How do you prepare for Summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

[Quincy]

The summer months are often the busiest for Hosts situated in the Northern Hemisphere. With more guests booking trips during their summer vacations, it's essential that Hosts are well-prepared to provide a great experience for their guests ☀️

Before this important season, many Hosts might be preparing their homes and perhaps conduct home maintenance and renovations such as giving some rooms a fresh lick of paint, updating their listings/photos, or highlight local attractions and local events🏡

How do you prepare for the summer months, and what are the crucial tips you would share with fellow Hosts? 

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Quincy

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy If the summer months are busy then we need to list on another platform. I don't think we have even half of July booked so far due to slipping down the Airbnb algorithm me thinks.

[Quincy]

Hi @Mike-And-Jane0, hoping you get lots of bookings this summer! Considering you were doing renovations over the past few years, I'm assuming not much maintenance is needed at the moment? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy sadly with a place that is a couple of hundred years old there seems to be constant maintenance! That said nothing major this year so all looking good if we get bookings.

[Quincy]

I can't imagine the costs involved @Mike-And-Jane0! I assume you contract the work, but do you also do some of the easier stuff yourself? 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Quincy the problem is finding people do small jobs - I have been known to clamber on the roof to fix things!

[Geoff7]

@Quincy  So summer here in regional Victoria in Australia generally brings with it a series of issues for hosts and their guests - bushfires, flooding, heat, and lots of bugs and flies. So how do we prepare? We have a fire evac plan which shows guests where to go in the event of a local bushfire - it also lets them know what the current bushfire level is at the time of the stay. We also do the mandatory gutter and site clearing in preparation. Flooding is somewhat harder to deal with - in big storms guests are either locked into the region where they are staying or locked out - so they can't get in. This requires a degree of host felxibility. The heat element - we have the aircon serviced just before summer. And as for bugs and flies - well its the Australian bush - but you do need to remind guests of this - particularly if you want to avoid 4 stars or less!

[Quincy]

Hi @Geoff7, thank you so much for sharing this here! I can imagine there is always lots of things do when it comes to prepping for summer. Also, your home looks lovely! ⭐ 

How much time does it take for you to prep for everything? Do you have to block a few days on your calendar? 

[Geoff7]

@Quincy  it doesn't take long - generally i might block the calendar for 1 day only and line up for any trades to all come in at that time. Typically try to always do this mid week which is the lowest booked time for me. But we also run at that time of year  a local meetup with our regional Country Fire Service who go through the upcoming season with the local hosts. What to do - material to leave out for guests etc.

[Guy991]

Hello @Quincy,

We have a garden and a mini forest, so we expect guests to spend more time outside the house than in winter. We make sure the garden is beautiful, the area around the hammock is clear and clean, the BBQ stand is equipped and prepared, and the outdoor sitting area is in good shape with chairs and tables.

[Quincy]

Hi @Guy991, totally understandable with such a nice climate! I saw the photo of your home, and it looks lovely! In terms of your home, do you put on some fresh paint every now and then? 

[Ruth413]

@Quincy   

Like @Mike-And-Jane0.  Maintenance is always ongoing in this household and I try and fix things as and when they come up, including refreshing paint etc.

The big preparation is the grounds.  Spring time is crazy here, I must cut the lawns 4 times a week and then there is all the strimming and trimming, chopping up trees that have come down over winter and preparing the flower boxes etc.  So like @Guy991, outdoor work takes over.

My one big tip which without a doubt works for me as I am a hands on host and do everything myself including the gardening, cleaning and the ironing,  is taking a weeks holiday in March to prepare myself for the summer months, because normally the next time I get time to breath is October.   Although like @Mike-And-Jane0 things do seem quieter this year. 

[Quincy]

Hi there @Ruth413, it sounds like a lot of work goes into this! Do you this by yourself of do you get help from others? 

[Solange-Thais0]

@Paula Saludos 👋  y a todos 

Mi hospedaje se encuentra en el hemisferio Sur, así que el verano representa un mínimo cambio en las condiciones climáticas y generales. Actualmente estamos con día soleado ☀️ y lluvias parciales en la tarde, a las 16 horas aproximadamente.

Estoy iniciando, muy emocionada, optimizando mi perfil, fotos, formas de pago.

Adelantando todos los detalles posibles en cuanto al proceso. Reglas, servicios, etcétera para estar lista al recibir mi primera reservación.

Atenta a todas las recomendaciones y experiencias en la comunidad. 

[Paula]

Hola @Solange-Thais0

Mil gracias por compartir esto en nuestra comunidad 😊

¿En qué parte del hemisferio sur se encuentra tu alojamiento? ¿Esto significa que te estás preparando para el invierno, o vives más hacia el Caribe?

Te invito a iniciar una nueva conversación en nuestro foro en español para que recibas los mejores consejos de nuestros expertos anfitriones. Aquí te dejo el enlace.

Muchos éxitos en este nuevo camino que inicias como Anfitriona 💛

Un saludo,

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Hello Solange,

Thank you so much for sharing this in our community 😊

Which part of the Southern Hemisphere is your accommodation located in? Does this mean you’re preparing for winter, or do you live closer to the Caribbean?

I invite you to start a new conversation in our Spanish forum to receive the best advice from our expert Hosts. Here’s the link.

Wishing you much success on this new journey as a Host.

Best regards,