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!
Hi all! I started renting my basement apartment in December as a private room because we share some common areas. So far I’ve mostly hosted couples or friends traveling as pairs. My first guests were not a good fit, but I learned a lot, and have had great guests after, and have been earning five star reviews. I’m attracting the kind of guests I want (backpackers and road-trippers looking for a step up from a hostel who are pleasantly surprised how comfortable and cozy my place is). I have seven bookings over the next two months, and they’re also all pairs. I charge can extra $15 per guest after two guests, so I like hosting larger groups. (I know some advise against charging more per guest because it encourages scammers, but we share some common spaces, I would know if they were trying to sneak extra people in.)
I am surprised I haven’t attracted more big parties because I’m one of the few places near the city center that sleeps four for under $100 a night (my off-season price).
I am not that kid-friendly, so perhaps I am ruling out families with young children, who are probably the most likely groups to be traveling with three or four guests.
Do you get many groups of four? How about groups of five?
I am renting out a 2 bedroom apt, only started in November. Since then I’ve had 3 groups of 4 friends, a group of 2 couples, family with a kid and grandma and a few groups of 3 friends. 4 people is my max so no groups of 5 and no charge for extra people. I did give one of the groups of 4 an air mattress because they are all boys and they thought it was icky to share a bed
I started hosting in June. I think the larger parties come in the summer, when more people can travel. This winter, in general, it’s smaller groups.
But it’s very mixed.
And I DO charge more for more people. More people = more wear and tear, more utilities, more towels and other laundry, and I serve breakfast, so, more food. Groups of three get 1 bedroom to share with a queen and a twin. Larger groups get a second bedroom, so that’s more work and expense.
This is also in my home, with my family, and the larger the group the more noise, commotion, etc. So I charge one fee for the one bedroom, then $15 per person after that - so a group of 5 gets the second bedroom for only $30 more per night. That’s just about $100 for a two bedroom one bath space in my room (separate level) with a little kitchen area. I think that’s a nice price -
If you have just the one room 4 or 5 may be a stretch.
Also how many beds?
If comparing yourself with other hosts in the area, don’t just look at the $ amount. Look at the amount of rooms and / or beds being offered by the competition!
My basement apartment is pretty spacious (bedroom, living room, and bathroom), so four guests is cozy but not uncomfortable, especially if you are just sleeping there and not staying in all day to lay around. I recently had a group of five ask to stay with me, and I declined them because I only have beds for four guests (as my listing says), but it hurt my search rating to decline them and now I’ve got from getting daily requests to getting 1-2 requests a week. Afterwards I looked into it more and noticed there were very few places that sleep five in my city for under $200 a night, so I started wondering if I would be having more bookings at a higher nightly rate if I slept five. I have a little nook I could put a futon or that little Ikea sleeper-love-seat that they sell for $175. But that is all the more wear and tear and people fighting for their time in the one guest bathroom, though!
I’m with you about charging more for more guests, DC. I have read on blogs that you should charge the same amount for 2 guests as you do 4 so your guests don’t feel like they need to sneak more people in to save money, but since we both are renting floors of the homes we live in, there won’t be much sneaking happening. I think I’d lose out on bookings too, since I would be priced to attract groups of four rather than couples, and as I’ve there don’t seem to be many groups of four traveling to my city this time of year. I also am doing a lot more laundry and cleaning after the bigger group so I appreciate the extra money!
I have a one bedroom apartment with a double bed. In the living room I have a sleeping coach that fit two people.
I do however prefer to host two people maximum (a couple) because of the extra cleaning and mess a larger group gives me.
It also uses more electricity due to showers, washing bed linen, towles etc.
So I charge more for groups more than two people. Quite a bit more, so I host mostly couples. But if a larger groupl is willing to pay that much more, I let them stay.
One explanation i have that its quite hard for people to organize a trip with many people involved. If you do not accept kids then the chances for 4 adults are not that big. Couple travelers or friends in a group of 2 or solo is much more frequent than 4 or 5. I travel quite a bit, and i dont see these many groups of people travelling together. 95% is couples. Also, when there are 2 different couples they most likely would want 2 separate bedrooms, not the living room, bedroom situation. I think your best bet are young people, 4-5 friends, but if they are just friends opsite sex, then you need separate beds.
Look, I don’t think declining guests hurts your status with Airbnb. On the contrary, they appreciate it if you give travellers the ability to make a booking quickly. Declining them means–esp. quickly–means you aren’t wasting their time.
That is very logical! However, AirBnB warns you if you decline most requests it will hurt your ranking. I somehow made it to the front of my city’s private room listings for about a week in January, and was getting inquiries everyday, and declining about 1/3 because they were inappropriate. I declined two in a row, and sank in my search ranking that day. It could be a coincidence but I thought maybe I was being penalized.
Is your place in Highgate Hill, London? If so, I am SO jealous. Used to live in Archway and would come up every day just to pretend I lived there. Best part of London if you ask me!
