Airbnb Host Consulting Services?

[Entourage-Stay0]

Have any fellow hosts used or considered using airbnb host consulting services before? I hear talk of "property optimization" and higher revenue and am wondering if anyone has had positive experiences and results with any such services - was the price tag worth it? Where else can go for similar services if not?

[Helen3]

There are literally thousands of individuals and companies globally offering consultancy services to Airbnb hosts....such as yourself.

I can see by your profile you are a property management company  @Entourage-Stay0 

Are you asking because you want to offer these services to hosts ?

[Susan17]

@Helen3 

As it happens, I'm in the process of setting up an Airbnb Consultancy service myself. It will be somewhat different to the services currently offered by most others though, and will focus mainly on being a one-stop-shop Information Centre for all interested parties (hosts, guests, local residents, policymakers, regulators, advocates, law enforcement agencies, media etc), with a specific focus on fighting the corners of those who have been screwed over by the company.

PS It looks like @Entourage-Stay0 is pretty new, and just getting off the ground. Probably still just learning the ropes. 

[Helen3]

Good to hear from you.Interesting concept @Susan17 

Certainly much needed. You are one of the most informed people that post here (love reading your research).

But I am not sure how you would monetise it? Who would actually pay for the service?

[Susan17]

Thanks, @Helen3 .

I'm working out the finer details of the monetisation side of things with a law firm and a different consultancy firm at the moment, because I'm clueless about that kind of thing. Quite honestly though, at this point, I'd do it for free, but momma's gotta put food on the table somehow, and if we're depending on Airbnb bookings to cover that, we'll starve! (I do have a couple of other projects in the pipeline too, but it will be months before they come to fruition)   :))

[Helen3]

You have my number @Susan17  happy to chat.  

I ran my own consultancy for ten years (marketing and PR) so happy to chat over ideas with you around monetising if that would be helpful.

[Susan17]

Aw thanks so much, @Helen3, that would be fantastic! I forgot that you have your own consultancy. I'll give you a call over the weekend, it that would be okay? 

Airbnb is completely dead in the water for most small hosts here now, particularly long-termers, so I do need to get this up and running pretty sharpish. The enforcers are on the rampage here and the council's complaints hotline is blowing up with people grassing on others (from what I've been told by my contacts in DCC, many of the complaints are suspected to be from disgruntled neighbours and (mostly) host competitors who are lodging false complaints, even when the host is in full compliance and has done nothing wrong. But unfortunately, the onus is on the host to prove that the allegations are untrue.(How does anyone prove that their guests didn't play loud music until dawn, or cause neighbourhood disturbances by knocking on the wrong doors in the middle of the night, etc?)

To make matters worse, bookings (for regular hosts) are few and far between. One of the WhatsApp groups I'm in is just a small one, with 7 other long-term Dublin hosts who have all been hosting here since the very early days. Of the 8 of us, only two have bookings for St Patrick's - one at a rock-bottom rate (for the highest-risk booking period of the year), and the other, a repeat customer from last Paddy's weekend. (The "pro's" calendars all seem to be nicely full though - at much higher rates than we're charging). So it's looking bleaker than ever. 

Unfortunately, I've been way too long out of my previous career (casinos) to be able to wangle my way back in now, even if there were any openings - which there aren't. (By far the biggest, stupidest mistake of my entire life - leaving the gaming world to do Airbnb full-time) I don't have a degree or any other qualifications, so I might as well put all that I've learned about this company over the years to good use and make some money out of it, as it's the only option left open to me to try and save my home now. Onwards and upwards! 

Thanks again, @Helen3 - I really do appreciate it, and I'll definitely chat with you in the next few days :))

[Helen3]

Hi @Susan17 

Of course give me a shout. Haven't worked consultancy side for a good few years now but happy to have a bit of a brain storm 🙂

[Susan17]

@Entourage-Stay0 

Save your money. All the information you could possibly require on SEO, revenue strategies, automation etc is already all there on the internet for free. No need to be laying out huge wads of cash for info you can already find online. Most of the "gurus" you'll come across are chancers and snake-oil salesmen, but one or two of them do have some pretty good free content on their youtube channels too. Just don't fall for the hard sell!