Success story
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Otium Rentals is a Puerto Rico–based, tech-enabled vacation rental management company focused on revenue optimization and guest experience.
Location: Puerto Rico
Number of listings: 109
Using Hostfully since: 2023
Favorite features: Automations for pre-arrival messages, advanced reporting, channel management and property sync across multiple OTAs
“Hostfully helped us add a significant amount to our bottom-line without any new marketing efforts or having to raise our nightly rates. The best part is it’s completely passive and doesn’t require hiring new staff.”
Otium Rentals, led by CEO Juan Miguel Rivera, operates as a tech-enabled short-term rental management company in Puerto Rico. With a background in revenue management, JM continuously optimized pricing, occupancy, and distribution.
But there was a structural limitation.
“Our income was entirely dependent on reservations,” JM said. “And when you raise nightly rates, most of that increase goes back to property owners.”
Every additional dollar generated from higher ADR was shared. Meanwhile, time spent recommending local experiences, accommodating early check-in requests, or answering special guest needs did not directly increase Otium’s profitability.
“If we wanted to improve margins,” JM explained, “we needed revenue streams that didn’t require new hires or capital investment.”
M initially adopted Hostfully’s digital guidebooks to improve guest communication and provide local recommendations. The turning point came when he activated the Marketplace feature.
His first upsell was simple and already in demand: early check-in and late check-out. Initially priced at $15 and later increased to $39, the service required virtually no operational change.
“Guests were already asking for it,” JM said. “Why not monetize it?”
The income quickly became meaningful. “The extra revenue basically covered our Hostfully subscription,” he added.
Encouraged by that success, JM added more passive upsells including pack-and-play cribs, extra toiletries, additional towels, air mattresses, and pet cleaning fees. These items are displayed directly in the digital guidebook and purchased without staff involvement.
“The best part is it’s passive,” JM said. “We’re not manually selling anything.”
The second revenue stream came through Hostfully’s integration with Viator. By curating trusted local tours and experiences inside the guidebook, Otium earns an 8% commission on guest bookings.
“It enhances the guest experience and generates income at the same time,” JM said.
Because these revenue streams sit outside the nightly rental payout structure, Otium retains 100% of the income without sharing it with property owners.
Combined, these passive channels increased Otium Rentals’ net bottom line by approximately 15%.
“Hostfully helped us add a significant amount to our profits without raising rates or increasing workload,” JM said. “It’s revenue that works in the background.”
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The Marketplace opens additional expansion opportunities.
Puerto Rico offers unique private experiences not always available on large platforms. JM plans to introduce curated in-home chef experiences and exclusive local tours, using Hostfully to process payments and coordinate vendors.
“The infrastructure is already built,” JM said. “Now it’s about layering in more high-value experiences.”
With digital guidebooks functioning as both a guest experience tool and a profit engine, Otium continues to increase margins without increasing complexity.