What's the difference between ancillary revenue and upselling?

Upselling means getting more for the room itself — a better room, early check-in, a longer stay. Ancillary revenue is everything else you sell around the stay: spa, food, tours, parking, laundry. Both grow revenue per guest, and the best hotels do both.

Why is ancillary revenue so valuable?

It carries high margins and doesn't depend on occupancy. A spa slot or a local tour earns money whether you're at 40% or 90% full, and you're selling to a guest you've already won — no marketing cost to acquire them.

How do I actually sell these extras without being pushy?

Offer them at the right moment through the right channel — a pre-arrival message, a QR menu in the room, or a gentle nudge at check-in. When the offer is relevant and well-timed, guests see it as helpful, not salesy.

10 Things Hotels Can Sell Beyond the Room to Increase Revenue

The room is where the money starts, not where it ends. A guest who's already on property is your warmest possible customer — no ad, no OTA, no acquisition cost. Every extra you sell them is high-margin revenue that doesn't depend on how full you are. Here are ten of the best, from the obvious to the overlooked.

1. Food and beverage

Breakfast add-ons, room service, an in-house café or bar, and packaged meal plans. Even a small property can offer a good breakfast as a paid extra or a bundled package — and F&B often becomes a revenue line in its own right.

2. Spa and wellness

Massages, salon services, yoga sessions. Wellness carries excellent margins and guests happily pay for relaxation while they're already in holiday mode. Even without a full spa, a visiting therapist on call works.

3. Airport and local transfers

Pickups, drop-offs, and car hire. Transfers are one of the easiest sells — offer it in the pre-arrival message and a big share of guests take it because it removes a hassle on arrival.

4. Local experiences and tours

City tours, treks, cooking classes, day trips. Partner with local operators and take a margin. Guests want to do things, and they trust the hotel's recommendation over a random search.

5. Late checkout and early check-in

A flexible checkout is worth real money to a guest with an evening flight — and costs you almost nothing when the room isn't sold that night. Price it, don't just give it away. (More on this in upselling strategies.)

6. Parking

Where space is tight, secure parking is a genuine paid amenity. It's a simple, recurring add-on many hotels give away for free out of habit.

7. Laundry and pressing

Low effort, steady demand — especially from business travellers and longer stays. Easy to offer, easy to price, easy to forget you're sitting on it.

8. Events and celebrations

Birthday or anniversary packages, in-room decorations, a cake and flowers. Guests celebrating something will pay generously to make it special, and it's the kind of touch that earns a five-star review too.

9. Meeting and function space

Even one bookable room for small meetings, training sessions, or private dinners turns idle daytime space into revenue that has nothing to do with room occupancy.

10. Retail and mini-bar

Local produce, branded merchandise, snacks, essentials guests forgot to pack. A small, well-chosen selection turns the front desk into a tiny shop.

The trick is the offer, not the inventory

Most hotels already have half this list — they just never offer it at the right moment. A pre-arrival WhatsApp with the transfer and spa, a QR menu in the room, a prompt at check-in for late checkout: that's what converts. (See WhatsApp for guest messaging and, for the bigger picture, making more from the same rooms.)

The bottom line

Every one of these is revenue you can earn from a guest you already have, at margins the room can't match, regardless of occupancy. You don't need to add all ten — pick three that fit your property, put them in front of guests at the right moment, and watch revenue per booking climb.