Tips for great guests review. It really works!

[Blagoje0]

I summerize a few of my, easy to do, suggestions how to make your guests feel exceptionally. Hope you find some of them useful.

- get a small blackboard and prior guests arrival write welcome note in their own language. Maybe even draw symbol of the city or country where they come from. Guests will be impressed with your attention.

- if guests leave your place clean be sure to tell them that! Guest will be very pleased and feel great that you noiced it.

- having a guest with a baby or maybe a pet? Leave baby bibs or baby rattle. Guest will be really suprised and overwhelmed that you remember their yungest one. Or maybe a pet cookies for their furry friend.

- I suggest to visit all best places to see and save the exact google location coordinates on your cell phone and send them to your guests explaining where each Google shared location leads to. They will appreciate your informations and enjoy your recommendations that only locals know and can not be found in any tourist guidebooks and brochures. 

- during the stay of your guests always ask is everithing OK and do they need something. Guests will see you as careful and easily reachable host whom they can turn to at any time if needed.

- before guests arrival buy a souvenir of your city and place it out of the eye reach. On the check out day message them wishing safe back home and tell them to take a look at that "hidden place". It will create that WOW! effect and your guests will be amazed with your attention.

[Shari16]

Your information was very helpful. I am a  new host and am trying to get advice on how to make our place better. We've had one renter so far but many views. How do I get people in the door? Your information is great once people are in. I also cannot figure out how to start my own thread in these messages....and I cannot find any support at all through Airbnb? Any information you can give me?

[Lizzie]

Great post @Blagoje0 - I do enjoy reading all the tip posts you share here in the CC. 🙂

@Shari16, lovely to meet you and to hear you have found this a great help. In terms of your questions, so that they don't get lost in this thread and so that it is easier for others to reply to Blagoje's post about tips, I would suggest creating a new conversation with your questions in the Community Help board. Welcome to the world of hosting! 🙂

Lizzie

[Blagoje0]

Great to hear that you like my tips Lizzie and Shari.

@Shari16 I suggest you put some outdoor nature photos of your surrounding. 

[Phil43]

Try selecting INSTANT BOOKING to ON.  This makes an enormous difference.  There are many guests who don't even consider booking with any host who doesn't allow INSTANT BOOKING.

The other thing we did in the early stages was offer very cheap pricing - you can then revert to normal pricing when you have a handful of good reviews.

Good Luck!

[Rachel248]

A cheap suggestion (given you just bought your place, and might not want to put a bunch more money into it just yet) is to change the orrientation of your photos so they're all landscape. This makes them appear more clearly on the site. Also, while there might be a lot of brown, it's a rustic area... You might be able to downplay this by just opening the windows and doors while you're taking the photo, so there's more natural light. Go through and view your listing on both the ap and on the full site, to see what your customers see. Previous reviewers have noted your fire pit- maybe make that your cover shot? Also, beef up the write up a bit. Add some more colour and detail. These are things that are all free, but should help a lot. Later on, consider hiring a professional photographer- anyone who does real estate photos. They're not expensive, and you'll recoup your investment quickly. 

[Hilary-And-Ed0]

I am new too.  I was advised by several experienced hosts to start with prices lower than standard for your type of space/location/etc. This will get some initial interest, and some early guests.  Once these people start leaving positive reviews, then your listing will generate more interest from the reviews as well.  Then you can slowly start to increase prices to be on a par with the market.  So far it has worked.  I am pretty booked for the next couple of months.

[Radu15]

I think this low priced policy differs from country to country :)) I personally got the most bad reviews when the price was the lowest 😞 Perhaps this advice will be helpful. Beautiful day, Alin Radu

[Phil43]

 It’s just a stage that you have to go through to get the reviews.  I agree that you get poor reviews from the cheapskates at the lowest prices, so you need to move on to better clients and accept that some people are never happy - but luckily, you’re not living their lives!

[Carolyn40]

I was wondering what a level 10 means? I noticed a lot of people have them but you are new,

so a lot of people haven't been to your establishment. Just wondering!

[Welcome0]

@Shari0 It is necessary to use a mindset of your own personality as a host. How would you treat your own guests? Those little things you do for your guests will transcribe into 5*****.

What gives you joy may also give joy to your guests. My Checklist for every new guest - A Contract to sign with the House Rules; fresh cut flowers; a welcome note on my chalk board with guests first names; chilled lemon water in fridge; pitcher of filtered water in fridge; croissants, fresh fruit for breakfast. If guests are arriving late in the evening, I'll have some soup. 

I keep a guest book with my House Manual/House Rules together on a shelf.  Guests have written beautiful letters, children have drawn pictures. Most of the guests read the previous posts. Thus, it binds them all together into a huge family. We do not write  personal addresses, emails or phone numbers in this journal. (I keep that separate with my Airbnb records.) In the event these guests stay with us again in the future, I'll have all their info available. 

In other words, don't be afraid to add your  personal touch to your Airbnb! 

[Sarah_Matthew0]

Really like your ideas, we are new to this so collecting as much information as we can 😊

[Kellie104]

@Shari16 

To your post from 2017.

I am having the same issue.  Lots of views but no bites yet.  We aren't starting until April this year but I would have thought we would have at least gotten one reservation.  Husband thinks it's because our cottage is small especially the bathroom.

Thanks. 

[Fiona313]

@Shari16

[Fiona313]

Hi Shari16, I'm in New Zealand so don't know the American market at all.  You ask how you can get more people through the door.  I popped through and had a look at your Airbnb listing.  It's great you've had 24 positive reviews so far.  As someone looking at your listing as a potential booking, my first impression from your photos is that the place is very dark (maybe even cold).  If it wasn't for the positive reviews I wouldn't book it.  Perhaps you can get some different photos done with more light in the room.