Digital Nomads in Your Vacation Rental: How to Attract Them, What They Ask For, and How Much More You Can Charge

Digital nomads are the fastest-growing guest profile in Spain: long stays, stable income, and less turnover. I tell you exactly what they ask for, how to adapt your apartment, and how much more you can charge without going crazy.

Spoiler: it's not just about having fast WiFi and a decent chair. There is an ecosystem of small details that make the difference between being booked for 3 nights or 3 months.

Who is a digital nomad (and why it interests you)

A digital nomad is someone who works remotely and travels while doing so. They are not tourists. They are not on vacation. They are living their normal life, but from your apartment.

This changes everything:

• Bookings of 2 weeks to 3 months (sometimes more).
• Works Monday to Friday. Needs everything to work.
• Usually comes alone or as a couple. Little wear and tear on the apartment.
• Pays well if the place meets their requirements.
• Is not at home all day: many go out to cafes or coworking spaces.

Spain, additionally, has had the digital nomad visa since 2023, which has boosted the arrival of this profile, especially from the USA, UK, Germany, and Latin America.

Real data: according to several channel managers, stays of more than 28 nights already account for between 20% and 35% of bookings in cities like Valencia, Málaga, Las Palmas, or Madrid.

Why this profile is a gold mine (if you do it right)

Let's look at the numbers. Let's compare a typical week of short bookings vs. a 1-month digital nomad.

Concept	Short bookings (4 x 7 nights)	Digital nomad (1 month)
Average nightly price	€90	€65
Gross monthly income	€2,520	€1,950
Cleaning (€50)	€200	€50
Platform commissions (15%)	€378	€292
Rotation / management	High	Low
Damage risk	Higher	Lower
Estimated net income	€1,942	€1,608

Yes, you earn less gross. But:

• You have 0 empty days guaranteed.
• You work much less (one cleaning per month vs. four).
• Less wear and tear, less replacement, fewer complaints.
• Fewer SES Lodging registrations to manage.

And most importantly: fill the gaps during medium and low season, when short bookings do not even cover expenses. If you want to delve deeper into this, check strategies to fill your vacation rental in low season.

What a digital nomad really asks for

This is where most owners mess up. They put "ideal for telecommuting" and a €15 IKEA chair. It doesn't work.

1. Real internet (not "there's WiFi")

This is non-negotiable. A digital nomad with bad internet will leave. And give you 1 star.

• Minimum: 300 Mbps symmetrical fiber.
• Ideal: 600 Mbps or 1 Gbps.
• Powerful router, well located. If the apartment is large, use a repeater or mesh.
• Speed test visible in the listing (screenshot of Speedtest). This makes a huge difference.
• Backup plan: mobile data or 4G. More info at fiber vs 4G/5G in vacation rentals.

2. A real workspace

Not a corner. A space.

• Desk at least 100x60 cm, stable.
• Ergonomic chair (not a dining chair). A good one costs €150-250. Lasts years.
• Natural light or a decent desk lamp.
• Nearby outlets. Ideally USB-C too.
• A second monitor is a huge plus. A 24" monitor for €100 and you stand out from 95% of the competition.

3. Comfort for living, not just for the weekend

• Fully equipped kitchen for real cooking: decent pans, knives, cutting board, spices. More details at salt, oil, and spices.
• Washing machine. Essential. If you have a dryer, even better.
• Iron and ironing board.
• Comfortable resting area, good sofa.
• Good climate control (winter AND summer).

4. Silence

A digital nomad makes video calls. If there's construction, a bar below, or noisy neighbors, they leave. Seriously.

5. Flexibility

• Flexible check-in (many arrive on odd flights).
• Possibility to extend the stay.
• Monthly payment, not everything upfront if it's very long.

How to adjust the price for long stays

The key here is: charge less per night, but the total is higher and costs decrease.

The usual structure:

Duration	Discount on daily rate
7-13 nights	10-15%
14-27 nights	20-30%
28+ nights (monthly)	35-50%
3+ months	50-60%

One important thing to watch out for: on Airbnb, stays of 28+ nights have reduced commission and fall into the "monthly stays" category. This benefits you, but also changes the cancellation rules.

Watch out for legal boundaries

Stays longer than a month start to enter a gray area between tourist rental and seasonal lease. This affects:

• VAT (may apply in tourism, not in season).
• Income tax (IRPF).
• Regional regulations.
• Tenant rights.

All explained thoroughly in long stays in vacation rentals: is it worth it? and in tourist rental vs long-term rental.

Important: even if it's a digital nomad, if the stay exceeds 30-90 days (depending on the community), it may no longer be considered tourist. Check your regional regulations.

Where to find them: platforms that work

Airbnb and Booking are good, but there are specific platforms where this profile is actively searching:

• Flatio: very strong in Europe, specialized in stays of 1 to 6 months.
• Spotahome: medium-term rentals, widely used by nomads in Spain.
• Nomad Stays: focused 100% on the digital nomad profile.
• Blueground: apartments equipped for long stays.
• Airbnb with "monthly stays" filter activated and visible weekly/monthly discounts.

It also works very well to have your own direct booking website and promote yourself in communities like Nomad List or Facebook groups of digital nomads in your city.

How to write the ad to attract them

Your description must scream "you can work here". Literally.

Include:

• Actual internet speed (with screenshot).
• Photos of the workspace (not a corner, the desk with everything).
• Explicit mention of extra monitor, ergonomic chair, etc.
• Neighborhood: near cafes, coworking spaces, supermarket.
• Public transport.
• Visible monthly discount.
• Languages spoken.

If you want to craft the description better, I have an entire guide: how to write your vacation rental ad description.

Common mistakes that make you lose this client

1. Saying "ideal for telecommuting" without proof. Nobody believes it. Show photos and data.
2. Slow or unstable WiFi. The number 1 mistake. It immediately costs you reviews.
3. Uncomfortable chair. A nomad spends 8 hours sitting. It shows.
4. No monthly discount. If you charge the same for 1 night as for 1 month, they won't book.
5. Incomplete kitchen. Someone staying 1 month needs to cook, not order Glovo.
6. Not responding in English. 70% of digital nomads in Spain don't speak fluent Spanish.
7. Rigid check-in rules. International flights, late arrivals... be flexible.

What you MUST keep doing: traveler registration

Even if the stay is 2 months, you still need to register the guest in SES Lodging within the first 24 hours after check-in. Duration doesn't exempt you.

This includes:

• Guest details (name, ID/passport, nationality, etc.).
• Contract details.
• Payment method.

If in doubt, see the mandatory traveler registration in Spain or the frequently asked questions about SES Lodging.

How Autoregistro fits in

If your guests stay 1 month, at least you don't want to be fighting with paperwork every time a new one arrives.

Autoregistro is a form you send to the guest before check-in. They fill out their details from their phone, and the data automatically goes to SES Lodging. You don't touch anything.

It costs 1 euro per month per property. Less than a coffee. And it takes care of one of the most trivial headaches of tourist rentals.

It's especially good for the digital nomad profile: they are usually used to online procedures, and it's more comfortable than sending you passport photos via WhatsApp.

FAQ

Does a digital nomad need a rental contract?

If the stay is shorter than what your autonomous community considers tourist (usually 30 consecutive days, varies), no. If it exceeds that limit, a seasonal contract may be advisable. See is it mandatory to sign a contract with guests?.

Can I charge a deposit to a digital nomad?

Yes, and it's recommended for long stays. Usually between €300 and €600. Explained in deposits and guarantees in vacation rentals.

What happens with utilities if they stay a long time?

A digital nomad consumes more electricity and water than a weekend tourist. Keep this in mind when calculating the price. Sometimes a consumption cap is included. More details at electricity, water, and gas consumption.

Do I need to declare long stays differently?

It depends on whether it's considered tourist rental or seasonal lease. It affects IRPF and VAT treatment. See taxation of tourist rentals and VAT in tourist rentals.

Is it worth having the apartment only for digital nomads?

If you're in a city with demand (Málaga, Valencia, Las Palmas, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville), it can be a very profitable and much less stressful strategy. But you lose peaks of high season. The ideal is a mix: short stays in high season, long stays the rest of the year.