Every booking is an opportunity to earn more. A guest who already chose your property is the easiest person to sell to — they trust you, they’re excited about their stay, and they’re open to anything that makes it better. Mangobeds makes it simple to turn that opportunity into revenue with upsells.
What Are Upsells?
An upsell is an additional product or service you offer to a guest on top of their core booking — a late checkout, a welcome pack, an airport pickup, a bike rental, a bottle of wine waiting in the room. Small extras that are easy to say yes to, and that add real margin to every stay.
In Mangobeds, upsells are powered by Extras. Once you’ve set up your extras, you can offer them in three places:
- Booking forms — guests see them while they’re reserving, right alongside room selection.
- The guest portal — guests can add them at any point before, during, or after their stay.
- Automated communications — drop a link or a short pitch into your pre-checkin or post-checkin communications so the right upsell lands in the guest’s inbox at the right moment.
All three channels feed into the same booking, so payments, reports, and communications stay in one place.
Why Upsell Your Guests?
Upselling isn’t just about squeezing more out of each booking. Done well, it actually improves the guest experience:
- Higher revenue per booking without having to attract new guests.
- Happier guests because they get exactly what they need, when they need it.
- Smoother operations since requests come in structured form instead of scattered across WhatsApp and email.
- A reason to keep the guest on your site instead of sending them to third-party platforms.
Step 1: Configure Your Extras
Everything starts with your extras catalog. In Mangobeds you can create as many extras as you need and define how each one is priced and charged.
For each extra, you can set:
- A clear name and description
- A price and how it scales (per booking, per night, per guest, per unit, or manual quantity)
- An image so guests can see what they’re getting
- Whether it’s optional or mandatory for certain booking forms
- A maximum quantity where it makes sense
Take a moment here — the name, description, and image are what convince the guest to click “add.” Treat each extra like a small product listing.
For a deeper walkthrough of creating and managing extras, see Managing Extras in Mangobeds.
Step 2: Offer Extras in Your Booking Forms
Booking forms are where most guests will meet your extras for the first time. When someone is in checkout mode, they’re already in a buying mindset — this is where upsells convert best.
When you build or edit a booking form, you can pick which extras appear. A few things to keep in mind:
- Keep the list short and relevant to the stay. Too many options slow down the checkout.
- Use extras that feel like a natural enhancement to the booking — early check-in, airport pickup, cleaning packs, breakfast.
- Mandatory extras (cleaning fees, city tax) are calculated automatically based on the booking dates, guests, and units.
Step 3: Offer Extras in the Guest Portal
The guest portal is your post-booking upsell channel. Once the guest has confirmed their stay, they can log in and browse the extras you’ve decided to feature there.
From the guest portal settings, you choose which extras to make available for upsell. These are typically the ones that make sense after the booking is already made — a late checkout, an airport pickup, a bottle of champagne on arrival, a bike for the week.
A few tips:
- Select extras that benefit from time to think — guests often book first and decide on add-ons later.
- Great photos and descriptions matter even more here, since the guest is browsing without a sales flow around them.
- Review the list every now and then — seasonal items, local events, and weather all change what guests are likely to buy.
Step 4: Promote Extras in Your Automated Communications
Your pre-checkin and post-checkin communications are prime upsell real estate. The guest is thinking about their stay, excited about arrival, or relaxing after a great experience — all moments where the right offer feels helpful, not pushy.
A few ideas:
- In a pre-checkin communication, a few days before arrival, mention extras that enhance the first day: airport pickup, early check-in, a welcome pack, groceries in the fridge.
- In a post-checkin communication, once the guest has settled in, highlight things that extend the stay: late checkout, laundry service, bike rental, a tour, an extra cleaning.
- Link straight to the guest portal so the guest can add the extra in a couple of clicks.
Because communications in Mangobeds run automatically on the triggers you choose, this is a set-it-and-forget-it upsell channel — configure once and let it run for every future booking.
Tips for Effective Upselling
- Start small. Pick two or three high-margin extras you know guests love, and launch with those.
- Price to say yes. An upsell should feel like a small decision, not a second booking.
- Mention them in your emails and messages. The guest portal link in your communications is a great place to nudge.
- Measure what works. Review your bookings periodically to see which extras earn the most and which never get picked — and prune accordingly.
Conclusion
Upsells turn existing bookings into bigger bookings. With Mangobeds, setting them up is a one-time effort: build your extras once, then let your booking forms and guest portal do the selling for you. Start with a few, test what resonates, and watch your average booking value climb without any extra marketing spend.
Head to Extras in your property settings to create your first upsell, and check your Guest Portal settings to choose which ones to feature.
