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Thinking of ways to create a great experience for guests, but also maybe to earn more too…
Thinking out loud but has anyone tried things like offering paid services for:
Babysitting?
Airport transfers?
Maybe homecooked food / chef?
Additional mid stay clean (for long stays)?
Don’t mind you saying if it’s a bad idea 
Best,
Philippa
Yes. I do in-home dog boarding through Rover and also on my own. I have a well suited house and my own pet-sitters insurance. I would do airport transfers if I had the opportunities but most my guests have cars and I’m usually too busy when they need rides.
Babysitting and food prep both have legal or liability issues I don’t want to deal with.
I am sure there are hosts out there that offer additional services, and it’s good to think of routes to generate extra income, but to be honest my time is worth much more than any money I could generate by offering services such as babysitting or airport transfers (plus you would need commercial car insurance)
I have thought of running supper clubs as I love to cook, but I would do this for anyone living/visiting the local area and have a focus on locally sourced food.
I rarely offer long term stays, but where I do, I include a weekly clean/changeover of linens/towels in the price.
I offer laundry service.
Not because I want to make money, but I because I do not want to my guest using my equipment.
So if they want their stuff laundered they pay me for my time.
We also offer breakfast as a paid service.
My space is dog friendly so I do offer boarding if the guests want/need to leave their dog for an extended period of time. It’s worked out well.
I use to offer hot breakfast for an up charge. It wasn’t worth the hassle.
I would be concerned about liability. God forbid you have an accident driving them to the airport or what if they have an allergic reaction to something you cooked. I think the safest would be your idea of mid stay cleaning.
If you aren’t a trained chef, or at the very least have a Food Handler’s Safety Certificate, I would suggest not trying to play chef. I am a trained, certified Personal Chef and offer prepared breakfasts as part of our regular offering – not an extra cost option. Driving folks is a huge liability issue – not mention a time-waster, IMHO. That’s what Uber/Lyft are for…
I think it depends where you live @KenH
In the UK you don’t need to be a trained chef or have a Food Handler’s Safety Certificate to provide food.
We offer airport pickup for a fee and also offer a Thai cooking class. Breakfast is standard with the booking and we will prepare a gourmet dinner on request. Chef is formally trained and the extras we offer are well received and a significant boost to our income.
The Thai cooking class sounds amazing @RumourHasIt.
Wow @RumourHasIt
Your place is absolutely stunning and the breakfasts look delicious.
Yes, but we do not make money off of them, other than being booked more often than if we did not offer them (my belief - no market research to support that). We are also in an country that is not highly regulated.
Our housekeeper is also a cook. She’ll cook a meal for the guests from their groceries, or she’ll provide the groceries and do the cooking. She’ll shop for and deliver groceries.
We have a masseuse who will come to the villa.
We have a driver service (driver and vehicle) that works with us so the guests do not need to rent a car.
We have a hairdresser who will come to the villa.
My Cadillac SUV limousine is parked in the driveway. I offer guests airport and ferry transfers and spend most of the summer taking folks on custom private tours. That’s why I only do a breads/cereals/dairy breakfast, although I have restaurant experience.
Thanks Helsi! Appreciate your comments.
We are thinking about joining “experiences” and charging for guided hiking up amongst the sandstone boulders.
But we go every day anyway for free so maybe not.
Rumour has it— you place and photography are super nice!
Many thanks Helsi. I’ll pass it on to the chef and interior decorator. (My lovely wife)
Thanks Gypsy. We tried “Experiences” but had to back out. You may not have the same problem but Airbnb forces you to take single bookings and we found we had to have at least 2 people booked to cover our costs.
What a to die for place, absolutely gorgeous! Please remove the photos that show the toilet, especially the bidet, it’s an assault on the eyes in between so many beautiful photos of a home that everyone would want to stay in.
I do not exactly agree with removing pictures of the toilet. I won’t stay in any rental with no pictures of the bathroom and I’m sure I’m not the only one. However, a different aspect of the room would be an improvement. I don’t like the picture of the toilet and urinal as if I’m laying on the floor looking at them. If I am it’s not a good vacation.