What do you wish you would have known before your first guest?

[Rebecca]

Hello hosts! 👋

I hope you’re all doing well! As you continue to create unforgettable experiences for your guests, I’d love to tap into your wisdom. What do you wish you would have known before welcoming your very first guest?

Whether it’s a little tip, a funny story, or a lesson learned, your insights can be incredibly valuable for those just starting out or looking to enhance their hosting journey.

Please share your thoughts, experiences, or any advice you have! Can't wait to hear your stories! 😊

[Patricia2526]

Hi @Rebecca 

One of the best ways to ensure your Airbnb listing is guest-ready is to spend a few nights in it yourself. This firsthand experience will help you identify and fix any issues before guests encounter them.

[Rebecca]

This is such a great idea @Patricia2526! Did you identify any issues in your listing that you needed to address? 

[Andrea6232]

Buongiorno @Rebecca , 

actually nothing special as I had already prepared everything down to the smallest detail and fortunately everything went well 😁

Andrea

[Rebecca]

Hello @Andrea6232 👋

How fantastic to hear! What about if there had been any unexpected surprises? Did you have a plan A, B and C? 

[Andrea6232]

@Rebecca only plan B 😂

[Greystone0]

HI @Rebecca ,

Great question!

We've had a few 'gotcha' moments including:

- folks parking on our lawn to avoid putting their own cars in back of each other. This was a shocker and was ruining our lawn and is against our short term regulations. We now have cameras over our parking areas, which includes a view of this lawn adjacent to the driveway that was being abused. We immediately increased our messaging focusing on our parking plan and included a "do not park on lawn' statement. I am sure guests don't park on lawns at their own homes or when they visit a friend and so it was frustrating to experience this.

- guests brining more occupants than what they reserved for - again we increased our messaging about our permitted occupancy, this still happens though, despite having a house rule, lease and messaging about our occupancy. Work in progress for us.

In this case and with parking, it would be helpful for AIRBNB to provide a statement to all guests that these issues are highly relevant to the success of the short term rental process. While not the topic of this posting, I would add that I think AIRBNB could do better at helping guests understand the underlying issues and being better 'guests'. There is a lot of effort on how to be a good host but seems remiss about how to be a good guest.

Much success to all!

[Rebecca]

Interesting points @Greystone0. Thank you for sharing. Do you have any ideas of what Airbnb could do to communicate the statements to guests? What do you suggest would be the best way to do this? 

[Greystone0]

Hi @Rebecca ,

Thanks for the opportunity to comment on this.

AIRBNB suggests that a guest should treat the home like their home, but this is misleading and doesn't capture the specific issues associated with offering a short term rental. As a homeowner you may allow smoking, or loud music, or furniture to be moved around or guests to be outside at all hours, and on and on. AIRBNB needs to establish a code of ethics for guests that includes adhering to the unique settings of each property (parking rules, smoking, noise, whatever). Guest should treat the home as if they are indeed a guest in another home and to follow stated guidelines. I realize that this is captured in much of the fine print but when a guest makes a new reservation this isn't what they are reviewing. The burden of dealing with guest behaviors is put on the shoulders of hosts to get people aligned with how to act in a community with short term rental regulations. This lack of accountability at the AIRBNB level has also been partially responsible for the increase in legislation that communities and homeowners are faced with, to reign in the issues associated with poor guest behaviour.   Again, I recognize that there is much in the fine print about this but what is being done by AIRBNB at the point of the reservation or at check in that re-iterates this important information, that is where the info is lacking or missing all together.

[Carolyn284]

My very first guest had a complaint that the bathroom wasn't an en suite.  I updated my listing, and specifically mentioned that the guest bathroom was in the hall, by the bedroom and would be used exclusively by the guest.  (I live here as well).

I also stated that no guests, or overnight guests are allowed.  

My gated community HOA doesn't allow street parking, and since I only allow 1 guest at a time, I advised the guest to park on the far left side of the driveway.

I added as many amenities as I could:  carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, and the normal hair dryer, smoke alarms etc.  Also, I have a snack basket in their room filled with instant oatmeal, granola bars, chips, crackers, cookies, candy etc.  I even include a sealed face mask.  For the bathroom, I have a container that has sample sizes of soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, tiny sewing kit, pain reliever, razors and other items a guest might forget to pack.  I have kleenex in the bedroom and bathroom, and small kleenex packages for their purse.

I hope this helps.

Best of luck!

[Indra149]

I always treat my guests as I would myself and my own family, ensuring the property is clean and comfortable. I personally experience staying in the unit to understand what may be lacking. If possible, I fulfill small but meaningful details at minimal cost, like adding coffee, tea, and decorative plants for a homier feel. Most importantly, quick and responsive communication with guests is key to a great stay.
The hardest part is setting the right price. If it's too high, guests can easily compare and choose other options. Even when we provide extra value that other unit owners don’t, guests can still be very price-sensitive. On the other hand, pricing too low leads to losses—I need enough profit to cover cleaning staff, as I prioritize cleanliness, washing all equipment, and laundry. I want to offer the best experience, but pricing remains a challenge.

[Deb5175]

While we spent 6 weeks basically living there repairing small issues, getting some new furniture, etc. I wish I had done a "full clean" start to finish before our first guest. My place is spotless as I do all the cleaning and would not trust anyone to do it as well as I do. I wash every quilt, sham, sheet, towel, pot holders,  etc. between guests. I have spare blankets in every bedroom that are kept in clear, tied hefty bags, so if they are used I will know because the bag has been ripped open. And while I did have it clean for our first guest, I didn't do it all at once so I had no real idea how long it would take me to do it top to bottom after check-out. Stripping and replacing the bedding takes me about 45 minutes! LOL It takes me a good 3 - 4 hours to do a deep "my type" clean. So I wish I had cleaned it all at once to know that before. I am glad I have a 5 hour window to clean!

[Daniel8307]

1. Guests will consistently ask for more than they paid for (early check in, late check out). Establishing rules and fees for these things and communicating them to guests helps to prevent guests from walking all over you and your rules 

2. Airbnb defaults to taking the side of the guests. The guests is the one paying and is the true customer. Document all rule violations, get cameras and call Airbnb to report issues quickly.

3. Discount seekers are refund seekers. 'if you give a mouse a cookie, they want the whole jar'. Guests that reach out looking for a discount will often be the worst guests you've had. They will nit pick all the smallest details and send you photos of the dirt they tracked in with their shoes to extort for a refund

4. Inspect cleaners. Don't just assume that the cleaner is doing an amazing job. Periodically send someone after the cleaner to make sure they completed 100% of their tasks

[Daniel13303]

Ensure that you turn your notifications on so that you get an email or text message directly to your phone whenever your guest send you a message on the Airbnb app. This helps to ensure that you are always in communication with your guests and it maintains your response rate so that you can eventually become a SuperHost. 

[Dr-Marv-Wint0]

I wish there was a checklist available to help guide newbies like me on what’s necessary to be in the home. Also an individual to kinda steer me thru my first couple of bookings.