anyway hopefully one day my 2 other flats will be finished…may have retired by then…oh Russian workers how we love you )…deep breath…these are bigger flats - 3 bed rooms - 130m2 and 110m2…just to get one over the competition - would people be tempted if (1) it included airport pick-up or train pick-up?..(2) a lady came to cook Russian food for you 1 evening or lunch - if you stayed for 4 nights? …for me it doesn’t increase costs…so…your coming to St Petersburg…lots of competition…would you care about those two?..or is it a bit too crazy?
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I like these ideas.
I wouldn’t do the airport/train pick up yourself as you would need commercial insurance but the fact you can organise it is useful for people who don’t speak the local language.
Lovely the idea of woman (or man) coming to cook me and my guests an authentic regional meal.
They would definitely appeal to me.
I’d definitely like an airport / train pick up. The only question would be, how do you mention in on your listing so that people see it (I doubt people read all the listing description); but yes, IMO definitely a good idea! I would not necessarily book a place over another for someone to come cooking for me, but I’d enjoy recommendations of local cooking classes.
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The airport pickup would be a big plus.
Would rather go to restaurants than trying to coordinate cooking times with a random lady, no matter how good a good she might be.
We were actually planning a trip to St. Petersburg this coming March for our 20th wedding anniversary, but decided to go to Tbilisi instead.
The visa for Russia is a bit complicated. One thing which would make a St. Petersburg Airbnb appealing is if the host was able to provide the necessary document for the visa.
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These ideas are definitely not crazy! By offering extra free perks like this, you can boost your bookings (especially during the slow season) or alternatively offer it as an extra paid service to make more money. Good luck!
In the States, both these things would have too many legal ramifications for me to consider as a host I’m afraid. (As a guest I’d love the airport pickup though).
People here dash off to the courts to sue at the drop of a hat so a minor fender-bender or a case of food poisoning would be too much to risk. These are my attorney’s words of wisdom, not mine, but sensible I think.
I understand fully about trying to have an edge over the competition (I sometimes think I’m in one of the most competitive STR locations in the world!) but anything that can cause a legal liability is something I’ll leave to the others - they can deal with it, not me.
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I wouldn’t obviously suggest you do these for free @Stpetersburg . Offer it as a paid for extra.
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We are in the Caribbean in a rural area with a difficult drive from the airport. We used to include free transportation from the airport to the villa upon arrival. No one seemed to even notice that it was included! I stopped offering it about a year ago, and we are more booked than ever before.
Sometimes, though, I offer it as a way to convince someone to book if they inquire and their dates really work well for us - or as a last-minute “discount” instead of lowering the price.
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Airport pickup is a nuisance, but drop offs can be planned and it’s a nice incentive to be good boys 
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