Getting Good Airbnb Reviews Is Not So Difficult – If You Follow Some Basic Rules
How do I get good Airbnb reviews? Airbnb is a platform where your success is measured by your reviews and reputation. One bad (sub 4-star) Airbnb review can substantially hurt your financially for a long period of time and recovery time can be very long. What a review rating actually means on Airbnb? Unfortunately in the world of Airbnb, a 5-star rating means ‘Good’, but a 4-star rating means ‘Bad’ and so on. If you are an Airbnb host, try to avoid a sub-5-star review at all times. What review ratings on Airbnb mean: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good, Awesome, Amazing, I am happy, Enjoyed it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not Happy, There were issues, Not what I expected, Didn’t enjoy the stay. ⭐⭐⭐ Awful, Hated it, Won’t stay here again. ⭐⭐ Stay away, Could not be worse, Wish I could get my money back ⭐ Indescribably awful, You won’t survive a stay here!! How long does it take a recover from a bad Airbnb review? Airbnb review rating system for hosts is not linear which means: You don’t need one 5-star rating to recover from a 4-star review, you need at least five!! Tweet In my experience, you need these many 5-star reviews to recover from bad reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐ it takes five ‘5-star’ Airbnb reviews to recover. ⭐⭐⭐ it takes ten ‘5-star’ Airbnb reviews. ⭐⭐ it takes fifteen ‘5-star’ Airbnb reviews. ⭐ it takes twenty ‘5-star’ Airbnb reviews. So what do I need to do to get good Airbnb reviews…always? There is no way you can always get a 5-star Airbnb review; there are all kinds of people in the world, sooner or later you will bump into someone who is looking for the ’empty half glass’. The most prominent reasons for getting a bad Airbnb review despite the property being perfect are: The guest was not familiar with Airbnb rating system and compared it with a hotel instead. The description of your property listing on Airbnb is inaccurate and something ‘important’ doesn’t match about the property. The guest was very demanding, and you couldn’t cope up with his unreasonable demands. The guest had trouble getting into the property; your check-in instructions were not clear or helpful. (Read my post on how to create a perfect Airbnb welcome letter and avoid such issues) See my elaborate article on the most common Airbnb complaints and how to deal with them. Listing your property on Airbnb is reasonably easy – and getting some bookings is not very difficult either – promise what everyone else in your area is offering, and you’re good to go. Wrong! For Good Airbnb Reviews: Don’t Set a Trap For Yourself! By promising too much, you are setting sky-high expectations for your guests, and they may end up disappointed. In this post, I will guide you through setting the right expectations for your guests and through meeting these expectations. Well, a 4-star Airbnb review means that they had no complaints; it does not mean perfection. Even if someone had a perfect stay, they might not be inclined to give you that 5-star Airbnb review. For a 5-star Airbnb review, you need to make sure that they have no complaints and that they had a unique and memorable experience (in a good way). For Good Airbnb Reviews: Set the Right Expectations First of all, Airbnb business is not real estate. Renting on Airbnb is hospitality business, and mantra for this trade is ‘Underpromise and overdeliver’. From my five year experience as an Airbnb superhost and dealing with 5000 check-ins and checkouts my advice will be – do not treat your AirBnB listing like you would treat your resume – no wordplay and no exaggeration of ‘skills’. People like to be pleasantly surprised, not unexpectedly shocked. If you excite your listing, you are setting your guests up for disappointment and which leads to bad Airbnb reviews. For Good Airbnb Reviews: Pay Attention To Photographs The most common mistake people make while listing their AirBnB is to get pictures clicked by the best photographer in town. Yes, the pictures turn out to be very beautiful… albeit a bit too beautiful. These pictures will make it easy to sell your property, but the actual thing will never be the same as the well lit, professionally clicked pictures. What to do instead: Hire a photography student. They know enough to click good pictures that justify your property but will not turn your property into the 8th wonder of the world. Added benefit- they won’t charge you a bomb for the job, and they will be more than willing to shoot at a time suitable for you. Before the picture is taken, make sure your house is clean and tidy. Use natural light wherever available – nothing attracts people like a good source of natural light. No editing – do not edit your pictures, not even a little bit. Your guests will be disappointed when they cannot replicate the “golden hour” that was so obvious in your pictures. See my post on how to take good Airbnb images. For Good Airbnb Reviews: Plan Your Communication Before booking: Mention all the basic amenities that are available – wi-fi, hot water, fans(where applicable), etc. If there is a specific feature that people would normally expect but is missing from your property – call it out right there and then because more often than not, people will assume that you have that service and it will also reduce any follow up questions from the guest. If there are noise issues around your area, mention it in the listing so that people know what to expect. After booking There is a very fine line between communication and under-communication. One too many messages and they’ll be annoyed, but, too few messages and they’ll always be unsure about little details which may become an issue for you when they ask you too many questions, and you can’t answer them on time. Here’s what I do to ensure that my guests have all the adequate information even before they
Airbnb For Sale: How To Find Holiday Let Properties Available In The Market
Are you looking for an Airbnb for sale? Holiday let is a very lucrative business, and with the emergence of Airbnb as a global home-sharing platform, this industry has paved the way for new opportunities in every major city across the world. How To Find Airbnb For Sale? Mashvisor provides a tool that does all the hard work for you. Rental Property Finder Whether you are a beginner or an experienced investor Mashvisor’s – Rental Property Finder makes it super simple for you to focus on the property style you are looking for. When searching for Airbnb for sale in this tool, you can choose up to five areas and set the filter for the Airbnb rental strategy. Set your budget, property type, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, or leave it blank. It will then provide the list of Airbnb for sale with a high profitability investment potential based on cash on cash return, capitalization rate, and occupancy rate. Create Your Free Mashvisor Account Top cities for finding Airbnb properties for sale? According to Mashvisor, the top cities for finding Airbnb for sale are: #1 Lansing, Michigan Median Property Price: $102,100 Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,674 Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 11% Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 64% #2 Tuscaloosa, Alabama Median Property Price: $211,542 Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $3,274 Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 10% Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 40% #3 Dubuque, Iowa Median Property Price: $147,408 Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,984 Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 9% Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 43% #4 Goshen, Indiana Median Property Price: $151,112 Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,793 Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 9% Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 66% #5 Portsmouth, Virginia Median Property Price: $195,807 Monthly Airbnb Rental Income: $2,571 Airbnb Cash on Cash Return: 9% Airbnb Occupancy Rate: 58% To start looking for and analysing the best Airbnb for sale in your city and neighbourhood of choice, click here. Read next: The Ultimate Guide To Start Airbnb in 2020.
How To Change Payment Method On Airbnb?
Don’t worry, its not just you, ‘how to change a payment method on Airbnb?’ is one of the most frequently asked questions. For whatever reason, if you need to change your payment method on Airbnb, the process is pretty straight forward, but one thing to be mindful of is that each payment method has its processing conditions and it can affect the time frame of your payment. In this post What are the payments methods accepted by Airbnb? 1. Payment Methods Accepted Worldwide Amex, Mastercard, Visa, Discover – credit or debit cards PayPal 2. Platform Specific Payment Methods Apple Pay for the iOS app Google Pay for the Android app 3. Country Specific Payment Methods Brazil – Aura, Elo, Hipercard China – Alipay, WeChat Pay India – PayU Italy – Postepay Germany – Sofort Überweisung The Netherlands – iDEAL When does Airbnb charge your payment method? If you are a guest, Airbnb collects payment from your chosen payment method once the host accepts your reservation request or you book a reservation with instant booking. For Airbnb hosts, your payment is sent to your payment method 24 hours after your guest check-in. How do I add a payment method on Airbnb? Step 1: Click on your Airbnb profile picture on the top right corner of the screen. Step 2: Click on ‘Account‘ in the drop down that pops up. Step 3: Choose ‘Payments & Payouts‘ on the next screen. Step 4: To add a new Airbnb payment method, choose ‘Add payment method‘ on the next screen and enter your details. How to edit or remove payment method on Airbnb? Just like the previous step, navigate to ‘Payment & payouts‘ screen under your Airbnb account settings. Click on the three dots in front of the payment method you want to edit or remove. How do I update my credit card on Airbnb? To do so, you will need to add your new credit card as a new payment method on Airbnb. The process is same as explained in ‘How do I add a payment method on Airbnb’. Can I change my payment method on Airbnb after booking? Yes, you can change your Airbnb payment method anytime, but payment for your booking is collected at the time your host accepts your reservation request, or you book a reservation with instant booking. If you change your payment method before the booking is accepted, payment will go out from your new payment method. Change payment method for future payments: If you have payments scheduled in the future for an existing reservation (ex. long term reservation), you can change the payment method for the future payments with these steps: Go to ‘Trips‘ and select the trip where you want to change your payment method Under ‘Trip Overview‘, click ‘Reservation‘ Under ‘Payment Details‘, click ‘Get receipts and manage future payments‘ On the Your payment details page, scroll to ‘Scheduled payments‘ and click ‘Update payment details’ On the Change Your Payment Details page, under Pay with, select the payment method Click ‘Submit’ How do I check my payment method on Airbnb? To check your payment method on Airbnb, go to the Account section of your profile and click ‘Payments & Payouts‘ option. This navigation is described with more detail under ‘How do I add a payment method on Airbnb‘ above. Next: Read how to create your Airbnb wish list.
Airbnb Age Limit: Can You Set Minimum Age Requirement & How Old Do You Have To Be To Rent An Airbnb?
Airbnb age limit has been a hot topic among guests and hosts for years, but Airbnb considers it as discrimination. The Airbnb discrimination guidelines state “Airbnb hosts may not impose any different terms, conditions or decline a reservation based on the age or any other status of the guest, where prohibited by law.” Is there a minimum required age for someone to rent on Airbnb? Yes, Airbnb terms and policies state the user must be a minimum of 18 years old. This means that someone who is under 18 years cannot book a stay for themselves, or be the solo traveller. Of course, parents can travel with children, but someone in the party must be an adult Does Airbnb check age? Airbnb requires all users (guests and hosts) to undergo an ID verification process before they are permitted to book or list a property. Airbnb ID verification doesn’t only happen at the time of account creation, and you may be required to provide ID proof for any of these two reasons: Hosts may set a requirement for guests to provide a valid government ID to book the property. They may periodically ask you for additional verification to confirm that it is you who is logging into Airbnb. I am a host, can I set a minimum age requirement? No, there’s no option in Airbnb to set the minimum age of guests who can book your property. In my experience, how well a guest behaves has nothing to do with age and everything to do with life experience. A good guest had stayed in other’s homes before, whether with their parents or as adults or had a good upbringing. To avoid bad guests, check their past reviews, ask why they’re using Airbnb – where they’ve travelled. Can an Airbnb host ask for ID? Yes but only if the local laws in that area require it. For example, in some European countries such as Germany and Portugal, a business must provide the identity information all guests staying in the property – this applies not just to Airbnb guests but all lodging businesses such as hotels, guest houses, camping grounds. The most common information to be provided is: Full last name and first name Home address Date of birth Nationality Passport number You can refuse to provide this information if the local law does not require it and contact Airbnb if the host still insists.
Do You Tip Airbnb? Vacation Rental Do’s and Don’t’s!
We know its customary to tip the hotel staff, but do you tip Airbnb? Most of the Airbnb hosts to charge a fixed cleaning fee for each booking but what if there is no cleaning fee – do you tip? Or should you clean up before checkout? When do you tip Airbnb? Airbnb says: It’s up to you. Your host has set a price and they expect it will fully cover the stay. They suggest you research cultural hospitality norms in that area. If you want to show appreciation for your host, write a review encouraging other guests to book their trip. Find the cleaning fee first! Airbnb gives an option for hosts to set a cleaning fee each guest must pay at the time of the booking. Its a one time fee for each stay and its purpose is to compensate the host for time, and effort spends on cleaning up after the guest leaves. When there is a cleaning fee listed: If there is a cleaning fee listed, you don’t need to tip. It is an additional fee you pay for the effort spent in looking after the place. When there is no cleaning fee listed: When there is no cleaning fee charged by the host, and the prices were reasonable – you can leave a tip. When the host provides goodies: In this case, it’s best first to ask the host whether it’s free or not. If it’s free, you should appreciate the gesture; it will be nice to leave something beautiful behind for the host. It can be fresh flowers, wine, chocolates or a souvenir. Airbnb Do’s and Don’t’s Airbnb Do’s Communicate with the host Don’t ignore the messages your host sends, acknowledge when you receive a message and provide the information if the host is asking for. If you are unhappy with something, tell the host Most of the Airbnb hosts are sharing their homes with guests, and things go wrong in homes all the time. If something is not working, let your host know and allow him/her to fix it. Read the reviews before booking Airbnb is all about reviews, make sure you read recent reviews of the property before you book. Avoid anything that is 4.8 Stars or less. Know the location and neighbourhood before booking To avoid last-minute surprises, always check the location of the property before booking. Make sure it is in the area you wouldn’t mind staying. Read the house rules Read the Airbnb house rules carefully and make sure you are comfortable with them. If in doubt, ask the host to clarify. Only pay through Airbnb Don’t send or receive money outside the Airbnb platform. If something goes wrong, Airbnb won’t be there to cover your back. Use Airbnb resolution centre for all monetary transactions related to your Airbnb stay. Keep Airbnb helpline number handy When things don’t turn to go as per your expectations, it’s important to keep Airbnb contact number handy at all times during the stay. Ask your host for local recommendations Not sure the place to eat? Or the best shop to buy souvenirs – ask your host for recommendations. Airbnb Don’t’s Don’t assume things It’s better to be safe than sorry, ask the owner of the place about things you are not sure of instead of trying to work it out yourself. Don’t communicate outside Airbnb Unless its an emergency, try to communicate with the host using Airbnb messaging. It will allow Airbnb to investigate communication if the need arises. Don’t expect a hotel-like service Airbnb is someone’s home; it’s not a hotel – keep this mind before starting to complain about anything. Don’t forget to clean up when leaving It is a nice gesture to clean up before checking out. Read the house rules and ask the host for any checkout instructions. Don’t expect the host to be around all the time Airbnb is not a full-time business; it is someone sharing their extra space with travellers – don’t expect them to be around all the time to help you with things, give them some time to respond to your queries. You don’t need to leave a tip There is no need to leave a tip behind for your host. A thank you note is always nice to leave behind for your host. Leave a souvenir if you want. Don’t expect your host to make local reservations for you Don’t expect the host to run a concierge service for you. Ask for recommendations from the host and make your reservations where you want.
How To Search Homes by Airbnb Map View On Website And Phone
The key benefit of looking at listing in Airbnb map view is it makes it so easy to see where the property is in the city. If you are planning a trip around a specific area or venue, then map view on Airbnb is convenient. How to search by Airbnb map view – On your computer https://youtu.be/9rrwZNYQKJ0 Step 1: For the purpose of this tutorial, lets assume you are looking to find a home to stay in London. Go to Airbnb website and choose ‘Stays‘. Step 2: On the next page, enter the ‘City‘ you want to search and hit enter. Step 3: Toggle the ‘Show map‘ button on the next page, the page will reload and you will see map view of all Airbnb listings in that area. Step 4: Airbnb will show map view on the right side of the screen; you can see listings in the left panel. At the top, you can enter your search criteria, and the map view will keep adjusting accordingly. You can drag the map to adjust the area it is focusing on and use +/- at the top right of the map view to zoom in or out. How to search by map view – From your phone Step 1: On the Airbnb mobile phone app, type the area you are looking for in the ‘search box‘ at the top. Step 2: Choose ‘Stays‘ on the next screen. Step 3: Just above the ‘Profile‘ icon, click on the ‘Map‘ icon at the bottom right corner of the next screen. Step 4: The map view will come up, you can zoom in/out or drag the map to see the area of your choice. To narrow your search, click on the ‘Filter‘ button in the middle of the screen. Step 5: You can apply the filter of your choice on the next screen to narrow down your search. Next, see my post on how to manage your Airbnb wish list.
Airbnb Affiliate: Yes You Can Earn Real Money Instead Of Free Credits
Update 15-March-2021: Airbnb’s affiliate program — Airbnb Associates — closed in March 2021. There is no need to panic, though! Here is how you can keep earning on accommodation affiliate programs and travel affiliate marketing in general. Connect to multiple hotel affiliate programs such as Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Agoda. Their commissions vary between 4% and 6% of the booking price. Work with Airbnb alternatives, for example, Vrbo and Homestay. Commissions reach up to 5%. Continue recommending the properties listed on Airbnb by working through Hotellook.com. It’s a search engine for accommodation offers that aggregates options from the biggest websites — Booking.com, Agoda, other hotel directories, and Airbnb, too. The commissions average 5%. The downside of the options above is that they are time-consuming — you will have to sign up for each program individually and figure out how each of them works. Getting payments will also be a pain. You will have to wait until you reach a minimum payout amount in each of those affiliate programs. But don’t get discouraged just yet. There is a fourth option. Join Travelpayouts affiliate network. They brought all the affiliate programs I’ve mentioned above to one platform. In fact, they now offer more than 80 travel affiliate programs in niches such as accommodations, flights, car rentals, travel insurance (especially timely, I’d say). The main benefit of joining Travelpayouts is convenience. You join all the programs you want from one platform. You see their commissions and terms presented in a clear and unified way. You use a multitude of affiliate tools to make the most of your traffic. Here is the original article:I have heard a lot of misconceptions and have seen people totally confused between Airbnb Affiliate & referral programs, these are two totally different things. Here are all the option to be an Airbnb affiliate or a referrer. 1. Airbnb Affiliate: Guest Referral Program The Basics Anyone can join this program, you need to create your account on Airbnb, and you can invite people who are not on Airbnb yet. What do they get? $45 off on their first Airbnb home booking. What do you get? $30 travel credit when they complete their first stay. Eligibility Criteria They must click on your referral link to create an Airbnb account. Their booking should not be more than 28 days long (long term stays are excluded from this program). How To Get Your Airbnb Referral Link Step 1: Once you have signed into your account, click on your profile picture on the top right corner to open the profile options menu and choose ‘Invite Friends‘ Step 2: The next screen gives you multiple options to share your Airbnb referral link. Send email invites via Airbnb. Copy your referral link and send it directly. Send the invite using your email. On the top right of the screen (4), you can see your travel credit scorecard. Read full terms & conditions of Airbnb referral program. 2. Airbnb Referral Program For Hosts ($$) Airbnb’s host referral program is one of the most generous referral programs around at this time. Basics Get others to start hosting on Airbnb, and when they complete their first reservation, you get paid. What do they get? No perks for people who start hosting using your link 🙁 What do you get? The hosting referral payout varies greatly depending on the city you are in; it can be anywhere between $75-600 per successful host referral. Eligibility Criteria You can refer to your personal connections only. Referral links should not be published or distributed on public websites like coupon sites, Reddit etc. All referred hosts must be a new, first-time host on Airbnb. The referred host will have 150 days from the date they are invited to complete their first booking for you to earn the Payment. The first received booking must have a value (excluding cleaning fees, taxes, and special offers) of at least $100 (or the equivalent in your local currency). Read my post on how Airbnb works. How To Get Your Airbnb Host Affiliate Link Step 1: Once you have signed into your account, click on your profile picture on the top right corner to open the profile options menu and choose ‘Refer a host‘. Step 2: Just copy the Airbnb affiliate link on the next screen and share with your personal connections. Read full terms & conditions of Airbnb host referral program. 3. Associates Program For Airbnb Affiliates ($$) Amidst Covid-19 aftermath, Airbnb quietly launched Airbnb Associates program in May 2020. Basics This is similar to booking.com referral program, which was the major thrust in its exponential popularity in the last decade. Airbnb associates program pays you for promoting stays to travellers. What do they get?No special incentive for people who book their stay following your referral link. What do you get? It pays 30% of the Airbnb service fee every time someone books a stay through your content. Eligibility Criteria At the time of writing this article, there are no eligibility criteria to join this Airbnb referral program. Airbnb provides referral links, widgets and customizable pages you can share with followers. You can not use the referral material in paid advertisements. You can not use this Airbnb referral program for your travel. How To Get Your Airbnb Host Affiliate Link Step 1: Head over to airbnb.com/associates page and click ‘Get started‘ button. Step 2: On the next page ‘Accept‘ program guidelines. Read full terms & conditions of Airbnb associates program. 4. Airbnb Affiliate Program For Publishers ($$) The Basics The details of the Airbnb Affiliate Program is only known to people who have completed the application and have received approval. This affiliate program is not for everyone and standards are pretty high. Eligibility Criteria To qualify for this program: You must have at least 1-million monthly visitors to your app or website. You must be very passionate about connecting and helping people. Your website or app must have relevant and dynamic content about travel and hospitality. Have an audience with high intent to book accommodations or host their homes.
Here Is How You Can Create Your Airbnb Wish List
You can create an Airbnb wish list to save the homes you like while planning for your next vacation. This option comes handy when you have shortlisted all those beautiful homes and the time has now come to drop the coin. Get $50 off Your First Airbnb Trip Sign up now. 1. How to create Airbnb wish list STEP 1: When viewing a listing on Airbnb, you can click on the ‘Save‘ button next to ‘Share‘ button on the top right. STEP 2: The next pop up screen will prompt you to choose the wish list in which you would like to save this listing. If this is your first wish list, type the ‘Name‘ you wish to call this list for example ‘London May-20 Holidays’. You can create as many wish lists as you want. STEP 3: Click ‘Create‘ to save your wish list. Your Airbnb wishlist appears on the next screen. 2. How to find your wish list When you want to see all the homes you have saved in your Airbnb wish list, just click on the ‘Saved’ menu option in the top right. On the screen that follows you will be able to see all your Airbnb wish lists, and you can see the properties in each by clicking on the main photo. 3. How to edit your wish list To make changes to your Airbnb wish list click on the ‘Edit‘ at the top of the list. In the Edit screen that pops up will let you do a few key things. Change wish list name Choose privacy options Invite only Everyone 4. Share your Airbnb wish list If you want to share your wish list with others, click on ‘Invite others‘ on the list page. On the next sharing screen, you can either copy the invite link and share with your friends or families. Alternatively, you can invite by email as well. Just type the email id of the other person and click ‘Send invites‘. Are you looking for ideas to a write review of your Airbnb host? Read my post on Airbnb review examples. See my video tutorial on how to view wishlist on Airbnb. https://youtu.be/72SUFNWhToU
Airbnb Welcome Letter: Win Your Guests Even Before They Arrive
The good Airbnb welcome letter can make a huge difference to guest experience even before they arrive. What is an Airbnb welcome letter? Whether or not you greet guests in person, a welcome letter (aka check-in instructions) is a great way to make them feel welcome in your property. It is also a medium to pass on important information such as check-in procedure, how to get there, a house guide etc. so they feel relaxed and at home from the moment they walk in your front door. Note: I strongly recommend using this Airbnb automation tool to send messages automatically to guests yet keeping them personalised. What information to include in a welcome letter? Buy Editable & Printable Airbnb Welcome Letter Template When done right, an Airbnb welcome letter should include: 1. Exact property address Make sure to include door number and if it is tricky to navigate in the area, send a picture of the entry door along with the Airbnb welcome letter. If you use a lockbox, you can highlight it in the same image.Note: You send a photo with a message from Airbnb phone app, this functionality is not available on the website though. Alternatively, you can use Hospitable for Airbnb automation, and it will send photo automatically with your check-in message. 2. Google map location link Find your property on google maps, make sure the location of your address is correct and share a link in the message, so there is no room for confusion left. You can find out more on how to share google maps location here. 3. Check-in start time Mention check-in start time in the welcome message to avoid unnecessary disappointment if they show up early. 4. What to do if they arrive early In case your guest arrives early, suggest things they can do in the area while waiting for the check-in time. It can be a nearby cafe or a shopping centre they can spend time. Or if you allow early luggage drop off and they can come back later after check-in time, this can be very convenient. 5. A local contact number Share a local contact number for guests to call if they struggle to find your place or to get keys from the lockbox. 6. How to reach the property using public transport Guest can use the google map link if they are driving but if they are coming via public transport, suggest the best options for getting from the nearby airport or train station. Unclear instructions can be frustrating, make sure to create easy to follow step by step instructions. You can take google maps navigation help in creating reliable turn by turn directions. 7. Parking Info Mention the nearest parking guest can use to unload or park their vehicle during the stay. If there is no parking nearby, share details of one nearest parking area. If its a paid parking, clearly mention it to guests and tell them parking charges are not included in the price of the booking. You can use a website like Parkopedia to find the parking options. 8. Pets policy If you allow pets, clearly mention in your Airbnb welcome letter where pets are allowed or not allowed and other relevant rules. 9. WiFi Username & Password WiFi is the first thing millennials look for, sharing ‘WiFi Network Name’ and ‘Password’ in your welcome template can mean one less thing to answer every time guests check-in to your property. 10. Heating & AC instructions Heating and AC controls can be tricky, especially if your guest is coming from another part of the world. Share a link to the user manual of your Heating/AC controller along with easy to follow instructions about to turn them ON/OFF and adjust the temperature. You can create a digital guidebook to give a walkthrough of the house and share instructions on how to use appliances. Read more about options for creating digital guidebook in Airbnb tools section. 11. Instructions to take out the trash Tell them where to empty bins and how to segregate waste. If there are specific days for trash collection in your area, mention the collection days and where they need to place the trash. 12. Nearest grocery store Share the address of the nearest grocery store along with the opening and closing times in your Airbnb welcome letter. 13. Fire exit plan It can be as simple as asking them to exit from the front door to the street level but make sure you tell them about the best exit plan from the house if such an emergency arises. 14. Local emergency services contact number Share emergency phone numbers for hospital, police and fire services in your area for guests to call directly in case of an emergency during the stay 15. Location of first aid kit I always recommend keeping a first aid kit at an easily accessible place in the house. Tell them where they can find the first aid kit in your welcome message. 16. Location of fire extinguisher You should have a fire extinguisher at an easily accessible location in the house, ideally near the kitchen. Tell them about its place in your airbnb welcome letter. 17. Link to your Airbnb guidebook Create an Airbnb guidebook with all your local recommendations for food, entertainment and price saving tips and share the link to your guidebook here. 18. House rules Remind guests about your Airbnb house rules and any other aspect they should be careful. For example, if you have sensitive neighbours, tell them to be extra quiet after 7 pm. Things not to do in Airbnb welcome letter Stay to the point, except for a quick welcome note in the beginning avoid unnecessary flowery language. Keep it crisp and short, it’s a good idea to share your local recommendations but adding them to Airbnb welcome letter is not the right place, add them to your Airbnb guidebook instead and share its URL in this message. When to send Airbnb welcome letter?
How To Export Airbnb iCal Calendar & Sync With Other Websites To Avoid Double Bookings
The ability to export Airbnb calendar using the iCal tool lets you maintain the availability of your property automatically on multiple websites such as Booking.com, Tripadvisor, VRBO, HomeAway. iCal is free and saves you from having the dreadful and expensive double bookings. Data suggests vacation rental owners who advertise their property on four or more platforms lose 6-8% of their revenue in cancellation penalties for double bookings. Convered in this post What is iCal? iCal is an industry-standard format which allows users to share calendar and event information with others. Publisher of the data can choose what information will be shared, it can be as simple as just the booking name, start and end date OR as much as phone number and other personal details about the booking if configured. iCal data can be shared in two ways: iCal file (.ics) – This is used for less frequent updates and publisher needs to send the file each time an update is due. iCal Link – With this option, the calendar data is always available at a public link (called iCal URL) and consumers can access the latest booking data using the iCal link. How to find iCal link on Airbnb? Airbnb provides iCal link which you can share with other websites so they can access your bookings and maintain the availability of your property accordingly. Step 1: To get your Airbnb iCal URL, you need to go to ‘Edit listing‘ page and choose the ‘Availability‘ option. Step 2: Scroll to the bottom of the next screen to ‘Sync calendars‘ option and click on ‘Export calendar‘ Step 3: You will get a popup like this with the iCal URL for your Airbnb calendar. You can take this URL and import it into other websites as I explain in the next section. Format of the iCal link is: https://www.airbnb.com/calendar/ical/xxxxxxxxxx.ics?s=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThis is the link you’ll import into other websites you’d like to synchronize with Airbnb. Import external calendar to Airbnb If you are accepting bookings on the other websites, DO NOT forget to import those external iCal calendars into Airbnb as well to maintain availability both ways. Its a simple three-step process. Step 1: Export the iCal link from the other website (such as booking.com, HomeAway) Step 2: Click on ‘Import Calendar‘ under ‘Sync calendars’ option. Step 3: In the pop up screen that follows, paste the iCal URL in the first box and enter the name of the other website in the second. Click ‘Import Calendar’. Once you have Exported and Imported iCal links on Airbnb and the other website, both calendars will automatically communicate with each other and block the dates when you get a booking in either of them. Let me show you how you can import Airbnb iCal link into the calendars of the other vacation rental websites. Sync Airbnb calendar with Booking.com https://youtu.be/mMC1n2wC__s Once you are logged into the booking.com extranet i.e. admin.booking.com Step 1: Click Calendar & Pricing and choose ‘Sync calendars‘ Step 2: Choose ‘Add calendar connection‘ on the next screen. Step 3: Add Airbnb iCal link in the first box, type Airbnb in the ‘Calendar name‘ box and click ‘Next step‘ Step 4: Click ‘Copy link‘ on the next screen This last step gives you the Booking.com iCal link which you need to import into Airbnb, and this is the final step in establishing two-way connectivity between booking.com and Airbnb. Sync Airbnb calendar with VRBO/HomeAway Once you are on your property dashboard. Step 1: Click Calendars in the left panel and then choose ‘Reservations‘ Step 2: Click ‘Import/Export‘ on the next screen and choose ‘Export calendar‘ Step 3: You can ignore the first checkbox (it’s a useless functionality) and click ‘Copy URL‘ button to get the HomeAway or VRBO iCal on your clipboard. Step 4: Similarly you can choose ‘Import‘ option on the second screen to import Airbnb calendar into HomeAway VRBO calendar. Sync Airbnb calendar with Google Calendar Login to your google account and go to calendar application i.e. calendar.google.com Step 1: Click on the + sign towards the bottom of the left panel Step 2: Choose ‘Create new calendar‘ in the pop-up option screen Step 3: On the next screen, enter the Airbnb iCal URL in the first box. If you intend to share your google calendar with others such as your cleaning team, check the box ‘Make the calendar publicly accessible’. Click ‘Add calendar’ button. After this, Airbnb bookings will appear as ‘Reserved’ in your google calendar. You can share your google calendar with others and they will be able to see checkin/checkout of guests from your property without being able to see other booking details and personal details of the guest. The disadvantage of using iCal for Airbnb calendar sync The major disadvantage of using iCal to sync booking calendars is that its not real-time. Calendars don’t sync instantly when there is a booking activity on either side, and there is always a delay which can be from 1 hr to up to 6 hours. If you get a booking on the other calendar during this time, it will result in a double booking which can be expensive. What is the solution? Option 1: Manually refresh calendars by going on each website every time you get a booking. Not very practical but still an opportunity if you don’t want to spend money on option 2. Option 2: Airbnb calendar sync with other websites can happen in real-time by using a third-party application known as ‘channel manager’. I highly recommend using a channel manager if you list your property on multiple websites and get a lot of bookings on more than one site. This is the only way of eliminating the risk of double bookings. iGMS is a popular software of Airbnb calendar syncing and automation. You can see the list of most popular channel managers on Airbnb tools section. Also, read Which is Better, Airbnb or Vrbo Airbnb Vs Renting (Pros & Cons) – Which Is The Better Option? What is Vrbo? What
Remove Airbnb Review: When It Is Worth Fighting For & How To Raise A Dispute
No matter how hard you try to please guests, sooner or later every host end up having a review that is entirely unfair, vindictive or unjustified, and then you start wondering how to remove Airbnb review from your profile? Needless to say having a negative review on your Airbnb profile directly impacts the number of booking you will get but … Is it possible to remove Airbnb review? How difficult it is to remove Airbnb review? .. and what are your options if can’t remove the bad review? Is it possible to remove Airbnb review? It’s not very difficult to find reviews as such this on Airbnb.. Without going into detail of what might have gone wrong or who might be at fault..the chances of getting such a review removed are NIL. Yes, you can ask Airbnb to remove a review, but they will consider your request only if it violates Airbnb content policy which practically means the review has to fit in one or more of the following points. 1. Guest demanding something in return Often, Airbnb guests, try to turn the host into a review hostage! If the guest threatens you with a bad review or asks for a discount in return of a positive review – as long as you have a documentary proof for this – it is not very difficult in getting Airbnb to remove the review. 2. The Airbnb review contains personal information If the guest mentions identifiable information about the host or the property such full name, phone number or address of the property or any other indirect clues to such information – that is grounds for removal! 3. The review talks about a person’s social, political or religious views If the guest comments about someone’s social, political, ethical views in the Airbnb review – you won’t have any difficulty get it removed. 4. Name-calling or comments about a person’s personality or character If the guest comments host personality or style, that’s a clear violation of Airbnb content policy and warrants removal. 5. Refers to circumstances entirely outside of Airbnb host’s control If the guest had a bad experience with something else beyond the Airbnb hosts remit such as Airline, taxi, restaurant etc. Airbnb understands that it has nothing to with the host and using such circumstances as the basis of a bad review is considered wrong and can be removed after Airbnb mediation. 6. Never actually stayed at the property If you can prove that the guest who booked and reviewed your property never actually stayed there (booked for someone else), you’ll be able to ask Airbnb to remove it. 7. The review mentions an Airbnb resolution centre case If the guest suggests getting a refund or even asking for one and mentions about an ongoing Airbnb investigation – this can easily be the grounds for having the review removed! 8. It is an outright lie Majority of the bad reviews fall in this category, but it is hardest to prove as well. But if you can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that the guest is lying, Airbnb might be able to remove the review for you. It is entirely on the Airbnb case managers discretion though, so make sure you are extra nice to him/her. How to request to remove Airbnb review? If you feel the review clearly falls in one of the categories mentioned above, you can request for Airbnb review moderation. Remember, Airbnb does not mediate disputes concerning truth or fairness and your request may be outright rejected. Step 1: Head over to Airbnb contact us page. Step 2: Choose ‘It’s something else’ on the page that loads. Step 3: Choose ‘I still need help’ at the bottom of next screen. Step 4: Choose the appropriate option you would prefer to get in touch with them. (You can read more about how to contact Airbnb in my previous blog post) When your request to remove Airbnb review gets rejected Like in the majority of the cases, when your request to remove Airbnb review gets rejected, it is undoubtedly the end of the road in Airbnb customer services processes. You cannot re-appeal or escalate it with customer services. Try reaching Airbnb on social media The next option can be to try to get Airbnb’s attention on social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook. You will need to spend a lot of time to push your concerns up, try to engage as many people you can with your topic to get Airbnb attention and hope they decide to give it a second thought. Leave a public response to the bad review on Airbnb The worst way to with a bad review on Airbnb is to leave a public response such as this: It is full of vengeance and certainly not going to impress anyone looking to book a holiday in your property. To give a positive spin to a bad review on Airbnb: 1. Apologies (no matter what) Running an Airbnb is not real estate business, its hospitality and the mantra for this industry is “the customer is always right”. Even when you think the guest’s review is unfair, apologies for the inconvenience. Don’t completely deny it, appreciate the complaint and indicate you are trying to understand from their perspective. Let them know you feel genuinely sorry for their bad experience. 2. Be Professional Don’t let it turn into a verbal argument, and the public response is more for your future guests to see instead of trying to break even with the lousy guest. A hostile response will only turn off other potential guests, and tarnish your professional image. 3. Acknowledge Fault Where you feel things could have been better from your end, accept it with an open heart. 4. Avoid bad Airbnb reviews: Learn, Absorb, Improve What could you have done differently? Did the guest highlight a weak point?Is there something that you could improve? A lot of positives can come from a bad Airbnb review. Take it as something that you
Airbnb Cleaning Fee: Exactly What It Covers & Should You Discount It?
Unlike hotels and traditional B&B’s, Airbnb lets you charge Airbnb cleaning fee to guests to cover the time and money you spend to clean the property after a guest leaves. What is Airbnb cleaning fee? You can charge a certain amount for each stay to people who book your Airbnb property. A cleaning fee is to help host pay for expenses they acquire when Airbnb cleaners get a place ready between one guest checking out and another checking in. It is up to the host whether or not to charge a cleaning fee and how much it will be. The vital thing to note is that the cleaning fee is for cleaning the property after a guest leaves NOT to prepare it for him. Practically this means if the guest cancels the booking before his arrival, Airbnb cleaning fee gets refunded to them. There are many aspects you need to think of when setting up your Airbnb cleaning fee. Set the right cleaning fee Do not treat cleaning fee as a way of boosting your income – that’s a terrible idea, and you will lose a lot of bookings for charging more than average cleaning fee in your area. Airbnb allows you to charge it once for every stay irrespective of the length of the visit and remember, it not only covers a light cleaning after the guest leaves but also includes expenses to replenish cleaning supplies and toiletries. Cleaning fee includes: Servicing the rooms Change linen Cleaning used items Wash used dishes Clearing out cupboards and the fridge Time spent on cleaning Restock supplies Always keep the cleaning fee to its actual value as a majority of travellers see this as an overhead and keeping it low as possible can get you ahead of the competition very quickly. If you use a cleaning service: Charge the exact cost that you pay to have your property cleaned, and linen washed. If you do the cleaning yourself: Calculate the amount of time you spend on each turnover and value of your effort per hour. Know your competition If you are not sure how much to charge, the easiest ways to figure out an optimum cleaning fee to charge guests is to check out other similar-sized Airbnb listings in your neighbourhood. If the average price is $50, then you can feel confident about setting yours at the same rate. How it impacts your listing performance This is how cleaning fee will be visible to guests when looking at your Airbnb listing: When looking at your listing, guests will see cleaning fee separate from the nightly rate. If you opt to charge higher cleaning fee that the average in your area, people will see your property less favorable and highly likely you will lose the booking to the competition. Airbnb cleaning fee for long-term stays Airbnb does not allow you to charge a different cleaning fee for long stays. So the cleaning fee guests pay will be the same for 2 nights or a 20-night stay. This creates complications such as: Cleaning after a long stay needs more time as compared to a 2 or 3 nights stay If you provide linen, towels etc, a long staying guest is likely to ask for fresh supply periodically How to handle the Airbnb cleaning fee for long stays? ⛶ Option 1: Don’t allow long term stays. Limit the maximum number of nights people can book for. You set this limit under ‘Availability >Trip Details’ settings of your listings. ⛶ Option 2: Ask for additional payment from long term guests to provide periodic cleaning or fresh linen. You can request additional payment from guests in Airbnb resolution centre as explained in my previous blog. ⛶ Option 3: Don’t provide periodic cleaning for long term stays; offer them means to do it themselves. Make sure you give the guest access to cleaning equipment such as hoover, mop, surface cleaners etc. so they can clean it themselves. If you have a washing machine in the property, provide washing detergent so they can wash the linen, towels etc. The last option also means you may have to deal with heavy cleaning at the end of the stay if the guest wasn’t keeping it well and it is something you will have to bite into, unfortunately. How to set cleaning fee on Airbnb You can set cleaning fee under ‘Pricing > Standard fees and charges’ section of your listing settings. Note: With a recent update, Airbnb now allows you to set cleaning and linen fee separately. Cleaning fee (1), this should include charges for labour and cleaning equipment for each turnover. Under ‘Add a standard fee (2), you will see multiple options in the dropdown. Choose ‘Linens fee’ and mention the amount you spend to getting the linen washed for each turnover. It is a good idea to mention cleaning and linen fee separately; this will give more insight to guests and shows him a breakdown of the charges, which can be comforting. Is the Airbnb cleaning fee refundable? Yes, cleaning fee is always and automatically refunded to guest if the booking is cancelled before the start of the stay (before check-in time on the day). For example, if the check-in start time is 3 pm, the cleaning fee will be refunded in full to the guest if the booking gets cancelled anytime before 3 pm on the check-in day. Read more about Airbnb cancellation policy. Is the cleaning fee negotiable? Often you will get queries from potential Airbnb quests asking for a discount or waive off in the Airbnb cleaning fee. It is entirely up to you if you wish to offer a discount, but it doesn’t mean cleaning won’t be needed. You may refer to this article for guidelines on how to keep your vacation rental clean. In my opinion, hosts should never compromise on the cleaning of the property and giving a discount in cleaning doesn’t guarantee that the same guest won’t leave a bad review about poor cleaning standards in the
Planning Permission For Airbnb: How To Find Airbnb Restrictions In Your Area
Getting planning permission for Airbnb will be the only option you may be left with if Airbnb restrictions are applied in your area. The exponential increase in short terms lets has changed the face of the property market across the world, as it has undoubtedly made the buy-to-let business more attractive. (AirDNA is the best source of analytical data for Airbnb market research) Whether you are new to Airbnb or you have involved with it for a long time, it is essential to stay updated with the local regulations in your area and take planning permission for Airbnb if required. With the explosive growth of Airbnb in this decade, it has been gaining significant negative press too, mainly because of irresponsible hosts and local authorities are trying to limit the disruption it is causing to permanent residents. Different types of Airbnb restrictions Some places have laws that restrict your ability to host paying guests for a short period. These laws are often a part of administrative codes or city zoning. In some big cities where Airbnb caused significant disruption to residents, hosts must register and get a permit, or a license before listing the property or accepting guests on Airbnb and a particular type of short-term bookings may be prohibited entirely. Local governments vary greatly in how they deal with short term lets and enforce these laws. Penalties include fines or other enforcement. How to find Airbnb restrictions in your area The rules can be very confusing, and usually, it is tough to find out exactly what restrictions apply in an area. You can use the following button to head over to the Airbnb repository where they have put together city-wise regulations in one place. Note: Regulations mostly apply to hosts who are renting an entire property on Airbnb. Whereas, sharing a room within your primary residence is considered good and generally excluded from rules. This link not only provides you with the regulatory information in your area but also offers guidance on how to ensure your Airbnb is safe for guests and complies with all the local safety regulations. I cannot stress enough on how important it is to check every bit of information on this link and make sure you operate your Airbnb per the law and keep it safe for your guests. Why Do I Need Planning Permission For Airbnb? Once regulations are applied, hosts or landlords have three main options to choose from: Get the planning permission for Airbnb Revert to long term lets Run with the risk of being caught In the areas where Airbnb regulations are enforced, local councils encourage residents to report neighbours which they suspect are being used for unauthorised Airbnb. They even have the staff to watch short term booking websites such as Airbnb, HomeAway and Booking.com for homes in their area. For peace of mind, hosts or landlords should get planning permission for Airbnb for their short-term letting business.
Airbnb Cancellation Policy: Professional Tips To Choose One
The Airbnb cancellation policy is different from hotels and are designed to favour travellers in most of the cases. Whether you are a host or travelling on travelling on Airbnb, it is essential to know how its cancellation policies works. With this post, I will share best practices when setting your cancellation policy as a host, and also how to deal with cancellations if a host cancels your bookings. Convered in this post Four Main Airbnb Cancellations Policies: The 4th policy is for long term stays and it is automatically applied to reservation of 28 nights or more, you cannot opt-out from this. The four Airbnb cancellation policies are: Airbnb Strict Cancellation Policy Full refund if cancellation made within 48 hours of booking. If the check-in day is at least 14 days away. 50% refund for cancellations made at least seven days before check-in. No refund if cancellation made within seven days of check-in. Airbnb Moderate Cancellation Policy Full refund if cancelled five days before arrival. Airbnb Flexible Cancellation Policy Full refund if cancellation made within 48 hours of booking. If the check-in day is at least 14 days away. 50% refund if cancellation is made at least seven days before check-in. No refund if cancellation made within seven days of check-in. Airbnb Long Term Cancellation Policy This applies to all reservations of 28 nights or more. The first month is not refundable. 30-day notice for cancellation is needed. Important to note: ➤ For the first three policies – the Airbnb service fee is refundable up to 3 times per year if the guest cancels within 48 hours of booking, and at least 24 hours before check in. ➤ All cancellation policies can be superseded under extenuating circumstances by Airbnb. Optional: Non Refundable Airbnb Cancellation Policy Apart from the four main cancellation policies, Airbnb offers a choice of two non-refundable options for the host to choose from: Flexible Non-Refundable Moderate Non-Refundable These two policies give the guest an option of a ‘Non-refundable’ flavour to choose from. In return, the guest gets a 10% discount. When paired with a Flexible Airbnb cancellation policy – the non-refundable option will be available to guests up to 1 day before their desired check-in date. When paired with Moderate Airbnb cancellation policy – it will be available to guests up to 5 days before their desired check-in date. Two New Experimental Policies (Invite Only) Airbnb is experimenting with two more cancellation policies, but they are currently by invitation only and in specific locations only. Super Strict 30 Days 50% refund up until 30 days before arrival Super Strict 60 Days 50% refund up until 60 days before arrival Airbnb Cancellation Policy: Overriding Principles Rule 1: Extenuating Circumstances Airbnb can waive off the cancellation penalties and issue a full refund if you need to cancel due to an unexpected circumstance that’s out of your control. You will need to provide documentary evidence, and the accepted situations for this are: Death of a host, co-host, guest or their immediate family member. Severe unexpected illness or injury affecting a host or member of the travelling party. Government-mandated obligations such as jury duty, travel restrictions, court appearances, or military deployment. Unforeseen property damage, maintenance, and issues with necessary amenities to the Airbnb listing that make it unsafe to host guests, or that prevent guests from accessing it. Transport disruptions that make it difficult to travel to the destination. Train, bus, or ferry cancellations where no alternate options were available on the same day. Documentary evidence is not required in the following circumstances, but Airbnb will do an individual review of the situation: Natural disasters, terrorist activity, and civil/political unrest Endemic disease or illness that suddenly affects a region or an entire group of people Travel restrictions imposed by a government Safety and security threat advisories Essential utility outages like electricity, water etc. Changes to visa or passport requirements that make it impossible to travel to the destination. Read more information about Airbnb Extenuating Circumstances Policy. Rule 2: Airbnb Guest Refund Policy Under certain circumstances Airbnb Guest Refund Policy can supersede your chosen Airbnb cancellation policy. Inability to access the property. The guest is unable to access the accommodation because the host did not provide the sufficient check in information such keys or code for the doors. Inaccurate listing. The Airbnb listing did not accurately describe accommodation in terms of size, type of accommodation or other essential amenities. Health and safety hazard. The property is not clean or poses health hazards. Rule 3: Full Cleaning Fee Refund Irrespective of the Airbnb cancellations policy in effect: if cancellation happens before the check-in start time of the booking, the cleaning fee is fully refunded to guest!! For example, if the booking is for 1st Dec and check-in start time is 3 PM, the guest will get a full cleaning fee refund if he cancels the booking before 3 PM on the day. How To Choose The Right Airbnb Cancellation Policy ⭐ Fact 1: Airbnb wants you to put the most flexible cancellation policy possible, and they will reward you with higher search rankings. ⭐ Fact 2: People need flexibility when planning for travel, if you set it to Strict, you won’t get many bookings far out in your calendar. …and for the same reason, most of the hotels offer a free cancellation nowadays. My advice is always to keep it Flexible or Moderate at most. Apart from this, the key aspects to look at when deciding your cancellation policy are: Location of your Airbnb listing Seasonality Property type Competition Kind of guests you want to attract Age of your Airbnb listing 1. Location: If it is in an area with high Airbnb traffic all year – set your Airbnb cancellation policy to flexible since it is more likely to rebook. Setting it to flexible will also help you stay on of the search results as an area with high demand is likely to have a lot of Airbnb listings. If your property is an area where travellers don’t have many options to choose
Airbnb Property Management: How To Do It Yourself And Save Money
With the success of Airbnb across the world, Airbnb Property Management companies are emerging to help hosts successfully outsource all or small portions of the day to day operations. Most of these companies charge a commission between 10-30% of the revenue to hosts. They claim to increase your bookings, guest experience, look after guest queries, manage cleaning and maintenance of the property. But the big question is – are these Airbnb property management companies really worth paying such a big chunk of your earnings? When you should REALLY outsource Airbnb property management Managers can be hired for full-service or some specific services The right time to employ a manager for your Airbnb Property The job-profile of a Property Manager Reliable cleaners To sum-up Tools of the trade and how to do it yourself Automate messaging Activate dynamic pricing Research: How much other Airbnb hosts are earning Different stages of Airbnb hosting and how to deal with them When should you REALLY outsource Airbnb property management? The decision to outsource your short term rental property management is driven by the desire for more freedom. But will a professional firm be able to maintain the same level of quality and guest experience? If you check the reviews of these Airbnb property management companies, the internet is full of horrific stories from hosts. … and the main reason for this is that the majority of these companies are cleaning companies morphed into Airbnb management agencies to meet the market demand. Majority of them have never worked in hospitality, and they have no clue what excellent service looks like. If you decide to involve a management company, always check their background, how they started, do they have hospitality and Airbnb expertise with them or not. ✔ Hire a property management company only if: You have ‘Zero’ time to spend on the business Or you live too far away from the property or Or you are looking to expand your portfolio of properties ✖ Don’t engage an Airbnb property management company if: You don’t know how to get started on Airbnb Don’t have hospitality industry experience Not getting enough bookings You are spending too much time communicating with guests on Airbnb There are tools and methods to get around these hurdles easily without letting go of a significant chunk of your earnings. ➤ Managers can be hired for full-service or some specific services Once the bookings start, there is no space for any mediocre performance. With initial setup and thorough planning, some may themselves handle Airbnb Property Management effectively by giving minimal time each week. But, for most it is easier said than done – it may look really simple in the planning phase, but it takes a toll when you actually get down to it. In that case, hiring people for your Airbnb Property Management is the obvious way to go. Since the primary goal is to smoothly run your Airbnb property, you can hire property managers to provide full-service or some specific services, such as: Communication management Revenue management Cleaning management Property maintenance Check-in For the first few bookings, if you handle the Airbnb Property Management yourself, it helps you figure out all aspects involved in the undertaking, including time, money and effort. Therefore, your initial hands-on experience will be useful to understand what jobs you want to outsource versus what you want to manage yourself. … and accordingly, you can hire for your Airbnb Property Management partially or wholly; you can get these done from a single or several third party companies. The total cost comes to around 20% – 30% of the total bookings if you are keen on a 100% Airbnb Property Management. Once the job division is decided, you can move on to the next step. ➤ The right time to employ a manager for your Airbnb Property Once the decision to employ someone is finalised, then hiring a manager for the efficient Airbnb Property Management should be the immediate action. The sooner you employ, the sooner it can help you to – save time, manage your Airbnb smoothly and increase positive reviews, among other things. But, I guess some of you may not have finalised because you are not sure what jobs a manager can handle better, and what you can. This has to be sorted soon because once the bookings start, this may cause a lot of confusion with an urgent need for job demarcation. Let’s do a quick read of the jobs a property manager can help you with, and then make a decision on outsourcing specific or complete services. ➤ The job-profile of a Property Manager Airbnb Property management services mostly include – Creating an appealing listing Accepting new reservations Proactive communication with guests Being the emergency contact for any issues Managing maintenance Managing accounts Resolving resolution claims Cleaning processes Check in/checkout coordination with guests Monitoring current rates to adjust pricing based on certain variables like – seasonal demand, popular events, location, etc. Maintaining inventory Coordination of the above services is quite a task, but if performed methodically, it can assure a smooth and successful run of your rental property, with an added bonus of 5-star ratings. Your decision to opt for Airbnb Property Management is to offer your guests a fabulous experience, but if a manager isn’t competent enough you will be surprised at how much more you may have on your hands than you had expected. So, do a thorough check before choosing the management company to run your property to your advantage. ➤ Reliable Cleaners When keeping track of your expenses, do not compromise on your selection of cleaners as their service will sooner or later show corresponding unsatisfactory results. In short, steer clear of low-quality cleaning jobs that may hamper not only your reviews but also your precious time and money. Therefore, I recommend to hire a reliable cleaning service that understands the importance of Airbnb Property Management, and accordingly maintains high-quality cleanliness and a hassle-free cleaning schedule. It may seem expensive in the start, but you will see the
AirDNA Review: Is It Really The Bible For Airbnb? And Is It Worth The Money?
AirDNA, as the name suggests is an analytics platform providing unmatched global Airbnb data and insights with cutting edge technology to help short term rental owners make wiser decisions around the world. They recently added HomeAway data into the platform, allowing you to see the breakdown of HomeAway and Airbnb properties in any market worldwide. Check it out here: AirDNA Vacation Rental Data Why do you need AirDNA? Where does AirDNA get its data from? How much does AirDNA cost? What kind of data reports do you get? Market Minder Investment Explorer What’s in AirDNA Market Minder? Active Rentals Rental Channel Market Grade Average Daily Rate Occupancy Rate Revenue Rental Size Rental Growth Amenities Airbnb Ratings Rental Activity Rental Settings What is AirDNA Investment Explorer? 1. Why do you need AirDNA? If you are looking to buy a new property to rent on Airbnb/HomeAway/VRBO – it is a good idea to know the numbers before making the investment. You can get a fair idea by looking at a bunch of different properties available online in the area you are interested in. See what they are charging per night, what is the cleaning and how much of their Airbnb calendar is booked. This gives you a fair bit of idea about how the market might be like in that region. …but if its a significant investment, you wouldn’t want to make a decision by looking at a few properties. AirDNA gives you well organised meaningful holiday rental data of an area, reports are full of facts so you can make a well-educated decision not just to buy the property but also learn other aspects in that area such as: Popular amenities Seasonality Rental growth ..and much more.. Ratings Overall 4.6/5 Reliability 5/5 Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Value For Money 5/5 Closest AirDNA Competitor Mashvisor See many other helpful Airbnb tools here to help you get started like a pro. AIRDNA Social profiles Linkedin Twitter Youtube Facebook Medium 2. Where does AirDNA get its data from? AirDNA gathers its information from Airbnb, HomeAway & VRBO public website using data scraping methods. It regularly crawls the properties available on the Airbnb website and tracks the performance of listings around the globe each day. Crawling generates raw data which is then analyzed and presented to users in useful reports in AirDNA Market Minder tool, its an interactive market intelligence tool. Market Minder data is updated monthly in the first week (between 5th and 8th) for the previous month’s data. 3. How much does AirDNA cost? AirDNA is a monthly subscription service and you can cancel at any time. It broadly works on three pricing models. An area with >1,000 active listings: If the area you choose has more than 1,000 active listings (usually Citywide reports) it will cost you USD 99.95/month An area with more than 100-1,000 active listings: If the area you choose has between 100-1,000 active listings (Usually neighbourhood reports) it will cost you USD 99.95/month An area with <100 listings: If the area you choose has less than 100 active listings (usually postcode or street specific reports) it will cost you USD 19.95/month AirDNA Pricing Model 4. What kind of data reports do you get? AirDNA offers two products: 1. AirDNA Market Minder You are most likely to use only this AirDNA module as it gives statistics of local Airbnb and HomeAway/VRBO markets across the world. It has interactive maps you to let you explore the performance of specific neighbourhoods and even individual vacation rental properties in over 80,000 cities worldwide. It has over 25 critical matrices for you to consume, such as: Average Daily Rate RevPAR Occupancy Active Listing Rental Revenue Booking Lead Times 2. AirDNA Investment Explorer If you are an investor looking to invest in the US, AirDNA Investment Explorer is what you need. 5. What’s in AirDNA Market Minder? AirDNA Market Minder gives you a multi-dimensional view of the local market, it provides about 25 details reports, some of the key reports are: a. Active Rentals This report tells you how many active rentals are in an area with a breakdown of: Entire Properties Private Room Shared Room Remember, this report is updated once every month based on the figures AirDNA recorded in the previous month. b. Rental Channel This report shows how many properties are listed on each channel. Note: AirDNA provided data only for Airbnb and HomeAway. c. Market Grade Market Grade is calculated by comparing the performance of that market Vs top 2000 global Airbnb markets. It includes five parameters. Rental Demand How often are rentals booked throughout the year? By using a combination of annual occupancy and listing growth rates, this metric shows the relative travel demand in this market. High Score = High Travel Demand Revenue Growth Did properties earn more this month than they did in the same month last year? This is calculated by looking at the change in year-over-year RevPAR for properties that received bookings in both time periods. High Score = Increasing Revenue per Property Seasonality How much does travel demand differ between peak season and low season? This is the percentage difference between the minimum and maximum monthly RevPAR in the past year. High score = Low seasonality Regulation An algorithm that looks at host and property behaviour to identify signs of regulation. High score = Low regulation Investability Is this a good city for a short-term rental investment property? Compares the cost of homes in the city to the average short-term rental income of full-time rental properties. High Score = Good Investment Opportunity d. Average Daily Rate Average daily rate (ADR) is the average booked night rate + Airbnb cleaning fee for all booked days over the previous year. e. Occupancy Rate The number of booked days divided by the total number of days available for rent in the last month. Properties with no reservation are excluded. f. Revenue The medial monthly revenue (total nightly rate + cleaning fees) generated by all home listings with at least one booked day in the previous month. g.
Hospitable: The Secret Behind The Most Successful Airbnb Hosts
What is HOSPITABLE? Hospitable is an message automation tool for Airbnb and VRBO. In a nutshell, it does all the heavy lifting for vacation rentals hosts. It integrates with your Airbnb/VRBO account and automatically sends messages to Airbnb guests on your behalf – based on the settings you choose and message templates you feed it. But this is not all…..hospitable app does a lot of other routine tasks for your vacation rental which you wouldn’t believe can be automated with such ease, precision and you can save time everyday. Get Your FREE 14-Day Trial Here is my 360-degree hospitable review and a breakdown of all its positive and negative features. Review Summary Key Facts Smart Features When Not to Use It Upcoming new features Conclusion 1. Hospitable review summary Ratings Overall 4.6/5 Reliability 5/5 Ease Of Use 4.5/5 Customer Support 4.5/5 Value For Money 5/5 2. Key facts Supported Platforms Airbnb VRBO *Booking.com (coming soon) Pricing Billing Currency: Euros (€) Free Version: ✓ Trial Period: There is a limited-time 14-day risk-FREE trial going onClick here to start your FREE trial Onboarding Fee: ✕ Volume Discounts: Yes, if you speak to customer services Price Plans:You only pay for active listings that have accommodated guests at least once in that month. 0-2 active listings: €15 3-9 active listings: €8 10-19 active listings: €7 20-46 active listings: €6 50+ active listings: €5 Access ✓ Website✓ Android App✓ IOS App✓ WebApp Support ✓ Online Webchat✓ 24 hours✕ Phone Closest Hospitable Competitors YourPorter App iGMS Social Media Profiles Facebook Twitter Linkedin Medium Instagram 3. Key features of Hospitable There is a lot to explore in this vacation rental automation software, and you can spend weeks if not months learning what it is capable of doing. With its extendable ‘custom codes‘ – possibilities are endless; it’s up to you how much time you can spend uncovering the automation opportunities. Here is a summary of its key features Guest Messaging On Auto-Pilot Respond to events Scheduled messages Respond to questions Automatic Reviews Short Codes Custom Codes Team Messaging Multilingual Calendar Sync Unified Inbox Group Listings Market Report Matrices User Management Heartbeat Stealth Mode 1. GUEST MESSAGING ON AUTO-PILOT Hospitable allows you to automate messages for each step in a vacation rental guests journey.Messages can be setup based on four basic rules: Reply to an event Schedule a message based on check-in or check-out time Reply to guest questions (this uses AI) Guest reviews (covered in next topic) 1. RESPOND TO EVENTS Under this rule, you can define messages which will be automatically sent for all nine booking events on Airbnb. New inquiry (option to auto-approve all inquiries if you want) New Pre-approval New request to book New reservation New cancellation Expired pre-approval Inquiry/booking denied New special offer New payment issue You can choose when you want the message to be sent, the three options are: ➤ PREPARE (but never sent automatically) – hospitable will prepare the message for you but you will have to send it manually. ➤ SEND – this will automatically send the message instantly when the event occurs. ➤ DELAY – in this option, you can set a timed delay (in minutes) between the event occurrence and when the message gets sent. 2. SCHEDULED MESSAGES This messages under this rule are primarily used to send check-in and check-out instructions. The four options are: 1. Before check-in2. After check-in3. Before check-out4. After checkout You can define different message which will be sent X number of days before or after the chosen event. For example, a messaging strategy can be to: Send check-in instructions 7 days before check-in Send check-in reminder message 1 day before check-in First-morning message 16 hours after check-in Check-out reminder message 16 hours before check-out Send Review reminder 8 hours after checkout 3. RESPOND TO QUESTIONS It can detect your guest’s most common questions directly from their messages, and respond with an answer that you have configured. This feature is driven by artificial intelligence and works based on the sample of queries that are fed to it for a scenario. More example sentences you can feed into the question, the stronger it becomes to detect them and answer automatically. There are a few common out of the box questions hospitable app has configured for you to use, such as guest asking about: WiFi Parking Discount Early check-in Late checkout-0ut All the above questions have a ‘strong’ detection strength, are very reliable and works nicely 95% of the times in my experience. You can also create your questions for hospitable to detect, but you will need to feed it sample questions, tons of them to make it robust and reliable to work. 2. AUTOMATIC REVIEWS Hospitable app allows you to automate guest reviews with a high degree of personalisation. REVIEW SCHEDULE: In the review configuration screen, the earliest, you can schedule a review to go out is after 24 hours of check-out. This is an intentional feature as it is not advisable to write a review for airbnb guests until after 24 hours of checkout as few things if broken may need some time to be detected like broken furniture or an appliance. BAD REVIEWS: Usually, you would not want to rush writing a negative review. It is best to send it at the last second, so as not to encourage your guests to write a review that may be negative too. …and to handle this hospitable have included the Bad review button in the reviews editor. Pressing this button after saving the review will reschedule the publication of your review 20 seconds before the review period is due to expire. – How clever is that? 3. SHORT CODES So how does hospitable personalize messages? …the answer is ‘Short codes’. Short codes are placeholders for information held by Airbnb on booking, and by using them, you can customize your message templates with your guest’s details (such as their first name) and other information about their inquiry or reservation (such as their check-in date) etc. You can see the full list of 74 short codes available for use in message templates. 4. CUSTOM CODES Custom codes
The Most Common Airbnb Complaints And How To Deal With Them!
Airbnb complaints are universal as when it comes to Airbnb, and there’s not much middle ground. People love it — or they hate it. Whether you are a traveller, a host or a neighbour, the problems are varied, and you should know the best way to deal with some of the most common Airbnb complaints. How To Deal With The Most Common Airbnb Complaints As A Neighbour Most of the people are okay with Airbnb running nearby and how they feel may depend in significant part on whether they have a neighbour who’s being an exemplary — or an irresponsible Airbnb host. A vast majority of Airbnb complaints by neighbours fall under one of the following categories: Noise Parking Shared Spaces Smoking Strangers coming and going all the time Pop up brothel When it comes to options, there are a few options neighbours can exercise. 1. Talk to the owner The very first option can be to talk to the property owner and express your concerns and see if he is willing to cooperate. Owner may be a responsible host and might be doing all the due diligence to make sure the guests don’t disturb the neighbours. Having a direct conversation with the owner can open a new feedback channel for him and take more precautions to stop disturbances happening again or may even consider closing the Airbnb altogether. 2. Report it to Airbnb If talking doesn’t help or is not an option – you can complain directly to Airbnb about a neighbour who you think is an Airbnb host. Click here to access Airbnb Complaints Tool For Neighbours You can submit Airbnb complaints without having your name disclosed to the host OR allow Airbnb to pass along your contact information so the host can follow up with you directly. What does Airbnb do when you submit an issue? You will get a confirmation email with a case number and a copy of responses. Your Airbnb complaints will be reviewed. If it matches with an active Airbnb listing, they will send a message to the host. Note: If you can provide the Airbnb listing’s web address, Airbnb will send you the followup message. If you provide them with only the street address, Airbnb will send the message to the host but won’t send you case followups. 3. Report Airbnb complaints to local authorities If you decide to start approaching local bodies to resolve issues, reaching out to people responsible for the upkeep of the building/property might help, such as: Building manager Letting agent Landlord The final option, report to the local council Police Check Airbnb Regulations in your area Some cities have laws that restrict the ability to host paying guests for short periods. These laws are often a part of a city’s zoning or administrative codes. In many cities, the host must register, get a permit, or obtain a license before they list a property on Airbnb or it may be prohibited entirely. Local councils vary significantly in how they enforce these laws. Penalties may include fines or other enforcement. The rules can be confusing, and usually, it’s tough to find out exactly what Airbnb restrictions apply in different parts of the world. Use the following button to head over to the Airbnb repository where they have put together city-wise regulations collectively in one place. Check Airbnb Regulations In Your Area Take appropriate action and report to council based on your findings about local Airbnb regulations. How To Raise Your Airbnb Complaints As A Guest In general, follow these steps in getting your Airbnb complaints resolved as a guest: 1. Act quickly: Airbnb guest refund policy states that you must file a claim within 24 hours of check-in to get a refund and they are very strict about this. Also, note the eligible travels these policy states are eligible for a refund: The host is non-committal or unresponsive The place is not safe or clean upon arrival The listing description was inaccurate Key amenities are missing 2. Contact Host Airbnb expects you to contact the host and try to resolve the matter with them first before approaching them. Giving them a chance to fix the issue but don’t wait too long if they don’t respond in a reasonable amount of time, remember, the 24 hours clock is ticking. 3. Communicate Through Airbnb Use Airbnb messaging service when you contact the host so that Airbnb can see your communication with the host. 4. Read the Listing again When you speak to Airbnb customer services, it will help if you can point them to the inaccuracy in the listing. 5. Document the Conditions Airbnb will require proof before they seriously consider your refund claim. Take a picture of that broken chair, dirty toilet, or where the stove should be and share it with Airbnb as part of your request. 6. Check Cancellation Policy of the Listing In case Airbnb and the host refuse to refund, you can cancel the remainder of your stay if the host has chosen flexible Airbnb cancellation policy. 7. Try Social Media If Airbnb has been unhelpful in helping you in the situation, contact Airbnb Twitter to get extra attention which may sometimes get them to reconsider your case.f Most Common Airbnb Complaints By Guests Lack of communication Inaccurate listing Issues with the amenities provided Place is not clean Unclear directions 1. Airbnb complaints: Lack of communication If your host does not respond to your message or has not been touch about your approaching stay, here are a few suggestions: Keep in mind that you can only contact your host directly (via email or phone) if they’ve accepted your reservation. Give them some time to respond: they may live in a different time zone. Always send a message on Airbnb unless its an emergency. Call your host from the Airbnb app.Navigation: Open Airbnb app – go to Trips – tap your trip – tap ‘Your home reservation’. There you will find an option to call your host.Note: If your trip has
Airbnb Trust And Safety Tips For Hosts – How To Keep It Safe For Guests!
Apart from cleanliness, your guest’s Safety is of prior importance as highlighted in the Airbnb Trust And Safety guidelines. Though the guest has booked your property after checking genuine ratings and reviews of previous guests, you have to maintain that reputation and do periodic checks of all emergency equipment, as well as expiry dates of all first aid medicines. As a responsible host, you need to provide: 1. Fire Safety 2. First Aid Kit 3. Safety For Children 4. Emergency Exits 5. Emergency contacts 1. Airbnb Trust And Safety – Fire Safety You need to make your property fire safe. No matter how small or big your property is, fire safety is not something to be overlooked. Make sure it is compliant with all the local regulations and make sure you have the following items in the property: Fire Alarms Carbon Monoxide Alarm Fire extinguisher(it should be serviced annually) Fire Blanket in the Kitchen I have added all my recommended list of safety equipment in the shopping list for Airbnb items, and this is a handpicked list of all things I prefer to use in my Airbnb properties. 2. Airbnb Trust And Safety – First aid kit You must provide a basic first aid kit containing: Antiseptic cream Antiseptic liquid Painkiller tablets Anti-allergen tablets Cough medicine 1 Crepe bandage 2-3 Gauze bandages of different widths Plasters of different sizes Thermometer Disposable gloves Scissors Tweezers Cleansing wipes Sticky tape Eyewash 3. Safety for children A guest may connect with queries concerning their children. Since you will know beforehand if children are also accompanying the guests, you can take some extra precautions for their safety. Keep the following hazardous items out of reach of children: Sharp objects Detergents Extension wires Electric equipment Safe sockets First aid kit Anything else in your property that is unsafe for children 4. Emergency exits As a host, it is vital to inform guests about the emergency exits on arrival. Under your Airbnb host profile, if you go to Edit listing > Amenities > Home Safety Airbnb Trust & Safety 5. Contact information in case of emergency As per Airbnb trust and safety guidelines – provide phone numbers, names and email addresses in the welcome guide and ensure that your guests have your contact details, as well as emergency numbers for nearest: Hospital Fire station Handyman Locksmith So they know where to ask for help, as well as contact Airbnb or the local authorities in case of emergencies.
Complete Airbnb Cleaning Checklist for Pristine Spaces Every Time
Irrespective of who does the cleaning, to maintain a certain standard of cleanliness, you need to have an Airbnb cleaning checklist to follow during each changeover. You can get away with everything else but not cleanliness. It is the single most crucial factor which can make or break your Airbnb business. You cleaning checking should include what needs to be wiped in each room, how the pillows should be set up, and the kitchen utensils and appliances to be cleaned. Setup Cleaning Team Cleaning Plan Linen Service Regular Airbnb Cleaning Checks Keep Cleaning Supplies Topped Up Additional points to keep in mind Optional rules to add Get your readymade downloadable cleaning checklists here 1. Setup Cleaning Team Whether you hire a professional vacation rental cleaning crew or do it yourself, cleanliness is one of the most important criteria that the Airbnb hosts are required to meet sky-high guest expectations Airbnb sets on the platform. Note: You can use Bark to find cleaners in your area easily. It also offers a great way to collaborate with cleaners if you use a few of them at the same time. 2. Airbnb Cleaning Checklist – Cleaning Plan Broadly, cleaning should include these these essential services: Airbnb cleaning checklist #1For each turnover: Change linen and make the beds Clean and put away the dishes, toaster, kettle, stove and other utensils Sweep and mop floors Vacuum carpets and rugs Clean toilets, bathtubs, and showers Take out the trash Wipe countertops, door handles, and light switches Check for damages and report low inventory Keep tabs on toiletries and supplies Along with this, you should schedule periodic Airbnb cleaning at least once every year. It’s best to keep the same cleaning team to do both regular and deep cleaning because they will already be familiar with your property and its unique requirements. Airbnb Cleaning Checklist #2Deep cleaning services can include: Wiping baseboards Cleaning under the oven and refrigerator Shampooing carpets Cleaning cabinets Cleaning closet corners Cleaning kitchen appliances Cleaning fans and light bulbs Cleaning windows and doors (includes external window washing) Sofa, carpet and other upholstery cleanings Cleaning walls Animal waste removal Mould removal Cleaning surfaces above arms reach Wash mattress protectors It is best to sign a written contract with the cleaning team, clearly stating their responsibilities. 3. Airbnb Cleaning Checklist – Linen Service During every changeover, dirty laundry has to go for washing, and a fresh one should come for the cleaners to set up. It is best if your cleaning team does laundry too, else check with a launderette nearby if they provide laundry services along with pickup and drop. The cleaning and laundry team need to work very closely. Cleaning cannot finish without fresh laundry, and dirty laundry has to go at the same time a fresh one is delivered. 4. Regular Airbnb Cleaning Checklist Whether you have contracted a cleaning company, or you do it yourself, periodic checks to look after specific aspects of cleaning in regular changeover is vital before the dust starts to accumulate in those hideous parts of your property. The most common things to go over in this stage are: Closets: Shelves Hangers Baseboards Living Room: Fan Blinds Windows Display items Bulbs or tube lights Under the sofa cushions (sometimes a pin or a tissue paper finds its way between the cushions) Electric appliances (t.v., heater, etc.) Bedroom: Fan Blinds Windows Under the beds Display items Mattress protector Bedside lamps Electric appliances(air conditioner, heater, etc.) Bathroom: Counters and shelves Faucets Wash basin Mirrors Windows Drains Toilet Bathtub Floor (sometimes hard water leaves stubborn marks) Water heater if you have Kitchen: Counters and shelves Faucets Sink Towels Mats Microwave Toaster Dishwasher Kitchen cloth Refrigerator Entryway: Shelves Table tops Baseboards Storage Displays Dining Room: Table Chairs Bar Baseboards Windows 5. Keep Cleaning Supplies Topped Up Do a regular check on supplies and don’t always rely on your cleaning team to tell you about a shortage, as you will be surprised how quickly some items get consumed. For my busiest properties, I ask my cleaners to purchase cleaning stuff they need and send me the original receipt. This keeps things simple and convenient for the cleaners and me and this is a crucial part to play along with keep Airbnb cleaning checklist. Some items I recommend you should keep a tab on at least once every two months are: Window cleaner All-purpose cleaner Foaming shower cleaner Wood cleaner Mop Mopping liquid Bucket Broom Duster Paper towels Vacuum bags Scrubbing brush Sponges Laundry basket Washing up liquid Detergent Here is my list of cleaning products for Airbnb I use in all my properties. 6. Airbnb Cleaning Checklist – Important Points Whether you are going to use a professional cleaning agency or clean it yourself, keep the following key points in mind: Do not buy substandard furnishings to avoid colour bleeds, shrinkage and pilling. They look very untidy and ragged. Purchase three sets of towels, sheets, covers etc. One is always in use, and the other one goes for washing and third stays in reserve for contingency. You do not need to clean every day. Cleaning is done at the start of each stay. If the guests want cleaning in between they should pay extra for that, and you can request additional servicing fee via ‘request money’ function in the menu. Preferably provide white bed linen and towels for two reasons: It shows the property is professionally managed. It is easier to take stains off from white fabric by bleaching it. I have always provided white, cotton fabric (thread count >400) linen. Always use right quality fabric – it will save you a lot of time and money in the long run. Always keep a printed copy of your Airbnb cleaning checklist at an accessible location so your cleaners can refer to it easily when needed. Keep cleaning supplies stocked in the property and accessible to guests when needed, but put a combination lock over the storage to prevent unauthorised use. Keep reminding your
How To Take Good Airbnb Photos Of Your Property
The very first thing a guest sees about your property is its Airbnb photos, and you don’t need to hire a photographer or equipment. A simple mobile camera can do the trick equally well if you know how to take interior photos the right way. Tips for taking awesome Airbnb photos. Composition Choose the right spot to be taken in the frame. In a photograph, the composition is of prime importance. Try to insert a corner, if possible, for a better perspective. Read the two composition rules for interior photography to learn the tricks of the trade explained in very simple terms. Orientation Use landscape format to take photographs for a more spacious and attractive display. Tidy up The pictures should make your place look clean and welcoming; therefore, keep the area clutter-free. Avoid unpleasant sights, for example, wires, dustbins, etc. A plant can be used as a prop in some corner, as well as to hide sockets, cables, etc. Show the amenities a guest will be able to use. Prepare the beds and prop the pillows properly. Close the toilet seat when it comes to the bathroom. Choose the right time There should be sufficient light, so daytime photos are preferable, as natural light gives a better look and colouring to your property. Keep the windows open. Support the natural light with other lights in the room to make it look more spacious and airy. Focus the camera away from bright lights, for example, a bulb, as it may darken the rest of the picture. Take photos of the specific planned areas within a limited period, or at a similar time on another day. This to avoid a lack of consistency in the pictures due to different colour reflections of the rooms at different times. If there is slight discolouration or flaw on your walls or elsewhere, for example, due to repainting a patch after a renovation, then use faster shutter speed in manual camera settings to allow lesser exposure. Otherwise, take a picture in the evening to cut out the starkness of the patch. Photo Resolution Photo resolution plays a crucial role in Airbnb search ranking; get the images taken in the highest possible resolution and upload them on Airbnb without resolution loss or preferably upload them directly to Airbnb from your camera or phone. Your can enhance Airbnb photos directly on the listing for minor adjustments. You don’t need to hire a professional photographer for this if you have a decent camera, or even your smartphone can do the job very nicely. You can refer the Airbnb tips for taking great photos of a property. Showcase Highlight unique features in your property, for example, a small decorative, but the functional fountain, a traditional, comfortable chair, etc. Exteriors Photographs of the exterior are equally important. No matter how beautiful the interiors of your property are, people get a sense of safety and security when they see how it looks from the outside. A shoddy building on a patchy road is not going to go well with your guests. Additionally, it will help your guest spot it on arrival. Short of Ideas? Sometimes it’s challenging to capture an area in one shot. You may want to shoot all of a room, so preferably take about 6-10 photographs of your spaces, including the: Bedroom Bathroom Kitchen (show the amenities a guest will be able to use) Exterior Common living area (only if applicable) Shared dining area (only if relevant) The view from your property (only if attractive) Get Editing help Hire a professional photo editor on Fiverr to make corrections to your Airbnb photos. I will write a separate article on the impact of photographs on search rankings; subscribe to my newsletter to know how photos impact your Airbnb search ranking.
How To Edit Airbnb Photos Directly On Your Listing
Just noticed this really cool new functionality to edit Airbnb photos directly on the listing – pretty sure it wasn’t there few weeks back. This edit option is available for each individual photo that’s uploaded on your listing and allows you to do these possible adjustments: Rotate Crop Adjust Brightness Contrast Airbnb filter (which is a predefined optimal setting by Airbnb) Edit Airbnb Photos Step 1: go to your listing under your hosting profile and choose ‘Edit’ option in the photo section. Step 2: Click on a photo which you wish to edit or enhance. Step 3: Click on the ‘Edit’ pencil at the bottom right of the photo on next screen. Step 4: At the bottom of next screen you will see the three options to edit or enhance your image. Step 5: Rotate and Crop options are pretty simple to deal with. Under ‘Adjust’ you get the other two options to adjust ‘Brightness’ and ‘Contrast’ along with the Airbnb filter option which I personally like as it adds a little warmth to the photos which I believe is a harmless thing to do. Don’t forget to press ‘Save & Replace’ in the end and that should change your existing photo with the new edited one, happy editing 🙂 I believe this is a cool way to edit Airbnb photos without the hassle of looking for the original photos and editing them on a fancy photo editing software. If the photo editing options are not sufficient for you, I recommend to hire a photo editing freelancer on Fiverr, you can easily find someone do all the alterations under 10 bucks such as this gig on fiverr is the best seller under real estate photo editing. Side note: If you are an existing host and planning to start hosting, you should always keep the ways to contact Airbnb handy. https://youtu.be/g_CBZGw2PD4
