Five Tips for First Time Airbnb Hosts

With the huge increase in Airbnb over the last few years successfully promoting your property online has become substantially harder.

Fresh Air Rental Management is in its second year of business and we are on track to host over 500 guests this year whilst bringing in over £300,000 to our clients.

Below we’ve listed a few tips for first time Airbnb hosts which should help increase your occupancy rates.

Tailor your approach to your clients

Dependent on your location and property type, you should be able to get an idea of whom your typical guests are?

This can be down to how you as an Airbnb host converse with guests on the phone, all the way to the snacks or toiletries you leave at the house.

Different demographics respond to different things.

For example, if you have a multi million pound sea front home, its worth spending a bit more on décor and furniture as you will see it back multiple times over in occupancy rates.

Tailor your property to its area

You may think this sounds similar to the first but its not.

Here are a few examples of what I mean.

If you have a property in the countryside where you believe one of the main features would be its walks. Leave a boot store and cleaner outside, also maybe some disposable rain macs?

This shows you’ve given that extra bit of thought to the guests and will be reciprocated in their reviews. An attentive Airbnb host will go that extra step for the guest.

Offer Exceptional Concierge Services

Use your local knowledge to provide food and attraction tips to guests. Many of your guests will be visiting the area for the first time, having a few local tips on the best restaurants / shops / places to park will only enhance their experience.

As above, tailor the information you provide to the guest, for example, write one for families with best play parks etc in area and one for couples with best restaurants/shops.

Simple and Clean

2 tips in 1 for all you Airbnb Hosts out there.

Firstly make sure your house is de-cluttered. Remember guests are staying at your place to RELAX. If you have a garage or shed to store your personal effects then this is ideal. Buy a few storage containers, label them, do a few trial runs and before you know be making your property guest ready in record time!

Secondly, remember that unless you have serious ocd, your standard Sunday morning clean is probably not going to cut it for a guest. We clean behind beds, under tv cabinets, dishwashers, ovens, microwaves to name just a few. Make a list of all the parts that need doing and tick them off as you go, its time consuming but with repetition you’ll bring the time down.

Airbnb Hosts can be Different

Competition on Airbnb has never been stronger, if you want to maximize your occupancy your going to need to try and offer something unique. Now this doesn’t have to be an indoor downhill ski slope or paintball range 😉

It can be a roll top bath, some unusual art or an outside seating area. Basically pick one area and make it your showpiece and first picture, if done right that picture will hugely increase your bookings.