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Greetings,
I own an AirBnB in a Beach community (2 bed 1 bath). The Town beach costs $10 per adult entry per day (kids are free). All of our booked rentals are for 1 week+. As a tax payer in town I am able to buy transferable season passes to the beach for $200. I think it would benefit my reviews if I offered the passes to my guests. I know they get annoyed to have to pay to both park and get onto the beach, even if it is just for a quick walk. I am considering the following options:
Option one: I am already booked up for the entire summer don’t do anything different than last year, don’t offer the pass. I got all positive reviews last year our first year.
Option two: Buy two of the passes and offer them for use to people at a cost of $10 per pass, which would save guests money and also recoup the cost for me over the summer.
If option two, the cost to replace a lost or stolen pass is $200. A: require that money on hold upfront? Or B: just make it clear that if lost or stolen $400 is the amount due. Any advice on how to do this through Air without any extra fees is appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your thoughts and advice.
I think you just answered your own question. If you didn’t have any guest issues over the beach passes, why add another layer of complexity to the process?
If you do buy them, simply add a Security Deposit equivalent to replacement in your listing, under pricing I think.
Yes I offer some additional amenities at very minor cost and nobody takes me up. I have an amenity basket in bathroom where I ask people for $2 to recoup cost of things like toothpaste and toothbrush kit, deodorant and such that people might forget. I’ve had people use stuff and never get paid. Not much so it’s not big deal.
As my dad said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
I don’t know what the passes look like, but it sure seems like the chances of a pass getting lost/stolen is incredibly high specifically when going to the beach. You’d practically need to meet the guest in person to exchange the passes for a cash deposit at check-in and then exchange the deposit for passes at check-out. Using Airbnb for payment would be a tedious.
I agree with others that you should just let the guests get their own passes and make it as painless as possible for them by ensuring they know in advance that daily passes are required and how much they cost, and also telling them exactly where/when they can purchase the passes.
Ouch… but my logic was that when I stay at a Marriott and want something like that, they have a little area that sells it. I pay pretty high prices for the convenience… so I think asking my cost is a good deal for guests. If they don’t like the cost they can walk down to the drug store, wait in line, and possibly save a few pennies.
I agree it is a little nickel and dime, but I’m not lux, always provide some free amenities, and need to draw the line of free stuff somewhere, while still trying to have some extras they can use if needed.
It’s been mentioned in at least one review in a positive way.
On the flipside, if your margins aren’t high enough due to your market conditions, I bet it cuts down on the guests that just take it because it’s “free.”
Yeah, but you’re not the Marriott, and we aren’t either. As far as we’re concerned, the few euros a month it costs is simply part of doing business. We buy most toiletries from a local bazaar and, while not being high end brands, so far seems to be acceptable to guests who have forgotten this or that. It’s also tax deductible.
True. But then if the few euros (or dollars or whatever) that providing this stuff costs each month has the potential to be the difference between profit and loss then it may be time for a rethink of how you operate.
Adding the beach passes could be a nice touch, and we would advocate doing that IF you were finding it difficult to attract interest and secure bookings. However, it seems that you are doing fine at the moment, and your visitors have left great feedback, so do you need the worry and potential hassle of a guest misplacing expensive passes?
You can still add some special touches - your pad is near the beach, so promote it as a summer retreat and offer a few goodies e.g. leave useful items for guest use e.g. buckets and spades for the kids to use, a windbreaker and a picnic basket etc. (just ask they are returned to their designated spot on departure so your next guests can enjoy them too).
Perhaps speak to a couple of beach vendors and nearby businesses, can you get a few discount vouchers in return for marketing their business via displaying their literature in your welcome book or promoting it by word of mouth? Guests will appreciate your efforts. Hey have a free ice cream on me, and enjoy the beach!
We are in Rhode Island USA, we have more rocky shore than beach. The beaches we have are sought out and at minimum you have to pay to park, some you pay to park and also to get on. Our town beach that I am referencing provides clean showers and changing spaces as well as lifeguards. The town income also makes our property tax the cheapest in the state. How nice it must be to live in a place with so much beach!
I hear you, the passes are plastic credit card size, most people put them on lanyards. Out of town people cannot buy their own passes, a week on the beach for them is $70 per adult.
