11 Tips to Nail Hosting a Successful AirBnB

Ever considered staying in an AirBnB? How about hosting a successful AirBnB?

Nowadays it seems like everyone knows about AirBnB. We first discovered it in 2013 at a friend’s engagement party and overheard someone talking about this “great experience they had at an AirBnB” while at a conference – we asked them to explain what on earth they were talking about. A couple weeks later, a coworker in my office talking about how they were booking an AirBnB for an upcoming vacation. “There’s that word again!” I Proceeded to ask for more detail and signed up for a guest account – what a handy resource! With a trip to Europe coming up, we discussed our options. As a couple we do quite a bit of travelling, hotels get old FAST and we decided we were staring to get a little too old for the (awesome) hostel scene, so we dove in headfirst and made our first reservation via Airbnb.

Interested in hosting your own AirBnB? Use our link to get started.

The Time We Fell In Love with AirBnB

Our very first reservation was for an apartment in the “19e arrondissement” in Paris, a short distance from the “metro” and mere meters from the ‘café’ and ‘marché’, we fell in love instantly! As we continued our Tour de Europe, we also stayed at an AirBnB in Amsterdam which was also a very pleasant experience. We’ve since used AirBnB for trips to Washington DC, Key West and Orlando FL, Puerto Rico, Halifax NS, Savannah GA, Queens and Montauk NY, Bennington VT, and Columbia and Lexington SC. Each and every one bringing their own authentic ideas and charm, they inspired to do the same! We now manage an  AirBnB property in the Outer Banks, NC and have hosted over 100 guests!

Friends, family and even guests ask us all the time “Are you busy?”, “How are the guests?”, “Are you making money?”, “Is it worth it?” Essentially, is it a successful AirBnB? All GREAT questions! We have had guests from Ireland, Germany, Canada and all over the US, who have come to stay for both business and pleasure.

So far it has been a wonderful experience and we have learned so much! As an AirBnB host, you learn quickly how important it is to listen to your guests and communicate with them as much as possible. How else would you expect to gain SUPERHOST STATUS?!?! That’s right, we ‘re SUPERHOSTS 😉 But it isn’t easy work! Here is a list of must-dos to run a successful Airbnb and get you that SUPERHOST status.

Just getting started? We’ve been there too! Here is a list of our top suggestions for getting your very own Airbnb up and running.

Revamp Your Space

Of course, this all depends on the current status of the space you plan to rent out. If it’s a brand-new condo, there’s probably only a few things you’ll need to do to get the space ‘AirBnB’ ready, but if you’ve got a more “loved” and lived in space, you should consider a couple updates to freshen the space up for your guests. The cheapest and quickest (and our favourite) way to add new life to a space is easily paint. With two people and the right tools, you can give at least 3 rooms a facelift in a single day. Of course, this depends on the size of your room and what the specs are, but a fresh coat of paint will spiff up any space, even if you re-apply the new colour you first used years ago.

A Smart TV is also a great investment for your space, but if you already have a not so smart flat screen TV (like we do), expanding it with a Fire TV Stick is a good substitute for less than $50 USD. TIP: Install a keyless entry to the Airbnb space, your guests don’t need to worry about a key while out and about and you don’t need to worry about them losing it and you don’t need to coordinate meeting up with them for the keys. It’s really peace of mind for all parties involved, making the check in/out process that much more painless.  

SUPERHOST TIP: A worthwhile investment is going the extra mile to make sure you also have a business-friendly space so that you also attract the folks that are in town for business ie. a laptop friendly workspace and WiFi are perfect touches to a successful Airbnb. 

Put Comfort first!

Think about it, when you spend the night in a space that isn’t your own, what is the best way to ensure you get through the night? Comfort! From mattresses to pillows and sheets, and towels too, it’s a worthwhile investment to spend a couple extra dollars on these items to make sure your guests have a GREAT night stay! As a result, they’ll include a comment about comfort in their review of your space that the next guest considers when booking your space, and they’ write about it for the next guest…get it?

SUPERHOST TIP: Invest in remote temperature control (ex. NEST) where you can control the climate in the guest space. Whether you adjust the temperature to a comfortable setting for when they show up, or make sure the temperature stays reasonable while they are out sightseeing and not overloading your electricity bill, these modern marvels are well worth their weight in cost.

Make the Most of your space

Obviously, the amount of space you are willing to ‘sacrifice’ to your Airbnb rental is entirely up to you, but whatever space you do make available to your guests should be maximized. Don’t have a lot of horizontal space to work with? Go vertical! There are lots of inspiring ideas for small living space online and IKEA is always a good reference for special planning. This is key for a successful Airbnb.

Keep it clean

This one may seem like a no brainer, but sometimes it’s easy to let this fall to the wayside. Whether you’re in a rush between check ins or have a new cleaner coming on board, it’s good to have a checklist of the main things that need to be taken care of to ensure your guests are impressed by how clean the space is upon check in. It’s little things like crumbs on the counter or hair in the tub that can really count against you here. Remember: FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING! Especially if you are trying to run a successful Airbnb!

Looking to go above and beyond? Check out our post about hosting an AirBnB during a pandemic for tips to keeping an extra clean space.

Set out rules

We can’t emphasize enough how important this is when creating your profile. If you don’t want guests bringing newfound friends back from the bar, say so! If you don’t want them parking in your spot, give them a heads up in your posting! It’s also handy to set out little notes around the Airbnb space to remind your guests about limitations of their stay. You may (or may not) be surprised at how infrequently people actually read all of the information you provided online, so feel free to remind them to read the instructions you’ve provided online if they start to ask a lot of redundant questions.

SUPERHOST TIP: provide a rule book/binder on site and leave it in a obvious spot in the rental. This book can include information on things like your fire escape route, house rules (again!), WiFi login information, how to control the TV, as well as a list of local amenities and pamphlets suggesting entertainment and restaurant menus.

Communication is key

After checking ‘presentable and comfortable space’ off your list, communication is hands down the most important part of running an Airbnb. From the minute you receive an inquiry to the minute they check out, being available for any questions the guests have is essential. We are firm believers in developing a relationship with our guests, even if we never get to meet them in person. For this reason, we don’t subscribe to the ‘Instant Book’ feature that Airbnb offers. And the best way to maintain communication? Download the app of course!

In this day an age, everyone wants access to everything at the tip of their fingers and the quicker you can respond to inquiries, questions and concerns, all the better for your hosting status. The app has come a LONG way from when they first launched it and it is more user friendly and intuitive than ever. It walks you through every step of setting up the space online and is also user friendly on the ‘Guest’ end. Airbnb’s website itself is a great resource, of course and they also host their own blog platform that proves to be very useful as well.

Host ‘Guests’

Before you make the big leap (trust us, it’s worth it!) have friends and/or family come by and spend the night, or a couple days, seriously! And after their stay, ask them to share their honest thoughts – did they have enough sheets/pillows? was the lighting sufficient? were they missing anything they would usually expect access to in a hotel? These types of questions will help you gauge how ready your space is for going live and renting to Airbnb guests.  Make good on any of the lacking amenities because it will most certainly pay off!

keep some basics on hand

It is good practice to have basic things like toilet paper, paper towels, dish soap, household cleaner, shampoo and laundry detergent (if you offer washer/dryer as an amenity) on hand. These aren’t necessarily expected by your guests (you can advertise as available on your Airbnb posting) but people are generally more likely to select AND recommend your accommodations if these basic amenities are on hand. Things like coffee, ketchup, shaving cream can also go a long way. When you break it down to cost per use, it’ll cost you pennies, but reaping the rewards of the reviews saying you made it available is truly priceless. We have provided all of these and have (luckily) never had any issues with people ‘pocketing’ the items. I have to say for the most part, there’s just something about the majority of the AirBnB community in that they are generally considerate, genuine folks!

Buy in Bulk

Have a Costo, BJs or Sam’s Club membership? Maybe Zehrs or Safeway is having an epic sale on toilet paper? Stock up! Go for the ‘super-sized’ three in one (bodywash/shampoo/conditioner), the biggest box of trash bags you can find and the jumbo dish soap bottles on hand, it’ll make your life a lot easier too.

Take Notes

As we mentioned, we are frequent users of AirBnBs and we never fail to be inspired! Staying at another Airbnb is the perfect opportunity to figure out how your space could use improving or if you are on par with what other hosts have to offer.

Figuring out the finances

Because who isn’t excited for the money? There are a couple important things to consider and to get a grasp on prior to kicking off your successful Airbnb. The biggest one being to make sure you understand what effect renting your space is going to have on your taxes. Check local laws and regulations on how much of the income you’ll be expected to claim and any type of additional taxes that may be necessary to pay.

SUPERHOST TIP: We strongly recommend opening a separate bank account for any funds received from your rental. This way you can easily track money made on the property. You can also use it as a direct line for any expenses or repairs the space may need in future.  Most of the major US banks provide a nifty little service/app called Zelle, which allows you to send money to a cell phone or email address. We recommend using this as we do to pay for our cleaning services.  It’s quick and easy for both parties as well as secure, with no personal information exchanged. 

Airbnb Support?

All we ask from our Airbnb guests is to please treat our space as they would their own. To our surprise, most guests do just that! Sure, we’ve had a couple ‘less than favourable’ interactions, but for the most part our guests are world class, and we couldn’t ask for more. Have we sold you on becoming your very own, successful Airbnb host? Use our link to get started!

Still debating taking the leap? We’d be happy to host you and answer any questions you might have.
Come visit us in the Outer Banks!

WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR NEW IDEAS TO SHARE WITH OUR GUESTS! HAVE YOU EVER STAYED IN AN AIRBNB? WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE?  MAYBE YOU’RE A HOST? WHY DO YOU ENJOY HOSTING?