In the world of short-term rentals, first impressions are everything. The initial moments after a guest opens the door set the tone for their entire stay. Is the space inviting? Comfortable? Ready to enjoy?
One factor that’s often overlooked—but impossible to ignore—is the temperature.
Imagine this: a guest walks into a freezing cold mountain cabin after a long day of travel, or a sweltering beachside bungalow with stale, humid air. Even if the place is beautifully decorated and immaculately clean, discomfort makes them question everything else.
That’s where thermostat automation becomes a game-changing feature for hosts, owners and managers.
What Is Thermostat Automation?
Thermostat automation refers to the use of smart thermostats or systems that automatically control the heating and cooling of a space. Smart thermostats allow you to adjust the temperature remotely or set temperature limits. However the real benefit of a smart thermostat comes when you automate it so it responds to the rental schedules at your property.
For short-term rentals, it’s more than a convenience—it’s a tool for hospitality, efficiency, and cost savings.
The Benefits of Thermostat Automation for Hosts
🏡 Enhance the Guest Experience
- Welcome Comfort – Automate your system to warm up or cool down the home before guests arrive. A comfortable climate instantly tells guests you care.
- Control With Freedom – Allow guests to adjust the temperature during their stay without sacrificing control. Set safe limits that protect your systems while giving them flexibility.
💸 Save on Utilities and Operating Costs
- Smart Energy Use – Avoid running heat or air conditioning unnecessarily between guest stays.
- Lower Utility Bills – Automated scheduling and remote adjustments help reduce overall energy consumption.
🛡️ Protect Your Property
- Prevent Frozen Pipes – Maintain minimum heat levels in winter to protect plumbing.
- Reduce Mold Risk – Control humidity in warmer months, particularly in properties near water.
- Avoid Guest Extremes – Prevent guests from cranking systems up to extreme levels, which can damage HVAC components or result in expensive energy bills.
Compatible With Any Type of Heating or Cooling System
One of the greatest strengths of thermostat automation is its flexibility. Whether you own a compact studio or a multi-zone luxury home, smart controls can be integrated seamlessly.
Although the way you implement a thermostat system can vary, we’ve been able to automate the thermostats in homes with these types of setups:
- 🔸 Radiant floor heating
- 🔸 Baseboard or wall-mounted electric heaters
- 🔸 One or more forced-air furnaces
- 🔸 Ductless mini-split systems
- 🔸 Central A/C with a single thermostat
- 🔸 Zoned HVAC systems with multiple thermostats
Our recommended thermostat is the ecobee3 lite Smart Thermostat, which gives you everything you’ll need to get started with thermostat automation at your short-term rental. For more details on why we recommend this thermostat over all of the others, read our dedicated article on the subject.
Our team is working on providing more documentation around how to automate the thermostat in all of these scenarios, but if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
In fact, Rental Home Automator will even support electric heated floors, allowing you to turn them on or off with your rental calendar as well. In our properties we have heated floors in the bathrooms, and guests are always impressed that they are warm when they arrive.
Other thermostats you can use for different types of setups include:
Thermostat Automation = Peace of Mind
Whether you manage one property or a dozen, thermostat automation brings peace of mind. It helps you:
- Ensure the home is always guest-ready
- Avoid emergency maintenance calls caused by freezing pipes or mold
- Improve reviews with consistent, comfortable stays
- Gain remote visibility and control from your smartphone or dashboard
Utilities are one of the biggest variable costs with operating a short-term rental, and anything you can do to minimize these costs will have a huge positive impact on your property’s performance. Sleep better at night knowing the temperature will be adjusted automatically based on your rental calendar.
Advanced Automations
Implementing basic thermostat automation is really easy. Most smart thermostats can be installed quickly and configured to work with existing HVAC systems.
Once you have your main thermostat (or home temperature) automated, you can start to think about other options to control the utility costs. For example, adding window/door sensors to certain areas of your home which can turn off your air conditioning if they are left open. We generally have these set to turn off the central air conditioning when a door or window has been open for more than 5 minutes.
For this, you’ll need to add the door/window sensors into your smart system (like SmartThings) and set up the automation there. It may be a little challenging, so let us know if you have any questions along the way!
If you’re serious about elevating your short-term rental game, thermostat automation is a no-brainer. It’s one of the simplest upgrades you can make to improve guest satisfaction, lower costs, and protect your investment—season after season.
Get started today with a free 14-day trial to experience worry-free rental home automation.
