Tips to improve my bedroom

[Claire973]

Hi all,

First time poster! We have been AirBnBing for 3 months now and have all 5* reviews. We’d like to make some minor improvements to increase the price a few £ (smart pricing currently has it at £22!)

Could i get your thoughts on what is the best return on investment / best way to attract more guests? 

Thanks in advance

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 thank you that's really interesting, I had no idea.

Yes they were taken by an airbnb photographer.

[Claire973]

My yellow and grey linen is George also. I wanted something trendy. When your room is £22 a night you don’t need anything too fancy!  Do you wash the cushion covers between people too? I feel like I’d want to even if it’s just a cushion on a chair.

[Mike-And-Helen0]

I wash them periodically and lint roller them between guests.

[Helen3]

I think your place looks great @Mike-And-Helen0 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Helen3 thank you. When we moved in it was airbnb or let the kids strew toys around and then not play there because it was too messy. Airbnb won!

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Claire973 

When you redo your photos you might have already finished off the kitchen plinth and boxed in the pipework in the kitchen which would help? Also if you turn the lampshade joint around to the back it doesn't then cause a harsh line on the face of the shade.

Brighter photos also means keeping the details and colours of the lightshades as well as not making the windows glare blue. You will need lighting for this with a helpful friend or paid for professional.

Because you have a small space, a photo of each of the additions people have made would be a good idea and give the impression of greater useable space and a greater offering. 

[Claire973]

I do actually have a proper camera but it’s so much easier to take them on my iPhone but you’re right, I will re-do them on Saturday during the day. 

The kitchen (4 months on) is still exactly the same but I am hoping my father in law will spare some time in a couple of weeks to finish it off and I can then add some more photos. 

[Miloud0]

Salute @Claire973, 

Thank you also.  

Thanks, 

Miloud

[Raymond-and-Elaine0]

@Claire973  I think you are selling your lovely home short and 20% discount for a weeks stay take you to only 22€ the night. OK you now have 13 good reviews so you can increase the price and maybe get less bookings (although I doubt this very much) but the increase will compensate this. I would put a couple of photos of the bathroom . As it's shared by you and your financé it would be useful to see the size and what it looks like. If space there is minimum then you could add some sort of basket (IKEA has a large selection) for the each guest to carry their toiletries and towels in, then add hooks to the back of the bedroom door for their towels to dry without having to leave them in the bathroom unless it's a big one for four people to hang their affairs. You could also get some brochures from london with maps and tourist options and cards or menus/takeaways/home delivery from restaurants nearby. You can buy cheap display shelves from office shops for these items. Add a few books to the room that you can buy cheaply from car boot sales and let guests take them home if not finished. Do you have a house manual? If not it can be fun to create and a place your guests can find usefull information like bus/train time-tables, hours of shops and restaurants, cinemas . A local map highlighting post office, chemists, banks nearest shop, emergency numbers, explanations on how to use any equipment ie tv, washing machine, wifi etc.  Guests don't always read the listing details but do tend to look at the photos so you can add a few more. Instead of adding the caption "Chislehurst light, quiet double, 40 mins to centre" to each photo, quote from past guests, for example: "The private room was very cozy and comfortable with drawers for storage." Char &J Aug 2019,  "Claire's home is bright, clean and very comfortable" Dora Aug 2019, "Fantastic quiet location opposite farm fields (amazing for so close to London!)." Clare July 2019,  "This place is in the most perfect spot , surrounded by parks , ponds , woods and the countryside . The area feels very safe " Levi  July 2019.  Vary the comments as you get more recent ones and pair them up with appropriate photos. Maybe not on the app but on a laptop photo 4 of 14 shows only the pillows and the blanc wall behind. Buy a cheap frame and fill it with a photo from a magazine for example or better still change the photos around and replace n°4 with n°12 to show future guests what a lovely view you have from your house. Good luck Claire and lots more happy guests.

[Claire973]

I love the idea of using quotes from previous guests. I will change my captions again later. I have added a few more photos today but will take some better ones tomorrow after I have been shopping. Exciting! 

[Mike-And-Helen0]

@Raymond-and-Elaine0 @Claire973 

Raymond and Elaine reminded me of something I made for my list of photos.