Elora is a bespoke town perfectly suited to weekends for the GTA Gentry.
I would load it up with antiques and charge a fortune.
3 Likes
I would not offer child gates. There’s a whole can of worms you open by providing safety equipment. If it fails for some reason your butt is on the line.
As a new host you get a temporary boost in search results. It’s best to fill this time with short stays so you can get your review count up. You might consider trying 1-nights for this reason, but only if it also makes financial sense. Reviews earned during this time will sustain you once the newbie bump goes away. For this reason it’s smart to also set a max stay of less than a week.
Many hosts have a two-night minimum. I don’t find the payout for one night to be worth the time cleaning. You can keep your minimum at 2 and then create rules for upcoming weekends to allow 1-nights if they haven’t sold.
2 Likes
I have found AirBnb’s pricing algorithm to be WAY off. I am pretty sure it does not take into account how many rooms the home has when it is a whole house. It definitely does not take into account amenities, specific location ( like if a home is one block from the ocean instead of 6), and or good reviews. I do know but it might not make the distinction of whether or not it is a single room or a whole house.
My theory is that when it is a single room, guests are more likely to write 5 star reviews. They see you in your own home and can have familiar feelings as a result. When you wish them a “good morning” and are around, visible and present, they are prone to “sympathize” with the host and therefore write a good review. You have this going for you.
I think it is easier for guests that do not see the host on a daily basis to be pragmatic and write a review that is harsher because they perceive a more hotel type interaction. There might be a little bit of animosity that the host can afford one than one home, making it possible to rent out a whole home. Especially in expensive areas that are significantly more expensive than where they are coming from. It is easier to think that the host is a “greedy landlord” and is just raking in money. If you do your job well with a whole home res. the guest will not see you.
I recently asked a similar question on this forum and did not really get a straight answer in regards to why AirBnb’s algorithm is so off. Doesn’t AirBnb get more money when the host gets more money and therefore would encourage hosts charging as much as the market can bear? Apparently not.
My husband is a programmer for Google ( a fact I keep secret most of the time because of animosity from people thinking we are"rich techies") and he has told me it would be possible for the algorithm to work better but the company probably does not want to allocate resources in that direction.
The resources and emphasis is on just getting a booking. Any booking.
I have had read the very good advice of thinking of AirBnb as an advertising site and not rely on their “host guarantee.” I have the impression that AirBnb thinks of the host as a somewhat captive audience. They know they are the biggest hospitality business in the world and that one will get far more res. using their service over other competitors.
I have had guests damage or straight up destroy my property and when requesting the “host guarantee” had AirBnb make excuses for the guest and not back me up and or pay for the damage.
In one incident I had, a guest (who had no reviews, so they were not a “valuable” customer) cause about $1400 worth of damage. When I put in a request for the protection/guarantee to pay for the damage, AirBnb offered $81. To add insult to injury the guest wrote a scathing one star review that revealed, without a doubt, that he lied to both me and Airbnb. He stated and paid for 2 children and 4 adults but in his bad review, stated he had at least 3 children. When I asked that the review be stricken, AirBnb would not do it even when I pointed out he LIED several times and in several ways.
So, AirBnb will stand up for a guest with no other reviews rather than a host that not only has more than 3 dozen glowing reviews and has done 10s of 1000s of dollars worth of business in ONE YEAR! I ended up having to pay to repair my property. I never received the offered $81.
In another incident, I had a guest with an untrained dog that caused damage I was not reimbursed for. Guest lied and claimed the dog was trained and that she would have the dog walked at least every other day because she was a night nurse gone at least 12-14 hours a day. The dog was bored and neglected so it chewed up pillows on my new lazy boy sleeper sofa.
When my housekeeper sent a pic of the damage and I called AirBnb to open a conflict case, guest COMPLAINED that I violated her privacy when cleaner took a pic of “her” space. AirBnb backed her up!! When I asked for her to leave, they gave her back ALL of her money for the days not used. Even the day she moved out. It would be next to impossible for me to repair the damage and clean the place for a future guest IF, and I mean IF, I was lucky enough to find another guest with such little notice.
I now have a clause in my house rules that when we allow pets, they are not to be confined to a particular space (unless that space is a kennel carrier) for more than 2 hours of time because people will turn a section of your home into a kennel if they want to. A makeshift kennel can cause a great deal of damage. Not to mention that AirBnb cited that I did not specifically forbid this.
I argued that I do not have in the house rules they are not to start a meth lab or beauty parlor either. Does that mean I need to list every conceivable way a guest could utilize a property?
Before others on this site comment on how I must be a bad host to have these terrible stories, I would like to point out that these are the 2 of 4 bad experiences I have had in over 100 reservations. I usually run a 95% occupancy rate with a 4-7 day minimum and have an overall rating of 4.7%. My average res is at least one month. It is much harder to please long term guests because they have a lot of time to think about every little detail. I have found that shorter term guests are on the move and have lower expectations.
I HIGHLY recommend a commercial insurance policy. When I asked our agent, he told me that a landlord policy or homeowners would not cover losses if they were caused by business activity.
Your home looks gorgeous and you seem to be off to a good start. It would be nice if that can continue. Learning from others like myself’s mistakes. Others have commented on the childproofing issues are probably right. Stairs can be super dangerous. Accidents happen in milliseconds and a hurt child would be a devasting thing to happen let alone what it would do to your business should it happen.
The child issue is similar to allowing pets. The bad parents in both scenarios are REALLY bad and expose everyone to a myriad of danger and losses. Are the few bad players enough to justify not accepting? I think not. But it is a guest by guest, host by host type thing. I have small kids and a 6’7" hubby, so I would find the 2 beds great. In hotels, my hubby and I usually sleep in separate beds with one child. People traveling with kids are usually relieved to know their kids are welcome. Not everyone likes dogs and or kids.
Would it be possible for you to have them sign a waiver of responsibility where parents acknowledge that your home has typical dangers to very young kids and that will not hold you responsible (G*d forbid) something bad happens? It probably would not hold water in court but at least it reminds the parents that the home has stairs and that they need to watch their kids.
Read other posts about troublesome guests to know what to watch out from and also what are attributes that matter to guests that might not occur to you as a host.
I have a snack basket that is stocked with snacks and or stock the fridge with a bottle of wine, sodas, etc. I find the little things that are giveaways make guests feel like they are getting a good deal and are appreciated. I never gave a discount for the first few guests and do not feel that it makes that big of a difference. I have found that when you are priced low, you attract cheap people that knick pit to get more and more without having to pay for it. It is a slow time of the year business wise. By summer, you will be raking in the big bucks and have many res. requests to chose from.
Go you!! You are off to a great start. I have found by having a friend that does short term rentals, you can bounce ideas off each other. Because you both will know more of the fine details, it is better advice than a forum like this. I read that some were saying that a pic of the bathroom is an absolute necessity? Hotels RARELY have pics of bathrooms.
They say “the death is in the details.” It is hard to open up your home to strangers and this is work. It is nice to have someone that can give you a pep talk when you need it as well as encourage you to not accept less or someone that looks like a potential problem just because you are having a slow week or bills that suddenly pile up. People say business is business and to not take it personally. While I understand that take, business is personal, especially in this business. Who wants to LIVE with someone they do not want to? Feel taken advantage of? Lied to?
Who wants to read less than 5 stars across the board? Especially when you have gone through a bunch of time and effort to make them happy. Just like there are teachers that never give A+s, there are guests that would never give 5 stars across the board. Not to mention what one person thinks is a big room with a nice fluffy bed another think is a small nook with a bed that hurts their back. This, of course, does not take into account personal taste. I once had a guest complain my home was “old.” It was a home of historical value in San Francisco and built in the 1930s. The man came from a country that either has thousands of years old building or Mod-ern, cold contemporary buildings. It wasn’t his personal aesthetic and he dinged me on it despite my listing when the home was built and having accurate pics.
Sorry if I rambled. I am ADD and sometimes can go on and on. I just want to share my bad experiences in the hope that you can sidestep them because you knew what to watch out for.
4 Likes
Thanks Allison…i think I will give the one night min a shot to start…hopefully that will get me some ratings 
I personally didn’t want to allow children at all but my granddaughter is 3 and they can never find an airbnb to rent so I thought I would test it out. I may need to rethink this as I don’t want to install baby gates and yes at the top of my stairs is a dangerous spot for young kids.
Thank you for your input
It is a beautiful place and I’m hoping to attract the gentry 
I’ve just removed a load of antiques and all my favourite pieces and objects stating “these are MINE”…My husband laughs and says yes they’re all yours still but we can share…I’m not sure about that yet 
1 Like
Wow…thank you for taking the time to write such a long response and all the info…my house is divided so the entire right side of the house is theirs. Not sure how cozy they will be with us…we both enter off the same porch and they have a locked door to the right and we have a lockable door to the left…they’ll be cooking in their own kitchen etc…i guess it will take some time to figure out how much people actually want to interact vs be left alone…and how much we want to as well 
The kids are a debate for us…yes or no? Figure we will open up the possibilities if we allow them but like you said there are bad pet owners and people who let their kids run wild.
We do know a few people in town who have been hosts for a while so hopefully they’ll be helpful given we’re in competition and my sister in law also has an airbnb in Nova Scotia so I pick her brain as well.
We’ve turned to airbnb after a long term tenant did about $15,000 or more In damages and paid nothing! so we’re hoping to get income but have a bit more control this way
Walk into Langdon Hall and take notes.
It’s all in the positioning. Moving from Nordstrom to Holt’s isn’t really a stretch for you. And the more features and higher price you offer, the better the guest tends to be.
Not all of these “features” are expensive. I bought a perfectly good Keurig for $1 at an auction. A Paderno pan, normally $155, for $9 at the Sally Ann
I see a new Plus listing on the horizon!
But down here in Wal Mart, Hamilton, like many listings, if I list at $35, the price recommendation will be $29. Having done that, if I go to $39, the recommendation is $35.
It is there to annoy you.
Pricing is everything in a place like yours. So think about the kind of clients you want and how they compare.
2 Likes
Ah thank you! I’m so nervous about this so it’s lovely to get compliments from other hosts. I will certainly give it a try…and I have been trying to get things second hand to save some money…until it starts to flow 
1 Like
I have complete faith in you. If you were IPO I would buy shares.
Favorites: the Restores in Toronto and Appleby line
Salvation Army’s in better areas
Corneils Auction Barn in Little Britain. Be anazed.
1 Like
Awesome…thank you again 
Every guest is very different. Some want to be left alone while others want to be part of tre family and hang out! 