Hi Folks, my name is Jason and I've been an Airbnb Superhost for many years now. We recently relocated to Plattsburgh, NY from San Francisco, big move, in order to buy and operate a large Victorian as a bed and breakfast. I book exclusively through Airbnb for many attractive reasons: the insurance police is incredible, their host support is helpful, and I get to review each guest before they stay. I'm happy to say that 99.99% of my experiences as a host have been positive. When we got the b&b up and running it became important to get our name out. We created a website for our property using wix.com and all of our booking/pricing/availability options direct you to the airbnb website. We even mention on the website that we book exclusively through Airbnb. You can include links to local attractions or regional information. For instance, we have a link that takes you to the Adirondack tourist website. As for advertising, word of mouth is the best option, but consider joining your local chamber of commerce. Ours charges $350 for a yearly membership but their referrals more than make up for that cost. We have received "media kits" from various magazines and publications which cost about the same as the chamber of commerce fee, $350 or so, and these kits would allow us to advertise in their publications for a specific amount of time. We would list the website address which then, again, refers everyone to Airbnb. I can't stress enough how valuable good photographs of your listing are. Contact Airbnb and ask for photography services if you haven't already. If a photographer is not available in your area then consider hiring one, but there's no need to spend a lot of money on good photos. Make sure to hide cords and tidy up the area being photographed and review the pictures when their done to ensure you're satisfied with the results. These pictures will help a great deal when creating your website and printing materials like business cards and brochures. Speaking of business cards, I use the Avery cards 5871, and I carry them with me wherever I go. I network with local businesses and offer discounts if they refer their customers to me. These are just some of the advertising options we've used so far, but we are also considering advertising in local sporting and recreational publications. If you've found other media or advertising resources helfpul I would appreciate the update.
Jason 4/28/16
