Having a Cute Pet Could Attract People to Your Airbnb

Lisa Selvaggio
by Lisa Selvaggio

If you own an Airbnb and want to generate more income by attracting more renters, consider getting a pet. According to Lu Lu, who is an associate professor at Temple University, having a cute pet may influence people to book a stay with you. Keep reading to learn about this interesting research.

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Pet Cuteness and Booking Intentions


Lulu was interested in learning more about the effect of pet cuteness on people who had intentions of booking a home-sharing service, such as an Airbnb. And it turns out that, yes, having a pet could potentially influence someone’s decision to book a stay at your home.


Put simply, a pet tells people a lot about you as the host of a property, and the cuteness level of a pet can even make a potential guest feel closer to you. The more a pet has features that look much like the features of human babies (e.g., small nose, big cheeks, big eyes), and the more they exude compactness, softness, and a round shape, the cuter they’re perceived to be.  


The researchers used photos of dogs, cats, lizards, and rabbits, and grouped them into categories of low or high cuteness based on various attributes. For example, lighter colored fur was associated with more cuteness. As another example, dogs with small eyes and a face that isn’t round were low on the cuteness scale. Rabbits were perceived as cuter than lizards, and cats with lighter fur were also considered cuter than those with dark fur.


When people looked at listings with pets in the high-cuteness group, they were more likely to book a stay than those who looked at listings with pets in the low-cuteness group.


Uniqueness Also Affects Booking Intentions


An individual who’s considering booking a stay might perceive you as warmer if you have a pet, and this can help you distinguish yourself from your competition so you can get more guests. But the cuteness level of your pet also plays a role. Three studies with five experiments were conducted, and the experts found that cuter pets increased the intention of booking a stay with a host.


However, having a cute pet isn’t enough to get a booking. For those consumers who were looking for uniqueness, even an adorable pet wasn’t enough to convince them to stay at a particular location. So, there are certainly going to be other factors at play. Nevertheless, this research shows that strangers might feel closer to one another when there’s a cute pet in the mix, and that might help improve business for the pet parent.  


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Lisa Selvaggio
Lisa Selvaggio

Lisa Selvaggio is a freelance writer and editor, and our resident cats-pert, with certifications in pet nutrition and pet first aid. She enjoys producing content that helps people understand animals better so they can give their pets a safe and happy home.

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