15 Airbnb Hosting Tips To Make Your Listing Successful

Things to Keep in Mind before becoming an Airbnb host

Before diving into Airbnb hosting tips, let’s take a look at 3 things that you need to consider before you turn your home into an Airbnb.

1. Countries around the world have different rules and regulations regarding Airbnb hosting. Understand the rules in your area to plan according to the restrictions of your area.
   
2. Read the fine print. Let it be the insurance papers or the Airbnb terms and conditions, always read the fine print. Go over the information in the help center.
   
3. Plan ahead for uncertainties. There will be high and low seasons. It is wise to have an extra guest fee policy in case there are more guests than you had expected at your doorstep.

Whether you are looking to be a full-time Airbnb host or just looking for extra income on the side, the process is simple and easy to follow. 

It is completely free to sign up on Airbnb, there are no hidden costs or listing fees. You only pay a fee to Airbnb when someone makes a reservation in our listing. This gives you the freedom to choose your own reservation model. Within 24 hours of a guest checking in, Airbnb will release your payment.

Setting the Foundations Right: Airbnb Hosting Tips to Ensure a Smooth Start

Airbnb is a huge marketplace. With six million listings in 220+ countries and regions with over four million hosts, Airbnb has achieved unparalleled growth within its industry since its 2007 launch. It is then important to make sure that you are able to stand out from the competition. Just putting up a listing on Airbnb might not be the answer. You will have to understand the intricacies of the platform and tailor your property accordingly. These Airbnb hosting tips will help you achieve just that. Ensuring the right setup of little things at the backend can sometimes make or break the experience of your guest.

Right from making the perfect first impression to making sure you are protected from liabilities, you need to make sure you have analyzed every avenue. Sometimes, pull in a helping hand or two and understand the various Airbnb hosting tips for a successful start.

1. Presentation is important

We all know first impressions matter. Your Airbnb profile is your only chance to make an impression on your guests.

• Arrange pictures of your listing in a walkthrough fashion. Be it outdoor to indoor or vice-versa. We recommend at least 23-28 pictures of your listings.
  
• Your cover picture is important. Try clicking all pictures from a wide-angle lens to capture more of your property in one frame.
  
• Use the description (summary and detailed) to highlight the important things of your listing to attract customers. Here you can talk about your USPs, discounts, amenities, and anything else that you would want to feature here. Make sure that it is in bullet points. Avoid long paragraphs. In the neighborhood description talk about places instead of providing directions.
  
• Use the listing titles wisely. Mention things that will draw the attention of your guests. For example, location, amenities, views, etc., like 2min walk to town center | best views of the valley.
  
• Create a brand presence in Airbnb by placing your logo as a watermark on the right of the photos.
  
• Mention the reviews that you received in the captions of the photos. For e.g. – Bedroom 2. Gary who stayed in Aug 2021 said: “<Review>”.

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2. Be honest and upfront

Have a  lot of stairs? Don’t have an elevator? Mention it. Don’t have power back up? Mention that as well. The key to a happy customer is managing their expectations. It is okay if your listing isn’t perfect. You just have to be upfront about every detail.

3. Take yourself out of the equation

If there is only one listing under your umbrella, you may be able to manage it all on your own. But, if you have multiple listings, you will need some help. For improved efficiency, you need to take yourself out of the equation. You can only spread yourself thin so much!

• Optimize your processes. Make sure check-ins and check-outs can happen even without you, with smart locks. Added bonus: it helps in security. 
• Automate as much as possible. As your business grows, you will start receiving a lot of messages. Have templates in place to automatically reply to FAQs. Use the template messages in the Airbnb inbox to reduce reply time to guests and to answer repeated guest queries easily. Added bonus: it will help reduce your response time. This is also one of the requirements to become an Airbnb Superhost, which can help you get around 22% more bookings by increasing your visibility.
• Outsource tasks. Have a lot of properties and very little time? Outsource the majority of your tasks. Get a cleaning service. Connect with a laundry service.

4. Identify potential squatters

What if a guest stays longer than they have booked? Then they become a squatter. Although your chances of getting a squatter are very low, you should be able to identify them easily.

How to identify a squatter?

• A suspicious guest profile
• Shady communication
• Unreasonably long booking – more than 27 days

5. Protect your identity

On average, only five percent of companies’ folders are properly protected. Again, chances are very less that you would be a victim of identity theft. But, it is always better to be safe than sorry!

What can you do to protect yourself?

• Find the right guests. Check the guest’s Airbnb profile.
• Ask targeted questions to your guest and analyze if they are the right fit for you
• Make a list of everything you want to protect. You may want to go the extra mile and get fire and theft insurance. 
• Communicate clear boundaries
• Put everything important in storage.
• Hold or forward your mail to protect any important information that you would want to protect from your guest.
• Set strong passwords
  

6. Get a co-host

Get an extra set of hands to help manage your listings. They can help you with all aspects of hosting a property from creating the listing to managing bookings and operational tasks. They can care for the property and your guests!

7. Jot down a pricing strategy

Pricing is not a one-time deal. You have to constantly check and update it according to market trends. Optimizing the price according to seasonality would directly relate to your occupancy rate.

PriceLabs dynamic pricing solutions can help you get pricing recommendations based on historical and current booking data, market supply and demand, seasonal and day-of-week trends, special events and holiday predictions, and the number of days left to book.

Keeping Guests Happy:  Airbnb Hosting Tips and Tricks for an Improved Guest Experience

Treat your guests with the utmost care, if you want them to have a happy experience. A happy experience translates into returning customers and positive reviews. Finding the little ways in which you can enhance your guests’ experience, will greatly benefit your business as well. There is no made-for-all model to ensure a happy customer, but following these Airbnb hosting tips might get you closer to providing a great experience to the guest.

It is important to understand that so many things go into creating a memorable stay – good communication, and thoughtfully tailored experiences. While these Airbnb hosting tips cover a laundry list of details, you need to keep testing to see what works for you. After all, not all experiences are the same.

1. Make check-in easy and secure

Make your check-ins and check-outs easy. Keys can easily be lost, it would be wise to invest in a keypad doorknob. Send your guest a code and your guest will be able to check in even if you are not at the property. Guests need not try to locate the hidden key or wait for you to arrive at the property. The code can always be changed to increase security. This is an added bonus to your guests. They can be assured that no one other than them and you can get into their room during their stay.

2. Craft an in-depth manual for your listing

While you can create an online guidebook on the Airbnb website, it is always a good idea to have a manual copy on your property as well. One of the first things that guests tend to do when they first enter a property is to analyze the room. They tend to check if everything is working properly and also check if everything they were promised is present. A guide with all of those details and more would save their time and effort. As an added bonus, a guide would also play a huge part in impressing your guests.

3. Make it personal

Anyways, everybody does feel special when someone goes out of their way to make them feel welcome. Add handwritten notes, homemade cakes or cupcakes, a welcome basket, or a welcome trip to a local attraction. Your guests might have checked in after a long day of travel, they might be coming from far. Even a refreshing glass of water waiting for them will make them feel welcome.

4. Be in touch with them

A guest has booked a room on your property. Send them an email welcoming them right after the booking is confirmed. If you can personalize the mail. This will help in making them feel welcomed into your property even before they arrive. You can store the data you collect for the guests’ future stay as well. Try capturing details of guests – their emails, names, phone numbers, birthdays, and anniversaries – and store them in a CRM to trigger automated emails/alters for your guests. This will help you stay in constant touch with your guests. Repeated communication with your guests will lead to increased bookings from repeat guests. 

5. Always make up for something that goes wrong unexpectedly

Be proactive in getting your guests’ problems or inconveniences solved. Keep them informed through the process. Send them mail right from booking to check-in. Right from an honest apology to a partial refund, be prepared to handle the situation with maturity. Remember, if you panic, the guest will also panic. There is a chance for you to get a good review even if things go wrong if you handle the situation perfectly well.

6. Keep the property simple and clean

Your property should at all times be clean for guests. You can follow Airbnb cleaning checklist to make sure that no spot is left untouched. Airbnb allows you to charge a separate Airbnb cleaning fee to pay for the expenses of getting your vacation rental guest-ready. Having everything necessary does not mean you will have to bombard the guest with many objects as well. Keep your property clutter-free. You need to replicate the feeling of a home on your property.

How can you achieve that?

• Warm, vibrant shades on the wall. Ensure that they do not require a lot of maintenance. 
• Keep closets and drawers clean
• Display neutral paintings or photographs instead of personal pictures. 
• Ensure you have books and games if necessary.

7. Be responsive

The key to great service is an immediate and appropriate response. Ensure that you are keeping the guests on top of all their requests. Right from the moment, they inquire about the property, to the moment they check out, ensure that they receive immediate attention.

8. Anticipate guests’ needs

While you are furnishing your Airbnb, ensure to stock things that your guest might require. This can mean stocking grocery items, utensils, toiletries, or anything else. This is another place for you to go above and beyond for your guests. Your property is in a good wine region? Stock up on good wine. Are you in a region with amazing bread? Stock up on that. If you are in a region which sells the best handmade items, create a guide on where your guests can find them. Your guests might be new to the region, ensure, they have everything they would need to have a smooth, better yet, memorable experience.

From this list of Airbnb hosting tips for beginners, you will have to carefully pick the points that work best for you. The path to a successful hosting experience is only through trial and error. Try out the various methods that we have mentioned, and talk to your peers and/or friends in the community. See what worked for them and discover the best approach for you. A good place to find and connect with the people in this industry is the various vacation rental industry events. Talk to the experts and implement the ideas and learnings to grow your business. And slowly arrive or discover the best approach for you.