How did you feel when you got your first booking? 🏡

[Alex]

Hi everyone! 👋
 
After a nice weekend, I wanted to bring up a more personal topic. I’d like to talk about the emotional side of hosting. We usually focus on practical hosting topics, but I’d love to hear more about your experiences as hosts. 🤗
 
How did you feel when you got your first booking? What was your reaction when you saw your first listing live, after all the effort and time you invested? I'm sure , while it must have been nerve wracking as a first time host, it must have been an exciting experience at the same time. 😉 ✨

Let us know how it was for you, I’m looking forward to reading your stories.

Best,

Alex

[Jeffrey849]

Alex, 

It seems so long ago, but I think I felt the same way most did, NERVOUS! I am blessed that I was a user of Airbnb for years before hosting my own environment. I am grateful to have experienced what it's like in different countries with diverse cultures. My personal opinion on hosting is that to be a true Airbnb ambassador, a host shouldn't try to be simply a HOTEL supplement, or replacement, and this isn't just about padding your income, Airbnb hosting should be work! My wife and I genuinely strive to create a positive experience, which means being extremely flexible and anticipating the needs of our guests. Some guests want to interact with their hosts, while others do not. I think Airbnb needs to assist us in getting rid of BAD guests! We have a GREAT standing on Airbnb, but we have had a couple of nasty guests who know how to manipulate the system. While it doesn't impact my ratings, and didn't impact me financially, it does "Train" bad guests to be BAD guests. My first guest made me want to be a host, and my continued guest makes me appreciate this opportunity; however, there are times when it is enough WORK that my wife and I second-guess the transient nature of hosting, for those guests who treat the home like a hotel, that the items provisioned are their to be disposable and broken, only to learn from Guests later, that an amenity is not available to them, because it was either "Accidently" placed in a former guests suitcase, or broken and placed back on the shelf. 

[Rebecca]

Hi @Jeffrey849  👋

I loved hearing about how you and your wife so much effort into making guests feel welcome. From what I've been reading here, hosting definitely isn’t just about handing over the keys, is it? It’s spot on that some guests want to chat and others just want quiet - that reminds me of me and my husband! I'm the chatty one and he's the silent type, often waiting around for me to finish talking. 😂

Sorry that you've had some tricky guests. Have you found any ways to spot those guests before they arrive, or is it just luck of the draw?

[Jeanna27]

Hi Alex - thank you so much for reaching out!!!  Oh goodness, I had a combination of many emotions when I got my very first booking.  First and foremost, I was really excited - that the journey with Airbnb had officially begun.  Then, I was a little stressed - I wanted my place to be absolutely perfect for my guests coming to stay.  I was a little nervous in the event they didn't like something, or if my home and hospitality didn't meet their expectations - you just never know, right???    However, it was a GREAT success, so it was definitely a win-win!  

Thank you again and have a great evening,

Jeanna

[Rebecca]

Hi @Jeanna27 ,

Thank you so much for sharing about your first booking - the excitement and the nerves! And I'm so happy that it all worked out in the end.  Did anything surprise you about hosting your first guests, or was it pretty much what you expected?

[Jeanna27]

It was what I expected - all went very well 🙂 @Rebecca 

[Rebecca]

That's great to hear @Jeanna27 Thank you so much for sharing! 🙌

[Jeanna27]

@Rebecca You are MOST welcome!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

[Lin29864]

Hello Rebecca,

Thanks for reaching out to us about this question. It has definitely been a great pleasure hosting and we always look forward to our next guest (not knowing what to expect) but always optimistic. Well for our first guest, we were a bit in a nostalgic moment/feeling although very excited that we actually got a booking.

We just went above and beyond is all I can say. We hadn't used airbnb prior and so we really didn't know what to expect at all so reading a lot of the resource information here was a huge game changer. With our first guests, we ended up walking our them to the unit and showing them were everything was. We didn't even know that was not required or necessary.

I remember it was a cold New Year's Eve and our guests were super excited to be there. It all turned out well  and we've been doing great so far.

We learn something new everyday though and we also always use guest recommendations to perfect our space. We really take their feedback into full consideration.

Thanks for asking!-:)

[Rebecca]

Hi @Lin29864 👋

Thanks for sharing your first hosting experience with us. Walking your guests to the unit is lovely touch, even if it's not really required, it probably made them feel super welcome.

You mentioned using guest feedback a lot, how do you get that feedback and have you made any changes from a guest’s suggestion that’s worked out well for you? 

Thanks so much for joining in! 

[Lin29864]

@Rebecca We do request for feedback before they leave through messaging them. If they don't, we give them about 2 days and send a friendly reminder. That has helped us to gain some decent reviews.

We have implemented some of the feedback, one was a rail we were missing on our stairs outside, and another was having a full mirror in the room. One guest also wanted a small lamp in the living-room in case they decide to stay in the living-room for an extended time, they can use that instead of the main light.

Guest also wanted a standing fan in the room as well. We don't always do everything, but the ones that are doable and we feel could make a difference.

Most of these recommendations made sense to us and so we implemented them.

[Rebecca]

@Lin29864 - 

You've made some great adjustments. I especially like the lamp idea. I never use the main lights in my house. It makes it feel cosier.  Did you end up putting the standing fan in the room too? 

Have you ever had really extravagant requests? It might be time to start a thread about that I think! 😅

[Lin29864]

yes there is a fan in the room now. 

[Rebecca]

That's wonderful. Where abouts are you hosting from? 

[Lydia544]

Hi! 
I’ve been hosting a home for about a year now which is vastly different than a service. When onboarding for this photography service, I was set up as an experience and to be honest I still don’t quite understand the differences. However, getting my first booking wasn’t a big deal to me as far as the actual gig. (I’ve been a career photographer for 18 years.)  I was definitely a little nervous about the Airbnb process, though. Working out the kinks with this new roll out can be exciting when feedback is encouraged. The risks my paycheck takes, though… not as fun. I’m really happy to have had the contact for one on one assistance this summer. That’s made a big difference while feeling some of the growing pains. This is a crucial part of supporting hosts!