How to create a guest-friendly space?

[Stephanie]

Hey there,

At the core of Airbnb are great hosts like you, and the more you host the more you get use to guests being in your home and what they might find comfortable. When you are just starting out as a new host, it can be difficult to know how to change your spare room or space into a place for paying guests. 

Things like what style decor should I go for to attract more guests, but still feel homely, what type of bed, should I leave my belongings around the place, should I welcome my guests in person. These are just some of the things to think about and so it’s easy to see why this could be daunting.

There are many amazing pieces of advice in the CC on many of these areas, here are just a couple:

Hosting a private room – what are your tips?   / How do you make a bedroom inviting for guests?

How did you create a guest friendly space? Did you have a plan or is it something you evolved over time? What would you say are the essentials?

[Gordon0]

I started Airbnb back in the beginning (well, pretty much as soon as it arrived here in London). It was the proverbial gravy train back then and there was little you could do wrong. 

Fast-forward to 2019 and it's a very different gig; you need to underpromise/overdeliver every single day. 

While the actual premise remains the same, I've learnt from other hosts (plus hotel stays) what works and what doesn't.

Tech advances have meant I've needed to change too, by retro-fitting USB plugs (lots of them) throughout the room, and proving a myriad of (tidily displayed) cables. I also supply an iPhone to those who need a smartphone.  

There's also the stuff that are taken for granted by guests; hairdryer, iron/board, guide books, fast wi-fi, Nespresso machine, fluffy towels, somewhere to work (a desk) and more.

But my USPs (I think) are an obsession with cleanliness and detail (a plastic coat hanger is enough to bring me out in hives), super-fast communications, and putting myself in the shoes of my would-be guests.

You don't get a second chance to make a first impression.   

 

[Ann72]

@Stephanie - @Gordon0's comment says it ALL!  I think the most important thing is putting yourself in the shoes of guests when you're reviewing your space.  What are they going to see when they walk in?  What will confuse or annoy them?  What will charm them?

Since I can't be at my place to prepare for guests, I rely on my housekeeper, who luckily is as motivated as I am to make everything perfect.  (She even reads all the reviews after guests check out!)  When I am there we go over the linens, the kitchen organization, the bedrooms, really everything, together, and talk about how guests are using things and what more they might need.  And she knows that when I say "This looks sketchy - let's get rid of it," I had better never see that thing again.

My obsessions are order in every cabinet, closet, and drawer and level surfaces in every room that are free of clutter.  Like Gordon I cannot ABIDE plastic or wire hangers ("SKETCHY!!!"), nor can I bear the previous guests' dog-eared travel brochures (EVEN SKETCHIER!  And my previous housekeeper always saved them!).

A recent post noted that you should remove every single personal item, but I think guests like some touches - here are two photographs of my family house that show some of my children's artwork framed and hung on the walls.  I believe guests with families like this kind of touch because it makes them less anxious about their children touching anything.

[Anonymous]

I think it comes down to comfortable mattresses. My recent guest got unexpected day off and slept until lunch!  I give my guest the option of the office bedroom with futon, or my kids bedroom with bunk bed—Both have very different mattresses. Thinking of getting an extra foam bed topper for futon....SW Georgia—swamps, agritourism, civil rights museum, traveling for work. 

[Denis-Mark0]

I think that style is an excellent subject for debate because, as we know, tastes are all too different. It is also one of the special things about AirbBnb that you can find so wonderfully individual accommodations here. In this sense, every host should have the courage and the right to arrange his accommodation primarily according to his taste. If he then shares the accommodation with others, he also shares his personality to a certain extent with others, and that is what this is all about, personality!

In second place, in my opinion, is not only the hospitality of the room, but also a bit of the guest suitability, which the guest should not perceive over all. And I am not talking here about Highclere Castle, but about average apartments and average rooms. Delicate surfaces tend to age quickly and are problematic to maintain. You should think about this before you furnish your apartment.

[David6412]

I'm just getting started as a Host in Kansas City, Kansas.  I look forward to a profitable 2020 year with extra income as a Host, if there are any tips that you can offer please feel free to share - I am willing to learn.  One thing I am trying to learn how to do is Pricing, how to list a base price, but increasing it for the more guests that or going to stay in your place ($50 for two people, $60 for four, $70 for six and $80 for 8 something like that structure, I don't know how to set that type of pricing list).  I enjoy and appreciate all the tips and advice here on Airbnb.  Hopefully I can go from working two ful-time jobs to one full-time job and Hosting replacing the second job.  Well Happy New Year to you all, may you all be blest as you Journey Through The Corridors Of Life for another year.

David Scott