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A couple of years ago I started running two family units on Airbnb. Things worked out well and I started running other units from other family members and friends who eventually became clients. What started as a hobby on the side has turned into a 31-unit vacation rental agency and growing quite fast.
That being said I would like to know your opinion on my Airbnb profile name. So far I have had my first as a profile name, which is great because it gives the image of a genuine host. However I want to get my company name(Hermosa Beach) out there, but I am afraid most guest would avoid agencies and rather stay at a single unit host properties. What do you guys think? THANK YOU SOOO MUCH IN ADVANCE.
I’m glad your fledgling business grew. As a host who runs her own listings, I would be disappointed if I discovered the person presenting themselves as the individual host was really a 31 unit agency.
I understand your concern about people preferring to book from the host/owner. I will bet some of your reviews already have outed you and mention you are not the owner/host.
Be upfront about who you are and the business you have. Misleading people never turns out well in the long run.
I certainly prefer to avoid hosts with more than a handful of listings. I don’t think it makes much difference whether you list with a first name or business name, though - it’s pretty easy to see all the host’s properties when you read the listing.
One piece of advice I would give you is to pay close attention to your automated messaging (which I am assuming you are using with such a large number of rentals). Be sure you are responding to your guests’ questions and comments, and not simply sending out impersonal messages.
I try not to stay with hosts with multiple properties. As CeeBee pointed out it’s easy to see how many listings a host has. And when I see a “host” with more than 2 I usually click away. Sometimes I do end up coming back because their properties keep showing up in my search. If there aren’t other options then I would consider a property that is hosted by a business. However I’m certain that the vast majority of guests don’t care and don’t investigate. Especially if they are booking on the app they just look at price, a few pictures and if you are lucky they will read the entire listing description and rules. Then if they have a problem they will complain that you run a bunch of units. Be honest, it won’t hurt your business.
I’m like @KKC and others. I avoid staying with multi-listing “hosts who aren’t hosts” unless absolutely necessary.
Stayed overnight with one in Dublin back in May. Never saw or spoke to the “host” but the listing was exactly where it needed to be to catch a flight out the next morning.
If I don’t meet you/talk to you, IMHO you aren’t a Host, you’re one step short of being a robot.
Interesting view point…myself and my partners have 12 listings (11 single private rooms) and 1 whole home rental (2 duplexes & 1 private home). We divide and concur, I handle the 1 duplex and whole home, they handle the other duplex in a different part of town. We are all listed on each account so each one of us has access and is available for our guests needs. These are independent stays so we do not do a typical meet/greet but you can find in coming/going or handling the laundry so we usually meet the majority of our guests at some point unless they are just a stop & drop (1 night stays). Yes it takes a lot of coordination, planning and covering each other if necessary but we strive to still give the personal touch. You can call the number and we will answer no matter time of day etc. and we will 99 pct of the time know what is going on with the other properties.
