In December 2024 I stumbled into Airbnb hosting.
No plan. No experience. Funny circumstances.
But I was an interior designer , so I did what I knew — I designed the space with intention, figured out the operations and learned the platform from scratch.
4.95 guest rating. 99 reviews. Guests messaging to say it's the nicest place they've stayed.
Here's what I learned along the way — and I'm sharing it because I genuinely believe it will help anyone who reads it.
On design:
Guests decide in 3 seconds. Not on your amenities, not on your description, not on your price. On how your space makes them feel in the first photo. A space that creates a feeling gets booked. A space that just shows a room does not. Every room needs intention — proper bedding, one piece on the wall, warm lighting, a plant. These are not luxuries. They are the difference between a booking and a scroll past.
On photos:
Professional photos of an unstyled space are a waste of money. Style the space first. Then photograph it. And your main photo should never just show a room — it should show a feeling. Guests are not booking square footage. They are booking an experience they can picture themselves in.
On pricing:
Most hosts set their prices by looking at what competitors charge. The problem — most competitors are guessing too. The right approach is to start from your own numbers first. What are your costs? What profit do you need? What does your space genuinely offer compared to what's around it? Build your price from the inside out — then calibrate against the market. Never the other way around. And a new listing needs to price competitively at first to get those first reviews in. Reviews change everything.
On listings:
Your title needs to work for every season — not just the one you launched in. Your description needs to sell the feeling before it lists the features. And your guest capacity must match your actual setup — a mismatch there is quietly killing bookings for many hosts without them realising.
On reviews:
Respond to every review. Not just the difficult ones. Guests who left you 5 stars feel unacknowledged when you ignore them. Future guests read every response and decide whether you are the kind of host they want to trust with their stay.
On co-hosting:
If you are looking for a co-host — look for someone who understands both the operational and the design side. Operations keep your calendar organised. Design fills it.
I am happy to answer any questions on any of the above. This community has given me so much — happy to give back. 😊
