Location

[Paul6251]

Hi,

I am considering hosting by building an annex on my property, but I live near a small airport and actually under a flight path! The traffic is light during the day, and flights normally end at around 7 pm. I do also live near a motorway.

Already, I'm thinking these could make the whole project a non starter. It goes without saying that the annex would need to be fully sound proof to ensure clients had a good nights sleep.

In it's favour, I have good links for commuters and the main town is a 15 min taxi ride away. There is also a park and ride available which is close by.

I can also offer guests secure off road parking as well.

So if anyone has any advice then please let me know?

Thanks, Paul 

[Sarah977]

@Paul6251  Some people could sleep through a bomb going off. I could see your place being good for guests who have a flight layover, or have an early flight to catch and live too far away to get to the airport in time, or get in too late to get to their destination that same night.

What's crucial is that you are very clear in your listing description about the noise level. Don't try to whitewash it. Also re-iterate in a message to guests when they first book or request to book.

Provide earplugs and a white noise machine to mitigate the noise level.

[Paul6251]

Thank you Sarah. It's a small airport for training and charter, so people traffic likely to be low. It might be good for business people if well presented. I will seek some advice from local agents and do my some market research. It's a lot of money to invest, if you get no bookings. 

[Susan17]

@Paul6251 

Proceed with extreme caution. I'm seeing so, so many reports from distressed hosts who have made significant recent investments in setting up their Airbnbs, only to get a flurry of initial bookings (new hosts get an initial short-term boost in search placement), and then find that their bookings drop off a cliff afterwards and they're left with empty, or rarely-filled, places.

You need to do a lot of market research, and then do some more. Don't rely on data you'll find on the likes of AirDNA - their information is very often inaccurate, and there's evidence to suggest that it serves mainly to drive investment and speculator traffic to those markets that Airbnb have not yet grossly over-saturated - but soon will  (AirDNA also advertise certain Airbnb listings on their platform)) Far better to speak with hosts in your area - particularly hosts that have been in business for at least two or three years - as they'll be the by far best source of authentic information, and can give you the low-down on how things really are in your region.

If your particular market is still emerging (your location is not noted on your profile, so I can't advise based on that), it's possible that you'll get a good 12 - maybe 18 - months out of it before it does erupt, but it's still a gamble. However, in an already established and saturated market, you'd be running a pretty big risk so if you're going to take this plunge, make sure that you have a Plan B, such as being able to rent your space out as a traditional long-term rental if needs be, in order to recoup your investment costs.

And if after doing your research, you do still feel that it's a risk worth taking, it's imperative that you don't put all your eggs in Airbnb's basket, as things can - and do - go wrong far too often on this site. From day one, establish a presence on other platforms too, and set up your own website too, if possible.

Sorry that I don't have more positive news for you, but honestly, you do need to be careful, as there are far too many hosts who have made big investments to get set up on Airbnb, getting stung right now, so it's important that you consider all angles very carefully. Whatever you decide to do though, best of luck ;))

[Paul6251]

Hi @Susan17 ,

Thank you very much for your feedback. Yes - this platform alone will not give you all the customers you need to have a sustainable business, so as you rightly say you need to source customers from your own efforts like local businesses that might have people working for them Monday to Friday. Where I live, you do get engineering staff working at the airport, but they may already be using a local B&B. It's about going the extra mile and say offering them something a bit different i.e. a small kitchen where they can do their own food and creating a space they can sort of call their own. I'm tired of working for other people, so want to consider doing something for myself.

Kind regards, Paul 

[Gordon0]

@Paul6251 - I live under the Heathrow (one of the world's busiest airports) flightpath. I also have four train lines running behind my house, and when I say behind, you can almost read people's papers from my lounge. Hasn't made a jot of difference to my success. Get the pricing right and you'll find guests.

[Paul6251]

Hi @Gordon0  - thank you so much. Glad you are getting good business, but not surprised based on the high standard of your property! 🙂

I guess, it's about being honest with what you offer. 

As long as the annex is fully sound proofed then I don't see a problem.

Thanks, Paul