It’s the hardest thing of all, to have people you can trust.
Relying on someone allows you so much time off, but it has also the disadvantage that quality could decrease.
Your cleaner forgets to scrub the oven and voilà 4 stars instead of 5 stars on "cleaning".
Generally, those who are paid for work do not care about the success of this project as much as you do, so it is important that you check the quality of their work. The house for rent must always be examined, even in the hidden parts: all necessary crockery must be checked, the wardrobes must be dusted inside and outside, all the appliances must be cleaned, the bathroom supplied with soap and toilet paper, the doormat must be brushed. The helper must get used to systematically reporting any damage or object forgotten by guests.
The best place for the control of compliant results is at check-in: at that moment you can see how the apartment was cleaned, so you immediately notice if your helper has cleaned well. Nothing’s worse than having an assistant who doesn't care if guests are satisfied.
I also used external agencies. The ones who care about quality are few. Well, my view is that external companies tend to be less precise because for them you are just one apartment out of 100 and if you are too demanding and picky, they say you are free to go, they have 99 more apartments whose hosts do not annoy them.
The problem today is that under 4.8 you are in trouble, while 4.5 is fine for them.
If you work with private citizens, my casting tips are:
° ask them what reviews they have had. Get their links. If they’re under 4.8, let it go;
° say that you’re on track to become Superhost, ask them if they think they can make it with your apartment. That’s a rather difficult question to answer, but at least you put openly this issue on the table;
° offer a 20% bonus for each 5-star review and an extra bonus if you reach the Superhost target: if you save on your helpers, you are digging yourself the deepest hole;
° tell them if you go under 4.8 this partnership won’t last for long, but be careful: for helpers who clean your house, just look at the reviews on cleaning.
To become a Superhost you must believe in what you do. Everyone must eat his own bread with the sweat of his forehead. If you have not equipped your apartment well, if you have no time for unexpected complications, if you underpay your helpers who are forced to do things quickly, it’s unlikely you will make it.
Another way is to entrust the management to a profile with hosting experience: an AIRBNB Superhost. A Superhost generally knows how to work well and probably takes everything to heart.
But if you ask me now very straightforwardly and point-black which is the most important thing in a co-host or in a person that receive guests, I say to you that, despite his low score, all that matters to me is the smile on his face, the smile he uses around his guests.
A smile is a gift from heaven, it is the beginning of every story and every authentic friendship, and if I had one wish, it would be that all your co-hosts wear their most perfect smile and sunshine and that I finish this post just the way I started it. With a smile.