How to Create Theme and Location Collections That Guests Can’t Resist

If we’re honest, the most exciting travel sites don’t just show endless property lists. They spark imagination by curating collections that hit what travelers are truly seeking—a feeling, an experience, or the magic of a place. At Homerunner, we’ve seen firsthand how thoughtfully crafted theme and location collections flip casual browsing into confident booking. Let’s go deep on exactly how you can create collections on your WordPress direct booking site that guests not only click, but share with friends and save for next time.

Why Collections Are a Game-Changer for Direct Bookings

Guests rarely think in terms of bedrooms and bathrooms alone. They browse and book based on intent: a mountain escape, family fun by the beach, or a weekend where their dog is as welcome as they are. Collections bridge the gap between your PMS inventory and the traveler’s dream stay, helping you:

• Reduce choice overload. Instead of an overwhelming list, guests see focused groups that make decision-making easier.
• Increase relevance. Visitors identify collections that match why they’re traveling, building trust quickly.
• Boost conversion. Collection-driven sites consistently get guests from curiosity to booking with less drop-off along the way.

This is the sort of psychology-backed strategy that’s central to our approach—and it’s one reason Homerunner-powered sites consistently outperform generic booking engines.

How to Build Theme Collections That Speak to Guest Intent

Start by getting deliberate about why people visit your region, not just what properties you have. We typically recommend picking 5 to 10 high-intent themes per site or brand. Here are proven ideas that adapt to almost any market:

• Family Friendly Stays: 2+ bedrooms, fenced yard, crib or pack and play, bathtub, high chairs, kid-approved amenities.
• Pet Friendly Escapes: Properties allowing pets, fences, dog parks nearby, easy-to-clean floors, clear pet fee policy.
• Romantic Retreats: Privacy, king beds, soaking tubs or hot tubs, fireplaces, beautiful views.
• Remote Work & Digital Nomad: Fast WiFi, real desks, quality chairs, good lighting, walkability to coffee shops.
• Luxury Collection: Top 15-20% by price, high review averages, interiors with designer touch, premium amenities.
• Budget & Value: Well-rated properties in the lowest price range, close to attractions, often still 4-star plus reviews.
• Places for Groups & Reunions: Large dining and living spaces, many beds, extra baths, easy parking.
• Adventure Basecamp: Near hiking, skiing, surf or bike trails, room for gear, washer/dryer, mudroom.

Some tips that work across markets:

• Only create a theme if you’ll have at least 6–8 properties in it—sparse collections frustrate more than help.
• Map each theme to a real guest type (families, couples, digital nomads, etc.), not just a marketing buzzword.

Location Collections: Go Beyond the “City” Filter

Most booking tools offer location search at the city or region level. But guests think much more granularly—by landmark, walkability, vibe, or micro-destination. With Homerunner, you can build collections that feel local:

• Neighborhoods: “Downtown Arts District,” “Historic Old Town,” or by postal codes, within walking distance to highlights.
• Landmark Proximity: “Five Minutes to the Convention Center,” “Near National Park Gate,” “Steps from the Beach.”
• Regional Micro-Destinations: “North Shore Beaches,” “Lakeside Villages,” separate identities within your portfolio.
• Event Zones: Ready-to-book groupings for festivals, holiday markets, or seasonal attractions.

Imagine letting your guests filter instantly by areas they actually ask about. It’s a leap forward from generic sorting and truly matches how travelers make decisions.

Data-Driven Rules: The Secret to Consistent and Scalable Collections

To keep collections accurate and scalable, use PMS data and set clear rules for assigning properties. For example:

• Family Friendly:
  • Minimum 2 bedrooms
  • Occupancy 4+ guests
  • Tags: crib/high chair/bathtub/game room
  • Review average 4.5+ (where available)
• Luxury Waterfront:
  • Waterfront attribute or view tag
  • Top 20% nightly rate range
  • Professional photography completed
  • Amenities: hot tub, pool, firepit, or chef’s kitchen

Spend time cleaning up your PMS data for consistency. Standardize amenity naming (“WiFi” vs. “Wi Fi”), ensure every property has correct occupancy, assign primary area or neighborhood fields, and add essential tags. Once this foundation is set, you can automate collections in Homerunner and avoid tedious manual curation.

Turning Each Collection Into a High-Converting Landing Page

Every collection you build isn’t just a filter—it’s a landing page with a single job: drive guests to book. We’ve honed a format that works:

1. Hero section: Strong headline for the audience, with a subheadline that proves unique selection. Add a bold “View Available Dates” button.
2. Trust bar: Display key trust signals: “Real-time availability,” “Book direct and save,” “Secure checkout.”
3. Smart, theme-relevant filters: Only show filters that suit the collection. For Remote Work, underline WiFi speed and desk quality. For Pet Friendly, feature fenced yards and pet fee clarity.
4. Property grid: Consistent visuals with nightly price, sleeps/bed count, and the top amenities aligned to the collection’s purpose.
5. Mini FAQ: Address 2–3 common objections or questions from guests for that theme or area.

Don’t be afraid to promote your best seasonal or themed collections in your homepage hero, email campaigns, or PPC ads with deep links direct to the collection’s landing page. For more on improving your booking flow UX, review our complete playbook.

Multi-Brand and Multi-Market Power: One Engine, Many Faces

If you manage multiple regions or brands from one PMS, you can create different WordPress sites—each with their own identity—but manage everything in one place. For example, run:

• A site for mountain ski cabins—feature Ski-In Ski-Out and Family Cabins
• Another for urban lofts—highlight Walk to Nightlife or Remote Work Studios
• A third for lakeside homes—feature Lakefront Luxury and Pet Friendly Lake Cabins

This powerful flexibility keeps operations simple without sacrificing relevance. If you’d like a deeper dive into the technical side, explore our article on launching a direct booking engine in 30 minutes.

Layering in Seasonal & Campaign-Based Collections

Permanent collections anchor your site, but seasonal or campaign-based collections drive urgency and appeal. Consider:

• Holiday Homes with Fireplaces: Highlight these as winter approaches, adding filters for fireplace and festive dining.
• Spring Break Homes for Groups: Launch just before school holidays and focus on large guest capacity and proximity to local hotspots.
• Event-Specific Locations: Promote homes in festival zones or near big seasonal events, adjusting as your area’s calendar changes.

Run these as homepage takeovers, in direct email, or with ads driving directly to each collection for maximum conversion.

Optimizing for Mobile: Most Guests Shop from Their Phones

Our data consistently shows more than 60% of direct booking sessions come from mobile devices. If your collections aren’t easy to browse, filter, and book on a phone, you’ll lose guests. Key mobile UX tactics:

• Homepage horizontal scroll with bold images and concise collection labels
• Sticky mobile-friendly filter buttons (no more buried filters)
• Only 3–5 top filters per collection to reduce friction
• Chunky, touchable “pills” for common themes like Pet Friendly or Waterfront

When you take care with mobile design, the percentage of guests that reach checkout increases dramatically. See more tips in our blog on mobile-first design for vacation rental websites.

Measure, Iterate, and Keep Collections Fresh

A collection is only valuable if it earns its place. Use your analytics—sessions, click-throughs, view-to-checkout, average length of stay, and conversions—to judge performance. At Homerunner, we recommend evaluating each collection every quarter:

• If a collection underperforms, revise its criteria or presentation.
• Update imagery and headlines if guest interest wanes.
• Consolidate weak collections into stronger, broader ones as your inventory evolves.

It’s this cycle of careful measurement and refinement that keeps your site compelling and relevant, not just filled with placeholders.

Putting It All Together

Theme and location collections are much more than a marketing trend. At Homerunner, we’ve built our entire booking engine philosophy around helping operators turn ever-changing PMS inventory into dynamic, guest-focused collections that drive real revenue. When you use clean data, rules-based curation, and intentional page design, your direct booking site stops being a warehouse—and becomes a spark for your guests’ next adventure.

If you’re ready to see exactly how this works on your current WordPress site, you can learn more, request a demo, or get started at homerunner.io. We’re here to help you turn collections into bookings and ensure every guest finds their perfect stay (and can’t resist coming back next season).