The “H” in Hosting is HOSPITALITY.
There are a lot of people, investors, and big companies jumping into the Short-term Rental (STR)/Vacation Rental(VR) business. Facebook has groups with 55K worth of people who while away their hours griping an awful lot about guests who did this, and that and oh my, isn’t it awful what they did to my white towels?!
We are not in the renting rooms game, although plenty, including one particularly awful host who doesn’t even provide toilet paper, may disagree.
Hospitality starts with liking people. If that’s not you, then you should probably seriously reconsider this as a way to earn income. I have met wonderful people from all over the world, Australia to Sweden, and in between. Guests are often amazing, and wonderful. They also can be a complete nightmare, as the legions of horror stories from the guest gripers’ will attest.
How do you get more of the good ones, and few, if any of the bad ones? How do you keep your stress levels low, personal satisfaction high, and returns on your investment excellent?
RIGHT ATTITUDE
The word “guest” implies someone who is welcome into your space. They’re not the enemy. I was amazed, visiting Bali, how the Balinese treat strangers with such exceptional kindness.
Be Balinese.
If you start with the idea that offending, or inconveniencing your guests is a sin, and provide them with an exceptional experience, you will be rewarded with standing out from the unfortunate number of “hosts” who treat their “renters” poorly. That leads to better reviews, room rates, and experience for you, and them.
BE GRACIOUS
During Booking
Transactions with guests should not be “transactional.” I can tell you about the makings of a great stay, or a bad stay, as a guest, simply from the interactions that I have with the host during booking. I always ask questions, because I want to understand who is hosting me.
If it starts with a nice tone:
“Hi, Brian! Thanks for the kind words about the place. Yes, we do have a heated pool, in the winter. In the summer here, the pool is over 90°F without doing a thing. Please let me know if there’s anything else that I can answer, prior to your stay. I’m sending you some information, from our guest book, so you’ll know more about the place. I hope to see you this Fall!”
What we often see is either a completely canned response, that’s poorly written, or, I’ve even had this:
“We tell you about that after you book. Thanks.”
Who do I want to stay with?
During the Stay
Greet your guests, when they arrive. Lockboxes should really be a backup, not the first line of welcome. If they come in late, or you have someplace to be, and can’t arrange to connect, then the box will have to do.
Have some small touches, when they walk in, from a welcome chalkboard, with a written welcome, with their names on it, to a couple of little “extras,” like some fresh-baked cookies, or a booklet of discounts to local eateries and/or attractions. We’ve found memory foam bath mats, not expensive, and a bit plusher towel, also make the guest feel good about spending money with you. All of those “free” extras are, in fact, just baked into the cost of the place. While there are value shoppers looking for Uncle Fred’s couch to crash on, more and more people are choosing Airbnb over hotel space because of the privacy, and enhanced experiences.
Some people can charm their way into a booking, but then become totally transactional. At one recent Bay Area booking, after reading the one page, poorly typed “instruction” sheet I texted:
“Hey! We’re checking out tomorrow. Anything that we can do to help you out?”
Reply?
“No. Read the sheet.”
Better possible answers?
“Thanks! If you could drop the trash in the can at the driveway, on the way out, that would be really appreciated!”
“Thanks, but we’re good. We want you to have a relaxing stay. My cleaning crew will handle it. Just let me know when you’ll be leaving, so I can pop out and wish you safe travels!”
LISTING DESCRIPTIONS - BE CLEAR
The first impression of you, and your place, begins with your listing. 90% of the griping that I see, from hosts, could be stopped by being far clearer, and more transparent, about what is available, and what is requested/required from guests.
Photos
If you’re not an ace at staging, and photography, of rooms, GET ONE. Dark interior photos, or photos of the exterior taken at the wrong time of day do not sell your listing for top dollar. Beds look drab without throw pillows. They’re cheap, and they add a lot of pop to the bed. One host even thought it was okay to shoot a room with a stripped bed. Just the mattress.
Be transparent. I know, as a guest, that I dump places where there are no photo of the bathrooms, or minimal ones. Something is not right. Even if the bathroom is tight, you can break down the photos in a way that it can be seen. If you have known problems, fix them, don’t hide them.
Whatever you use in the room, for your shoot, that, or something equivalent, better be in there. No one likes to look at a beautiful photo, to find out that the room is a total let-down when they arrive.
Descriptions
Be transparent.
If you have a hyperactive kid, living on the floor over your guests, who sounds like a Dutch Clogging club, pounding the floor, putting “We have a very active eleven-year-old upstairs in the daytime, but he visits his dad on the weekends.”
When people are told about wrinkles in the listing, they at least were informed, and rented after knowing it, which greatly reduces the “We had no idea…” complaints in reviews.
“It gets very sunny in the afternoon. The view is beautiful, but best to keep the curtains drawn, if you go out, from 3p-5p, to keep the room nice and cool.”
POLICIES
Another HUGE shortcoming of many, many listing descriptions/house rules, are failing to tell the potential guest about what you expect of them. Guests are not mentalists. They can’t read your mind. So many hosts get bent out of shape about the guests doing this, or that, but they never spelled out, at the rental point, what they want/need, and what guests should expect.
“In respect of our neighbors, with small children whose bedrooms are next to our walkway, we ask that you do not have loud conversations after 9p at night on the walkway, passing their house.”
“Air Conditioning should be set to 75°F/24°c when you leave the property.”
“We ask that you please strip the bed, and put the sheets, and all of the towels, into the tub to help our housekeepers, at checkout.”
“Pool/beach towels are stocked daily in the cabinet by the pool cabana. Please use those outdoors, and kindly return them to the marked hamper next to the cabinet.”
Parties
The single biggest beef with guests comes from listings being used for parties. Hosts will shorthand “No parties” in a description, and think that the guests understand your rules. Be clearer:
- State exactly what you want, and do not want. Be specific: “Please, we ask that you host no parties, or social gatherings, including friends, and family, under any circumstances, on the property.” if all that you mean to have on property are the actual occupants, and no more;
- If people can gather, where, and when? Recall that Airbnb has a “no parties” policy for COVID-19. If, however, friends and family are welcome, specify where, and when. (e.g.: All friends and family must leave by 9p. No overnights. No exceptions.” OR: “All guests are welcome to be outdoors, in the yard/pool area. Our outdoor hours are from 8:00a to 9:00p., seven days a week.”)
- Consequences: If our external security cameras, or ambient noise monitoring devices detect more people on property than we allow, we may, at the property manager’s discretion, cancel your reservation, and ask you to leave the property immediately. You agree, by renting to this, to leave the property without challenge to anyone, and to forfeit any remaining money from your reservation.
Noise
Let people know, up front, about noise rules that are clear:
- Identify how you monitor for excessive noise: “We use MINUT, a noise monitoring device that detects ambient noise, and logs when it happens.”
- Consequences: “On the first two incidences, we will contact you to ask you to lower the volume. On the third, we may, at the property manager’s discretion, cancel your reservation, and ask you to leave the property immediately. You agree, by renting to this, to leave the property without challenge to anyone, and to forfeit any remaining money from your reservation.”
Emergencies
Here, on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, hurricanes are an annual issue. Many people hesitate booking, during those months, because of the uncertainty. If you have a Hurricane Policy, that builds on Airbnb’s, it tells the guest what to expect:
“We operate in a wood building, in a hurricane evacuation zone. If we are in the incidence cone, as published by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), within seventy-two (72) hours prior to your arrival, for what is projected to be a Category 1, or greater, hurricane, we will close, and cancel your reservation with Airbnb. If you are already on property, we will advise you to make plans to leave within the time window of the NWS. See Airbnb’s policy for partial refund of your stay.”
LEARN TO READ PEOPLE
Hosting is a very rewarding experience. You meet some AWESOME people! With that said, you need to “read” your guest well. One of the reasons that I like to do check-in is so that we can make some basic contact. They know that I’m not an absentee Airbnb owner, that I value their stay, etc. I also get to understand what they want out of their stay.
Some people are very open, chatty, and tell you that they want a lot of interaction. Others are just here to get away for a few days, quietly, and be left alone. I’ve seen guests start quiet, then, when they find out that you’re approachable, open up quite a bit. We’ve also had guests that were very friendly, but then they definitely needed their space. There’s a certain amount of theatre in hosting. Knowing how much to give each guest is an art form of hosting.
Difficult People
Everyone will have, at one point, or another, people who are difficult, unhappy, etc. Rather than become combative, along with them, kill them with kindness. If you don’t have someone coming for two days, does it really kill you to offer a late checkout? If someone lands at the airport early, and wants to check in, if you can’t, you can always offer to hold their luggage, and move it in for them, when their space is ready. I’ve not only suggested cool places to eat, or be, while we’re turning the space, but, for those who don’t drive, I’ve even run them up to a nearby lunch spot, to save them an Uber. Save the few of the few, the die-hard Karen, people tend to balance out the kindness to the thing that aggravated them.
HOW THIS RELATES TO WHAT YOU EARN & HOW YOU ENJOY HOSTING
Some new hosts make the mistake of trying to price competitively by features. We have a pool, and a tree. They have a pool, and a tree. We’re in Neighborhood X. So are they. They get $X. That’s what we charge. When you step up, become a true “host,” and not just a short-term landlord, providing a place with both personality, and magic, and all of the little touches that make a stay truly experiential, you will be rewarded by increased booking rates that it all commands.
Increased rates, and clarifications of the experiences, and expectations, also tend to bring more of the kind of “good” guest that will make your experience with an Airbnb STR far far more rewarding, to both you, and your guests.
The other “H” in hosting is HAPPY. Be happy, and hosting will go well!
Welcome to the Airbnb family!
Brian Ross