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I started hosting in November 2021, although I have many years as a landlord and that experience has helped me immensely. I enjoy hosting very much.
I have noticed however that some hosts just sound exhausted, frustrated and sick of it all. I don’t want to be one of those!
So I’m wondering if those of you who have been hosting for years would like to share any secrets for avoiding burn out. Thank you.
If these were secret I wouldn’t be sharing. I also expect this to appear in a blog somewhere. The same people who do arbitrage also steal from this forum and post the stuff they read here on their ad laden websites. I don’t think that’s you. I’m just saying it for those scum who lurk here and steal.
That’s not necessarily related to hosting. Some people aren’t well suited to this business and some are very well suited to it. Related to your comment on another thread, some hosts think this will be easy and they just don’t know what they are doing. Occasionally we see them here, posting one problem after another and you can see from the beginning that they just aren’t in the right situation for it. The ones who are argumentative and defensive come to mind. They don’t have the personality to suit the job.
So that’s a consideration. I’m not saying great hosts can’t burn out, and I’m not saying there are no terrible guests. But avoiding guest problems by being knowledgeable, informed and proactive helps. I’ve been hosting 8 years and have probably hosted 1000 people. In summer of 2019 before the pandemic I had multiple back to back one night stays so was turning over my small suite 20+ times a month and didn’t feel burnout.
To avoid it, make your life easy and remember it’s hospitality, not hostility. Figure out what it costs you to host and charge accordingly. Don’t try to price the lowest and then complain they use too much TP. Set a minimum stay of 2 or 3 nights if your market will support that. Find your lane and stay in it. I like one night stays, I don’t spend time trying to do one nighters and also how can I attract a travel nurse.
Try to attract the guest you want with signals in your listing. I do this in my listing by doing what is sarcastically called virtue signaling now. Also being pet friendly helps get guests who will tolerate the fact that I board dogs in my home so there are no complaints about that noise.
I have a listing at my home so it’s easy to be right here to prevent and solve problems. People who manage listings remotely are the ones who always seem to be here posting problems. People who are happy hosting aren’t going to burn out.
Take short breaks before you reach a breaking point. That’s why in your other thread it was advised to skip getting a co-host for when you travel. Just close your Airbnb and relax when you travel. That said, for some people having airbnb while they are gone is something they’ve mastered. Every host is different.
Use the settings to put a day or two between bookings. Occasionally snooze or unlist so you aren’t even getting inquiries.
Best of all, I don’t depend on the income. People who have to do Airbnb get so stressed if there’s a pandemic or regulations from the govt or HOA. Taking breaks does cost money and some people just can’t afford that.
Oh my gosh I am not lurking or stealing content. My name is Karla Harby and I am the only person on the internet with that name. So if you Google it, yeah that is me, I’m officially retired except for this.
My ABB is www.airbnb.com/h/CasitadelParque
KKC your comments are extremely helpful to me.
I don’t want to be a “I’ve had it!!” host in a couple years. But I am less worried now.
Not relying on the income is ideal, as @KKC said. Since we reopened as the pandemic has eased, I’ve set my minimum stay to 3 days and leave a day between (unless someone is checking out on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday). I’ve also raised my prices. The end result is that I’m MUCH more relaxed, as I really only have guests on weekends, but am making more money than previously. YMMV, of course.
My comments are based on pre-COVID when we had more than one room in our home, were very busy, and relied on this for income. The seasonality of demand helped us. We had fewer requests in winter and they tended to be for longer stays at the beginning of the year. I find the longer ones to be less work. I used to have people cover me when I rarely went away. I no longer rent when I’m away because something always happened. When I feel myself getting burnt out either because of busy renting or conflicts with life’s other challenges, I block a few days off as soon as possible. Since I’m otherwise retired I can usually grab some weekdays. Having duplicates of things really helps because we can put off laundry, etc, Sometimes when I’m wondering if I still want to do this, I get a marvelous guest and that renews me.
Oh I know you’re real, I’ve seen your listing prior to you posting it in this thread. But material here does get taken and monetized by others.
Some excellent advice from @KKC
Here in Amsterdam we try and pretty much close down for the off season months (November and mid January to mid-March) and head away somewhere sunny.
And we also block a night between stays when feasible rather than try and deliver back to back stays.
That said, we have back to backs this month and next as April and May are super busy here (tulip season) so we have blocked out a week for a trip away in June
I recently had 5 back-to-back guests who blatantly disregarded my House Rules and created a mess. I realized that I needed a break and took one for a couple of days and then got absolutely wonderful guests for 16 nights. Now I’m blocked until my next guest who is coming for 2 1/2 weeks Monday nights to Friday morning. I’ve blocked the weekends so that she can keep things here as she’s moving to a nearby apartment. I’ve hosted her before and it will be a nice, easy guest with a lot less work for me.
I do love hosting, love making people feel welcome and comfortable. Sometimes the idiots have me coming here to vent, but the majority of my guests have been a blast.
I try to do that, too, but this winter every time I was just about to block my calendar, I got an IB for a 3, 4, or 7 night stay. And I’m greedy… so…
Welcome back, @Neil!
This sums it up perfectly. Like, if the question had to be answered on Twitter, this would do it.
I have not gotten burnt out on hosting per se, but as a home share host, I have felt once or twice in the past when I had a pretty full calendar without a break that I was just “guested out” and wanted the place to myself for a week. And this had nothing to do with the guests themselves- I’ve never experienced difficult guests who stress me out.
But between the fact that I have always left a day between bookings, (which doesn’t really feel like a break, since I’m cleaning and doing laundry, but it’s a break from other people), that I almost never get guests during the hot humid summer here, and that I go to Canada in the summer for about 6 weeks, I’ve never really experienced an “OMG, I’m so stressed out- I need a break”.
Great replies from everyone. I follow the golden rule and apply it to hosting. Also a successful host is usually a people person. I’m blessed to be in a part of the US in California that doesn’t attract any
any problem guests or scammers. JMHO
For me, it was renting for a min. of 5 nights instead of two or three nighters. It really made a big difference. I will never go back to 2 or 3 nights.
Ritz3 that is something I have thought about. How has a minimum booking of 5 nights, instead of 2 or 3, affected your income?
I haven’t been hosting for years but in my short time hosting I definitely felt burned out during the holiday season.
I have reduced my workload by raising rates. I get fewer guests but at a higher profit margin. I’m taking a break in the summer to a nice Marriott hotel.
I’m actually making more now with 5 nights because when it was 2 or 3 nights folks would book just for the weekend.
I’m also getting nicer guests, mostly families. Whereas before it was young adults in their 20s making a huge mess partying and disturbing the neighbors. Like my daughter said, they were squeezing in all the fun in two days.
Try it and see if it works for you. You can always change it back.
It also makes difference what kind of rental you have. Lots of families spend a week at in a beach home. Would lots of couples spend 5 days in Santa Fe? I don’t know.
I couldn’t have a 5 day minimum because I don’t live in a tourist town.
Your place is amazing! I visited Sante Fe many years ago and stayed at the Loretto Hotel. Next time I go to Sante Fe, I’m booking your place.
Your place looks lovely. I am saving your listing for next time I visit Santa Fe!
Yes, @KKC said it best, as she so often does! As for me, I have a homeshare, also, & feel that we are a different kind of host. Agreed, it seems the remote hosts seem to have many more problems than homeshare hosts, & that could speak to why we are in this business.
I spent 20+ years in hospitality, & truly enjoy it. As things have been challenging these past couple of years, I find myself looking forward to guests coming, not worrying about bad reviews, but wondering what I can do to make their stay in the area more enjoyable.
Relax, & enjoy the ride! Find the good in your guests, & try to look away from the few PITAs you may encounter. I have found they are few & far between. Make it fun!
