New to Hosting

[Mark5871]

My wife and I are new hosts to AirBnB as of January 6. We have had two guests stay and several fall through. Several schedule for the coming months too. I am hoping to learn how to make the most of our short-term rental and not go crazy in the process.

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Mark5871 

How are things?  Best tool I am using is scheduled messages on Airbnb can significantly streamline your hosting process by automating communication with guests. Guests appreciate timely, clear communication. Automated messages help you respond promptly and professionally, even if you’re busy.

You can set up pre-written templates to send automatically at specific times, such as

Booking Confirmation-Send a welcome message with house rules and check-in instructions right after a booking is confirmed.

Pre-Check-In Reminder-A message with check-in details (like door codes or directions) sent a day or two before arrival.

Check-Out Instructions-A reminder with check-out procedures sent the night before departure.

Here’s how to set them up:

✅Log in to your Airbnb Host Dashboard.

✅Go to Messages or Inbox.

✅Click on Scheduled Messages

✅  Select Create a Template

Use shortcodes (e.g., Guest Name, Check-in Date) to automatically insert details specific to each booking.

Once you create a template, you can set triggers to determine when the message will be sent, such as when a booking is confirmed. A specific number of days before check-in or check-out.

After setting up the template and trigger, turn on the scheduled message. Airbnb will send it automatically based on the timing you’ve chosen.

Hope this helps.

Best regards and Happy Hosting!

[Joan2709]

@Mark5871 

Hi and welcome to the community! 

@Patricia2526 had some great suggestions about Scheduled Messages! Took a quick look and several suggestions:

Title

Your title should convey what is unique and special about your home in comparison to your competition. Something like:

"King Bed, Fenced Bkyard, Fire Pit, Dog Friendly!"

There is a King Bed filter for guest searches, but many guests don't know about it. Not every listing your size has a king bed, so I would highlight that in the title. There have been some intermittent problems with the King Bed filter showing your listing, so I would check that using a private browsing window and see if your listing appears with the King Bed Filter turned on.

Photos

I would get professional photos done by a photographer familiar with Airbnb photography. Airbnb says listinga with professional photos generate 20% more bookings and they will pay for themselves quickly. You usually can also deduct the cost as a business expense. Ask the photographer for examples of their work and who owns the rights to the photos. As long as they let you use the photos however you like (you might want to list on other platforms), but most technically retain rights to the photos. 

You mention a fire pit but don't have a photo of it. Suggest when you do take the photo be sure there is a fire going in the fire pit and take the photo at twilight.

Amenities

Outdoor Space/Add a BBQ Grill

Suggest you add some outdoor furniture (table & chairs) and guests usually expect a BBQ in listings your size. I would spend some time making the outdoor space nicer as many will want to enjoy your yard and outdoor activities; expecially in the summer.

WiFi

You can show your Wifi speed as a callout on your listing page. I usually recommend Hosts do that if their Wifi speed is 50Mbps or higher. Use your cell phone and logon to your internet. In the App go to amenities/WiFi and there is an option to test the speed. Be sure you are logged off any other devices and other devices are turned off and not in use.

Add Your WiFi Speed

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3003

Pets

Airbnb has expanded the Pet Fee options and you might consider a per pet option since you accept 2 pets. I would add some pet policies to your Addl House Rules. You can type Pet Rules in the search the community box to get some ideas. 

Wish you much success...let us know how it goes 😊