@Stella465 I agree your furniture designs are great (I'm an upholsterer myself). But you will soon find out that guests aren't nearly as careful with things as you would hope.
I made some new slipcovers for a client whose place was rented out most of the year when they weren't using it themselves. They wanted white (yes, the light, airy look), which I tried to talk them out of, but they insisted. The first set of guests after the new covers went in had someone in their group who decided the white couch was the perfect place to sit while applying their blue nail polish. There were spots of blue nail polish all over the sofa.
Luckily, the covers were made of Sunbrella fabric, which you can actually use acetone on without damaging it, so the cleaner managed to get most of it out.
Another client who also insisted on white had guests spill red wine on the brand new sofa cushion, flipped it over and never mentioned it, as if she'd never notice.
Re the lock- there is nothing wrong with using a smart lock, it just should be something that the guests can be sent a code to, rather than having to download an app to use. Plenty of hosts use smart locks that the host can change the code on remotely, but guests only need the programmed number. Not everyone uses a smart phone, believe it or not, and a guest's phone could be out of charge, or not be getting a signal. As long as you provide an alternative if necessary, you're good.
Another thing I thought of- as a home share host myself, I found it a good idea to market towards the kind of guests who'll be a good fit for you, your place, and your lifestyle.
That means mentioning something about your habits in the listing and talking about the kind of guests your place will be good for - do you work from home, outside the home, do you go to bed early, or are you a night owl, etc. Do you want guests who are quiet, who have plans to be out and about a lot, or are digital nomads who are home most of the time good for you?
There's nothing worse than having a guest who bangs around in the kitchen at 1 am, carrying on a loud phone conversation, waking you up, if you have to get up to start work at 6:30am. Or having a guest who installs themselves on the living room couch, binge watching a Netfix series all day or gaming with all those obnoxious sounds, when you are trying to meet with your clients.
Make sure to lay out expectations in shared common spaces to avoid those sorts of scenarios before they have a chance to happen.
