Who/ what kind of traveler profile do you attract with this set up?

1

hey guys, I used to host with just one spare room with 2 nights min and I usually get couples going on short wkd trips OR single male on business trips. it’s worked out great. just the right amount of people in the premise and not that much work. (I live there too).

I am now moving into a bigger house with 3 bedrooms and have two spare rooms that I can rent out .

here is the setup. 1 master bedroom with ensuite bathroom. 2 smaller bedrooms to share 1 bathroom. extra 0.5 bathroom on the first floor (sink, toilet, no shower/bath).

A) I live in the master br, rent out both smaller bedrooms as 1 single listing to up to 4 people or
B) I rent out the master br as 1 listing and rent out 1 of the smaller bedrooms as a separate listing while living in the other one myself and sharing the bathroom with guest.

which setup do you guys recommend? in terms of maximizing income & minimizing time/work

for set up A) what kind of travelers do you think I will take in? the last thing I want is be a part of rowdy bunch wanting to party at a house. renting out 1 room would naturally filter out those folks, but not sure if 2 would have the same effect.

2

I would rent the master with the nice unshared bedroom. I would use the other bedrooms for myself with one being an office space tv room / and the other a bed room. I would aim for premium pricing on the master and equip it and decorate it as an upscale space that is a soothing retreat. I would make sure the master had a coffee pot and little private fridge, and if appropriate perhaps a microwave , hot plate, water pot. . I would not want to share a bath in my own house. That would get tired quickly

1 Like
3

I think i tried it all within 2 years of hosting. Situation with Airbnb definitely changed over these 2 years at least in my area and i had to adjust accordingly.
You can minimize your time/work significantly ONLY if you switch to longer term guest. 90% of work will be gone.
I always thought that private bathroom fact played a big role in why people wanted my listing. I even posted a question here where only 2 people answered about their experience with renting out rooms with shared bathroom.

My house has 3 bedrooms, each has a bathroom. Mine is large in suite 400 sq.feet. I would never give up that and rent it out. In December i decided to convert a room from already finished garage and rent it out too. Now 2 people are sharing a bathroom. t works great. The only thing you will have to do is clean it at least everyother day and keep an eye on it in general. I go in there every single day and spend exactly 3 minutes and bathroom is always clean.

The price difference between private bathroom and shared is miniscule. Sometimes when its slow i even rent it for the same price but keep it a secret.
My conclusion that most people dont care as long as it kept clean. The extra toilet is even better, as the only small problem in a morning that its occupied and some really needs to use it. They all know if its the case they can always use mine.
I would avoid renting 2 rooms in your house to a bunch of people who know each other. They will have hangouts and loud conversations, not nesseseraly partying but that will be too much for you anyway. People who dont know each other are much more quieter and keep to themselves.
Lately i reduced number of people to 1 per room. Also as far as noise goes much better now, and i mostly get working people who came on business.

1 Like
4

Hi Yana, great tips! thanks for the advice. I agree that renting 2 rooms to a group of people who know each other is a bad idea (say 2 couples). I’ve had a great experience hosting last year partially because it’s always been 1-2 people, and they keep to themselves.

I might do the following - what do you guys think.

3rd floor master bedroom that comes with a terrace → furnish it with really nice, modern design and bill it as an exec type of room. (max 2 people)

2nd bedroom with 1 shared bathroom, open it to max 1 person at a lower fare. So it is more of a solo traveler, short business trip type of clientele.

Because there is also a bathroom in the living room, I don’t think there will be a conflict even in the morning. It’s more of a perception issue. And I agree with the previous poster, as long as I clean it daily, it should be probably fine.

5

I think that’s a great idea ! We miss out on a lot of bookings because we don’t offer a private bathroom. So income wise it’s a good idea to sacrifice your master to guests. For a single person on a budget, the shared bathroom is acceptable. They won’t mind sharing the bathroom with you, and I would also specifically state in your listing that it’s only shared with you. And yes, the separate half bathroom is key in assuring the setup functions.