What's the best piece of advice you've been given about hosting?

Stephanie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

What's the best piece of advice you've been given about hosting?

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Hello everybody, 

 

Hosting is a constantly evolving passion and, like anything, the more the do it, the more knowledgeable you get. Tips along the way can be a great helping hand and can really help steer you in the right direction. 

 

What was the best advice you've received about hosting - one which made the most beneficial difference to your process?

 

Looking forward to swapping tips!

 

Stephanie

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10 Replies 10
Roberta2
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

Hi @Stephanie 

For me, before starting, was to see my place trough the eyes of the guest.

See what they may need, and what would make they comfortable.

 

Sometimes is a simple thing like a frozen pizza available if they are arriving late and may be hungry, and no shops are available.  

 

Also, be communicative. Ask questions, before and during their stay, to ensure that I can fix any issue before check out (and review) time.

 

Steven65
Level 10
Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Hi @Stephanie . When we purchased our holiday home, we had not heard of Airbnb and had no clue. We contacted a local  agent, met them for coffee and chat and they recommended we focus on flat cleanliness and guest communication. They also said it is not easy or cheap. I think they were right on all counts!

Dimitar27
Level 10
Sofia, Bulgaria

The best advice about hosting was...to think twice before starting it. 🙂

Cormac0
Level 10
Kraków, Poland

Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity but cashflow is reality.

Nutth0
Host Advisory Board Member
Chiang Mai, Thailand

@Stephanie My first guest, He was my truly teacher. I received a trust and believe in me and that is inspired me to host.

Ann783
Level 10
New York, NY

Communication is key. Also be generous and kind.

Marie82
Level 10
New South Wales, Australia

@Stephanie 

don't trust Airbnb Smart Pricing

Don't trust the ID verification System

And don't trust Support when after guest trash your apartment with pics to prove it they will give u repair fees/or cleaning fees/or extra guests fees

Don't trust their Algorithm

Don't trust their star rating

 

 

Yadira22
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Stephanie  ... no means no! 
Do not compromise yourself or your schedule for someone else. 

Be realistic! 

Note to self: because god knows if your not, your guests will have no fighting chance. 😉

 

Outsource check in/cleaning , standardise all/most communication and finally buy in bulk! 

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

@Stephanie @Yadira22 @Marie82 @Ann783 @Nutth0 and others, I took a moment to reflect back on my job in Hospitality and a phrase we were taught, "Little things mean a lot"..it's always stuck with me throughout my lifetime.

As has, Treat others how you would like to be treated.

 

All the best

 

 

Rebecca181
Level 10
Florence, OR

When I first began hosting a few years ago I was told by some hosts who have been with Airbnb since nearly the beginning these two things:

 

1) Don't rely on Airbnb as your only income stream as hosts have been de-listed without notice and were not able to even find out what the reason was: They were just "disappeared", like characters in a Stephen King novel. I have seen this happen first-hand now (David in Colorado being one of the more prominent cases). 

 

2) Don't rely on the (mythical) Host Protection Guarantee or the (mythical) security deposit, because they are, well...mythical.