I host 4 rooms in my house and 2 x 2 bedroom flat down the road with a co-host. They are not luxurious but are furnished with care and lots of original pictures because I like art.
It is all about designing the service and making clear what is offered, then doing it consistently at a fair price.
All guests meet a real person on arrival. We talk to them about why they are here and what they are looking for and try to offer help and suggestions. We make clear that we are about and available if they need us but otherwise we leave them to enjoy their stay. In most cases we do not see them again. I have my own private space in the house and stay there. Guests have their own sitting room with tea coffee and snacks always available. I designed it this way after running a top end place a few years ago with 7 bedrooms (not air bnb) where I was the ever present hands on host, cooking award winning breakfasts every morning and entertaining guests with wine and chat almost every night. I burned out after 5 years. Being the centre of a dynamic with up to 7 strangers or couples who perceive you as the centre link is utterly exhausting. This time I have kept that to a minimum, but the guests themselves sometimes create their own social space in their sitting room.
The design is tweaked as we go along. For example- I used to bake fresh croissants every night and put them out in the breakfast room. 80% went uneaten. In the end -unable to bear the waste and mindful of the expense- I gave up and bought cheap wrapped brioches and pains au chocolat (yes I agree, not great but very long use by dates!) and breakfast bars (ditto). They are always eaten. I am in a city and many guests are here to work so a grab and go snack is much better for them than fiddling about with plates butter marmelade and a croissant that inevitably leaves crumbs on the floor and a blob of buttery jam on a shirt front. Tourists and leisure guests didn't eat the croissants because there are literally dozens of cafes on my street offering everything you could ever want for breakfast.
We leave a few breakfast bars and fresh fruit in the flats too. The fresh fruit is rarely touched in house or flat...but I will keep doing it because it looks good.
Of course- if I were located in a small village or farm the design of the service would be very different- but my guests and their needs and expectations would be very different too. So managing one space or many means carefully deciding what kind of guests you might attract, considering their needs and how to meet them.... then considering your needs as a host and working out a system that as far as possible works for both. Then reviewing and adapting as you go along.
But the personal touch is still the hallmark of an air bnb experience which means that in my spaces there will be original paintings, colour and nothing beige or polyester because it is a space I have designed for you to enjoy. And most people will enjoy because they look at the photos online. You will be welcomed personally and given as much attention as you want while staying, which for most people is not much. And occasionally -if I find you really interesting- I will invite you into my private space for a glass of wine!!
