In the world of vacation rentals, if you’re not savvy, your listings might fall by the wayside. Successful Airbnb hosts don’t achieve their status by accident: There’s a strategy behind everything they do.
Fortunately, anyone can improve their success rate by looking to these hosts for inspiration. If you want to level up your hosting game, here are 5 habits of highly successful hosts that you should channel.
1. Be prepared.
Everyone in the vacation rental industry needs to come prepared with all the information they need to make smart decisions. Part of this requires research: Read up on your local ordinances to ensure that your listing is in accordance with the law. Hosts who are careless on this front can end up slapped with expensive fines or even banned from their platform of choice.
This preparedness should carry over to dealing with guests, as well. While you want to hope for the best, there are enough horror stories out there to prove hosts should take precautions before renting out their space. Assume that anything in the house could be broken and invest in the right insurance before you even start renting your property. You’ll be glad you did.
2. Think like an entrepreneur.
Even if you use a website such as Airbnb to facilitate your vacation rentals, renting out your property is essentially running a small business. It’s important to periodically set goals for yourself the way you would with any business: What do you want to get out of hosting? What concrete steps can you take to get there?
Next, think about the resources you’ll need to provide the best possible rental experience and plan accordingly. You may need to budget for a professional cleaning service or for a co-host to help you out. Stay on top of your finances the way you would if you were running a company, even if you’re only a casual host. When it comes to tax season, there’s no room for error.
3. Anticipate your guests’ needs.
Good hospitality is about more than just providing toiletries for your guests. The most successful hosts go above and beyond to understand their customers and anticipate their every need. Everything from the photos you include in your listing to the amenities you offer on-site will have an impact on a potential future guest.
Evaluate your listing and your rental property from a guest’s perspective. From their initial search all the way to checkout, think about ways you can make their experience better. Even small gestures like a welcome kit can go a long way towards positively impacting their stay.
4. Stay current.
If you’re not regularly refreshing and updating your vacation rental listings, you could be missing out on valuable business. Successful Airbnb hosts look at their listings with a critical eye and know when to make a change. If your photos are outdated or you’ve made changes to your home that aren’t reflected in your listing, now is the time to fix it.
5. Communicate.
Clear communication should be at the heart of every interaction with a potential guest. So many negative guest experiences can be avoided through communication. When in doubt, over-inform. You want your guests to have all the information they need to feel comfortable during their stay, and any questions or issues should be addressed as quickly as possible.
While there will always be some hosts who are more successful than others, you can increase your own success if you continuously try to improve. By working on these 5 habits, you can be sure to take your hosting to the next level no matter where you’re starting out.
At MaidThis, we take your Airbnb business seriously. Your guests’ comfort during their stay is equally important to us as it is to you. That’s why we leave no cushion unturned in our turnover cleanings. Learn more about how we can help you.
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