard
    #4 by value, efficient

    The Whitfield Family, Reunion Coordinator

    Books a large, multi-generational trip in one big home or across multiple units, like Isle of Palms.
    9+ guest parties are ~38% of total value, the largest value share of any single segment in the file · an efficient ticket-to-value ratio
    Wants
    One point of contact and coordinated arrival for a large group.
    Risk
    Falls into the general queue with no dedicated owner, despite carrying serious revenue weight.
  • A couple being greeted by a concierge holding a tablet, luggage in the background
    #5 by value per stay

    The Ashworths, VIP Guest

    Books a premium property at $15K or more—increasingly a tech-wealthy or LA-adjacent guest in their 30s or 40s, hip rather than old-money, who expects service that feels hand-picked, not templated.
    Just ~1,200 reservations, ~1% of volume, generate ~12% of total value, averaging about $25K per stay · most tickets per reservation of any tier (~7.5), but the lowest ticket-to-value ratio in the portfolio
    Wants
    White-glove service built around them specifically—arranging a hot air balloon launch from the property, not a standard spa-day upsell. Custom requests honored without friction, discretion assumed.
    Risk
    A slow or generic response reads as a mismatch with what they paid for. This guest can tell templated service from something actually built around them.
  • A woman smiling at a "Welcome back" message on her phone, keys already in her other hand, on a familiar porch
    #6 by upside

    The Renewals, Repeat & Member Guest

    Has stayed with AvantStay before, or enrolled in the membership program launched this year.
    Repeat guests: ~14% of value · Active members: ~2% of value—the two most efficient segments in the file
    Wants
    Recognition of history and preferences across stays.
    Risk
    Treated like a first-time guest despite history. ~87% of the base is still first-time, so this group is small today by design, not by ceiling.
The journey

What each guest needs, stage by stage

Same five stages for every guest. What changes is the touchpoint that matters most, and what breaks if we miss it.

In 2012, Airbnb's Brian Chesky borrowed a technique from Walt Disney's production of Snow White: storyboard the handful of moments that define the experience, rather than mapping every screen. Airbnb hired an animator to sketch the guest and host journey in a small set of frames built around real emotional moments, like getting the keys or the wifi password, not app flows. Each strip below follows that same discipline: five moments per guest, chosen because they're the ones that actually make or break the stay.

Maya, Weekend Escape Booker

~78% of all reservations

  • Discover & Book

    Books via Airbnb, gets the Welcome to AvantStay SMS once IDV clears

    Watch: Airbnb bookings skip most of the IDV/Guest Agreement cascade, one less friction point already

  • Pre-Stay

    Same ECI, Mid-Stay Clean, and Concierge Marketing offers as every non-VIP guest

    Watch: upsell pricing isn't tailored to a sub-$3K trip

  • Arrival & In-Stay

    CI Instructions plus a GoPuff delivery offer on arrival day

    Watch: any delay here reads as bad value on a tight budget

  • Departure

    LCO upsell, then the standard CO Reminder SMS

    Watch: billing disputes hit harder on a tight budget

  • Post-Stay & Retention

    Post-Stay Survey, then the same $200 Next Stay email as everyone else

    Watch: unproven whether the generic offer converts this segment

Daniel, Direct-Booking Regular

~27% of value, most efficient channel

  • Discover & Book

    Gets the Direct-specific Booking Confirmation Email, not the OTA flow

    Watch: treated identically to a first-time OTA guest right after that

  • Pre-Stay

    Full IDV/Guest Agreement cadence applies, since Direct isn't excluded like Airbnb

    Watch: no visible reward yet for skipping the OTA

  • Arrival & In-Stay

    Same ECI, Mid-Stay Clean, and GoPuff upsells as any non-VIP guest

    Watch: no differentiated welcome for a direct, loyal booker

  • Departure

    Same LCO offer and CO Reminder as everyone else

    Watch: no preferences carried into the next booking

  • Post-Stay & Retention

    Same blanket $200 Next Stay offer, not a membership push

    Watch: only ~2% of value comes from active members; this is the channel that should convert them

Bailey, Nashville Celebration Organizer

Highest ticket-to-value ratio in the file

  • Discover & Book

    If flagged high-risk, gets the Risk Vetting message: Good Neighbor rules, quiet hours, two backup phone numbers

    Watch: a pure compliance message, no positive touch alongside it

  • Pre-Stay

    GoPuff and LCO upsells land well for a celebration trip

    Watch: Concierge Marketing assumes a Standard property; a livelier group may not read it as relevant

  • Arrival & In-Stay

    GOS In-Stay Triage routes noise/guest-count flags immediately

    Watch: Trust & Safety escalation risk stays highest here

  • Departure

    Damage or overage review against the signed agreement

    Watch: disputed charges land on whichever name is on the booking

  • Post-Stay & Retention

    Post-Stay Survey and Next Stay go to the main booker only

    Watch: invited guests never get their own path to become future direct bookers

Whitfield Family, Reunion Coordinator

~38% of value from 9+ guest parties

  • Discover & Book

    Sales handles the multi-unit booking; each unit likely fires its own Booking Confirmation

    Watch: no handoff to GX after the sale, plus duplicate messages across units

  • Pre-Stay

    ECI, Mid-Stay Clean, and LCO offers are evaluated per unit, not per group

    Watch: the family gets several separate upsell touches for one trip

  • Arrival & In-Stay

    Coordinated arrival across units, but CI Instructions send per property

    Watch: access or unit-mismatch issues across a large group

  • Departure

    Checkout still likely splits by unit rather than consolidating

    Watch: billing split across multiple parties

  • Post-Stay & Retention

    Next Stay email goes out per booker, not per group

    Watch: group defaults back to an OTA next time without a group-level invite

The Ashworths, VIP Guest

~1% of volume, ~12% of value

  • Discover & Book

    Concierge Intro triggers only on Estate/Premier properties

    Watch: a $15K+ stay at a Standard property may get no concierge touch at all

  • Pre-Stay

    Explicitly excluded from the ECI, Mid-Stay Clean, LCO, and GoPuff automation

    Watch: no confirmation concierge offers these manually instead; the gap may just be silence

  • Arrival & In-Stay

    Proactive check-ins expected, not the automated flows everyone else gets

    Watch: treated like a standard ticket if concierge coverage lapses

  • Departure

    White-glove checkout, no loose ends

    Watch: billing friction lands harder on a high-value stay

  • Post-Stay & Retention

    No VIP-specific post-stay track exists in the current comms map

    Watch: goes quiet until the next booking, same as everyone else

The Renewals, Repeat & Member Guest

Most efficient segment in the file

  • Discover & Book

    No distinct booking flow; treated identically to a first-time guest

    Watch: history isn't recognized before the trip even starts

  • Pre-Stay

    Same IDV/Guest Agreement cadence, even if nothing has changed since last stay

    Watch: re-doing paperwork that's already on file

  • Arrival & In-Stay

    Same ECI/Mid-Stay Clean/LCO offers as everyone else, no nod to past stays

    Watch: no differentiated welcome for a returning guest

  • Departure

    Same checkout as a first-timer

    Watch: no preferences carried forward

  • Post-Stay & Retention

    Same blanket $200 Next Stay email as every other guest

    Watch: the most efficient segment in the file gets the least tailored retention push

The standard

What "on-brand" sounds like

Pulled from the GX Brand Voice Training Guide (Feb 12, 2026). Read the comms map on the next page against these four pillars, not just against ticket volume—most of what's flagged above is a voice gap as much as a coverage gap.

Friends wading into a resort pool together at golden hour, one paddling a small boat
Mission "Travel better, together."

Value propositions

  • Connection—shared experiences guests remember forever
  • Adventure—room for spontaneity, not just a checklist
  • Authentic—every place, and every interaction, is real
  • Effortless—we take care of the rest

Voice pillars

  • Confident & clear—lead with what we can do, not policy
  • Professional, not corporate—no robotic phrasing
  • Human & authentic—conversational, personalized
  • Warm & connection-focused—acknowledge emotion first

The GX self-check

  • Does this sound human?
  • Does this sound confident?
  • Does it protect the guest experience?
  • Is it clear and effortless?
The newest standard: speed and specificity. Fast beats verbose—a broken HVAC unit needs action, not a long acknowledgment. Every message should be prescriptive, not passive: "please walk through the property and flag anything that needs attention," not "let us know if you need anything." GX reply time is now a core metric the team is held accountable to, with a CSAT bar well above where the team sits today.
The current comms map

What's actually automated today

Pulled from the product team's automated communication deck (dated Feb 2023). Given the age of the source, confirm current trigger logic before acting on any single row—the shape of the map is likely still accurate, the specifics may have shifted.

Automated guest communications by stage, as documented Feb 2023.
StageTouchpointChannelTypeTrigger
BookingRisk VettingSMS + EmailConditionalGuest books a high-risk property
BookingBooking ConfirmationSMS + EmailFixedIDV (+ risk vetting if required) complete
BookingConcierge IntroSMS + EmailUpsellEstate/Premier property (Cavallo, Paradiso, Palma, Castillo)
BookingConcierge Marketing 1 & 2SMS + EmailUpsellStandard property; Marketing 2 only if no reply to Marketing 1, 7 days before check-in
Pre-StayIDV / Guest Agreement remindersSMSAdministrativeMissing IDV and/or signed agreement; cadence varies by OTA vs. Direct and regular vs. last-minute booking; Airbnb excluded
Pre-StayEarly Check-In (ECI) offerSMS + EmailUpsellNot VIP, ECI available, 6 days before check-in
Pre-StayMid-Stay Clean offerSMS + EmailUpsellStaying 3+ nights, not VIP, housekeeping available
Pre-StayCheck-In InstructionsSMS + EmailFixed3 days before check-in, if paid/IDV/contract complete
Check-InGoPuff offerSMSUpsellProperty in a GoPuff market, morning of check-in
Check-InWelcome messageCallFixed2 hours before check-in, via Spoke Phone/RingCentral
In-StayPost-Check-In Follow-UpSMSFixedDay after check-in at noon
In-StayVAS request confirmationsSMSConditionalGuest requests an add-on (pool heat, fridge stock, etc.)
DepartureLate Checkout (LCO) offerSMS + EmailUpsellNot VIP, LCO available, day before checkout
DepartureCheckout ReminderSMSFixed8am day of checkout, all guests
Post-StayPost-Stay Survey (NPS)SMS, via DelightedFixedDay of checkout; promoters routed to a Google review ask
Post-StayNext Stay offerEmail, via IterableUpsellFirst of two post-checkout emails, $200 off code

Since this table was documented: the "Post-Check-In Follow-Up" row has moved. Current direction has the wellness check going out a few hours after check-in, not the next day at noon. See the comms map for the current version.

Where to act

Optimization and upsell opportunities, by persona

The current automation is built around one guest, not six. Every upsell (ECI, Mid-Stay Clean, LCO, GoPuff) explicitly skips VIP guests, and nothing in the map treats a repeat guest, a member, or a group differently from a first-time solo booker.

  • Maya: right-size the upsells

    Optimize
    She gets the same ECI/Mid-Stay Clean pricing as every guest despite the lowest average spend in the portfolio. Test smaller-ticket, lower-price add-ons (GoPuff-style) against the standard concierge menu for this tier specifically.
    Upsell
    Her segment alone drives roughly 69% of all tickets. Route her routine pre-stay questions to Duckie before she ever needs to text in, freeing agent time for the segments below.

  • Daniel: reward the channel choice

    Optimize
    He gets a Direct-specific Booking Confirmation, then nothing distinguishes him from an OTA guest for the rest of the trip.
    Upsell
    Replace his generic $200 Next Stay email with a membership invitation. He's already shown channel loyalty; membership is the underused conversion point, at only ~2% of value today.

  • Bailey: pair the rules with a reason to spend

    Optimize
    Risk Vetting is a pure compliance message today—exactly what the Confident & Clear voice pillar warns against ("avoid hiding behind policy"). Pairing it with a positive touch, like a curated local vendor list, could soften the tone without softening the rules.
    Upsell
    GoPuff and LCO already fit a celebration trip well. The bigger opportunity is retargeting invited guests (from the Guest Invite flow) as future direct bookers in their own right, not just attendees.

  • Whitfield Family: bundle, don't fragment

    Optimize
    Upsells and Check-In Instructions evaluate per unit, not per group. A 9-unit reunion likely gets 9 separate ECI/LCO touches for one trip.
    Upsell
    A single group-level Mid-Stay Clean or LCO offer, priced across the whole buyout, is an easier yes than nine individual asks, and matches the size of the segment: ~38% of total value.

  • The Ashworths: confirm the manual path exists

    Optimize
    They're excluded from every automated upsell, and Concierge Intro only fires on Estate/Premier properties. A VIP guest in a Standard property may get no proactive concierge touch at all. Confirm concierge coverage catches every VIP booking, not just Estate ones.
    Upsell
    Build the VIP equivalent of ECI/LCO/Mid-Stay Clean as a standing concierge offer rather than an absence—hand-picked, property-specific experiences (a hot air balloon launch from the property, a private chef with a menu built around them) rather than a generic upsell menu. They generate the most tickets per stay of any tier; make sure some of that contact is proactive, not reactive.

  • The Renewals: the biggest gap in the map

    Optimize
    Nothing in the current comms map treats a repeat guest or member differently from a first-timer—not the booking confirmation, not the IDV cadence, not checkout.
    Upsell
    The most efficient segment in the file gets the least tailored retention push: the same blanket $200 code as everyone else. A recognition-based Next Stay email, referencing their last property or trip, is the highest-leverage single change on this list—and a direct test of the Warm & Connection-Focused pillar.
The plan

One year, four quarters

Each initiative is mapped to the persona it moves. Q4 FY26 and Q1 FY27 were refreshed in September 2026—the original items in this window have already shipped, so these are the next big-rock bets, not incremental follow-ups.

  • Q4 FY26
    Oct – Dec 2026

    Align GX, Product, and Marketing on this map as the shared FY27 direction

    Before more build work: get explicit sign-off that these six personas, the ticket-to-value findings, and the brand-voice standard are the shared frame everyone is building against. Recent internal direction raised the bar directly—today's CSAT isn't treated as good enough for a premium brand, and GX reply time is now the metric the team is held accountable to. Everything else this quarter depends on this happening first.

    • Alignment
    • All personas

    Stand up a real-time stay-risk score

    A weighted score, live from check-in through checkout, combining signals like recent home reviews, in-stay issues, and messaging sentiment, updated regularly with visible and adjustable weighting. The key distinction from a simple risk flag: a stay can score low from a rocky start and still land a five-star review, and the score needs to keep capturing that rockiness either way—it's tracking how the stay was managed, not just how it turned out. See the CX routing page for more on the concept.

    • In-Stay
    • All personas

    Unify guest messaging into one channel-agnostic thread

    Leadership's top priority solve: close the channel split this map's comms pages already surface—an Airbnb thread only GX can see, a separate OTA portal, a separate SpokePhone thread—so the local team can respond to a guest on whatever channel they're actually on, from one place.

    • In-Stay
    • All personas

    Ship local-team identity across guest comms, broadly

    Go beyond the checkout-only pilot already planned for Q2: extend a local-team voice ("a message from your Joshua Tree team") to the Welcome message and Check-In Instructions, and pair it with a warmer Risk Vetting message for Bailey specifically—a direct test of the Confident & Clear and Warm & Connection-Focused pillars, at the cost of a copy change. Pair it with more prescriptive copy generally: "please walk through the property and flag anything that needs attention" gives the guest something to act on; "let us know if you need anything" doesn't.

    • Pre-Stay
    • All personas
    • Bailey

    Move local recommendations earlier in the booking window

    Off day-of check-in and up to the Check-In Instructions send (3 days out) or earlier, so guests planning a meal or activity in advance—especially groups—have time to actually act on it.

    • Pre-Stay
    • Whitfield Family
    • Bailey
  • Q1 FY27
    Jan – Mar 2027

    Right-size upsell pricing for Maya's tier

    Test smaller-ticket, lower-price add-ons against the standard concierge menu for guests under $3K, instead of the same ECI/Mid-Stay Clean pricing as every other tier.

    • Pre-Stay
    • Maya

    Build true group-level automation for multi-unit bookings

    A single Mid-Stay Clean or LCO offer priced across a whole buyout, not nine fragmented per-unit touches for one trip. Distinct from the sales-handoff work already shipped—this is the automation layer, not the ownership layer.

    • Pre-Stay
    • Whitfield Family

    Turn Bailey's invited guests into a direct-booking pipeline

    Retarget guests from the Guest Invite flow as future direct bookers in their own right, not just attendees on someone else's reservation.

    • Post-Stay
    • Bailey

    Expand Concierge and VAS into markets that have almost none today

    The Mid-Stay Clean offer above already exists broadly, but it's gated on "housekeeping available"—some markets don't have that infrastructure, which is exactly why they're missing this and most other Concierge offers. This is a real lever on review scores, not just revenue, with a longer-term eye on a daily-clean offering as a genuine differentiator. Pair with moving Concierge outreach earlier in the booking window, not just at check-in.

    • Pre-Stay
    • Maya
  • Q2 FY27
    Apr – Jun 2027

    Complete iLeftMyStuff rollout

    Consistent lost & found experience across all markets before peak summer.

    • Post-Stay
    • All personas

    Test local-team checkout messaging

    Review-ask refinement for group bookings ahead of the highest-volume review season.

    • Post-Stay
    • Bailey

    Pilot direct-booker recognition

    Visible perks for booking direct, closing the gap between direct booking's revenue share and today's member penetration.

    • Pre-Stay
    • Daniel

    Standardize VIP concierge touchpoints

    Consistent white-glove experience for $15K+ reservations across top markets.

    • Arrival
    • The Ashworths
  • Q3 FY27
    Jul – Sep 2027

    Stress-test coverage at peak volume

    Confirm urgent coverage and Duckie automation hold at summer peak in 30A, Isle of Palms, and Nashville.

    • In-Stay
    • All personas

    Launch member/repeat rebooking nudge

    Loyalty touchpoint that recognizes stay history and prompts the next booking, growing the most efficient segment in the file.

    • Post-Stay
    • The Renewals

    Publish FY27 recap, re-run segmentation

    Refresh this map with a full new year of reservation and ticket data.

    • All stages
    • All personas
The source data

Segment summary, last 12 months

Every number above traces back to this table. Reservations created Sep 11, 2025 through Sep 10, 2026, non-cancelled, positive-value, across Direct, Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, and Expedia. Figures below are rounded for public sharing—see the internal source data for exact values.

Segment summary by dimension, rounded for public sharing.
DimensionSegmentReservationsValueValue shareTickets/resTicket-to-value ratio
Booking sourceAirbnb~50,000~$110M~42%~5.2~1.3
Booking sourceDirect~24,000~$72M~27%~4.4~0.8
Booking sourceVRBO~18,000~$62M~23%~4.6~0.7
Booking sourceExpedia~15,000~$12M~4%~1.9~1.3
Booking sourceBooking.com~9,000~$11M~4%~2.6~1.1
Value tierUnder $3K~90,000~$100M~38%~3.8~1.8 HIGH
Value tier$3K–$8K~21,000~$96M~36%~5.6~0.7
Value tier$8K–$15K~3,900~$41M~15%~6.9~0.4
Value tier$15K+~1,200~$31M~12%~7.6~0.2
MarketIsle of Palms~3,900~$21M~8%~5.0~0.5
Market30A/PCB/Destin~6,000~$20M~7%~5.7~0.9
MarketNashville~23,000~$18M~7%~2.8~1.8 HIGH
Unit countSingle unit~110,000~$250M~93%~4.3~1.0
Unit countMulti-unit / reunion-style~3,500~$19M~7%~5.6~0.6
Party size9+ guests~22,000~$100M~38%~6.1~0.7
Party size1–4 guests~65,000~$91M~34%~3.4~1.3
Party size5–8 guests~28,000~$77M~29%~5.1~1.0
MembershipNon-member~110,000~$260M~98%~4.3~1.0
MembershipActive member~1,300~$5M~2%~4.7~0.6
Repeat statusFirst-time guest~100,000~$230M~87%~4.3~1.0
Repeat statusRepeat guest~12,000~$36M~14%~4.2~0.7

Rounding is independent per row, so totals within a dimension may not sum exactly to 100%.

Source: Chef segmentation of all reservations and linked Zendesk tickets, Sep 11, 2025 to Sep 10, 2026, run Sep 10, 2026.