How to Grow on Airbnb

[Saba222]

Hello everyone

I’d love to hear from experienced hosts what strategies helped you grow successfully on Airbnb? 

Was it improving listing photos adding unique amenities or adjusting pricing?

Do reviews and Super host status play the biggest role?

How do you attract more international vs local guests?

I believe many new and mid level hosts can benefit from practical tips to scale up. Looking forward to your insights and stories

Thanks

Saba

[Manoj94]

Hi @Saba222, few points to note

1) good communication with guest before booking until checkout

2) maintain cleaness

3) welcome drink or water bottles in rooms

4) talk to guest like ur his old friend

regards

manoj

[Margaret1582]

Hi Saba. As a Host, the two things I focus on are making sure my photos are as professional as possible. It is important that the photos create character and appeal,  as that is often the first judgement by a traveller. Secondly, I communicate well with my tenants in a friendly and welcoming manner and keep them well informed. This develops a relationship and the tenant is more likely to give you a good review, as they will feel they know you.

Other factors which are also important, are the quality of the beds and the presentation of the beds. When a tenant enters a bedroom, it needs to feel welcoming and appealing with good bed linen and decor. I also maintain my property to a high standard. I need to be confident that everything works and is in good order, to minimise any breakdowns and inconvenience to the tenant. A relaxing garden area is also important, with good comfortable seating and a well maintained garden. In general, I would recommend that hosts are encouraged by Airbnb to add character and appeal to their property, with the use of colour, soft furnishings, art work etc to create more of a WOW factor. This in turn will help increase their bookings. 
As a traveller I look for all the above, however, location is probably my first focus and once I know where I want to be it is really the reviews and appeal and vibe of the home that are the deciding factors.

As a fine example of a great host, I recently stayed at ‘Space on the Hill’ in Loch, Victoria. Australia. Beck’s information documents were a delight with great graphics and fun to read. A great example to other hosts. She was also very generous with lots of lovely treats, wine and chocolates. 

I recently had a tenant from Singapore at my property. There were two ladies in the group. They queried why there was only one hair dryer in the house.  Lesson learned! There are now two hair dryers in the house; one in each bathroom. I think this type of requirement is especially relevant to international travellers.

Trust this has been helpful.

Regards

Margaret

[Elaine701]

@Saba222 

What others have advised here is precious. In fact, the more extreme you can do what they suggest, the better. 

But be careful not to "oversell"; Under promise and over deliver. Moderate their expectations in your descriptions, and then deliver a much better experience, and you'll consistently receive top ratings. 

The more top ratings you receive, the better quality of guests you will attract. And you can then price above your competition, and the guests will be happy to pay it (it would be expected that a premium accommodation would cost more). 

When you consistently receive bookings from good quality guests, you'll also have less risk of having to deal with Airbnb customer support, which can be quite dangerous, since it's mostly run by AI now, and is inherently guest-preferential.

You need to avoid any conflicts with guests because Airbnb will nearly always side with them even when they're verifiability lying (they are the ones that pay, not hosts). 

Good luck and happy hosting!

[Toni173]

Well said @Elaine701. Unfortunately AirBnb don't care whether you're a Superhost or not, they give the same level of support (or lack thereof) to all hosts. I've been a Superhost for 7 years and manage over 20 properties now - it's very difficult to maintain a 4.8 average but I think Superhost status does help you get more bookings. I just wish it meant as much to AirBnb as it does to guests and maybe every now and then, they'd turn off AI and support us, especially their so called "valued hosts". The phrase "computer says No" comes to mind and the comment "well that was their experience" is often quoted. The use of AI when you need some consideration from a real person would help. Last week I had someone in Support who is also a Host which was amazing. Maybe they should train all Support people via a system where they are a host for a month so they can understand the challenges - a bit like a flight simulator for trainee pilots!!!!! 😀 But really, I'd appreciate an account manager for escalations.....

[Elisa]

Hi @Saba222 😊,

Thank you for asking those amazing questions.

It’s so nice to read this from our hosts.

What are your long-term goals? Would you like to attract more local or international guests?