Laura’s Letter: What I learned staying with private-room hosts

[Laura_C]

May 20, 2019

Hi everyone,

Congratulations to all of you who achieved or maintained your Superhost status in the April assessment! The longer I’ve worked at Airbnb, the more I realize what an incredible accomplishment being a Superhost is. Thanks to all of you for providing wonderful experiences for guests around the world, and for setting the standard for hospitality for Airbnb.

As many of you know, my role at Airbnb is to look after the team that builds products, community, and resources for home hosts like you. When I joined Airbnb last July, one of my top priorities was to quickly immerse myself in the world of hosts and hosting—in particular, to learn more from some of our amazing hosts (and Superhosts!), gather some great tips from them, and bring those back to our host community (and our teams here at Airbnb). There’s nothing quite like firsthand experience, so as part of my journey, I decided to stay in a private room once a week. I have three small children at home, so it was a pretty big commitment, but it ended up being such a delightful experience in some fun and unexpected ways. I’m excited to tell you about what I’ve learned over the past few months.

Getting to meet Superhosts like you was one of the highlights of my recent adventures staying in private rooms. There are more than 161,000 Superhosts who share private rooms on Airbnb— that’s 29% of all Superhosts. And private-room listings are popular with guests, too. In 2018, tens of millions of bookings were in private rooms, which was a significant share of all bookings on Airbnb. Private-room hosts and listings are a really important part of our community.

I had 3 goals for my private-room stays

1. Experience variety (staying at listings with different price points, and different types of hosts: new, Plus, Superhosts, etc.)
2. Have personal interactions (I reached out to hosts ahead of time and invited them to chat with me more about their experiences, and share thoughts on how we can help them more)
3. Gather learnings (What was my experience as a guest? How can we support hosts more? What is the host doing brilliantly that other hosts can learn from?)

So, what did I learn? Well, the first big takeaway was that we need to do more to help you better set guest expectations (which can help with better reviews). This is something that’s really important for all hosts but absolutely crucial for private-room hosts, many of whom share a bathroom or kitchen with their guests. On our end, I think that starts with categorization. How can we better differentiate different types of listings on Airbnb (need a room in a castle, anyone?), especially as we begin to welcome more bed-and-breakfasts and boutique hotels alongside homes and rooms? How can we help you make it clear to guests that there are cats in the listing? (I am much more of a dog person than a cat person, but I have to admit that I made friends with many cats during my stays!)

Next, I learned many things about what can make a stay great from a guest’s perspective. I appreciated a lot of different things—clarity on where I could go and what I could use (shampoo? fridge space? through that random unmarked door?) was a big deal. Having some information from the host on who else was going to be in the house was also hugely reassuring. Knowing the hours of the other people in the household was also great so that I could be a respectful guest (I get up early, and always wanted to be thoughtful of not waking up everyone else in the house!).

In fact, many of you have already shared some wonderful tips for hosting a private-room listing here in the Community Center. (This thread really impressed me, and I enjoyed the comments on this article, too). I’d love to continue to hear from you on this subject, and I’d love to learn more about what we can do to help you as private-room hosts succeed. Please tell me your suggestions in the comments, below.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, I was reminded again of what an incredible community of hosts we have. I met one host who started hosting so that she could have more flexibility to support her children with special needs, and another who took a big pay cut to follow their heart and work in the non-profit sector … hosting helped them have the financial flexibility they needed to make that move. I met one host who has developed extraordinary relationships with her guests (many of whom come back often to visit) and another who started hosting so that she could afford to keep her family’s home while her children went to college. I love that Airbnb is helping people around the world build wonderful connections and support their goals and passions in life.

Congratulations again to those of you who are Superhosts, whether you’re sharing the spare wing of a castle, an entire home, or an extra bedroom in your apartment. I hope to meet you on my next outing. Until then…

… Happy hosting!
Laura

[Lyn68]

On the other side of the coin I have covered & uncovered  smoking  outdoor areas on my property with photos,  description states I specialise in accommodating smokers ( not inside)  as hotels do not & it says in heading----Smoking area, and yet 95% of my guests are non-smokers, proving one can't win no matter what you do!  I think they either like you or they don't once they have met you & not a lot can change that.

[Sarah1842]

Thanks Laura,

Great to hear that you're making your way around to various hosts - its quite a job - maybe there should be a team of you to cover a global community! Anyway my tips to other hosts would be:

1:  Install a keyless entry on your front door - avoids all the hassles of guests accidentally leaving with a key. They use 2 sets of entry codes - a master code that only you and your family use and a guest code. Guests door codes can be easily changed as needed.

2: Clearly explain house rules in your house manual - have a printed copy in their room as most dont read the detail on the listing. Also when you welcome them in to the house give them a tour so they understand clearly what they have access to. Also a great time to explain your personal activity times so that you can share the space without having to try to cook meals at the same time.

3. Set aside the top shelf of the fridge for guests.

4. Dont use blankets - only washable bed linen and have 2 sets if weather/timing prevent washing and re-setting the room on the same day. I air pillows and mattress protector for as long as possible between guests.

5. Ive not had to deal with the sleeping on top of the doona scenario, but regardless everything is washed between guests anyway so its a moot point for me.

6. 99% of guests are incredibly respectful, clean and polite, and make hosting an incredibly enjoyable experience.

7. Even if you find certain aspects of guest behaviour annoying eg daily use of washing machine for microloads,  just keep focussed on the big picture - hosting is fun, a great way to meet people you would never normally meet and a handy income supplement.

Three cheers to AirBnb for creating this opportunity that we all seem to love!

Come and visit me if you can (-:

Sarah, Sydney

Sunny stylish private room in Hunters Hill

[Keri36]

Hi Laura,

Interesting read. Thank you. I haven't had a single bad experience as a host and I love meeting people from all over the world. Airbnb makes it so easy. So thanks to the whole organisation for creating such a fun and trouble free experience. Yep, if you're in New Zealand, come visit.

Keri

[Glenda4]

Come see us here in Nova Scotia! There are 5 or 6 of us in this small area below Parrsboro! We will make sure you get to taste goodies fresh from the Bay of Fundy and, if you are here in August when the blueberries are ripe- blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, muffins etc will have you wanting more....

Glenda, Darrell & Tucker (our Shorkipoo Grand Dog)

Blueberry Cottage, Allenville

[Gina378]

I think the most helpful thing you can do for all hosts, including superhosts, renting rooms, is to make it clear that guests are staying in someone's HOME. Hence, ask them to share in their profile what they would want to know about a prospective guest before that guest stayed in their home. It seems like fewer people are putting anything at all on their profile. They seem to be confusing staying with me in my home with staying in a cheap motel.  In their note to me to request to stay, they'll just say something like, 'My partner and I need a room for 2 nights." Then they have no reviews. I then reply that they would be staying in my home so please let me know more about themselves.  They often seem quite puzzled by this and seem to think I'm being intrusive. They tell me the bare minimum. I then have to decide whether I need to adopt a policy of only allowing people to stay at my house that have reviews - but quite honestly, I'd miss out on knowing some awesome people. These folk apparently need help understanding what this is all about. I think its Airbnb's responsibility to make sure they get it. Thanks.

[Leslie409]

I would love to meet you also! I have gone back and forth with weather I should meet people or not. I rent the whole house. You have it set up so I don’t have to be there. But I think some of them would like to meet me as I would them. 

[Fiddle0]

HI Laura,

Fun times!  I have a homestay near Asheville, NC.   It does sound like some protocol needs to be in place to maintain superhost status in the face of hotel trolls, or unhappy people, or whoever can easily wreck an otherwise consistent super-hosting.  Perhaps some protocol about 'a pattern of low stars' vs. here comes a one star to wreck all the rest.  I don't think standard averaging does justice here.  Happy Trails! Laurie

[Charolette0]

Laura, thanks for doing your research. I personally show my guests to their room and show them closet space, extra pillows, blankets, and sheets with pillow cases in case they need them. I offer to change sheets once a week, mop, dust and vacuum weekly while they are out, if they allow me to enter their room, and ask them to place things in the closet to facilitate cleaning. One room has the breaker box and internet modem in it, so I inform them I may occassionally have to come in if a breaker trips or internet is down. I assure them I will touch nothing of their belongings unless I have to move things to vacuum. Most guests agree it is okay and keep things off the floor so I can do my weekly cleaning of whole house on Friday or Saturday. 

I have rescued yorkies who are not completely house trained, but have served well in their therapy dog capacity as guests love to pet them and some take them to bed with them, like dogs they left back home. I explain that Lulu my wet the floor, so I generally do not allow them in my airbnb rooms unless the guest requests it and is willing to mop up after her.

Chewy, her mate is paper trained and both go in my studio when I cant take them outside for walks. So my studio is off limits to guests as it serves as art studio, work tool storage, business office, and computer room and yorkie potty. 

Sweepea the border collie is 12 now, extremely sociable and greets all guests outside barking, tail wagging, trying to herd them to her as she views everyone as sheep. Dog lovers are receptive, others I have to explain she wants to get their scent to make friends. Once that ritual is done and she sees bags rolling in, she allows them to pass and come and go as they please. Even those skiddish about dogs become lovers of dogs by the time they leave here.

I warn guests I keep a well stocked kitchen so there is limited fridge space until I can get small fridges in their rooms. 

I also show them guest towels versus cleaning rags in a shared bathroom and a basket of personal care products for their use if they were unable to bring things in flight.  Tour of house completed, they are allowed time to unpack with an invitation to share dinner if they are hungry and dont have plans. It gives us time to get to know each other over a casual meal, like a family tradition. I explain I always cook more than I can eat, and show where leftovers and cookies are stored. One guest named my fridge leftover heaven and raised it every night after work. Lol. It is how I host and the funds from airbnb allow me to supplement my social security income where I can afford to eat well. I enjoy sharing meals, swapping recipes, and guests sometimes cook for me their special dishes. So my hosting style has a lot to do with "food bonding." 

[Kristin113]

Hello Laura. This is nice insight. I’ve been a single-room host for the past two and a half years. I love hosting and meeting new people. One of the concerns I have as a single female is the new limitations on viewing guests profiles. I can understand some of these changes for empty houses, but I am frustrated with limitations on viewing star ratings, pictures, and other details that use to be available. I think there is a difference of being home vs. just having an empty room. I don’t feel comfortable doing insta-book for the same reasons. 

If it is possible for AirBnB to change some of these limitations for private-room hosts, I would be very appreciative!

[Cheryl-And-Bill0]

Hi Laura.   I agree that it is disheartening to get a bad review and not take it personally.   I've had wonderful guests who leave wonderful reviews and wonderful guests who rated me low and left me wondering what I could have done better.   It seems to me that the wording on your request "what could they have done better" is asking to find fault.    How about just asking - was this a good experience for you?   

We love hosting, for the most part, but live in fear of those bad reviews.   Please don't ask guests to knit-pick my home.     Thanks,   Cheryl

[Lyn68]

Couldn't agree more about what you said but don't  'live in fear' of odd bad review which reduces rating as I know most people just like myself when I book, discount the odd bad review and book on the basis that when the majority is good reviews it must be good and blow the inevitable odd person whom I know will never pleased.  Works for me every time I book somewhere & yet to saty anywhere bad.  As a host I have worked out that as long as the 3C's and Accuracy are 4.9 -5 /5, I don't let the rest bother me as then it's all down to idiosyncracies and NOTHING can change that so don't lose sleep over it. I used to, but no more.

[John1558]

Laura,

I would love to host you sometime and get to chat with you.

Best Regards 

John B

[Lisa403]

Dear Laura,

I found your article quite interesting. I have been a super host for many years now and have been with Airbnb since 2008.   On a few occasions, I believe newbies to Airbnb can have expectations that are unreasonable and  it would be helpful if Airbnb could be proactive and reminding them that these are real people’s homes and NOT a hotel.    Also I think that often times people are confused when they rate a location of a home versus a location/area they are visiting. I think it should be more specific. A few times during mud season people rated my place with only four stars because restaurants or shops were not open during these times of the year.  How is this a hosts fault?   Is there a better way that we can have guests understand the rating process ?  From the Mountains & Lakes Region of western Maine

Lisa & Jonathan, Rangeley, Maine

[Valerie138]

Thank you so much for sharing..my biggest challenge is getting the right guests in our older house that has character and is unique.  Its all about the type of people that like that little hideway in the middle of a busy cali city who love trees..dogs and lotsa trees..squirrels..possums..and not afraid of bugs but sometimes they dont read the listing.  Thanks for sharing!

[MaryEllen33]

Thank you, I’m always interested in how I can better the experience for my guests. I am a dog owner (lover)

and have my girl Kirby in the photo with me. No surprises that way. In fact many ask for some Kirby time. Some guests have just recently lost a dog or a loved one and need a pup to scratch behind the ears. 

I love what I do and many who come remind me of how much!!!!

Thanks again for sharing,

Mary Ellen & Kirby