This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
I have a four-bedroom, two-bath 2000 sq frt space I rent to large groups of up to 16 guests. I have six Aerobeds to handle the additional sleeping accommodations. I stay in the lower level which includes a king bed (not a legal bedroom) and a third full bath. I am considering making the lower level available, advertising for groups of up to 18 guests and vacating the premises. My question is “would a third bath and/or king bed) make the accommodations significantly more desirable resulting in increased bookings at a higher (yet to be determined) nightly rate and cleaning fee”?
Check the nightly rate for listings in your area that support up to 18 guests with 3 bathrooms and see if the nightly rate is significantly higher than your current rate. I know that I personally would value an extra bathroom with that many guests.
FYI, my listing is 2160 sqft, 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. I started with a maximum of 10 and reduced it to 8 because my goal is for guests to be comfortable. I’m just not looking for groups trying to pack tons of people in one place to get the lowest $/guest. My occupancy rate didn’t change after reducing the maximum number of guests and my average group size remained at 6.
Why would you think it’s okay to let out a bedroom which isn’t a ‘legal’ one to Airbnb guests? @gbeckler
It feels like you are trying to pack in the most amount of people to maximise income rather than thinking about what would be a comfortable experience for your guests. 8 people using each bathroom feels like a lot.
Do you have seating for 16 guests at your dining table and living space? Do you have crockery etc for 16?
In your place my biggest concern apart from letting an illegally converted (I presume) bedroom on Airbnb, is that a budget property for up to 18 (without you on the premises) would attract a certain demographic who would not respect my home and would be more likely to use it to party.
With so many guests, it’s a party! Aren’t you afraid of guests destroying your house. I can host upto 8 guests in my rental property and I have actually been thinking of removing a bed to downsize to 6 guests.
Our rentals only have a max of two people and in past businesses I’ve hosted no more than five people at the time, so I’ve no experience of hosting huge groups. But this sounds like a nightmare.
I can’t imagine eighteen people (with, as @Helsi says) only a couple of bathrooms. Are you in a country or area where this is a normal thing?
And you know the answer to your question yourself or you wouldn’t have mentioned the fact that the bedroom isn’t legal.
If you’re thinking that you’ll make extra money, I wouldn’t think that adding one bedroom will make a lot of difference, especially considering the fact that you need to pay for wherever you’ll live, the wear and tear on your house and the added cost of paying someone to co-host for you. And don’t even think of renting a whole house to such a large group without paying good money for someone to keep the whole thing under control.
I’m a bit surprised that your insurance company gives you STR insurance for so many people as it is - will they insure you if you increase the max number? Does your local authority allow STR for even 16 people in a 4 bedroom, 2000 sq. ft. space? Our main rental is 490 sq. ft. and that’s small for two people but at least it’s 245 sq. ft. per person. With 16 people in 2000 sq. ft. each person only has about 125 which seems like a crush.
Our two person apartment is 538 sq ft, which is perfect size for two persons and our four person (sofa bed for two) apartment is 592 sq ft. Personally, I feel that when we have a four its a bit tight, and while still leaving 5* reviews, a couple of guests have commented on that. It only has one bathroom but does have a small WC adjacent to the living room where the sofa bed is.
That said, if it works for you, and your target guest demographic, then great. But it does all sound a bit cramped and have a serious shortage of bathrooms.
Good god, you are out of your mind. The accommodations don’t sound desirable to me at all, under either circumstance.
You adding more people to allow up to 18 guests to take over your rather-small-for-18-people-house and then you vacating it sounds like a recipe for trouble. Right now it might be going okay because you are there to monitor. And I don’t think you would get a significantly higher rate because people aren’t going to pay more for less. You could simply have an increased per person fee.
As for the illegal bedroom, I’ve seen lots of Airbnbs with illegal bedrooms but you are adding a new level of risk onto an already risky situation. I’m guessing that you don’t have your own insurance for this setup now. You probably think Airbnb’s insurance is reliable. It’s not.
I hope for your sake and the sake of any future guests you give up on this terrible idea. The only thing that could improve this situation is making your bathroom available to guests so that a max of 16 people are sharing 3 bathrooms.
Thanks everyone for your input. I do not allow parties or events on the premises. I see now that it would be a bad idea to vacate the premises as this would be conducive to parties and I would lose control over management of the rental.
I have a third bath 5 bedroom 2200 sq/ft home. The answer is no. People just want the cheapest rental most of the time. There will be a few families who want and need the extra rooms and bathrooms but most of them are just going to look for the cheapest place and won’t pay extra for yours. Its very unusual to get groups that large all staying in one house where I am. Usually if there’s that many people who can all take the time off to travel to one area for an event, they split up and get rooms at different places. Even families don’t want to be around each other that much. You would probably do better with 3-4 individual listings or if possible, put up a wall/door to make the basement an actual private whole place rental. You wouldn’t ever do that for a long term rental because you only have one electric panel, one meter and probably only one washer/dryer hookup but you don’t need all that for short term rental. People do it all the time and its perfectly legal. You don’t have to zone for a duplex if you’re doing STR.
