Establishing a Successful Airbnb Business
Airbnb is a platform that allows almost anyone to list a vacant space on their website. In a world that is used to hotels for thousands of years, Airbnb is still a fairly new concept. If you’re considering renting your property and joining the huge worldwide trend, here are 10 tips that will help you run a successful Airbnb business. Click here to download your copy of our checklist!
1. Quality Photographs Make a Difference: The time that you invest in taking high quality images of your property is well worth it! Take photographs that capture the character of your property, the surrounding area, and any amenities that your guests are free to use. When guests are considering renting your property, photographs are the main salesforce. Make sure your photographs are doing all they can to sell your property!
2. Be Honest About Your Listing: If your property features any little quirks or eccentricities, make sure to mention them. Mention what you will and will not provide. Mention what might be helpful for guests to bring. What appliances are provided? Does your property have any basic toiletries available for guests to use? If so, what kind?
Being as detailed as possible in your listing is the best way to ensure that you meet your guests’ expectations. There’s nothing more frustrating to guests when they’re negatively surprised upon arrival.
3. Provide Plenty of Information About the Area: Where’s the best place to have dinner nearby? Is there a 24hr grocery store nearby? Guests love to hear how they can make the most out of their stay, and if you’re helping them do that, they’re more likely to remember you. You also might score more bookings by telling potential guests how accessible/centrally located your place is to areas they might need/want to access!
4. Keep the Décor Neutral: Just because you’re renting out your basement for the weekend, your guests don’t need to know about your strange obsession with My Little Pony collectibles. Keep your décor neutral and clean cut. Get rid of any excess clutter!
Try presenting your property like a classic hotel. Include crisp white bedding and luxurious plush towels that will really impress guests! Cantex Distribution has a wide selection of preferred hotel bedding and bath linen that is sure to impress guests and provide them with comfort during their stay! Contact them for a FREE quote and find out which bedding or bath linen options will best suit your property.
5. Cleanliness is KING: You’d be surprised how much some guests can forgive. One thing that almost NO guest can forgive is a dirty room/apartment when they check in. The first impression of your property will be made within minutes. There’s no simpler way to earn a terrible review than to have a dirty property upon check-in.
Cleaning the property yourself is one way to cut costs. However, if you don’t have the time to clean the place yourself, consider hiring a local housekeeper or cleaning company to help and restock supplies between bookings. You can set your Airbnb listing to charge guests a set cleaning fee per booking. That way some of the cleaning cost is offset, AND the guest doesn’t walk into a filthy property. It’s a win-win!
6. Provide all the Essentials: Most people don’t travel with living essentials. Providing basic bedding, towels, cutlery, condiments, coffee, tea, and toiletries doesn’t cost too much and will really impress guests during their stay. Successful hosts are all about the details. If you really want to go above and beyond, consider supplying a few fun items that guests are free to use during their stay like board games, movies, books, etc.
7. Be Flexible with Check-In and Check-Out times: Obviously, this won’t always work depending on your own schedule and if the property has multiple/back-to-back bookings. However, if it is possible, being flexible about these times is an easy way to get on your guests’ good side! I was once travelling with a group of 9 friends. Our flight arrived at 7am and we had an Airbnb check-in time of 3pm. A quick email to the host allowed us to check-in early and still arrive at a clean property! We were so appreciative of the host and made sure to mention it in the review! As a host, it doesn’t always work out, but it doesn’t hurt to try and accommodate.
8. Booking/Appointment Software: This might not be necessary for the first little while, but if your properties start to receive back-to-back bookings, or if you have multiple properties available for bookings, things can start to get complicated. You’d be surprised how easy it is to overbook/overlap bookings.
9. Pay Attention to Reviews: Before accepting a booking from guests, it might be worthwhile to quickly browse through any reviews that other hosts might have left for that guest. Keep in mind that if someone is new to Airbnb, they won’t have many (if at all) reviews to vouch for them, but that doesn’t mean they’re awful!
As much as you’d like every guest to treat your property with the love and respect it deserves, be prepared to encounter some guests that just don’t. Paying close attention to reviews can really help you avoid most issues and disrespectful guests.
Don’t forget to be prompt about leaving reviews as well! Leaving reviews for your guests shortly after they check out is a good reminder for them to leave review of your property. Airbnb has algorithms that ensure properties with great reviews are displayed first. The more positive reviews you have, the more likely it is that you’ll score more bookings!
Lastly and most importantly,
10. Imagine Yourself as a Guest: It might sound silly, but most successful Airbnb hosts can effectively imagine themselves as a guest in their own property. Ask yourself this question: 'If I were a guest staying at this property, what would my ideal host be like?'. Respond to inquiries quickly, do your best to solve any guest issues that arise and be kind to everyone currently staying (or interested in staying) at your property!
Download our checklist pdf and start your hosting today!
Good Luck and Have Fun! 😊