What tips would you give to a new host?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

Here in the Community Center, we are lucky to be surrounded by wonderful experienced hosts. Hosts who have been there, got the t-shirt and have an amazing amount of knowledge which they have picked up along the way.

I am sure, that many of hosts here would agree with me in saying that this experience and knowledge doesn't come over night and that it does take time, effort and lots of learning in the process. Plus, we all continue to learn new things every day!

In light of this, I thought together we could share some of our top tips to hosts who are just starting out, this could be aimed at those who are completely new to hosting or are new to Airbnb. If you are a new host and have some tips you think others would find helpful, please do share as well, we would love to hear it. 🙂

Looking forward to hearing and sharing your tips.

Enjoy!

Lizzie

[Charlotte-and-Ben0]

Hi Harry,

Thanks so much for these wonderful tips! We are starting in August with 2 listings in Ghent, Belgium.
We are definitely going to use your tips! 

Cheers,

Charlotte & Ben

[Jane333]

Thank you for the very detailed help!!  I finished my listing, but cannot find it on airbnb, so is there some kind of verification/authentication delay with having it actually up and available for guests to find?  Should I wait a couple of days until asking airbnb what's up?

thanks,

Jane

[Abraham9]

Hello,

I am a new host who like to learn.

please share with me some of your esperience.

How can i increase my price?

[Sandria0]

Best tip ever for new hosts confused by the complicated system for setting up your first let.  Contact the help line

0203 3181111

The people there are fantasticly kind and helpful

[Roz4]

This was such a useful read!!! I poured over it last night and this morning had my first chance to use the advice. I had someone with no profile info or pic request to book. So I adapted one of the blurbs a fellow host suggested (sorry I didn't take bit of which helpful person it was!). 

Thanks for your enquiry! It looks like you are new to Airbnb. Airbnb is such an awesome way to stay. The personal touches most hosts go to can make your stay so much more pleasant and the locations vary so much, so you can tailor travel to suit you. It's worth having a read in the Airbnb site of FAQs to learn more about this mode of accomodation.

Because it's personal (you would be staying on our own property) each host has their own rules to keep themselves safe and everyone happy. Please take the time to read ours. The other part about it being personal is that most hosts will want to have an idea of who is coming. So if you are keen on experiencing Airbnb also take a little time to fill in some details on your profile. A photo and a little about yourself is a must as it forms the start of trust between the two parties. Read my profile and you will get a feel for what sort of things people write in this community. Once you fill in your profile and get a good review you will find you can "instant book" with many hosts, which makes life easier. When you do this it's "locked in". We love having the opportunity to be your first Airbnb experience, please share with us your expectations about staying on an Airbnb home instead of a hotel so we can make sure we meet them or even exceed them.

Our little studio is completely self contained and continental breakfast foods are supplied in the room for you to help yourself. Some hosts do provide hot breakfasts and others may not supply any (so the term Airbnb can be a bit confusing!)

Let me know when you've popped some info on your profile and I will happily approve your Friday night stay. Cheers! Roz

[Kelly105]

Thanks, Roz!  My first request was someone who just joined Airbnb and had no information listed.  I used your response and tailored it to our listing. 

[Roz4]

@Kelly105

Im very flattered! I hope you found ways to say the same thing using less words- as "its too long" was the general feedback theme!  Funnily enough Im not using that apporach much anymore, unless Im feeling unsure about a guest.  Now Ive had over 50 guests, all of whom have been very good to excellent Im becoming a bit complacent! Eek- that will bite me one day no doubt!

[Natalia77]

I am a new host, and currently I have my first guest. So, tomorrow is chek out. And I do not know how should I proceed? Should I come in the flat with my guest and check whether all things are ok. Or should I trust and take a key and make cheking later? The guest has proposed to bring me the key as I live nearby.

[Linda108]

@Natalia77  What a lovely apartment you have!  I would meet the guest at the apartment to obtain the key, but more importantly, you have an opportunity to elicit comments from the guest about their experience.  Listen with open ears as feedback is critical in being successful in the long term.  You can quickly scan the space to ensure there are no problems.  Be as hands on as you can be with guests, especially in the beginning.  You will learn a great deal.  

[Patty27]

Good Afternoon! I am fairly new to the hosting business as I started last June. I have a 3 bedroom 2 bath home that I have listed on AirBnB and VRBO. I have only had 2 rentals from AirBnB and 9 from VRBO. I am not sure why. I would like to stay fairly booked this summer. This is a resort area in the summer and quieter in the winter. I have lowered my rate per night to $125.00 per night to stay competitive and then increase during the busy summer months. I would appreciate any tips or advice on improving my listing and increasing my stays for this upcoming summer.  Thank-you in advance. I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Patty

Garden House on 8th St.

Coeur d' Alene, Idaho

[Jess26]

Hey everyone!!

Wow.. what a thread. It took me a while to read it all but I'm so grateful everyone has shared so many tips!

Love @Lyndsey2's idea of having a friend stay first! Very cool. Especially if it's someone you can rely on to give you honest feedback and points for improvement.

Also @Julia thanks so much for all the help with photography. So many things to think about, but I agree I find a crumpled up bedspread really offputting and unattractive. 

@Blagoje0 really nice idea about the chalkboard - I might have to give that a go myself 🙂 it reminded me that I actually stayed with someone who did that before, but they did it the other way round - a welcome in the native language of the city as an introduction to the place. I guess this ties in with Airbnb's "live there" tagline too hehe.

Definitely going to bookmark this page and come back to it time and time again.

Thought I'd share something I downloaded recently if that's ok here? It is a free eBook about improving your profile and all the steps you should follow to really improve the guest experience. That's something that's really important to me, especially as I'm (more or less) starting out as a host.

While I've had some great experiences as a guest, there have also been some one-night stays that I just wanted to escape as soon as daylight came! Inaccurate photos and no mention of not being able to use the kitchen... disaster.

Anyway, thanks again everyone for this great community and may the sharing continue 🙂

[Lois-and-Darryl0]

My tips:  

1)  I can't express how valuable the Community Center was for me as I was preparing to list our house.  We spent over a year working on it, and during that time, I spent countless hours reading the Airbnb website and reviews of Guests and Hosts to learn what was important, what bothered Guests the most, and what Hosts could expect to hear from Guests.  

2)  We lived in our second home (which is my family home in the mountains) for 3 months, while we were working on it, and every day I asked myself, "What would a stranger think of this place?  What would they expect, and what would be a wonderful surprise that would be extra special?

3)  Think about convenience:  Do you really have to make your Guests use a key, rather than an keypad with a code so there is more flexibility?  Provide sufficient supplies so guests really can cook a full meal with those 6 or 8 Guests that you've said your house will accommodate.

4)  Talk to your neighbors in advance.  Don't surprise them -- tell them of your business plans and that you want to here from them if there are problems -- think of how you can calm their fears or anxiety of having huge groups of people traipsing in and out, partying all night long, etc.  Our neighbors were concerned, then learned there was nothing to be afraid of.  

5)  Remember this is a business.  Do NOT start doing favors for Guests; be empathetic, be kind and respectful, surprise them with a special touch here and there, but do NOT go out of your way for unreasonable favors.  If you have a Guest who needs you to drive them around - you don't want that Guest.  Don't be so hungry for money that you take in a Guest that your "gut" tells you is more trouble than their worth.  Trust your gut.

6)  Don't be scared.  We were scared to death at first --  But, we've had a great time -- and yes, it IS a lot of work (we do all our own cleaning, otherwise there'd be no point to this business), and we've met and come to know some great and fascinating folks.  We've had nearly all really positive experiences.

Have fun, and Good Luck!

Lois & Darryl, Mountain Haven

[Andrea9]

Wow, great, this thread or a summary of it should appear at the top of each community group!

Well, I hardly have anything new to add to all these thorough tips, except for one which isn't exactly part of the physical guest preparation, but which I've found most (all???) newbie hosts needing to know:

Airbnb is there to connect hosts and guests. Don't expect them to hold your hand and present you with the best of guests.

It's YOUR responsibility to safeguard yourself as far as possible. So use common sense when you let strangers enter your house, probably the most valuable and cherished possession you have. Would you simply give your car keys to somebody you don't know and let them drive away without at least checking their ID and writing it down first?? Probably not.

Which is why one of my mantras is:

Even if the person booking has verified ID, you can't know if they didn't change their profile photo after verifying, and/or are booking for another person. Or for one person and planning on having more guests join them on your dime.

So make an ID check on arrival mandatory! (make note of address and ID #) Why do you think hotels do this???!!

Ask booking guest to  give you full names of guests in advance and announce the ID check. 

That will at least send the message to those up to no good that you aren't quite as easy to fool as many other hosts.

[Judith125]

I'm brand new here. Listing went live today, so it's like the night before the wedding -- erk! I feel pretty vulnerable and wary about having strangers in my small home. I'm alone and older and even worry about someone letting my dog or cat out because they're careless (I added the caution to House Rules). I really appreciate your "ID check on arrival" tip, Andrea. Thank you.

[Rosemary18]

I will soon be approaching my third year as an AirBnB host and my experiences with it have been fun. I learn to focus on something new all of the time. The past few months I have been examining  guest's photo ID's. When I first started out it took me about a day to realize that a guest staying here was not the person in the Photo ID. I questioned him about it and he said that was his friend who was making a joke. The second time this happened I was expecting a young woman and an older woman showed up. I am guessing her photo ID picture was maybe her daughter ? or a picture taken of her about 40+ years ago ? "Selfies" are a big trend; however, some of the time only part of a face shows up in the photo. Guests have sent me pictures of toddlers walking along a beach for their photo ID. Reinforce to your guest that a Photo ID is AirBnB Policy. Be safe.