Would like some feedback on new idea from fellow hosts

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Hi everyone, it’s our first post here, I discovered Airbnb a few years back when I wanted to transfer my lease and move into a new and nicer apartment, someone recommended I check this “new app” and started hosting almost right away.

After seeing the feedback I received and making improvements here and there, I was able to make a good income from it, I also realized my corporate job was not something I wanted to continue doing.

So I saved and planned and by last summer I took a 5 month vacation through Europe and Mexico with my girlfriend, with most of it being paid from my hosting profits.

But then we started staying in Airbnb’s just about everywhere we went, from London, Paris, Italy among many other places. It dawn on me that quality varied a lot!, hosting had such a low barrier of entry and anyone could do it, and was doing it, with very different levels of success.

Many of my friends back home were surprised I was able to take all this time off with what I’m sure seemed unlimited funds in their eyes (far from it) but even staying at a hostel would always end up being more expensive than Airbnb , so we never did that.

I started taking note and advising them about their listings ( many of them started renting their own places thanks to my advice and example I suppose ) and they started doing very well as well .

It all came down to most hosts and listings falling in a very mediocre place, not caring about customer or even walking in their shoes to know what it’s like to travel and arrive in a new city, going to a stranger’s apartment and wondering if it’ll be good experience or not.

Here’s my ask:

I’ve started my own management service (currently only in Montreal) as I want to make sure I can deliver great value locally before expanding anywhere.

the website is (www.uphost.ca)

I’ve designed a very simple website and been working with a few clients for a couple months now, it’s great and I love it.

But since everyone here is or would like to be a host, I would love to hear any feedback both from the presentation of the services as well as what YOU as a host would like help with, how someone like me could provide it and how it can be a win-win situation every time!

I’ve been encourage through all my research to find that even most Airbnb management services fall short since their quality control and consistency does not seem to deliver on what they promise.

I want to be proactive about preventing that, and if this is something that people want, then optimize the **** out of it, so we can all benefit. From guests, hosts and people like me.

Any feedback is appreciated! and if you prefer to do it in private you can either inbox me or email us at frontdesk@uphost.ca

Thank you!

This is not meant to be seen as advertising since for 99% of users here I am not offering my services in the area where you are located.

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Your web site looks very professional as well as the services you offer. I think your target audience would be higher-end properties that charged considerably more than the run of the mill Airbnb listing that offers a cheap price and budget but nice accommodation.

It also seems your services are for those who don’t want to have a hands-on Airbnb listing but rather have a third party manage it, which means less profit for the host; and that’s OK if the host has multiple listings or an expensive listing you can pad the cost of your service into.

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Really nice website, has a nice vibe which represents your service well. As Airbnb continues to grow I’m sure you’ll see much success. I also do the Airbnb management thing, I currently manage 2 clients Airbnb’s and vacation manage a 3rd as well as my own.

I can only offer one suggestion, what if you offered temporary / 1 time hosting services for those hosts going on vacation? I’ve provided that service once already and it’s quick and easy.

Where did you get that slick web template or did you build it yourself?

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It’s a beautiful website. I would be interested in your services just based on that alone. It is clear, clean, and easy to navigate. Well done.

Good luck to you!

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Very Interesting! We are in Ottawa so keep in touch!

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Thank you so much for the positive feedback haha I’m so glad it looks good.

I have in fact done vacation hosting services as well, one of the things we take pride on is not just increasing income for our clients but also as a former financial advisor I can guide them to use that income to do things they’ve always wanted to such as go to Cuba for an impromptu getaway, take their kids to Canada wonderland ( I’m based in Montreal so it’s about a 5-6 hour drive) and while they go there we make sure their guests are also having a great time here, while we take care of it all.

As far as the website, we use Squarespace, nothing fancy it’s just that they give you so many options (without needing to code) that results may very, much like airbnb you can truly make something aesthetically pleasing or something plain, it depends on how much effort and time you put into it, I’d recommend giving them a try!

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Will do martha! Toronto, Ottawa and Kingston are the 3 cities we’re looking to expand to by this summer. You will be hearing from us !

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Thank you, that’s exactly the look we’re going for.

And you touch on something that we aim for, which is aesthetics are far less expensive and yet enhance the experience that guests will have.

We do this not just for our website, but also in how we help hosts optimize their listings.

We aim to raise the profits by finding the type of guests they most identify with and delivering a tailor experience for them ( think an apartment with a great desk, and office supplies for a listing that receives a lot of guests who are in town for business, or a room that can comfortably accommodate 3-4 people thanks to murphy beds and creative solutions for a listing that is usually book for tourists in town for the weekend)

By targeting the type of audience who is already their best customer our hosts see an increase in revenue, and my improving overtime ( spending on upgrades and new items) from their profits, the very perception of the listing and how much a night should cost, goes up. So their guests are more than exciting to find an opening and the hosts find that their space is booked up according to the preferences with less effort month after month.

So we don’t so much aim for high-end properties, but rather we take the run of the mill listings and make them exceptional and more importantly optimized for the type of experience the hosts wants to have and the type of guests who will be their #1 fan, it’s not a one-fit solution but that’s where we excel.

Plus we didn’t even mentioned our services such as cleaning, keyless entry, laundry service for guests among many others.

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I’m not sure how you’d do that because the guests I get choose me because they’ve used Airbnb’s filters to match up their budget with a nice place. I don’t see where you’d fit in.

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We’ve found that although Airbnb guests are price savvy, when extra value is offered they may be willing to pay a couple of dollars extra.

So in this case we would either ensure that when guests who currently filter listings to a higher price point but may not chose one particular listing in the end, we examine why and we optimize it, so that it does get chosen down the road.

Also if we leave the rates at the current price to start, we will optimize things such as the pictures, amenities and the overall experience of the current guests staying there, so that their reviews will drive further traffic.

We look at the factors as to why you listing has been chosen by guests and we review what they like most, not just price but other factors as well, that’s what we mean by optimize, to hone in on what you’re doing well and making it even better!

I Hope this explains our approach a bit better.