Guests Traveling with Electric Bicycles in Your Vacation Rental: How to Prepare and Tap into a Growing Niche

Electric bicycle tourism has exploded in Spain in recent years. Routes like the Camino de Santiago, the Vía Verde del Aceite, EuroVelo 8 along the Mediterranean, or the Pyrenees are full of guests traveling with their e-bikes. And these guests are not like others: they need a secure place to store the bike (which easily costs €3,000-€6,000), a nearby outlet to charge the battery, and they usually book several consecutive nights during the week. If you prepare your vacation rental well to accommodate them, you can open a reservation channel that almost no one is working on. Here’s how.

Why this niche is worth it

An average e-bike costs between €2,500 and €5,000. High-end models go over €8,000. Someone traveling with one doesn’t leave it just anywhere, and they’re willing to pay more for accommodation that makes it easy.

Some data worth keeping in mind:

• Spain is the second European destination for cycle tourism after France.
• The cycle tourist spends on average between €70 and €90 per day, much more than the standard tourist.
• Stays usually last from 3 to 7 nights, often during the week (perfect for filling gaps).
• The season is longer: March to November in most areas.

If your property is near a well-known route, a greenway, a mountain pass, or simply in an area with good cycling weather, you’re sitting on a gold mine without knowing it.

What an e-bike guest needs (and few owners offer)

1. A secure place to store the bike

This is the first and non-negotiable.

No one who has paid €4,000 for a bike will leave it outside chained with a padlock. If you don’t have a place inside the property or building to store it, they won’t book with you. It’s that simple.

Options in order of preference:

Option	Cost	Pros	Cons
Interior room or storage	€0	Fully secure	Takes up space, may stain
Private garage	€0 if available	Perfect	Not everyone has one
Community bike room	€0-20 per year	Convenient	Depends on the building
Terrace or patio with reinforced lock	€50-150 for a good lock	Easy	Less secure, exposed to weather

If you don’t have a garage or storage room, the most practical solution is to set up a designated area in the living room or hallway with a wall or floor support. A good vertical stand costs €40-80 and takes up very little space. Place a mat underneath to protect the floor from mud and oil stains.

2. An accessible outlet to charge the battery

E-bike batteries take between 3 and 6 hours to charge. They are usually charged overnight.

Make sure:

• There’s an outlet where the bike is stored (or nearby).
• The outlet works well and isn’t hidden behind furniture.
• Inform the guest of its location in the welcome manual.

Actual power consumption for charging a battery: between 0.5 and 1 kWh. That’s about €0.15-€0.25 per day. It won’t break the bank.

3. Basic repair tools

No need to set up a workshop. But having a small kit available makes a difference:

• Air pump with pressure gauge (€15-25)
• Multi-tool for bikes (€10-15)
• Patches and spare tube of common sizes (€10)
• Old rags and a small bottle of chain lubricant (€8)

Total investment: less than €60. Mention it in the listing as an amenity. It’s worth gold.

4. Extra towels and a space for dirty clothes

Cyclists sweat. A lot. And they bring technical clothing that needs washing or at least hanging every day.

Prepare:

• An accessible drying rack (inside or outside)
• Extra towels for after each stage
• A bucket or basket to leave sweaty clothes without stinking up the room

5. Useful local information

Cyclists highly value:

• Recommended routes near the property (with GPX if possible)
• Nearby bike repair shops in case something breaks
• Supermarkets or bakeries that open early (they leave early)
• Restaurants serving carb-heavy dinners (pasta, rice)
• Weather forecast for the upcoming days

A PDF with this info in the welcome manual will earn you a 5-star review before they even arrive.

How to adapt your property without spending a fortune

You don’t need to renovate anything. With an investment of €150-€300, you can position your property as bike-friendly:

Element	Approximate Cost
Wall or floor support for bike	€40-80
Protective floor mat	€15-25
Basic toolkit and pump	€50-60
Reinforced U-lock	€50-100
Extra hooks in the loading area	€10-15
Total	€165-280

Then, include it in your listing with keywords: "bike-friendly", "bike garage", "e-bike charging station", "tools available". Also in English: "bike storage", "e-bike charging".

How to attract this type of guest

In the listing

Add specific photos: the bike on the support, the nearby outlet, the tools. One picture is worth more than a thousand amenities.

In the description, mention:

• Nearby routes with specific names (EuroVelo, Vía Verde X, GR Y)
• Distance to cycling points of interest
• That you accept e-bikes and have charging facilities

If you want to learn how to write a compelling description, check out our guide to writing your listing description.

Specific platforms

Besides Airbnb and Booking, there are niche platforms worth exploring:

• Bikefriendlyapartments and similar seals per autonomous community
• Warmshowers (free but for hospitality, not commercial rentals)
• BikeHotels and regional cycle tourism associations

Many regions have official "bike-friendly accommodation" or "Way of the Cross Inn" seals. They are usually free or very inexpensive and give you visibility in official guides.

Pricing

You can charge 10-20% more than the average in the area if your property is truly prepared. The e-bike cyclist isn’t looking for the cheapest, but for what makes their life easier.

Important: don’t charge a "bike surcharge" as if it were a pet. It’s counterproductive. Instead, slightly increase the base price and market your property as a premium bike-friendly option.

Common issues and how to avoid them

Scratched or stained floors

The chain, pedals, and dirty wheels leave marks. Solutions:

• Rubber protective mat under the support
• Clear instructions in the manual: "please clean the bike before entering if you come from a muddy route."
• An old cloth hanging near the support

Charger issues

Some guests may leave the charger plugged in overnight or even during the entire stay. It’s not dangerous (modern chargers have protections), but mention in the manual to unplug it when not in use.

Odors

Sweaty clothes + closed room = persistent smell. Have a covered laundry basket and recommend hanging clothes outside. For more ideas, see our how to eliminate odors in a vacation rental.

Wall damages

If you let the bike lean against the wall, it can leave marks. That’s why the support is important. Investing €50 saves you from repainting each season.

Areas in Spain where this niche works especially well

• Camino de Santiago (all routes, not just the French): thousands of cyclists per year.
• Mediterranean Coast: EuroVelo 8, from Cádiz to Greece along the coast.
• Greenways: over 3,300 km converted from old train lines. Especially the Aceite, Sierra, and Jiloca routes.
• Mallorca: a world cycling hub, with guests from October to May (off-season).
• Girona and the Pyrenees: destinations for professional and high-level amateur cycling.
• Sierra Nevada, Picos de Europa, Gredos Mountains: mountain cycle tourism.

If you’re in any of these areas and aren’t yet positioning yourself for this market, you’re leaving money on the table.

How Autoregistro fits in

An operational detail: cycle tourists often arrive late, tired, and eager to shower. The last thing they want is a long check-in process filling out papers.

Autoregistro automates the guest registration process with SES Hospedajes. You send a link to the guest before arrival, they fill out their info in 2 minutes from their phone, and the data goes directly to SES. You do nothing. They don’t wait.

It costs €1 per month per property. Less than a coffee. And it removes the legal obligation of guest registration without fighting with the Ministry’s platform.

If you manage multiple properties or want to understand how all this works, check out our practical guide to guest registration.

FAQ

Do I have to provide an e-bike charger?

No. Guests bring their own charger. You just need to offer an accessible outlet near where the bike is stored.

Can I charge extra for bike storage?

Technically yes, but I don’t recommend it. Better to increase the base price slightly and market it as an amenity. Charging separately feels like an inconvenience and deters bookings.

What if a bike gets stolen from my property?

If it’s stored inside and your tourist rental insurance covers theft with force, it should be included. But the guest’s insurance (many cyclists have specific bike insurance) usually covers it too. Clearly state in your rules that you’re not responsible for valuables, even if you do your best to provide a secure place.

Do I need a special license to be bike-friendly?

No. It’s simply a way to position your regular tourist rental. No additional permits are required.

How much more can I charge for being bike-friendly?

It depends on the area, but 10-20% over the average price is realistic if you’re truly prepared. In premium cycling areas like Mallorca or Girona, you can reach up to 30% during cycling season.