Could smart technology be useful in an Airbnb listing?

[Stephanie]

Hi everybody, 

How many of you are tech-savvy members? Well, I have read here in the Community Center here about a number of different ways to automatise things in your home, for example temperatures in a listing (both heating and cooling). 

There are also gadgets that you can control with your voice (Alexa, or others) which control the lighting system, or even a refrigerator that calls the technician by itself. If only there was a kettle that self-boiled, brewed and served tea we would be in heaven.

These are all very clever things, but the question is:

Do you think technology can help the lives of hosts? What do you think and please share if you have any smart technology in your home? 

Thanks, 

Stephanie

[Helen350]

NO! I'm 58 & completely tech phobic! Don't even have a smartphone! 😄

[Pat271]

So far we have remote control and monitoring of the thermostat (heating and cooling), and the door lock.  We can also program the keypad of the door lock remotely.  I’d like to add an external Ring device and indoor noise/heat sensors to detect parties and/or too many people.  I find these technological aids great, as long as they are fully disclosed in the listing and the House Rules. 

[Ingrid545]

What are noise sensors? My unit has issues with the number of guest registered and the number of guests that actually occupy the unit. Last summer I had a guest that registered 6 and brought 12. I believe this summer I  need to install an external video doorbell to be aple to prove the number of guests.

[Pat271]

@Ingrid545 Here is an example of a noise sensor:

https://noiseaware.io

[Kim776]

Hi Pat271, what do you use for remote control of your door lock and thermostat? We bought a Schlage Z-wave lock and a SmartThings hub, but we could never get SmartThings to work. So we are looking for alternatives.  Thanks!

[Juan63]

Ring now works with Z-Wave Schlage locks. Of course you have to have the ring doorbell though. Which we have be we also have the Yale/Nest keypad at our other Airbnb and I like it better. The software works better and it's pretty easy to create new codes with time limits.

[Pat271]

@Kim776 Our Trane thermostat has a built-in Nexia hub that can be used to connect to a variety of z-wave compatible devices, so we use Nexia to remotely control both our thermostat and our Kwikset door lock.  We can control the temperature remotely, and also allow guests to set the thermostat within a certain temperature range.  We can also remotely assign codes to guests, and program the lock to activate/deactivate the codes at specific dates and times.  And of course we can monitor events and receive notifications of guests coming in and out, changes to the thermostat, etc. All of this seems to work well for our purposes so far.

[Ingrid545]

Thank you I will take a look at this product.

[Yulianna0]

@Stephanie, in fact all those smart things are very convenient! I can provide fresh coffee to my guests even if they wake up at 4-5 am. Just timer in my coffee machine:) The heating will be on and off at decided time. Robot vacuum cleaner makes its job saving my time:) So more smart things are welcome in my house! 

[Emily487]

@Stephanie 

We have chosen to NOT include any smart tech in our AirBnB. We don't want to add any frustration or confusion to a guest's trip. AND, as a single mom, I do not have the time or inclination to troubleshoot the tech if things go sideways.

My own father is in is 80's and if he showed up to an AirBnb with an unusual thermostat I know for a fact he would just sleep in the cold rather than fiddle with it and he certainly wouldn't ask for help.

[Patricia55]

@Emily487Your dad and my partner are kindred souls ;)... although I do wonder with my Ian, if he pretends to be non-tech-savvy, just to get me to bl**dy sort everything out, lol!

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Stephanie In my opinion a fast internet speed is a must on an Airbnb listing as well as a good wifi router which can provide coverage for the whole property.

[Sarah977]

@Oomesh-Kumarsingh0  A "must"? There are plenty of places in the world where people are successfully hosting Airbnbs where the infrastructure is such that fast internet, or even any internet isn't possible. As long as hosts make it clear to guests what the internet is like, it's fine. Some guests are actually looking for remote places where they can "unplug".

[Oomesh-Kumarsingh0]

@Sarah977  No matter what the majority of guests wants internet when they book on Airbnb which is an online platform.

Just imagine if a guest has some trouble during a stay and need to contact Airbnb.How are they suppose to do that without internet? Most will say by phone but when someone is travelling he or she sometimes is not able to use their phone.

Like it or not but once again i will stress on this point.A FAST INTERNET IS A MUST!