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Here’s a list of tips by other AirBnb hosts. Have a good tip? Share it with us!
Once a guest books, Airbnb does not allow you to impose any further house rules on that guest. Unless you want to spend a fortune getting your sewer line unclogged, replacing compressors in A/C units or installing a new furnace (been there, done that, and paid a lot of bills!), you need to be very specific, ditto with municipal rules about smoking or waste removal practices. Deborah Sawyer*
Fluffy robes = major points! And a universal charging dock – very thoughtful and swish. @SisiTravels
Look carefully into your insurance liability. @RemyScalza
Have printouts of guidelines, city or neighbourhood tips and emergency contacts ready for the guests when they arrive. @_TeeLee
My top three tips: keep the house clean, provide the best customer service possible and respond to all inquiries ASAP. And keep your calendar updated! @AirbnbSuperhost
Read other Airbnb posts to write a great description. And have good photos! @blackoutpete
Don’t be afraid to set limits: minimum stays, check-in times and house rules make your rental manageable and you a better host. @eleanorstacey
Having a clean bathroom and fresh clean linens would be top of my list. @lacouvee
Be clear on your guidelines (check in/out, etc.), be prepared for fantastic people and get tourist maps from hotels for guests. @49thFriday
Need a sticky or bulletin board with nearest bus stop, and train station. Or let them know in advance where they can park if they mention they are driving - knowing the cheapest parking spot always helps.
Make sure that the washroom is fully stocked, because a guest missing body wash or shampoo on day 1 sucks.
Make sure the place is hair free… do a second, third walk through and hunt down those hairs especially in front of the toilet… nothing worse than to see a pubic hair on the floor when you are doing your thing!!
Pearlshare - let’s you build collections of places that you recommend to send to your guests (restaurants, cafes, things to do). Help them ‘live like a local’.
Properly — a visual checklist app designed for hosts to convey clear instructions to cleaning professionals in between guest turnovers.
This wouldn’t be for everyone (we are a family of 5 and are sharing) but we have a large paper map of the world. We roll it out for each guests and they put a foil star on where they are from. It’s interesting to see the pleasure people have in marking their spot on the map - and it leads to discussions about countries, culture, travel.
I try to communicate that sense of community, helping, and sharing in my rules and in my ‘welcome’ document that is on one page and in a nice frame on the desk in the room. The very top of the page says “Welcome to the Mooney Family AIRBNB” and I say 'thank you for sharing our home" to help reinforce the idea that we are living together, and this is not a hotel.
I try to wrap rules and notices in a protective sugar coating. The heading for my rules is “How to Help Make the Sharing Community a Happy Place”. I start the rules with “Thank you for choosing our home” and end the rules with 'thank you for sharing our home". The first rule is “let us know if there’s anything we can do to make your stay more pleasant. We don’t guarantee satisfaction but we promise to try”. The rule that tells people to be quiet actually says “Keep your conversations private by using quiet voices” and ends with “we do all we can to avoid disturbing your rest; please let us know how we can do better”. I was raised that “The customer is king” and try to communicate that I’m here to help them (as they are helping me pay my mortgage and for improvements to the house and my kid’s ballet classes…) I try to never forget that (in this area) they have a lot to choose from among hotels, motels, and airbnbs.
