Why Switching Management Companies Improved Occupancy for a Sapporo Minpaku Property
Many minpaku (short-term rental) owners in Sapporo find themselves frustrated by lackluster results despite already working with a management company. In fact, there are real cases where simply switching to a different management company boosted occupancy rates by 20 to 30 percentage points or more. In this article, we take a close look at just how important choosing the right management company is for minpaku operations in Sapporo, and what specific changes actually happened when one property switched providers.
Sapporo remains a consistently popular destination among both domestic and international travelers. Beyond the Snow Festival and the ski season, the city also sees strong demand from summer visitors escaping the heat and food-focused travelers, ensuring a steady flow of accommodation demand throughout the year. Yet despite this demand, some properties still struggle to fill their calendars—and in most cases, the root cause lies in how the property is managed and marketed, not the location itself.
Not all management companies offer the same level of service. Fee structures, scope of services, marketing know-how, cleaning quality, and speed of guest response can all vary dramatically from one company to the next. Since these differences translate directly into occupancy and revenue, choosing the right management company is one of the most critical decisions in running a successful minpaku business.
The Situation and Challenges Before Switching Management Companies
A 1LDK Property in Chuo-ku, Sapporo Stuck in the 40% Occupancy Range
The case we’re examining here involves a 1LDK apartment in Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Despite its excellent location within walking distance of Susukino Station, the property’s previous management company had only managed to achieve an average annual occupancy rate of around 42%. In central Sapporo, a well-run minpaku property can typically expect an annual occupancy rate of 60 to 75%. Given the prime location, the low occupancy clearly pointed to significant room for improvement in how the property was being operated.
Marketing Relied Solely on Airbnb
Under the previous management company, the property was listed on Airbnb alone. While Airbnb is the world’s largest short-term rental platform, many travelers visiting Sapporo also use Booking.com, Expedia, and domestic Japanese platforms like Jalan and Rakuten Travel. Travelers from Asia, in particular, tend to favor Booking.com, so relying on a single channel meant significant missed opportunities.
Inconsistent Cleaning Quality and Declining Reviews
Another serious issue was cleaning quality. The cleaning contractors arranged by the previous management company delivered inconsistent results, leading to repeated complaints about things like leftover hair and stained towels. As a result, the Airbnb rating dropped to 4.2. A rating below 4.5 is known to hurt search ranking on minpaku platforms, creating a vicious cycle in which it became increasingly difficult to attract new bookings.
Concrete Improvements Made After Switching Management Companies
Simultaneous Listing on Multiple Platforms and Pricing Optimization
The first thing the new management company did was expand the listing channels. In addition to Airbnb, the property was simultaneously listed on Booking.com, Expedia, and domestic OTAs (Jalan and Rakuten Travel). Listing titles and photo layouts were tailored to match each platform’s algorithm, optimizing the listing to rank higher in search results on each individual site.
Pricing was also overhauled significantly. Previously, the property had a fixed year-round rate of ¥8,000 per night. The new management company introduced dynamic pricing instead, adjusting rates flexibly: ¥12,000–18,000 per night during peak seasons (the December–February ski season and July–August summer months) and ¥5,500–7,000 per night during off-peak periods (April–May and October–November). This reduced missed bookings during slow periods while maximizing revenue during peak seasons.
Professional Photography and a Rewritten Listing
Photo quality is one of the biggest factors influencing minpaku booking rates. The new management company brought in a professional photographer, replacing the old images with more than 20 high-quality photos—including wide-angle interior shots, night-view photos taken from the windows, and bathroom photos designed to convey a sense of cleanliness. Reports show that this photo overhaul alone increased the listing’s click-through rate by roughly 1.8 times.
The listing description was also rewritten from scratch in four languages: English, Chinese (both Traditional and Simplified), Korean, and Japanese. The new copy included practical information guests actually want to know—access to Sapporo’s tourist attractions, nearby convenience stores and restaurants, and parking availability.
Rebuilding the Cleaning System with a Standardized Checklist
To stabilize cleaning quality, the new management company brought in an in-house cleaning team. Post-checkout cleaning now follows a checklist with over 50 items, and the team photographs the completed interior and reports it to the owner after each cleaning. Since implementing this system, cleaning-related complaints have dropped to zero, contributing significantly to the recovery of the property’s review score.
Amenities were also upgraded at the same time. Previously, guests only received basic towels and shampoo. The new lineup added a drip coffee set, disposable slippers, a smartphone charging cable, and a humidifier for winter use. While this added roughly ¥300 per night in amenity costs, it generated a noticeable increase in positive review comments praising the well-equipped space—making it a clearly worthwhile investment.
Results Six Months After Switching Management Companies
Occupancy Jumped from 42% to 71%
Six months after switching management companies, the annual occupancy rate improved from 42% to 71%. The biggest gains came during the off-peak season. Whereas occupancy in April and May had previously fallen to around 25%, it now consistently stays in the 50% range. This improvement was driven by the combination of bookings flowing in from multiple platforms and the dynamic pricing adjustments made during slower periods.
During peak season, occupancy from December through February hit over 90%—up roughly 25 percentage points from the previous rate of around 65% during the same months. Combined with higher nightly rates, the property now earns as much revenue in just three peak-season months as it previously earned in half a year.
Monthly Revenue Rose from About ¥120,000 to About ¥220,000
With both occupancy and nightly rates improving, average monthly revenue nearly doubled, rising from roughly ¥120,000 to roughly ¥220,000. The management fee is 20% of revenue—higher than the previous company’s 15%—but the owner’s net take-home income still rose to about ¥176,000 per month, up more than ¥70,000 from the previous ¥102,000. This is a striking example of just how misleading it can be to choose a management company based on fee percentage alone.
On an annual basis, net income rose from roughly ¥1.22 million to roughly ¥2.11 million—an increase of about ¥890,000. Since fixed costs like management fees and utilities remained largely unchanged, nearly all of this additional revenue flowed straight through to profit.
Review Score Recovered from 4.2 to 4.7
Thanks to more consistent cleaning quality, upgraded amenities, and faster guest response times, the property’s Airbnb rating climbed back up from 4.2 to 4.7. A rating of 4.7 or higher meets Airbnb’s threshold for Superhost status, which directly translates into preferential placement in search results and greater trust from guests. The property also earned a strong 9.1 score on Booking.com, and it now consistently ranks near the top on both platforms.
A recovering review score creates a positive cycle that drives even more bookings. Highly rated properties tend to convert better, which in turn makes platform algorithms favor them even more. This virtuous cycle is the single biggest reason occupancy has continued to climb steadily since the switch.
Key Things to Check When Choosing a Minpaku Management Company in Sapporo
Multi-OTA Capability and Dynamic Pricing
In Sapporo’s minpaku market, a wide range of domestic and international travelers search for accommodations across multiple platforms. When choosing a management company, be sure to confirm whether they can list your property simultaneously on Booking.com, Expedia, and domestic OTAs—not just Airbnb. It’s also worth checking whether they have a proven track record of using dynamic pricing to automatically adjust rates based on season and events.
Cleaning Systems and Quality Control
Cleaning quality directly affects review scores, and review scores directly affect occupancy. Ask specific questions: Do they outsource cleaning entirely, or manage an in-house team? Do they have quality control systems in place, such as checklists or photo reports? What matters isn’t just the cost per cleaning, but how consistently they prevent quality from slipping.
Compare Take-Home Income, Not Just Fee Percentages
At first glance, a company charging 15% seems like the better deal compared to one charging 20%. But as this case study shows, the 20% company may drive so much more revenue that the owner still walks away with over ¥70,000 more in take-home income each month. When comparing management companies, don’t focus on the fee rate alone—look at their actual revenue track record with similar properties in the same area, and run the numbers based on net take-home income.
Struggling with Your Minpaku Property in Sapporo? Talk to Stay Buddy Inc.
Stay Buddy Inc. is a specialist company with an extensive track record in minpaku property management. We provide a complete, one-stop solution covering everything a minpaku operation needs—simultaneous listing across multiple platforms, revenue maximization through dynamic pricing, thorough cleaning quality control, and multilingual guest support.
If you’re unhappy with your current management company, or feel like your occupancy and revenue have plateaued, we’d love to hear from you. We’re happy to provide a free, detailed revenue simulation tailored to your property’s location and type.
It’s not unusual for the same property to generate a difference of hundreds of thousands of yen in annual revenue simply by switching management companies. If you’re serious about making your Sapporo minpaku business succeed, feel free to reach out through Stay Buddy Inc.’s official website.
