3 New Years Resolutions to Be an airbnb champ

It's the beginning of a New Year, and so many of us are committing to improvement- personally AND professionally. Airbnb hosts are no different! Whether you'd like our help to fully manage and market your vacation rental, or you want to do it yourself, here are 3 quick tips to help make 2017 your most profitable year yet!:

1. Streamline your communication!  In our experience, regardless of what amenities your home may offer, perhaps the MOST important step in being an Airbnb champ is communication. We've found that guests can be forgiving of ALMOST any shortcoming your property may present if they're given fair warning. So many hosts we've seen try to downplay the negatives of their property by NOT talking about them, but ultimately, this just makes for a disappointing experience for guests with too-high expectations. Develop a great strategy to communicate with your potential guests from message #1 all the way through AFTER your stay. Every guest we've ever hosted (and we've hosted about 40,000 guests so far) has REALLY appreciated knowing exactly what to expect at each turn of their travels. When in doubt: OVER communicate! 
2. Ask for reviews...strategically! Reviews are KING and without them, your listing will get lost in a sea of Airbnb properties. Start asking for reviews before the guest even books their trip, and impress upon them just how impactful a good (or bad!) review can be for your business. Make sure guests feel like they have the ability to communicate NEGATIVE experiences to you DIRECTLY and PRIVATELY, so when it's time for them to post something about their experience PUBLICLY, they, at bare minimum, feel as if their concerns have been heard, and hopefully addressed. When guests know how important their feedback is to you, they'll be much more upfront and honest with you about their experience, giving you the opportunity to make things right when things go wrong, and celebrate when things go right!
3. Update and Upgrade! Just like ANY business, your Airbnb should be evaluated at LEAST yearly, if not weekly, monthly or quarterly. Look around at decor that might be outdated, furniture that may be falling apart, area rugs that might be stains, dishes that might be cracked and commit to investing some percentage of your earnings into consistently tending to your property. Pro Tip: When you make big, impactful changes, make sure to take new pictures to upload to your listing and allow viewers to see you're an involved host. 

Hosting is half art, and half science, and we're always here and happy to help find, furnish, market or manage your Airbnb vacation rental. Whether it's full service management, or a la carte consulting, we can help make your Airbnb the best it can be!