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!
I listened to a radio show years ago which was about stay-at-home dads. They interviewed a bunch of these “house-husbands”.
One guy said that because his wife had a good job but had only been part-time, and was in line for a promotion if she went full-time for the next year, and that would increase her earnings substantially, they decided it was financially best for them for her to work full time and him to take a year off from his architect job, and look after the kids, take care of the house, etc.
He said that in the beginning, when he would be at a party, and someone would ask what he did, his answer was, “I’m an architect with XX firm, but I’m taking a year off so my wife can get ahead in her job,” and then proceed to talk about his architecture work.
But after a few weeks of doing everything his wife had been doing while he worked full time, he said it was the hardest job he’d ever done- he’d had no idea. And was ashamed of himself for having answered, “I’m an architect” instead of “I’m the full-time childcare, housekeeper, shopper and cook around our place, and I can assure you, it’s the most exhausting and least acknowledged work I’ve ever done.”
I get the “but they’ll sleep on the floor in our room” to which I reply “how will you stop them going into the kids bedroom and where do you plan to get mattresses for them to sleep on?” The last of which reply is invariably “do you have some we could use?”
At the time I didn’t have an entrance camera (I’ve learned) The rental I changed to LTR only, I realized how many extra stayed when I found mattresses on the floor & it looked like some slept directly on the box springs.
I wasn’t trying to get to a target. I kept pushing the high-season rate up until we stop getting booked (which hasn’t happened yet, so I bumped it up again for next year). Then I tried increasing the low-season rate and found out bookings quickly dried up, so I dropped those prices back. The result is Christmas and New Year’s weeks are about 3-1/2 times the lowest of the low. I’m not afraid to move rates up and down frequently, and have a spreadsheet of the rates and open dates for my main competitors to see if there’s an opportunity to change rates.
I hear you. When you’ve done so much to make it sparkling clean, to boot.
My one expensive nightly rate was last New Years weekend. I had left them a basket with a small bottle of champagne, chocolate and other treats. Her review was nasty. She claimed the pool was not salt water and her hair went green (wanna see the salt cell in the shed?) amongst other complaints.
My other guests since have more than made up for me feeling somewhat chastened, including gifts being bought for me to thank me for being a great host. That was humbling!
It’s so sweet when guests do that. The first time a guest arrived with a “hostess gift” I was so surprised- I never expected such a thing, but many guests have done so. One guest insisted on taking me out to dinner his first night. And guests who are seasoned travelers have asked me sometimes if there’s anything small and light I need from up north that I can’t get here, and then refuse to let me pay them for it. I once said “Yes! A couple of Mr. Clean magic erasers.” She brought two boxes full.
When another guest asked, I said “A Nanaimo bar”. This is a quintessentially Canadian dessert, sort of like a brownie, but with layers of ground nuts, cream and chocolate. And the guest was from the city of Nanaimo. Then I told her I was just kidding- that they sometimes confiscate food at the airport Customs, so it’s best not to bring any.
But she went out of her way to find and bring a bar of handmade soap that looked just like a Nanaimo bar and smelled like chocolate.
Wow! You really have been spoilt. You must go above and beyond for your guests! I messaged the couple to say they had left the caramels behind, thinking I should post them (there was no note ). I know what a Nanaimo bar is. I discovered it via a Canadian podcast.
It is interesting. Since I put my prices up by about 15-20 dollars per night, my ratings have improved a lot.
I block out mid week a fair bit as I am still working full time, so bookings are mostly weekends with a bit of overlap.
I’m in a similar seasonal market. I agree with you that keeping rates high in the low season means no bookings. So I’m purposely keeping rates low in the off-season to collect a lot of reviews. The guests who book Christmas don’t know that the rates were 4x lower when the review was collected using no cleaning fees.
Energy costs! Definitely. To keep guests comfortable in winter when we are running on diesel generator for electricity and running the well, doing laundry. Burning propane for heat, water heating and cooking - it is a lot. Not to mention that after a certain number of hours a generator needs to be torn down and serviced. We live frugally, wear layers, and sleep under a pile of quilts but that is not what guests are paying for. In summer we can rely on solar for all that, with generator backup. Solar will run their air conditioner. The cheap and simple off grid country life is a total fiction!
We’re on a semi self sufficient homestead. It isn’t cheap running a homestead with live animals that we raise for food. It’s rough when we’re stuck with the utility service that drains every dime. We bundle up in the winter but we have to have the guest side of the house warmer. It was worth it to spend extra $ on a wifi controlled thermostat. We advertise winter indoor temps to be 68-70 so they won’t crank it up to 80 and summer we advertise 75-78 for AC. So far no problem. In summer we have a small fan they can use if the AC isn’t cool enough but they rarely use it because they say their room is comfortable. I’m sure we’ll get the massive complainer at some point
Love your input. I can totally relate. We bundle up in winter, and provide whatever heat the guests require, which they are in total control of. We have terrific ocean breeze cross ventilation from screened windows, and are amused when folks use A/C instead of fresh air. Our A/C is a mini-split which they control. I’m doing 5 loads of laundry between guests, in a serious drought. Interesting, isn’t it!
I know what a Nanaimo bar is. I discovered it via a Canadian podcast.