New to Airbnb

[Marion-And-Chris0]

I am excited to be a host for Air BNB but also rather nervous as I have yet to host my first guest.
Looking forward to be part of this community. I hope to learn from others and also contribute based on my future experiences.

[Sophia]

Hey @Marion-And-Chris0, Welcome to the Community Center! 🎉

Feel free to introduce yourself on this thread below where
many fellow newcomers are saying hello!👇🏽
https://community.withairbnb.com/t5/Community-Cafe/New-to-the-Community-Center-Introduce-yourself-he...

Just tagging a few wonderful Hosts so they can also introduce themselves to you @Eileen462, @Sorcha3 and @Patricia2526 😊 

[Eileen462]

@Sophia Hello Sophia!   am Eileen DeCoite.  I am from Southern California, a town called San Bernardino.   My property resides between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.  I am considered "Inland" from the ocean, Im located in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains where people love to ski every winter.  We also have a huge Indian reservation here with a huge casino on it where people love to come and enjoy life.  I have had 2 guests sofar and its been a nice experience, and I am happy to be a part of this community.

[Marion-And-Chris0]

Thanks for your support.

I'll ask and/or contribute in due course.

[Sorcha3]

Whatup @Marion-And-Chris0 ! My name is Sorcha and I am based in Portland Or! Im a real estate agent and I specialize in short term rentals and teaching early property investors how to set up successful airbnb businesses! I love this community and the support here! If you ever have questions, or need help feel free to hit me up here in the community chat! Glad to provide help where I can! 

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Marion-And-Chris0 

Welcome, and may your hosting be fun in every way!

[Cheri354]

Welcome !

Your place looks very inviting and relaxing 🙂 Best wishes for a great hosting experience soon !

~Cheri

[Lorina14]

Hi @Marion-And-Chris0!

Welcome! Wishing you all the best in your journey! It’s been quite the experience for me joining 6/3/23 as a host and making Superhost in a month! I’ve been with Airbnb as a guest since 2004 though.

Airbnb support has been helpful when I contact them via the app or call. All the hosts on the Community boards and host circles have been helpful sharing tips or advice and the community managers are quite helpful as well to escalate concerns to the right teams to get addressed.

We have successfully rented our ADU to cover our son’s preschool and aftercare fees through Airbnb - it has been a blessing and we are grateful! 

I think what helps a listing the most is an enticing name,  choosing a beautiful first pic, having a very clear detailed listing, detailed arrival instructions, mileage/drive times to local towns or sightseeing, what buses, subways, transport is nearby, any parks nearby, great pics with inviting captions, a welcome basket with snacks, fruit and drinks in the fridge, a handwritten card, a welcome chalkboard with wifi info and our contact info, reading what other hosts in your area provide and reviews of similar listings to get ideas of how your space is different or how to incorporate some ideas from their listing.

I also use the automated messages for booking, reminders, check in, one day after check in and day prior to checkout reminders. Although if someone books the day before, none of your automated messages except the initial booking message you created goes out.

If you need any support, please message me, I’d be happy to offer any help I can. All the hosts here are quite helpful as well 💕 and again welcome and good luck!🍀 

[Marion-And-Chris0]

Hi @Lorina14 ,

We are only 2 weeks away from receiving our first guest so all your tips are welcome.

We are still a bit nervous however but fingers crossed it all works out okay.

Thanks for your advice and support.

[Lorina14]

@Marion-And-Chris0,

You’ll do fine! Most guests are very kind and some are extremely helpful in giving tips for how to make your listing better (we had an issue with the shower curtain not blocking water and some water dripped out and a guest suggested some magnetic closures to the wall to help prevent that from happening, recommended some black out shades and told us our sensor light was extra sensitive and all that was in the helpful notes she let us know privately.)

You’ll figure out how long it takes to clean your unit, how many extra sheets/duvet covers/pillowcases/towels to have on hand because of stains and use, I purchased a silicone hair trap over the shower drain, a bag of soft ear plugs, bamboo deodorizing bags in our dresser (the dresser was off gassing), a pizza pan and cutter, an air filter, make up wipes, hot cocoa mix, a nice essential oil poop spray, a nice rug for each side of the bed, a desk, some shelving and more since we started based on what I thought would make the space more comfortable or read some other reviews of some spaces to get an idea of other things to offer. 

You will also learn that many guests don’t read the check in instructions (and there are detailed pics with instructions of where to park, where the suite is, how to get in).

You may also learn that some guests will say the place is perfect location for them then give you a 4 for location (we revamped our description so it is even more clear we are not in the center of the city as we never did give this impression but now it is undeniable there is no possibility of misunderstanding of our location). 

Good luck! You learn so much from actively hosting and guests by far are usually kind and forgiving. Just make sure you have good communication with them and I’m sure you will have a great experience!

[Lorina14]

Hi @Marion-And-Chris0!

I just took a look at your listing and it looks welcoming! A few suggestions: maybe consider putting some pictures on the wall in the kitchen, or add a plant on the kitchen cart that is in a colorful pot to add a pop of color. Your other photos are nice but the kitchen seemed a bit empty with quite a large white wall. A clock on the wall, a mirror to reflect light or a colorful photo of something would warm up the space. Yellows and oranges are good for kitchens from a Chinese medicine perspective (digestive colors). Maybe an orange plate with fruit on it?