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Create Upsell

Turn your guest journey into an additional revenue opportunity by offering guests convenient add-ons or upsells and services before, during, or after their stay.

Written by Cathy Yap

With ChargeAutomation, you can offer things like:

  • 🕐 Early Check-in

  • 🌙 Late Check-out

  • 🐶 Pet Fee

  • 🚗 Parking

  • 🚕 Airport Pickup

  • 🛡️ Damage Waiver

  • 🏙️ City/Tourist Tax

  • 🎁 Welcome baskets and other custom services

You can start with a pre-built template or create a custom upsell from scratch.

🚀 How to Create an Upsell

  1. Go to Upsells in your ChargeAutomation dashboard.

  2. Click Create Upsell.

  3. Choose a ready-made template, or select the option to create your own.

  4. Configure the upsell details, pricing, availability, and properties.

  5. Save your upsell.

📝Basic Information

Title

This is the name shown to guests.

Example: Early Check-in

Internal Name

Used internally for your reference only.
Tip: Keep it the same as the title for consistency.

Type

  • Internal (Created in ChargeAutomation) - Select this option if the upsell is managed directly within ChargeAutomation (recommended for most use cases).

  • External (Third Party Upsell) - available only in Professional plan

Category

This allows you to specify the type of upsell you are offering. It acts as a label that groups similar upsells together under clear, predefined categories. This helps with reporting, tracking, and managing upsell offerings across your properties.

Select the relevant Category for the upsell.

  • General - This is a broad category used for any upsell that doesn’t fall into the other specific types. It can include miscellaneous extras or add-ons that enhance the guest experience but don’t relate directly to check-in or damage coverage (i.e. Pet fee, Parking fee, Housekeeping etc.)

  • Early Checkin - Upsells under this category allow guests to check into the property earlier than the standard check-in time. It’s a popular option for guests who arrive ahead of schedule and want to access the property sooner.

  • Late Checkout - This category covers upsells that permit guests to stay beyond the regular checkout time. Late checkout options are valuable for guests who prefer a more flexible departure time, adding convenience and comfort to their stay.

  • Damage Waiver - The damage waiver category applies to upsells that provide guests with protection against accidental property damage during their stay. Offering a damage waiver helps minimize disputes and offers peace of mind for both hosts and guests.

Short Description

This is what guests will see when browsing upsells. Keep it clear and appealing.

Pricing Model

1. Standard Pricing - A fixed price applied to the upsell

Example: A flat $20 fee for a welcome basket provided to guests upon arrival.

2. Based on number of nights - Pricing adjusts according to the length of the guest’s stay.

Example:

  • Charge a fixed Tourist/city tax fee per night for stays up to 5 nights.

  • For stays longer than 5 nights, set the price to zero to waive the tax for extended stays.

3. Based on Booking Amount - Some properties charge cleaning fees that vary depending on the total booking amount, reflecting the size, length, or value of the stay. Instead of a flat fee or percentage, you can set fixed cleaning fees based on predefined booking price ranges.

Example:

  • For bookings totaling $0 to $300, charge a cleaning fee of $20.

  • For bookings between $301 and $700, charge a cleaning fee of $35.

  • For bookings above $700, charge a cleaning fee of $50.

This tiered approach ensures the cleaning fee aligns better with the booking’s scale or complexity, providing fair pricing and avoiding undercharging or overcharging guests.

4. Based on Time Slot - Best option for Early Check-in.

  • Offer different prices depending on arrival time

  • Control availability windows

A. Available Days - Select the days when Early Check-in is available:

  • Choose all days (Sun–Sat) if always available

  • Or limit to specific days based on operations

B. Time Range & Pricing - Define the time slots and corresponding prices.

C. From / To - Set the earliest and latest check-in times allowed.

D. Amount - Set the price for each time range.

E. Pricing Options Settings

Per: Booking - Charges the upsell once per reservation

Period: One time - Ensures guests are only charged once, not per night.

Example:

  • 10:00 → 12:00 = Higher price

  • 12:00 → 14:00 = Lower price

💡 Tip: Earlier check-ins are usually priced higher. Click “+” to add multiple time slots.

5. Based on Item - Charges guests according to the quantity of a specific item or service they select. This is ideal for optional extras that are per item.

Examples:

  • Parking spaces: $5 per additional parking space requested. If a guest requests 2 spaces, the total charge is $10.

  • Grocery items: $10 per grocery bundle selected. If a guest orders 3 bundles, the total is $30.

  • Wine or beverages: $15 per bottle of wine. Ordering 2 bottles totals $30.

6. Based on Nightly Rate - Calculates the upsell price as a percentage of the reservation’s nightly rate.

Example:

  • Nightly rate: $120

  • Gap rate discount: 50% for the single gap night

  • Discount applied: 50% × $120 = $60

  • Final price for the guest: $120 − $60 = $60

⚙️More Settings

Is Your Approval Required?

  • No approval needed → Automatically confirmed (recommended)

  • Enable approval if you want manual control over availability

Is This Upsell Mandatory?

  • Keep as optional (standard)

  • Only set as mandatory if required for operational reasons

Additional Fees & Terms

Additional Fee

Click + Add Fee to include any extra charges that may apply beyond the base price. This is useful if your upsell has multiple components or optional add-ons.

Additional Information

Use this field to provide guests with important details such as:

  • Terms and conditions

  • Policies related to the upsell

  • Disclaimers or special notes

This transparency helps set clear expectations and reduces potential misunderstandings.

When Can Guest Purchase This?

Reservation Stages - This setting determines at what point in the guest journey the upsell is available.

  • Always

    • The upsell is available at all times — from booking confirmation up until check-in (unless restricted by other rules below).

    • ✅ Best for: Flexible add-ons like parking or pet fees.

  • Only at the following stage

    • Limit availability to a specific stage (e.g., after booking, before arrival).

    • ✅ Best for: Offers that should only appear at a certain point in the guest journey.

  • Custom (Advanced)

    • Create more granular logic based on conditions.

    • ✅ Best for: Complex workflows or highly customized guest experiences.

Seasonal Availability - Enable this if the upsell should only be available during specific dates.

  • Guests can purchase the upsell only if their check-in date falls within the selected range.

  • You can:

    • Select a custom date range

    • Enable “Repeat every year” for recurring seasons

Examples:

  • Offer airport pickup only during peak travel months

  • Enable pool heating during colder seasons

Minimum Time to Order (Cut-off Time) - This setting prevents guests from purchasing an upsell too close to check-in.

  • Define a time window (e.g., 1 hour, 24 hours, 2 days)

  • Choose whether it applies Before Check-in or Before Check-out

Example:

  • “Guests can’t book within 1 hour before check-in”

    • If check-in is at 3:00 PM, the upsell becomes unavailable at 2:00 PM

Property Availability - This ensures that the upsell can only be purchased if the property is available within a defined timeframe.

  • Set a time condition (e.g., 1 hour before check-in or after check-out)

  • The upsell is available only if the property meets availability criteria

Example:

  • Prevent selling services if:

    • The property is not ready

    • Maintenance or cleaning is still ongoing

    • There are scheduling conflicts

Set Reminder for Guest

Add reminders to increase conversions:

  • After booking

  • After check-in

  • Before check-in

  • Before check-out

Attach Properties

Select which properties or rentals offer Early Check-in.

⚠️ Important: If not attached, the upsell will not appear to guests.

Attach Tags

Optional filtering based on property Tags:

  • Use if you want to limit availability (e.g., only certain units)

Attach Booking Sources

Control where the upsell is available:

  • OTA bookings (Airbnb, Booking.com, etc.)

  • Direct bookings

💡 Recommended: Keep All Booking Sources selected for maximum visibility.

✨ Best Practices

  • Use short, clear descriptions that explain the benefit.

  • Choose time-slot, per-night, per-item, or tiered pricing when a flat fee doesn't make sense.

  • Always verify that the upsell is attached to the correct properties.

  • A well-timed reminder can help increase purchases.

  • Avoid requiring manual approval for services that are consistently available.

  • Make a test booking and confirm the upsell appears, pricing is correct, and the purchase flow works as expected.

Need Help?

If you run into any issues or have questions, feel free to reach out to our support team at [email protected].

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