Hosting a short-term rental has become so much more than providing guests with a place to sleep. In an era where travelers are prioritizing experiences, you, as a host, have a nuanced opportunity to create additional value for guests and earn yourself a bit more cash. 

Here at Host Tools, we’re thrilled to kick off 2026 with our newest integration with Host Co. This partnership allows you to sell perks such as late check-out or even an experience like kayaking with a local guide, all from one convenient dashboard. The best part? The Host Tools and Host Co. integration is free to start and free to use. This post will break down everything you need to know about Host Tools’ integration with Host Co.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!

What is Host Co.?

First things first: what exactly is Host Co.? As we briefly mentioned above, it’s a tool that connects guests with local experiences. These can include everything from a personal chef to a guided meditation session, in-home massages, and more. It’s similar to what Airbnb offers with their Experiences, but you aren’t limited to that platform. Thanks to the partnership with local vendors, hosts earn a 93% commission every time a guest completes an experience that is booked through Host Co. 

In addition to experiences, hosts can offer services directly related to the property. Some examples of upsell opportunities that Host Co. lets hosts offer guests for an additional fee include:

• An early check-in or late check-out
• A mid-stay cleaning
• Set up for a celebration, such as a birthday or anniversary
• Delivery of fresh flowers
• Rentals, such as kayaks, canoes, and other sporting equipment
• An in-home shop of items like firewood, a snack basket, or hangover kits

Why should I use Host Co.?

In short, Host Co. offers you the opportunity to earn more income without a whole lot of hassle. Once you’ve chosen an experience and set up your storefront, the booking experience is entirely automated. For upsells that involve local experiences like kayak tours, you can rest easy knowing that Host Co. has already pre-vetted these vendors to ensure the highest quality for your guests.

For in-home experiences, you can select a lead time to avoid last-minute surprises. From there, Host Co. will send email notifications to your entire team when an upsell is selected. The platform provides automated inventory management and four-level theft protection. In fact, some property managers have reported earning more than $100,000 in new, incremental revenue without increasing their nightly rates or adding more properties to their portfolio. All in all, using Host Co. is a simple, automated system that allows you to earn more without much additional effort on your day-to-day responsibilities as a host.

Do I pay anything?

No! Host Co. is free to set up and use. Instead, Host Co. will earn a 7% commission on every upsell. You keep 93% of all sales.

How do I set up Host Co. with my Host Tools account?

Great question! This process is straightforward. Just follow the steps below to get started:

• Log in to your Host Tools account and go to the “Settings” tab.
• Then, select “API & Integrations”.
• From there, select and copy the “Access Token.”

• Open the Host Co. partner page, and scroll down to Host Tools. Select “Start Now.” 
• You’ll be asked for your Host Tools integration token. Paste the copied token from your Host Tools dashboard.
• Next, you’ll choose how you want to create your Host Co. stores. You can choose from the following:
  • Create a new Host Co. store for each of your listings on Host Tools
  • Link existing Host Co. stores to your Host Tools properties
  • Skip specific properties for now
• Once you’ve synced your Host Co. store and listings, you’ll want to add a special upsell tag to your automated guest messages within Host Tools. To do so, follow these steps:
  • Go to your Host Tools dashboard and select “Custom Message Tags” from the Settings tab.
  • From here, you can either create a new tag or edit an existing tag for a listing or group.
  • Choose the listing and message you would like to edit. 
  • Choose “Add New Messaging Rule”. 
  • Scroll down to the message and select “Add tag”. 
  • Choose “Upsell URL”
  • Edit and preview your message.

Hit “Save” and you’re done!

Final thoughts

As you can see, integrating your Host Tools account with Host Co. is a win-win scenario. By signing up for this free service, you now have the opportunity to earn a 93% commission on the activities your guests are already searching for, or additional income on upsold experiences like late check-out and mid-stay cleanings. For those who want to elevate their game even further, Host Tools users can sign up for one month of Host Co. Pro with the discount code HOSTTOOLS, where you’ll earn 100% on commissions.

Host Tools provides an automated, unified calendar for short-term rental hosts, allowing you to seamlessly list on all major channels. Start your free trial today!