You REALLY need a manager in the area, not a housekeeper, or a cleaner. They can clean, but you will be paying someone extra to make sure that the house is not just perfect, but if something is wrong, or happens, like a burst pipe, that they’ll be on-site to deal with the situation, or fix their own housekeeping, if something is wrong.
Best thing to do is to consider it from the guest’s point of view. I’ve driven hours, to get to “remote” cabin, only to find that the place was absolutely filthy. The guy who owned it lived in Miami, 1200mi away. He was hugely apologetic, but no one was available to deal with the problem when I rolled in at 9p. Fortunately Airbnb had a place nearby, and the owner was good about cancelling the reservation.
Worse still, the housekeeping service had done so much damage to the property, equipment, and amenities, that it was going to cost a lot of money to fix it. They didn’t report the unfiltered well water had killed the dishwasher with tons of gross scale. In COVID, the place was covered with human and dog hair, not just on couches, but on pillows, and in the bed! Yuck.
Would you want to stay in a place where you book for a few days, only to lose one or two to housekeeping issues that you can’t get a “housekeeper” with other gigs, to come out there and rectify quickly?
You may end up fixing it, but what will that guest’s review look like? Under promise, and over-deliver not only makes for a happier guest, it helps your bottom line with killer reviews that keep people coming.
When you host, you’re in the hospitality business. So, if you’re going to provide a great experience, that will get great reviews, and good word-of-mouth, the only way you’ll make that play is if you have someone who is super-motivated to help you. This means that you should budget into your pricing, having that kind of person on-call, as you can’t do it yourself. Something to consider.
Brian Ross
