How to host with airbnb

A Step-by-Step Airbnb Hosting Guide [Tips, Hints & How-tos]

To stand out and reach potential guests, you need to create an unforgettable experience from the start. That’s why iGMS created the ultimate Airbnb hosting guide so you can get off the right foot and ensure you’re all set up for success. Let’s dive right in.

What to Do Before You Start Your Airbnb Hosting Journey

1. Find the best location

2. Research your competition

Tying into the final question above, it’s essential to research your competitors before taking the plunge of starting your own Airbnb business. After all, you might find out that your area is filled with properties that are just like yours, in which case you need to hone in and define what will set you apart from the competition. Consider these points:

3. Learn short-term rental laws and regulations

4. Consider fees and estimate expenses

Another important issue for hosts to take into account relates to fees and expenses necessary to maintain their house. Aside from vacation rental and state-applicable taxes, you will also need to pay a hosting fee to Airbnb every time a guest books your home. On top of this, there are a certain amount of once-off and fixed expenses you will need to pay for property maintenance. To help speed up this process, here are some questions you should answer when estimating your expenses:

5. Research your target audience

Your target audience will help you define the kind of hosting experience you want to offer. So it’s worthwhile taking time to define and research your ideal type of guest. There are a number of questions you can ask that will help you do this:

Once you have jotted down answers to these questions, you can begin to conceptualize the kind of guests that your house will most appeal to.

Decide if you will cater to families with kids

If you decide to cater to families with children, take note that you will need to take extra precautions to ensure your space is safe for children, especially those who are under three years old.

Consider making your property pet-friendly

Offering a pet-friendly Airbnb brings both challenges and benefits to hosts. You’ll need to decide if you feel the additional income you can earn is worth the extra cleaning and maintenance. Keep in mind that you can cover the costs of hosting a guest with pets by having them pay a pet fee

Target domestic travelers

6. Draw up your business plan

A comprehensive business plan is a cornerstone of successful hosting on Airbnb. Your plan will help you define your short and long-term goals, potential roadblocks, as well as specify the resources you need and where you currently fall short in them. A good place to start would be to think over these points:

7. Get vacation rental insurance

Although it’s not mandatory to have specialized insurance for your home, it’s highly recommended for hosts to get it. If you are looking for basic coverage when you host, Airbnb does provide Host Guarantee protection for covering some assets. However, this cover is limited and does not apply to items that go missing from your space, as well as external situations, for example, damage from extreme weather.

Additionally, standard property insurance generally does not cover vacation rentals as short-term renting is considered a business. When deciding if you should get coverage for your house, keep these questions in mind:

Preparing Your House For Airbnb Guests

1. Furnish your rental

Your furnishings are a big part of the decision-making process of prospective guests. If your furnishings clash with one another or look unappealing, it might put guests off from booking with you. Before you make any style decisions, remember that you’re styling your space for your target guest and not you personally.

When deciding on how to best furnish your Airbnb, take into account the following points:

2. Add amenities and supplies to your rental

A vacation rental that offers more amenities and supplies for guests is more likely to enjoy consistent bookings. Keep in mind that you don’t need to spend a fortune installing amenities. Here are a few hacks to help you get started:

3. Prepare and clean your rental

Before listing on Airbnb, you need to make sure your house is in pristine condition for your guests. If it doesn’t look spotless, your guest might be put off and write a negative review, which can hurt your Airbnb host rating.

On top of that, it also looks unprofessional to have an Airbnb that doesn’t offer hotel-grade cleanliness. Thus, to help you stay competitive, keeping your space spick and span is a must. Things to include in your cleaning checklist are:

Aside from deciding how you will handle cleanings, you also need to decide if you will charge guests a cleaning fee or not. There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to maintenance- related fees, as each host’s property is unique.

A good place to start is to gauge the space of your house and the time required to clean it. A one- bedroom apartment is much easier to clean than a 4-bedroom house with a garden.

Creating Your Airbnb Listing

With your business plan set up and your rental in immaculate condition, you’re free to start the exciting process of creating your first Airbnb listing! However, there’s more to creating a listing than you might initially think. If you’re aiming to rank higher in Airbnb’s SERP results, there are a few steps you should complete to improve your chances.

1. Publish your Airbnb listing

Creating an Airbnb listing is completely free but does require a bit of logical planning. The simplest way to do it is to follow these steps listed below:

Include an eye-catching title

Your listing will need a title that will jump out and catch the attention of guests browsing Airbnb’s search results. This may sound like an impossible task, but with some careful phrasing and a keen eye, you can position your listing for more hits with a surefire title. Here are some tips for writing a knockout title:

Add photos to your listing

Photos are an essential part of your listing, as they will be the first thing that catches the eye of potential guests. For this reason, it’s a good idea to invest time and money in your pictures to ensure they look professional and attractive. Here are some quick tips for striking photos:

Write a listing description

New hosts might think they can skip writing a description for their listing if they have top-notch photos of their property. The reality is your Airbnb’s photos and listing description work hand in hand to generate guest reservations.

Your listing description is your chance to market and sell your rental to your target audience. Mention all the positives, but also be honest about any negatives, as you don’t want to create a false impression in guests’ eyes. Here are some ways you can write a winning description:

Get verified

To reduce the possibility of fraud and scams, Airbnb has introduced an ID verification process for both hosts and guests. It ensures that everyone is who they say they are by providing ID verification to prove it. Providing an ID to get verified is not mandatory, however, it’s highly recommended to do this if you are planning to host on Airbnb.

Getting verified has a number of benefits for you as a host. The most important is receiving a “Verified ID” badge on your profile, which sends a signal to potential guests that you are credible and trustworthy. This, in turn, helps to attract more reservations as guests feel comfortable knowing they are booking with a verified Airbnb host.

2. Set up your Airbnb host profile and account

The next thing you should do is create and complete your hosting profile. Having a host profile is beneficial for several reasons. Firstly, it signals to Airbnb that you are a legitimate host who is active on the platform.

Secondly, having a detailed Airbnb host profile also shows potential guests that you are an honest and trustworthy person. If a guest finds your listing on Airbnb, they are likely going to look up your host profile to gauge whether it’s a scam or not. Your profile could be the difference between a guest booking with you or a competitor. Therefore, it’s well worth the time to get your profile set up. Some things you can do include:

3. Price your vacation rental

When selecting a price for your vacation home, keep in mind that finding the perfect price can be a balancing act. Hosts who price their rental too low may attract irresponsible or unsavory guests. Hosts who price it too high will likely drive target guests towards competitors.

At the same time, you need to make sure the price you select for your booking fee covers all your operating costs and still allows you to generate a profit. Additionally, you should be changing your pricing according to your high and low season, and special deals when you offer them. It might seem like a monumental task, but you’ll get the hang of pricing with a bit of practice. Some pricing strategies you can implement include the following:

4. Set your house rules

5. Choose your cancellation policy

It’s important to choose a cancellation policy that’s in line with the management strategy you want to use, as well as the kind of stays you offer.

If you opt for the Flexible cancellation policy, you can potentially earn more reservations, but the downside is that guests can cancel for free up to 24 hours before their booking begins. Using the Moderate policy protects hosts against last-minute cancellations. However, with this policy, a cancellation rebate will still be lower than the booking fee.

6. Arrange your check-in and checkout times

If you’re looking to maximize your reservations, you need to make sure your Airbnb house is cleaned and prepared quickly and efficiently in between them, which necessitates guests knowing exactly when they need to check out.

Ensuring your guests know when they should check in and check out is essential for the smooth running of your vacation rental business. Not only will it make your hosting job easier, but it will also contribute to a better overall guest experience. Therefore, you should clearly state your guest’s check-in and checkout times in their booking confirmation email and house rules.

On your side as the host, you need to make the check-in process as smooth as possible for guests. You’ll either need to be there yourself or have someone in your place to give your guests their keys. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more guests are choosing to book short-term rentals that offer self-check-in options, which allows them to arrive when they choose and adhere to social distancing measures.

For checking out, on top of letting your guests know what time, you should also leave clear instructions for guests regarding their check out. Some examples for rules include:

Before checking out, please:

Attracting and Maintaining Constant Bookings

With your listing optimized and live on Airbnb, you’re all set to start receiving reservations! But is a comprehensive listing enough to maintain a consistent booking rate? The answer is partly, but not entirely. Your Airbnb listing is what will attract initial bookings, but you need to do a bit more work to receive repeat and consistent bookings.

1. Employ vacation rental automation

2. Improve your listing’s ranking in SERP results

It’s no secret that Airbnb is an incredibly competitive platform with thousands of new hosts and listings joining every day. The listings that occupy the first page are far more likely to get booked than the Airbnb listings on the third or fourth page. Because of this, it’s in your best interest to push your listing’s ranking higher in Airbnb SERP pages to improve your visibility and booking rate. Some important things that can help your Airbnb ranking are:

3. Promote and market your listing

To take your visibility one step further and reach an even wider audience beyond Airbnb, you need a cohesive marketing strategy on your side. Marketing your listing may seem like an arduous task, but it’s essential to draw more eyes to your listing and maximize your income.

You’re also likely to get left behind if your competitors are actively marketing their Airbnb listings and you’re not. However, marketing your properties doesn’t need to be a chore. By following the suggestions below, you can harness a multi-approach marketing strategy that’s sure to bring results.

Use a focused marketing strategy

The first thing you should do is put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. What is their age group, and what platforms do they use to find information or entertainment? By keeping your target guest in mind, you can begin planning and tailoring your marketing strategy towards them.

You can also take a look at what your competitors are doing to promote their listings, but keep in mind that your marketing goals and needs might be a bit different from theirs. Use their methods for inspiration, but don’t make your strategy a carbon copy of theirs.

Utilize social media

Create your own business website for direct bookings

4.Offer discounts and special packages

During your low season or if you are experiencing a prolonged quiet period, a way to encourage more reservations is to offer discounts and limited special packages. These reductions in your prices can help increase your income when it’s not your high season.

Offering special reductions should assist you during slower periods. However, they should not be the driving force behind your revenue. If you find you are not receiving many bookings throughout the year (especially during your high season), you may need to take another look at your pricing strategy.

Some common examples of discounts used by Airbnb hosts include:

Becoming an Outstanding Host

With your house set and your listings live, you’re nearly ready to join the Airbnb hosting community. But you can’t expect to get far if your host skills are lacking in key areas. Guests aren’t just looking for the best Airbnb house or most eye-catching listing. They want to feel assured that they are booking with a host who cares about them. It’s not enough to be a good host; you need to become an outstanding host to elevate the guest experience:

1. Be responsive to guest messages

Being proactive when it comes to your messaging works in your favor for two reasons. Firstly, responding quickly to any messages and inquiries that come in leaves a good impression on guests. The faster you respond to a guest’s message, the more likely they are to book with you than if you responded a day later.

2. Create a vacation rental welcome book

You want your guests to feel comfortable and at home in your Airbnb. After all, a comfortable stay is a more enjoyable stay which increases your chances of getting great reviews and repeat bookings. At the same time, you also want to communicate rules and instructions to guests without coming across as stern and unfriendly. The best solution for both situations is to create a welcome book for your guests.

A welcome book is a comprehensive handheld guide to your property that will help your guests navigate it during their vacation. It contains information that is useful and relevant to guests, such as:

3. Get more five-star reviews

A great way to encourage guests to write a positive review for you is to write one for them first. It can also act as a reminder if guests have forgotten to leave you a review.

4. Achieve Superhost status

Becoming an Airbnb Superhost is a sure way to attract more reservations and repeat guests. Superhost status is awarded to hosts who have been recognized by Airbnb for providing outstanding service to guests. While you won’t become a Superhost overnight, there are certain criteria you have to meet that you can begin working on:

After becoming a Superhost, you will receive a Superhost badge that Airbnb adds to your listings and profile. This helps guests to easily identify you as a Superhost, which will make them more inclined to book your property.

5. Never stop learning

Finally, if you want to be an excellent host, recognize that there is always something more to learn. The vacation rental industry is always evolving, and new trends replace old ones at the drop of a hat. Whether you’re just starting out or an Airbnb hosting veteran, if you want to be exceptional, you have to be willing to keep an open mind and commit to being a lifelong learner.

Ways to stay on the pulse of the hosting community include:

The great thing about these resources is that they are completely free and are used by like-minded hosts who share similar goals and objectives.

Conclusion

Great Airbnb hosting takes time and effort to master, but, with consistent work and dedication, anyone can do it. To make your journey to success faster and easier, employ automation. Vacation rental software and other ProTech tools have become irreplaceable helpers that save time on property management and keep your business under control with less hassle. If you haven’t tried automating your vacation rental business yet, it’s high time you did it (as this is what your competitors are already doing!).

The Most Comprehensive Airbnb Hosting Guide On The Internet

Starting out as an Airbnb host can be quite an overwhelming experience. I remember when I first started out I had a ton of questions.

At the time, back in 2012, there weren’t many resources available so I had to figure everything out by myself.

That’s why I wrote this ultimate Airbnb hosting guide to help you on your journey as a host.

It would have been really useful for me if I had someone to guide me through the process and prevent me from making the typical beginner mistakes.

So now, after five years of hosting on Airbnb, I want to be that person for those who are just starting out.

In this guide I aim to help you take a shortcut to running a successful Airbnb hosting business without making all the beginner mistakes.

I’m going to guide you through the entire process so that you can do everything right from the get go.

I’m going to start with going through the different things you should do before you get started with Airbnb.

Next I’ll discuss how to create momentum and teach you hospitality basics to get great reviews. Finally I’ll recommend the best tools and resources that will help you manage your listing effectively.

Chapter 1:
Before you get started

Before you get started on Airbnb and create your listing, it’s important to understand how Airbnb works, what type of host you want to be and what type of people your space would appeal to.

If you’re going to share your space with your guests, the main question is the extend to which you want to interact with your guests.

If you’re not looking for much interaction, you want to appeal to business travellers for example.

If you’re going to be an “un-hosted host” and you won’t be sharing with your guests, then you might be open to hosting any demographic.

If you live in a building with a lot of older residents, you may prefer to host older people.

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How to talk to your landlord about hosting

If you’re renting an apartment, you can’t really move forward until you’ve talked to your landlord about your idea to host on Airbnb.

This can be a difficult conversation to have, and most landlords will not be into the idea (don’t stop reading, we’ll explain how to present this idea below).

When you introduce short-term rentals, it becomes high-risk, plus you’re making money off of their property. So how do you bring them to your side?

Attention: never try to host on Airbnb without asking your landlord! This is illegal and can both get you evicted and ruin your short-term rental business.

Come from a place of understanding. Do some due diligence and understand that landlords are business people who want a low-risk source of income.

Come to the conversation prepared with an understanding of the legislation in your area around rental arbitrage and with ideas prepared for mitigating the risk.

Be upfront, honest, and find ways to demonstrate the benefits for them (maybe a monetary incentive?).

How to find your niche and audience

Look at other successful Airbnb’s in your area and read their reviews. Now ask yourself these questions:

This should give you a better idea of how you could brand your Airbnb listing.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure, another way to find your audience is to start hosting and see what type of people book your listing and their feedback.

Finding a marketable rental

If you’re going to invest in new real estate in the hopes of starting an Airbnb business or if you just want to find out whether the properties you already have are going to be profitable, doing a marketing analysis is essential.

Some areas may be unexpectedly booming with potential while others may simply not have enough demand for the work to be worth it for you.

But you don’t need to be a data analyst or real estate investment expert to do this market research. Phew!

You can use tools like Airdna to perform the market search for you. AirDnA is a tool to find profitable Airbnb locations.

After many hosts find success with their first rental they naturally think about investing in new properties, either buying or renting.

You can get a market report and find out whether a property investment would be worth it or not.

What’s your unique selling point?

It’s very useful to understand what the best aspects of your listing are. This will help you choose what photos to put first, how to compose your title and what to focus on in your description.

You can take a look at your reviews and see what people praise the most about your listing (when you start getting reviews).

Exercise: fill in the blanks and discover your listing’s best features

Guests should stay at my place first and foremost because ………………………. and my space is specifically well suited to………………………

Step into the shoes of an Airbnb guest

Airbnb hosting is a business and as with any other business understanding your customer’s needs is key. The best way to understand your customer is. you guessed it, be a customer.

In other words, stay at an Airbnb as a guest.

If you haven’t stayed at an Airbnb yet, go ahead and find an Airbnb that you would like to stay at, either in your neighbourhood or at a different location.

If you can, I recommend you actually stay there. If you can’t, at least go through the process of selecting your favourite place to stay.

Take note of what the most important factors are in your decision making process.

Good chance your potential guests look at the same things to decide if they want to stay at your precious pad!

Getting insurance coverage

Most hosts do not have Airbnb liability insurance. It’s one of those things that get overlooked.

Homeowner’s and landlord’s insurance will not cover you from any damage caused by short-term renting.

That sounds like a lot, but if something really bad happens (a fire for example), hospital bills can add up. This could be a concern if you’re hosting big groups.

Read more here about whether you should get additional Airbnb hosting insurance.

Not a homeowner? How to pitch re-lease model to rental property landlords

Instead of illegally hiding your Airbnb rental behind your landlord’s back, you could try pitching it to them as an investment opportunity.

Offer them a cut andoutline the benefits that are in it for them. This is a great option for people who aren’t homeowners to start generating revenue immediately.

from my mistakes

I didn’t do any of the things I recommend here and as a result I had no idea what the best aspects of my apartment were, what type of guests I wanted to host and target.

About a year after I started hosting, I hosted a group of two elderly couples. They told me that my apartment was perfect for them! They loved that the bedrooms were equal size and positioned on opposite sides of the apartment. Finally a light bulb went off in my head!

I changed my listing to appeal specifically to couples traveling together. Within a few months my income went up significantly as I was able to command a higher price!

Chapter 2:
Preparing your space

Before you create your listing, you must ensure that your space is ready for guests. Transforming your space from an awesome private living area to a guest friendly unit can take some doing.

Below you’ll find the most important steps to take in order to prepare your apartment or house for all types of travellers.

Remove or store personal items

First things first: remove personal items that are not useful for guests. There is no reason to have your belongings strewn about the apartment.

You probably don’t want your guests to try on your favourite pyjamas, and they don’t want to have to see your toothbrush and razor in the bathroom.

If you’re sharing your space with your guests then this applies only to the area that your guests have to themselves obviously.

In most cases this would be the bedroom and the bathroom if you’re not sharing.

When I say storing, I don’t necessarily mean that you should rent storage space.

You could lock one room and store your stuff there for example, or if you don’t have much, put everything in a closet.

Things that you should store

Ensure your guests get a sound night of sleep

One of the most important components to providing a comfortable stay is making sure that your place is conducive to a good night’s rest.

Lumpy mattresses, annoying sounds or noises or uncomfortable linens can be a sure fire way to a negative review.

from my mistakes

My neighbourhood in Amsterdam is quite noisy as there are lots of bars and restaurants. In addition, at 6am in the morning the salesmen of a local market ride their products through my streets in carts, making quite a lot of noise. I got used to the noise, but my first guests weren’t. The result: unhappy guests.

How to ensure your guests will sleep like babies:

Add items that your guests might need

Your guests may have different needs than you do. I learned this the hard way when my first guests, a group of four girls, asked me where the hairdryer is.

Ehh. the what? I don’t use hair dryers, so this hadn’t crossed my mind.

I ran to the store and bought one on the spot, but it would have been better had I thought about this beforehand.

Things that could be worth investing in

Since hosting on Airbnb is a business, you may be able to make investments in your space that give you a nice return on your money.

Is this possible? Potentially.

A new mattress? A new flat screen TV?

Or what about an airbed that will allow you to host an additional guest?

Here’s how to think about this. Ask yourself this question: how much extra would I be able to charge for my space if I had a the extra item?

If you rent out 200 nights a year, you’d be making your money back in one year. Surely that’s worth it.

Chapter 3:
Creating your Airbnb listing

Your Airbnb listing is the sales page for your home. This is your main marketing channel. Your listing can make or break your business, so please be sure to implement the advice in this section. It’s essential to your Airbnb hosting success!

In this section I will break down step by step what the anatomy of a stellar Airbnb listing looks like.

To understand which part of the listing is most important, let’s take a look what the decision process of the typical Airbnb guest looks like.

This search snippet determines the user’s first impression of your space, and as we all know, first impressions are important.

If the user doesn’t find your search snippet appealing, you’ve lost the opportunity.

Note that the user can scroll through your photos in the search results.

This means that some users will also look at some of the other photos before deciding whether to click on your listing or not.

The title and the photos are the two parts of the snippet that you can control, so let’s start with these.

Your photo section

Once you’ve prepared your space to receive your first guests, it’s time to request a free professional photo shoot of your immaculate home.

Yes, this is free. Airbnb offers this service in most markets, but not all.

It may take a while before a local photographer has time though, sometimes up to a few weeks.

Once the pictures have been taken, it takes up to a month before they will be uploaded to your Airbnb listing.

That doesn’t prevent you from taking your own pictures and creating your listing of course.

from my mistakes

I didn’t really put much thought into preparing my space well before requesting the Airbnb photo shoot. I didn’t even make my bed properly. As a result, the beds didn’t look particularly inviting in the photos. I realised how painful this mistake was when I found out you can only request the photography service once. Ough.

Here’s how to prepare your space for the Airbnb photo shoot:

While you wait for the photographer, go ahead and take your own pictures so that you can start building your Airbnb listing.

If you have a decent camera, great.

If not, see if you can borrow one. If you have no idea how to take great pictures, I recommend you take this free online photography course.

In addition, take a few shots that show your entire house or apartment from the outside.

Finally, add some photos of your favorite local spots in your area, tourist highlights and activities that your guests can enjoy in your neighbourhood.

Note: If you use a smartphone, don’t take vertical pictures because they don’t display well on Airbnb

How to create an outstanding Airbnb photo section

Once you have your photos, it’s time to upload them to your Airbnb listing.

When you did the exercise of selecting an Airbnb to stay at, you probably scrolled through the first few photos of a bunch of listings in the search results.

This is how most guests make a pre-selection of the listing they want to check out.

If your first few pictures don’t look great, you probably lose your potential guest.

Therefore it’s very important to put your most appealing picture first.

Ask friends and family to help you select your best photo. I recommend you put your most appealing photo of each space first.

It could also be the photo of the best aspect of your listing. Remember I had you think about your listing’s best assets?

Your goal is really to use the first five or six photos to provide an accurate but appealing overview of what your home looks like.

It should spike the interest of the viewer enough to entice him or her to check out the rest of the photos and your listing.

Featured resources

Check out this guide for more tips on how to create an epic Airbnb photo section

Take this free photography course to learn how to shoot awesome pictures

The Airbnb title

The title is displayed in the search snippet and is therefore the second most important part of your listing.

The title is somewhat overlooked by most hosts in my experience.

Most Airbnb newbies come up with a very generic title, such as «Nice two bedroom apartment in a good location,» and so did I when I started out.

Your title should be about 40 characters.

You can make it longer, but then it won’t fit in the search snippet so it will be cut off.

To construct your title, start out with writing down the two best features of your space that you want to include.

You can use special characters like ★ to make your title stand out. My title for example is:

★ Couple’s Getaway★ Patio | Walk Everywhere | 2BD

You can get creative and use different special characters of course.

Anatomy of a great Airbnb title

My target audience (the guest that I think appreciate my apartment most) is groups of two couples, which is why I named my listing «couples getaway» and I chose the patio and location as my listing’s best features.

The listing description

In my experience most guests don’t read the entire description.

One of the most common complaints that Airbnb hosts have about their guests is that they ask questions that are answered in the description.

Some hosts even put a «secret» codeword in their description and ask guests to include this word in their inquiry message so that the host knows the guest has read the description.

The question that I ask myself is: why don’t guests read the entire description?

I think it’s a combination of the short attention span that internet users have and the descriptions often not being easily readable.

The former is out of our control, but we as hosts can make an effort to make the description more easily digestible. How?

Instead of adding a long stretch of text, use paragraphs of three to five sentences to improve readability.

Make it more interesting to read by avoiding using generic words like nice, good, great and by focussing on describing an experience rather than stating the fact.

When you do state facts, use bullet points to improve the readability.

Attract more bookings

When you’re starting out, it’s essential to get momentum fast.

The best way to achieve this is to get as many bookings as possible as quickly as possible. This gets the ball rolling and allows you to touch the ground running.

There are three listing settings that will make it easier for your guests to book your space.

First of all, I recommend you enable instant book. This will allow guests that qualify based on your conditions to book your place without having to send a booking request.

Secondly, I recommend you choose the flexible Airbnb cancelation policy. This will encourage your potential guests to book your space, with the piece of mind that they could always cancel.

You may worry about getting actual cancelations. In reality, cancelations tend to be very rare though and no booking isn’t better than a cancelled booking.

Finally, set your minimum nights stay to one. I know those one night stays can be a hassle, but ten one-night stays will propel your business forward much faster than one ten-night stay booking.

This is also the fastest way to attain Airbnb superhost status.

Airbnb pricing

Calculating prices is the most complicated task you’ll face as an Airbnb host. Not surprisingly, it’s also the task that you can get most help with.

I’ve found that Airbnb’s pricing recommendations tend to be on the low side. That said, it’s probably better than setting your prices manually.

My preferred way to calculate my prices is to use a third party pricing tool. Companies like Beyond Pricing and Wheelhouse use sophisticated pricing algorithms and vast quantities of data to determine what the best price for each day is.

These apps automatically connect to your listing and update your calendar on a daily base, which also helps your listing rank higher in the Airbnb search results.

How to create a stellar Airbnb profile

The last piece of the Airbnb listing puzzle is your Airbnb profile.

This is a somewhat overlooked section, but quite important, in particular for «hosted hosts,» i.e. hosts who share their space with their guests.

Guests who will be sharing a space want to feel like they know the host a bit before they book, and your Airbnb profile is where you provide that opportunity to your guests.

If you’re serious about getting more bookings, it’s useful to get into the details.

Airbnb Guide for Vacation Rental Hosts

Here you can find out what advantages Airbnb brings you.

Table of contents:

Is it worthwhile for vacation rental owners and short-term rental hosts to list and rent out via Airbnb? In our guide, you’ll find out what advantages the booking portal brings you.

Airbnb is an online portal for booking and renting accommodation that connects private owners (also know as hosts or landlords) with guests. Even if you already offer your vacation rental through other booking portals like Booking.com, VRBO or your own vacation rental website, it makes sense to create a profile on Airbnb as well. This way you can address a new, younger target group and become even more successful as a short-term rental host.

A Channel Manager like Smoobu helps you keep track of your bookings and avoid double bookings. The software synchronizes your booking calendars on all booking portals in real time.

Airbnb was founded in 2008 by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia and Nathan Blecharczyk in San Francisco. The marketplace aims to connect vacation rental private owners with their guests. In doing so, Airbnb provides the platform in the form of a website and as mobile apps and helps with the rental process. In return, the company charges a service fee per booking. We will go into detail about the amount and composition of this commission later in this Airbnb guide.

The beginnings as Airbed & Breakfast

Initially, Airbnb was an Internet platform through which private individuals could rent out vacant rooms in their city apartments, etc., to supplement their budget. Therefore, the booking portal was originally called Airbed & Breakfast (“air mattress and breakfast”). The name was shortened to “Airbnb” over time.

Initially, it was mainly about meeting nice people and showing them the hometown. Guests were supposed to feel less like tourists, sequestered in a hotel and just checking out the sights from the guidebook. Instead, they should get to know the life of the locals, become good friends and get lots of insider tips. Since Airbnb listings are often located in popular cities, they are also an affordable alternative to hotels in terms of price. The first accommodation rented through Airbnb in 2008 was the founders’ apartment.

Today: Professional accommodations

In the meantime, many hosts, owners and landlords of classic vacation apartments and vacation homes also use Airbnb to generate additional income. Booking is straightforward and Airbnb’s design and modern technology appeals to a new, more digital target group who book spontaneously using their smartphones.

Many Airbnb hosts still offer single rooms in their apartments and houses, but often also second homes and secondary residences. Some advertise their apartments only now and then when they are on vacation themselves, others rent out the accommodations permanently.

At the latest since its IPO at the beginning of 2021, Airbnb also wants to grow in the classic vacation regions. After all, bookings here are often much longer than for city trips. For Airbnb, longer stays mean more revenue and are therefore a major growth area. For hosts in these regions, this development is reflected in a steadily increasing share of Airbnb bookings.

Meanwhile, according to Statista, 2 million hosts, owners and landlords worldwide advertise via Airbnb (as of June 2021). This has clearly made it one of the most important booking portals in the world.

Airbnb hosts and guests see themselves part of the Airbnb community

Anyone who wants to benefit from Airbnb hosting tools (whether an owner or guest) must first create an account on the Airbnb website. In doing so, there are some mandatory details to ensure that it is a real person. Since the profiles are rated, hospitality on Airbnb is particularly rewarding. Because with good service, hosts can increase their visibility and bookings.

Here you will learn step by step how to become a host and renting through Airbnb:

Register

Register as a host on the Airbnb website or through your Airbnb app. Creating your profile is free and you’d only need to agree to Airbnb’s Terms and Conditions.

Choose type of accommodation

Here you specify whether you’re renting out a house, a vacation rental, or a single room. You can also set whether it’s a standalone vacation rental or an unoccupied room in your own home.

Then you set how many guests can stay there and where exactly the apartment is located. You can also specify the equipment such as air conditioning, TV or shared areas such as pool or garden in this step.

Upload photos

For Airbnb listings, the photos are especially important, because they are the flagship of your ad. Take a look at your competitors’ listings for inspiration. What do you find particularly successful? What should you avoid in your Airbnb ad?

Description of the apartment and surroundings

Be honest when writing the description and describe your accommodation as well as possible. The title and text should make guests want to book, but not create false expectations. Disappointed customers will leave negative reviews and that will hurt your reputation as an Airbnb host. The style is casual and friendly. The “you” is standard in the Airbnb community.

House rules & requirements for guests

Besides the Airbnb guidelines (email address, phone number and payment information), what information is required for guests to book your accommodation? Here you can set, for example, that they must accept your house rules before booking. In these house rules you can specify whether the apartment is suitable for babies and small children, whether pets are allowed, smoking is prohibited, etc.

Booking preferences

Do you want your bookings to be synchronized in the calendar? Do you accept bookings on the day of arrival or do you need at least one day’s notice? When are check-in and check-out available? What is the minimum length of stay? Do you offer permanent rentals?

Airbnb tip: discount for first guests

Now Airbnb will advise you to offer a discount for the first three bookings. Take this advice, because you’ll earn points with your first guests and get good reviews faster. Especially the first reviews are crucial for your future ranking. Therefore, you should keep the price low in the beginning and increase it later.

Verify account

You do this by uploading a proof of identity. This is very important and will increase trust among your guests.

Publish your listing

That’s it! Now you can publish your listing and soon receive your first bookings.

You decide if your guests need to make a booking request first or if they can book your accommodation immediately. With booking on request you can choose your guests, but you have more work overall and always have to react quickly. Many guests make requests to several accommodations at the same time, but in the end only one host receives the booking. For the others, it was all just unnecessary work.

Direct bookings, on the other hand, have many advantages: Most guests prefer this option because it allows them to plan their trip better. Many travelers therefore specifically filter for “instant booking” in the Airbnb portal. As an Airbnb owner, you also save time with this option because you don’t have to constantly check and process booking requests manually. You can automate a lot of things and still achieve a higher occupancy of your vacation rental.

If your guests still have questions before booking, they can simply send you a message.

With instant bookings you also increase your chances of being awarded as a “Superhost”. Statistically, accommodations that offer instant booking are 17% more likely to be booked and therefore rank higher on Airbnb results lists.

A “Superhost” is an experienced Airbnb host who has particularly good reviews and is a role model for other hosts. Airbnb guests like to book accommodations with Superhosts because they can be sure they will have a positive experience.

How to become a Superhost on Airbnb?

If you want to use Airbnb in addition to other booking platforms, a Channel Manager like Smoobu can save you a lot of work. You can connect different portals like Airbnb, Booking.com, VRBO or smaller niche portals and synchronize them automatically via your booking calendar.

You can also easily adjust your prices with the Channel Manager and manage your listings on Airbnb from a central platform. All you have to do is enter your base price. The service fees of the different booking portals are automatically added and sent to the individual portals. This way you have less work to do and you can still increase your sales.

The Channel Manager also helps you with instant bookings. Since the availabilities of your vacation rental are always up to date in the calendar, double bookings are prevented. Airbnb also offers the possibility to import iCal calendars. However, we recommend you to use a real Channel Manager with API interface. These are more reliable and, most importantly, sync in real-time.

If you choose to provide an Airbnb management by yourself, then all goes about your own personal touch. Think about what makes you and your vacation rental stand out from the competition and create your own brand. To do this, you’ll need a top description and high-quality photos, first and foremost.

Find the right nightly price

Finding the right rates is not easy. You need experience and time. Think about how you can keep your own time and costs as low as possible and still offer your guests the best possible service. That should be the lower end of the price range and you should never go below that. The high end is based on demand and competition. We recommend always starting at the bottom and then gradually increasing the price.

Minimum stay and cleaning fee are at least as important for optimization. If you’re not sure about this, you could use a dynamic pricing tool, and that way provide the right Airbnb prices that suit best both you and your guests.

Get positive Airbnb reviews

Many guests prefer the option of instant booking because it allows them to plan better and save time. When you offer this option, your accommodations appear higher in search results and are more likely to be booked. Thus, you optimize your ranking and stand out from the competition.

Surprise your guests upon arrival with a free bottle of water or local specialties (wine, fruit, chocolate). Always be friendly and helpful or respond quickly to questions. Even a fresh bouquet of fresh flowers will do wonders.

Win regular guests

This is how you provide your guests with the best possible experience and get positive feedback in return. Satisfied guests may even become regulars and return regularly. Or, at the very least, they’ll give you a good review and recommend you outside of Airbnb.

Be there for the guest. Offer them support and entertainment. You don’t have to spend time with them. Even an honest recommendation for a good restaurant or leisure activities in the vicinity is very well received.

Signing up and listing is free, but Airbnb business model is sustained by charging its customers a service fee per booking. The company uses this to fund its online platform and services like support. Most importantly, Airbnb uses it to find guests through their marketing.

There are two models for collecting this commission: either the host shares the fee with the guest or the host pays the entire fee.

Variant 1: Separate service fee

In the first variant, most hosts pay 3% of the booking price. Airbnb hosts in Italy or with strict cancellation policies pay slightly more. Airbnb automatically retains this amount when paying out to the host. So it does not have to be paid extra.

The guest pays a maximum of 14.2% surcharge on the booking price. The exact amount is displayed on the portal before payment.

Variant 2: Host pays the entire service fee

In the second variant, the Airbnb host pays the entire fee. This option is mandatory for hotels or hosts that use software (such as a Channel Manager) to manage their accommodation. The fee is between 14% to 16%, and can be higher in some non-European countries or if cancellation conditions are strict. This so-called host-only fee is the more transparent, cheaper pricing model and is preferred by the guest.

Your Complete Airbnb Hosting Guide

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Airbnb is changing the way people travel.

It’s a rental marketplace where you can find homes, apartments, villas, and condos all around the world for anywhere from a week to a few months at a time.

It’s a way for travelers to enjoy a local experience.

Travelers can immerse themselves in the culture rather than stay at a hotel that looks and feels like dozens of others around the world.

Airbnb rentals allow you to enjoy a “home away from home.”

And as great as it is for travelers, it’s just as great for hosts looking to make some serious cash.

The most successful hosts are the ones who go the extra mile and do their best to create an incredible experience for their Airbnb guests.

And today, that’s what we’re focusing on.

In this guide, we’ll discuss how to make the most of your Airbnb and how to keep your calendar booked.

Whether you’re renting out your home for the short-term or the entire year, continue reading for everything you need to know about making your rental a success.

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb was founded in 2008 with a mission to “create a world where people can belong through healthy travel that is local, authentic, diverse, inclusive and sustainable.”

They make it easy for millions of hosts around the world to earn money by renting out their homes and becoming “hospitality entrepreneurs.”

On Airbnb, you can find over five million places to stay in over 81,000 cities and 191 different countries.

As a traveler, booking with Airbnb is a no-brainer because you can enjoy an incredible and unique travel experience.

But what is it that makes so many people want to be Airbnb hosts?

There are several reasons why millions of homeowners are flocking to Airbnb as their go-to online rental service.

Currently, the company has about 2.9 million hosts that book over 800,000 stays every night.

A staggering 14,000 new hosts sign up every month.

Homeowners can make some serious side money, especially those that rent for extended periods of time.

The company protects its hosts and their homes, and it’s free to list your home on Airbnb, so for many hosts, there’s nothing to lose by creating a listing.

Hosts can set their prices, choose when they want to rent, and make the ultimate decision on who gets to stay in their home.

Hosts pay a small 3% fee every time someone books their Airbnb listing.

They have the option to receive payment through PayPal, direct deposit, or other methods.

And they get paid quickly – once a guest checks in, Airbnb sends you your money (minus the 3% fee).

Who Can be an Airbnb Host?

Now that you know the basics let’s talk about what it takes to become an Airbnb host.

Anyone can be an Airbnb host – as long as you have a property to rent out.

It’s completely free to sign up and list your home on the site.

The company prides itself on having an incredibly diverse number of listings.

According to their website, “you can post airbeds in apartments, entire houses, rooms in bed and breakfasts or inns, tree houses in the woods, boats on the water, or enchanted castles.”

There are some nations where Airbnb is prohibited, such as Syria, Iran, North Korea, and Crimea.

But in other areas of the world, as long as you comply with international regulations and laws, as well as your local laws, you can be a host.

Speaking of local laws, many cities are cracking down on hosting requirements, making it it harder to list your home.

So always check you city and counties requirements before getting started.

In order to stay on board as an Airbnb host, you must meet four basic requirements:

How Can I List My Home on Airbnb?

Creating an Airbnb listing on Airbnb is easy.

It only takes a few moments to sign up, create an account, and start building your listing.

The Airbnb website will walk you through each step that you need to complete.

You’ll have the option to create a description of your home and list the specific details that make your home special.

You can also include any additional information that you think your potential guests need to know or will want to know.

But if you want to get quality, regular bookings, you’ll need to make your home stand out from the other listings in your area.

Take the time to create a strong listing with lots of details.

And before you finalize it, look at it from an objective point of view.

Ask yourself, “Would I want to stay here?”

When it comes to creating a strong Airbnb listing, there are a few things to keep in mind.

For starters, you want to include high-quality photos.

The better you can make your home look, the more likely you are to get top dollar for your listing.

Include all the relevant details, including the number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms, and how many people it sleeps.

Detail the amenities, such as high-end appliances in the kitchen, cable TV, audio and video systems, etc.

Be sure to include notes on the sleeping arrangements, too.

This will vary whether you’re renting a room or renting the entire home.

Select the days your home is available for rent and set your prices.

Before you finalize your listing, make sure you include any specific house rules that you have for your guests.

This consists of any check-in and check-out policies you may have.

Once you’ve completed your listing, you’ll need to submit it to Airbnb for approval.

If you have a question about your listing or don’t get a response within a day or so, you can contact Airbnb directly.

Airbnb customer service is available 24/7 via phone, email, and chat.

If you have questions while you’re creating your listing or after you’ve finalized it, you can reach out to them for help.

If you realize that you left an important detail out, you can always go back in and edit or change your listing.

In many cases, people find that after they’ve completed a few hosting experiences, there are things they want to change about the listing.

After you’ve had your first guest, you’ll have a much better understanding of what to expect from future guests.

With more experience, you’ll get better at it and know exactly what information to include as well as what not to include.

Visit the Airbnb hosting page to learn more about hosting and listing your property on the site.

How Can I Improve My Listing?

The more familiar you are with hosting, the better you will be at it.

Like anything in life, the experience will make you better – and that means you’ll be able to make more money.

Treat your listing seriously, and try some of these tricks to improve your listing and attract more interest.

Eventually, if you work at it enough, you can become a Superhost.

Understand the competition

The first thing to do is to check out some of the top listings in your area.

See what they have to offer and take note of how they are marketing their property.

You don’t need to copy what they’re doing, but you can borrow their ideas and apply those to your listing.

Every home is unique, so take the time to describe yours adequately.

A few details could mean the difference between a traveler booking your home or one down the block.

If you have a fantastic view, include it in your photo gallery.

That’s always a selling point, so make sure you have great photos that show your incredible view.

Is your home within walking distance to great bars and restaurants?

Are you located near a big venue?

If so, make sure you mention that in your listing.

But you don’t have to be in a popular destination or in proximity to a landmark to market your home on Airbnb.

You can play up other aspects of your home with some descriptive words.

Some people prefer a quiet and cozy home with a quaint feel, so if that’s what you’ve got, say so!

Include great photos

There’s no way for a traveler to visit your home before they check in, so make sure your photos are an accurate representation of the space.

Think of it the same way you would if you were putting your home up for sale.

Your photos need to show the best angles, the best features and have the best lighting.

Also, it’s wise to get your house professionally cleaned before you take photos.

If you have a great camera or a new smartphone that takes excellent pictures, you can use that.

If you don’t, it might be worth hiring a professional photographer to take your photos to the next level.

Create a great host profile

Travelers considering renting an Airbnb don’t just want to know about the home – they also want to know about the person they’re renting from.

With a great host profile, you can set yourself apart from the competition in more ways than one.

People want to rent from clean, professional, and kind hosts.

They want their hosts to be hospitable.

After all, they’re going to be sleeping in a stranger’s home, so they want the peace of mind that they’re renting from the right person.

Create your host profile to reflect your lifestyle and show people what kind of host you are.

Set solid prices

Don’t list your home until you know what it’s worth.

One of the biggest mistakes that hosts make is to list their home for too little or too much.

When it comes to renting on Airbnb, be fair.

Location and size are the most significant factors in determining the price, so keep that in mind so you can be honest, yet competitive.

If you need some assistance in determining your rental rate, Airbnb will provide a suggested rate based on your location.

Or you can use a tool like Wheelhouse for help.

That will give you a good indication of how you should price your home.

Get 5 Star Reviews

Getting quality reviews is perhaps the most important part of improving your Airbnb listing.

How do you get great Airbnb reviews, it’s pretty straight forward.

You just need to provide an amazing guest experience:

How Much Money Can I Make With Airbnb?

The amount you can make depends upon your location, your listing, and how often you choose to rent.

But there are some other factors to consider as well.

You may need to stock your home with soap, detergent, toilet paper, new pillows, new sheets, cleaning supplies, and other little things to make your guests comfortable.

It’s recommended that hosts get their homes cleaned after each stay, so make sure you factor a cleaning fee into your rates.

All of these things will eat into your profits, so consider them when you price your listing.

Just remember, the better you get at hosting, the more positive reviews you’ll get.

And the more positive reviews you have, the more money you can put in your pocket!

Things to Consider Before Hosting

Hosting isn’t for everyone.

There are a few things you need to consider before listing your home on Airbnb.

What are you expecting as an Airbnb host?

Decide if you want to make a little cash on the side or build an Airbnb empire.

Your answer will determine how much time you should expect to invest in working as an Airbnb host.

Are you comfortable with strangers sleeping in your home?

If the thought of a stranger in your home terrifies you, then Airbnb likely isn’t for you.

Yes, you can vet travelers online, but check-in time is the first time you’ll get to meet them in person.

Make sure you’re ready to go through the trouble of getting your home prepared for a guest that you don’t know.

If you’re only renting a portion of your home, make sure you can handle living with a stranger for the duration of the rental.

Understanding Risks and Liabilities

Do all the research you can do before deciding to be an Airbnb host.

Make sure you’ve got the proper insurance policy and that you have a plan in place in case things go awry.

Just because someone seems nice online doesn’t mean that they’re going to be a great house guest.

In addition to your regular homeowners and renters insurance, Airbnb also offers a Host Guarantee which has some additional protections.

Renting your home on Airbnb is a great way to earn extra cash or fill a vacation home that you only visit once or twice a year.

But to be successful, you’ll have to do some work.

Creating the perfect listing can take time, so if you’re planning to become an Airbnb host, make sure you dot your I’s and cross your T’s.

There’s no point in creating a sub-par listing.

Take the time to create a robust listing with great photos that show everything your house has to offer.

If you have trouble creating your listing or have questions at any time, you can always contact Airbnb for support.

Do your homework, do your research, and decide if hosting on Airbnb is right for you.

Whether you live in Seattle, NYC, or London, you can make great money with Airbnb.

With a bit of work and patience, you can turn your home into the most coveted “hotel” in town!

Brett Helling is the founder of Gigworker.com. He has been a rideshare driver since early 2012, having completed hundreds of trips for companies including Uber, Lyft, and Postmates.

Since that time, he has expanded his knowledge into the Gigworker site, as well as writing the book Gigworker: Independent Work and the State of the Gig Economy Paperback, now available on Amazon.

Airbnb Host Tips For New & Experienced Hosts

A collection of Airbnb host tips for hosts new and experienced hosts & management agencies, written by Airbnb Superhosts and industry experts.

About Airbnb

Since 2008, Airbnb has accumulated over hundreds of thousands of Hosts across 39,000 cities. To be efficient and maximise your revenues, you have to manage the guest and make sure they have a comfortable stay in your property. We work with Superhosts, Airbnb professionals and industry experts to share the best Airbnb host tips.

As an Airbnb host or management company you should know how to be a great host and delight your guests. It will help you increase revenue and get great reviews about your property, which will help to increase sales.

On this page we will educate you about the best Airbnb host tips that will directly help your hospitality business. The smart device we provide is one great thing to increase the revenues.

Before You List On Airbnb

Set Out Your Goals & Expectations

Airbnb can provide a substantial additional revenue stream – but there’s a lot more to it than money. The company has established a recognisable culture among both hosts and travellers; many hosts focus on providing a personal hospitality experience as an extension of their personality, while guests are often seeking to experience life as a local.

The platform has also provided more professional outfits an out-of-the-box solution to advertising their short-term vacation rentals. Often managing multiple properties, the focus is on high occupancy rates – providing convenient self-catering accommodation at a competitive price.

Whatever your goal, it’s important to define what you want to achieve – the capital, time and risk involved in being an Airbnb Host can vary wildly.

Time Commitment

While it may appear that everyone and their neighbour is an Airbnb host, hosting on the platform takes a large commitment of time and could cost you more than you think. Handling bookings, answering questions from guests, meet & greets, turnovers and dealing with emergencies – there’s a lot to think about, particularly if you’re doing this on the side. Do you have the time and flexibility required to succeed?

Risk & Liability

Aside from the worry of letting strangers in to your home (this quickly subsides, don’t worry!), there are a small number of risks to make provision for. You’re putting your property at risk of damage or theft. If you choose to host remotely, you risk renting to a squatter. You may also face a liability claim if your guests get injured.

Airbnb offer the Host Guarantee – a fund they have circled to deal with claims – but it’s worth reading in to this in more detail as it is not a substitute for insurance. Initially, it was hard to find insurance that covered short-term lets – but there are now providers (such as GuardHog) that offer an all-in-one package, to give you peace of mind.

Local Relations & Regulation

If you’re considering sub-letting your rented accommodation on Airbnb, you should definitely approach your landlord first. Short-term lets may not be allowed in your lease, putting your own tenancy in jeopardy. Speak candidly to them – if your landlord is happy for you to host, ensure that you get an agreement in writing.

If you’re lucky enough to own your own property, the decision to host usually rests with you – but it is worth checking back-through the paperwork of your mortgage, as some mortgage providers include clauses that specifically outlaw short-term lets. As with tenancy agreements above, hosting your home on Airbnb may invalidate your mortgage agreement.

Another thing to check is your local authority’s stance on short-lets. Cities around the world have responded to the home-sharing concept in different ways. For example, in London (UK) the number of nights that guests can stay in your home is capped at 90 – even though it is perfectly legal to operate for 90 nights, these limits may affect the profitability of your listing.

Set Your Pricing

Pricing is something commonly overlooked by new hosts – if you simply set your weekday and weekend prices and forget about it, you may potentially leaving profits on the table. There is no one-size-fits-all pricing strategy; some hosts will make a calendar of local events and manually set their calendar, others will use automated tools to automatically adjust their pricing.

Change Of Lifestyle

Everything considered, it should be clear that there’s more to hosting on Airbnb than simply listing your property online.

The life of an Airbnb host can be incredibly rewarding – guests &and hosts are known to have forged friendships, and the additional revenue streams that you can unlock can transform your current situation.

Top Cities In The World For Airbnb – How Does Your City Compare?

Airbnb Host Tips in Paris, France

It is estimated that there are more than 40,000+ active Airbnb listings in Paris.

90% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 10% are registered as “private rooms”. More than 19,000 hosts operate a single listing, over 8,000 list their studio apartment property and a small percentage operating 4+ properties.

In 2016 France introduced a nationwide registration programme for cities more than 200,000 occupants, limiting the number of nights that hosts can let their properties to 120 nights per year.

“Properties are scattered throughout the city; however, the neighborhoods containing the largest number of properties are Le Maries, Montemartre, and Quartier Latin amongst others,” explain AirDNA.

Known For

Romance, philosophy, culinary esteem, iconic fashion, iconic attitude, rich history, fine art, The Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysées, brooding perfection

Airbnb in New York, USA

It is estimated that there are more than 27,000+ active Airbnb listings in New York.

Around 48% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 52% are registered as “private rooms”. More than 6,000 hosts operate a single listing, over 2,000 list their studio apartment property and a small percentage operating 2+ properties.

Short-lets in New York (for less than 30 days) are actually illegal. In 2016, the New York authorities also made it illegal to advertise your properties on Airbnb or other home-sharing platforms.

Known For

Bright lights, long nights, tall buildings, high fashion, Lady Liberty, Central Park, Broadway, Wall Street, museums, the cutting edge, setting trends

Airbnb in London, UK

It is estimated that there are more than 43,000+ active Airbnb listings in London. 60% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 40% are registered as “private rooms”. More than 23,000 hosts operate a single listing, with a small percentage operating 5 or more properties.

Airbnb was illegal in London until 2015, when the government introduced a new legislation that allowed hosts to let out their homes for up to 90 days per year.

“For London, seasonality does not have as significant of an impact on demand as other cities throughout the world,” explain AirDNA.

Known For

Pub culture, tea culture, the royal family, Big Ben, Shakespeare, wry humour, theatre, fashion and finance, fish and chips, Tate Modern, the Tube

Airbnb in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

It is estimated that there are more than 26,000+ active Airbnb listings in Rio De Janeiro. 71% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 29% are registered as “private rooms”.

Rio is unusual as it has a high percentage of hosts operating more than one property:

Known For

Carnival, samba, sultriness, sizzling beaches, caipirinhas, Brazilian bikinis, Sugarloaf Mountain’s Christ the Redeemer statue, the World Cup, favelas

Airbnb in Berlin, Germany

It is estimated that there are more than 12,000+ active Airbnb listings in Berlin. Around 48% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 50% are registered as “private rooms”.

Properties by bedroom:

Known For

The Berlin Wall, historical significance, Bauhaus, provocative street art, weekend-long parties, electronic music, artists’ squats, beer gardens

Airbnb in Barcelona, Spain

It is estimated that there are more than 22,000+ active Airbnb listings in Barcelona. Around 62% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 38% are registered as “private rooms”.

Properties by bedroom:

Known For

La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí, FC Barcelona, Las Ramblas, warm sun and cool beaches, avant-garde architecture, museums, and music, gastronomic pioneers

Airbnb in Rome, Italy

It is estimated that there are more than 15,000+ active Airbnb listings in Rome. Around 48% of the listed rentals are considered to be “entire places” while the other 50% are registered as “private rooms”.

Properties by bedroom:

Known For

Ancient ruins, The Colosseum, The Renaissance, Vatican City, The Pope, piazza sitting, people watching, pizza by the ounce, Vespas, soccer, brio

Setting Up Your Airbnb Listing

Airbnb has become a numbers game — a game that you can win. The tips in this article are specifically designed for Airbnb; but you could definitely apply them to any website on which you list your Vacation Rental property.

The Objective

The Airbnb host tips included in this article are designed to do two things; get your Airbnb listing on to the front page of an Airbnb search in your area, and get your listing on to the front page of a Google search for properties in your area.

The Method

Every property listed on the site has a conversion rate (the percentage of people that go on to make a booking after viewing your profile). You can calculate your own conversion rate by taking the number of enquiries per month, and divide that by number of people that view your listing.

The Algorithm Airbnb uses to determine the order in which listings are shown rely on a number of factors; some that you can affect (how many people view your listing, and how long they spend on the page), and others that you can’t (location, listing type).

We’re going to focus on improving two areas; bringing more people to your listing, and keeping them there for as long as possible.

Keeping People On Your Listing For Longer

I’m starting here because we want to prepare your listing to make it as effective as possible. We want maximise the potential conversion rate before we increase the number of page views.

Fill out listing with information

It sounds silly, but it’s just like being at school — if they give you a box to fill out, make sure it has something in it.

This is about “metadata”. Simply put, Airbnb prioritises listings that it deems are ‘complete’.

Google also reads all of the information on your listing, so use Google to find a keyword checker, like this one — then use it to see what phrases other people use when they are searching for your area. Try and include these keywords on your listing, as this will increase your chance of ranking higher on a Google search.

Move Your Reviews Into Your Photos

The anatomy of the Airbnb listing puts reviews at bottom, underneath the bulk of the descriptive fields (now beautifully full of information). They also only show one or two, making the user click to disclose the rest.

The area that users spend most time on? Your photos.

It’s a no-brainer. Find the best reviews, preferably those that mention specific things in your home, then add them to the captions of your photos. This works best when something in the review matches the photo; “comfiest night’s sleep ever” on a picture of a bed, “light and airy home” on an interior shot with natural light.

Quick Airbnb Host Tips

Bringing more people to your listing

Sorry to say, but there’s no one-size-fits-all method for doing this — instead you need to experiment, measure and be ruthlessly cut things out that don’t deliver.

Start Measuring

The key to understanding the channels that work for you — Facebook marketing, emails, etc — is by finding ways to measure the number of people each channel delivers, so you know what is working.

Learn how to create a bit.ly or goo.gl link to your listing and use it to measure the number of people that click, each time you share your listing online (email, on social channels, in your blog). These services are free, and easy to use.

It’s a rudimentary measure, but the click-through metric is enough to determine the channels that are most effective for you.

Get On The First Page Of Google using YouTube

The goal of this technique is to drive more people to your listing by creating a video that appears on the front page of a google search, driving more people to your listing via a link.

Determine what your niche is — farmhouse for big groups in Wisconsin — then try using google to search for similar terms. Use tools to check the number of monthly searches & ask friends — get a sense of the specific terms they would type into google to find what you’re offering. You’re aiming for something niche.

When you have a search term that you’re happy with, create a 60–90 second video of you talking to the camera about your place. It doesn’t have to be fancy (can be shot on your phone), but must include the following:

Can take a few days / weeks for the video to appear on page 1 (really helps if you can get people to watch the YouTube video — share with me, I will definitely share it elsewhere)