How to show your character in your listing?

[Lizzie]

Hello everyone,

There are quite a few things a guest expects to find in a listing, a bed being one of them! But as a host, your listing is your home and so more often than not, you want to show a bit of your own character, your own style. It’s also important to create a good  balance so that you attract a wide variety of guests. So it can be tricky. 

How do you show your character in your listing?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Lizzie

[Cathie19]

Hi @Lizzie.

To try to appeal to as many guests as possible, the wall colours are neutral. This way I can colourise with fittings and change as need either by choice or fashion style changes. A nuestral colour that is readily available also makes wall touch ups easier.

Personally, I have some similar items in my dwelling as well as the Airbnb space. I set it up and furnished it, so it is Garry and I. If we had to, we could comfortably live in it!  🙂

There is a similar textile wall hanging, wwooden sculptures, same types of plants and some cushion covers etc etc. If I like it myself, then it’s going to be similar in the homestay.

We are there..... in some of the specific creative areas: a couple of Garry’s photography prints enlarged and in frames and some a couple of my art pieces on the wall and fridge!  

🙂

Cathie

[Rubén16]

@Lizzie  Our Airbnb friends stay just down the road from us in their private Rusty Cottage, where folks from all walks of life are welcomed. Oh how many poets, writers, teachers, music composers and others have used this little kitchen table to improve, and work on their craft and talents. Yes the Rusty Cottage has been a home to many who needed to get away and hear the sound of silence.

The character that I use is that of the Rusticness of Vermont with the shutters and wood floors, and yet the balance of a warm cozy feeling with the gas fired stove, and the Queen size bed with soft country print linen it gives it that finishing touch.

[Clara116]

@Rubén16 Hi, your thumbnail of your place is fabulous - that snow falling and  the cabin, outdoors just scream for cozy, comfy and the shutters and fireplace, etc all do the trick.

That photo is just totally wonderful - made me wanna get back on the slopes and play...........haven't skiied since Switzerland - you have captured winter, cozy, comfort, and retreat for certain. 

best regards, Clara 

[Rubén16]

@Clara116  Thanks for the compliment Clara:)  , I have been using seasonal pictures for my thumnail picture for over 2 years now, it has worked very well for me, my bookings have doubled since I started to change them for the seasons and sometimes for special events. One time I changed it and used a hot air balloon picture and all the dates for the local hot air balloon festival booked that night!!

Do come and visit I will leave the light on for you:)

[Clara116]

@Rubén16 You are clever and that's what it takes out there! Happy Hosting, Clara

[Sandra126]

I don't believe in pleasing everyone, just do your thing and people will find you who are attracted to your personal style. I don't go for balance as there are many listings in my area, total saturation. Many of them are extremely samey. Attractive and au jour, but the same.

If you look at the lineup of most wishlisted places and disregard those who are there because of views or location, you will find a great many very personal styles. Clearly it is a desirable thing for guests!

[Susan151]

@Lizzie. They want a bed!!!!???? 

<giggling>

To be serious, the AirBNB rooms were built out so that our daughter could save money while completing her masters degree, and then her doctorate. They are practical, well-designed, and very comfortable. These rooms have transitioned well as AirBNB rooms. Just enough "us" to feel like your staying in a home with enough open space to move in and make it feel like "your" home.

[Lizzie]

hehe! I'm glad you liked that @Susan151. 🙂 

It's great to hear your outlook on your listing. I feel like the three points you have raised are a great trio of things to look for in a home. When transitioning your rooms to be used for hosting did you decide to change much in the room?

[Susan151]

@Lizzie. The bedroom remained unchanged. Well I added a clock with USB charging station and a makeup mirror. Everything else was already furnished. In the sitting room, all that remained were the bookcases. So, I pulled the gorgeous cherry futon out of storage, moved the desk from my bedroom, purchased a coffee table and end table and one more bookshelf. That new bookshelf became the home of the purchased fridge and dishware. I also bought a small open cubby to serve as the "coffee bar" which also has the electric tea kettle. Since then, I have upgraded the lighting, added some throw pillows and a throw for snuggling when the room gets chilly in the winter. The bathroom just needed some accessories and tons of towels.

[Huma0]

@Lizzie

One thing my place is not lacking is character and that is why many of my guests book. Of course, it is my home, so that comes more naturally than a separate unit, but I have always made sure to decorate the guest rooms with as much care and detail as I would my own (they are certainly kept tidier than mine!). 

I don't go for minimalism, flat pack furniture or anything basic really. Fabrics are really important to create a welcoming, cosy space, so I always use nice bedlinen, throws, cushions and curtains that coordinate with the room. 

As for colour, most of the rooms in my house are painted in neturals (but not white) and colour is injected through furniture, fabrics etc. but  I would like to be a bit bolder with the walls. Only one room is painted a strong shade with dramatic wallpaper on the chimney breast and that room is super popular (pretty much fully booked until September), so I don't think you need to go netural to attract/please guests.

[Lizzie]

I always admire your amazing interior design skills @Huma0 and I like that you are bold and confident with your colours and really help to shape your character into your home through this. After all, this is your home and you have to feel proud of the space you are offering. 

You mention you 'would like to be bolder with the walls', out of interest did you deside to tone your walls down for your hosting rooms? 

[Huma0]

@Lizzie thanks for your kind words!

No, I didn't tone down the rooms for hosting. In fact, I didn't change the colour schemes at all. Perhaps I naturally went for less dramatic colours in most of the rooms because I had lodgers in them before, but I think I just naturally veered towards pale colours to increase the sense of light and space. I have more or less stuck with the same colours when repainting the rooms to coordinate with the wallpaper that is on the chimney breasts.

The exception is the dark blue room above, which is the largest one and also has three huge windows, so I thought that room could take more colour. I originally painted it teal and, when I got bored of that, the dark blue. It took me a couple of attempts to find the right blue though. The first one I chose made the room look like a Greek taverna!

[Linda1213]

I didn’t think about character per se, when i was getting the Casita ready to rent.  But when one of  my kids left for Colorado.... surfboards were left behind. So in the Casita they went. A jute chandelier i loved, and didn’t have a place in our home, found a place here. Art from artist friends.... palm fronds from our garden. And in the end these disparate pieces and parts became the character... i guess. 

[Emily352]

My dad had a large apartment in Milan in the central area, near the opera house (Teatro alla Scala). In that district there were a very large number of hotels and b & bs. I was facing very strong competion, but I didn’t lose my nerve.

I put my personal stamp on that place. I decided to choose an important section of turists: the lovers of opera and classical music. That’s my target.

I changed my mind about ​​decorating that place. I decided to decorate it not according to my liking, but according to the guest’s liking, including furnishings.

I tried to elevate the image of the house in order to increase its desirability. I wanted my ad to be like a gut punch. The aim was not just to "sell" a house, but also to “sell” an experience of being totally in awe of music.

That day "La Boheme" apartment was born, by the name of an opera by Giacomo Puccini. I named the suites after that opera: "Rodolfo", "Mimì", "Musetta”.

A classic decor with famous opera posters and photos of great symphonic conductors and opera singers. A colour-coded place: red, black and white, the emblem of “Teatro alla Scala”.

“La Boheme” apartment  had a hi-fi system, an extensive collection of CDs and DVDs dedicated to opera and classical music (my dad was a passionate lover of opera), a soundproof room, and a wireless connection.

I started doing online promotion for my flat with the theater’s office, musical/cultural associations, travel agencies which specialized in accomodations for opera lovers, agencies of opera singers and orchestral musicians, the best uptown restaurants and shops.

Some good young opera singers spent some days in there. Their secret dream was to sing opera at Teatro alla Scala. Maybe, in a few years, one of those singers is going to be my country’s next idol.