I see a lot of new hosts make this mistake so I thought I would post some lessons learned. Early in the going, I asked our friend what she would do to furnish our Airbnb. We have a 2 bed 2 bath cottage that is a bit shy of 1500 square feet. She suggested we add bunk beds to each bedroom so that we could easily sleep 8 guests instead of 4. I think a lot of people starting out assume this is the way to go.
Lower guest counts are actually more profitable than higher in many cases? Why? Because of the following:
- Less wear and tear. 4 people typically make more of a mess than 2. 8 people typically use more linens and amenities than 4. Your cleaning time and time spent washing and drying towels is money spent. Don't even forget to figure that into your profit equation.
- Guests don't always follow the rules. Let's say you charge for extra guests above a certain number to offset that time spent on clean up. Guests often don't realize they should not bring more people than stated. Many hosts post here weekly about what to do in the case where a guest shows up with more people than reserved and ignore requests to pay extra guest fees. Even if your fees are nominal, some people will do ANYTHING to avoid them.
- Parties are a real danger with bigger groups. Though the definition of "party" is very squishy ("its just a girl's weekend!" "It is only a get together!") allowing large groups in your space just pushes the needle ever closer to the dreaded P word.
- The reality of plumbing. Though different parts of the world have varying standards on how many bathrooms are normal in a home, the more people sharing each bathroom, the more likely clogs, backups, and expensive plumbing issues. No one wants to deal with that on their vacation. And certainly no host loves paying those bills.
- Guest comfort. Sure, you could fit a family of 6 or even 8 into our cottage, but it would definitely start to feel cramped. Be mindful of how many people can comfortably fit in your space. Think of it as though you were going to move in permanently. Would you think "this is great for a family of 10" or "wow, I have no idea how I would deal with so many people in this space if I had to stay here." You want your guests to have a relaxing stay, not be tripping over their friends and their open suitcases.
So what are some capacity rules of thumb?
- One bed to a bedroom. Unless its a bunk bed or a room set up for kids, think hard about putting multiple beds in a bedroom. Who are you targeting for this listing? Couples for a honeymoon? Multi generational families traveling together? Many travelers, myself included, value privacy and are not looking for a space to share a room with another adult other than my partner. Definitely there are exceptions, but think about who you are marketing your space to. Does your ideal guest mind sharing a room with another adult? If you travel with a mate would you want to share a bedroom with a family member?
- Total capacity should be only the people who can sleep comfortably in the actual beds in the space. Do not list futons, air mattresses, cots etc as sleeping spaces but only the permanent beds on your listing.
-Set up other spaces in your house to reflect your total capacity number. If you sleep 6, your dining room table should have 6 chairs max. Don't give the impression that you allow more people with other furnishings in your space.
- Divide when setting prices. Take your nightly price and divide it by the number of guests. So say you sleep 10 and your home is priced at $200 a night. That is only $20 per person. Understand that for $20 a night, your guests may not be respectful of the space. They may think the low price means its not valuable, and treat it that way. It is a truth that the higher your prices the less difficult your guests typically are. Bargain hunters never stop hunting and may want the moon and stars for very little.
Capacity can really impact your experience of hosting. Consider it carefully when you are starting out!