There is a college here and others in the area, but most of the Air’s here look a little pricey for students.
However, since I’m new here and wasn’t doing it last fall, I may not have a clue.
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They are usually rented somewhere other than Airbnb, so less pricey and that’s why they are blocked on Airbnb. Just a guess. And it may be because there aren’t a lot of guests in the Fall. But sometimes we do it just to have a break. We’ve rented both of our 2-bedrooms for the Fall at a monthly rate and are only keeping our studio on Airbnb.
We did until June 1st.
rmiriam-I’m curious why no check in or checkout on Saturdays? Is it harder to get a cleaner then?
No, I do my own cleaning. It’s because I charge more on the weekends. So if someone books Wednesday-Saturday, I lose out on the higher Saturday night rate and get a little bitter.
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I’m the same, no check-in/check-out Saturday’s as we prefer full weekend stays (higher rates and popular, most folks prefer Friday+Saturday nights so don’t want to block potential bookings, and our cleaner then comes on Monday or Tuesday)
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That sounds like an Air mistake, & a possible double booking problem waiting to happen. I’d contact them, & hope you get someone that can easily fix it. Good luck with that!
And you’re unlikely to get a Sat/Sun/Mon night booking?
@mollimac It finally got blocked on my end. The public page was always blocked as far as I could tell.
This!
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We’ve moved to two days before and after stays. Mostly limits us to weekend guests only, but until all this passes, that will be our standard. We do the cleaning, run an ozone machine the first day (who knows, but it does get rid of any smells), clean the second or third. This pace has suited us better, and for the first time in 3 years we’ve implemented a cleaning fee to cover the extra work we put in. Demand is very high, can sustain a bit extra on rates, and our lives are less hectic.
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My understanding is that no documented cases exist of COVID transmission from surfaces. So, no, in answer to your question. I’m vaccinated and mask-faithful, but “sanitation theater” would seem to be a waste of time and resources.
While there aren’t any documented cases of surface transmission, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. However, it would require a very specific set of circumstances.
There’s definitely a whole lot of Covid precaution theatre out there, such as those plastic partitions in offices and store check-outs and such. If anyone working in those places is infected, all the air in the whole office is contaminated- an MIT study showed breath vapor travelled 60 ft.
I’ve always disinfected doorknobs, light switches, faucet handles, etc- all high touch surfaces, from the day I first opened and cleaned my Airbnb in 2016. No telling what people might have. Who wants to touch a doorknob someone might have touched after picking their nose or coughing in their hand?
But washing the walls or spraying the curtains with Lysol is ridiculous.
We do exactly the same things you do, @muddy.
In addition, I guess the long hiatus from the pandemic made us lazy. When we were open for several weeks this summer, we blocked a day before and a day after. We knew by then that surface-related transmission was a long shot, but we enjoyed the extra time. If we ever open again, I think we’ll continue to do that.
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Somehow I managed to decide on settings from the day I started hosting that still work for me. One day prep time, 3 day minimum, 2 week maximum, 3 day advance notice.
As I don’t depend on Airbnb as my main income, but only an adjunct, there was no way I ever wanted to have to try to turn the room around the same day. I didn’t sign up to be a host to add stress to my life 
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And that’s why licking someone else’s fresh snot off of a countertop will never really be the same again.
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Thanks everyone. Very helpful advise. it’s too late now because I’m mostly booked Sept/Oct and then my airbnb usually takes a nose dive except for an occasional booking in the winter but I’m gong to do the 3 days minimum with no Sat. check out. 1 day before and after blocked. Add higher rates for weekends and keep it to a 1 week maximum (I don’t have a sink in the kitchen) and I personally find anything longer (the airbnb is above me), the people get on my nerves. I too don’t need to do this to pay all my bills but hoping for a few exotic trips. (At least that was the plan before covid, got updated passport and global pass Feb 2020). Everyone stay safe and thanks for the advise. I missed this forum. Almost always respectful and truly good ideas.
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I’m not lazy but I am “out of shape,” for Airbnb work. Not long before the pandemic I was busy. I had one summer month of 2019 where I had 20 different bookings and I think 29 days booked.
This weekend I had three bookings, F, Sat, Sun and I felt out of sorts. It took 4 hours to get the room turned over and the washer cycles seemed to go so slow. One couple didn’t leave until 11 and I was barely finished by my check in time of 3 though the next guest said she would arrive between 6-9pm.
When I retired from teaching I was already doing Airbnb , dog boarding, teaching at the community college in summer and scoring AP exams for a week in the summer. I just kept going at that elevated pace until the pandemic. The forced slowdown was good for me. It’s nice to know that I can if I have to but otherwise…why?
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I have been back booking since last July 2020, from the pandemic, I am blocking a day before and after the Guest stay. I have made more money this year than ever. This is my 17th year. Yes, long before Air b and B. I have three places. People tell me they feel safe knowing the house is open for for a day before they check in. Its been a very good move on my part.
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I need to do this for next summer as I charge extra for Friday and Saturday nights and feel like some renters get a “deal” and checking out Saturday. I’m set for three nights minimum too.
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