Considering putting your house, apartment, or lakeside yurt on Airbnb? The latest version of the app offers a suite of new tools to support hosts—especially new ones!
The new Setup feature, for example, connects rookies with seasoned Superhosts, who can share guidance on everything from listing your property to locking in your first reservation. And now you can choose to match only with a well-established guest for your first booking.
AirCover protections give hosts peace of mind with $3 million in damage coverage for cars, boats, art, and valuables stored at your property, while a dedicated support staff is available to hosts around the clock. With Fast Pay, you’ll receive earnings within 30 minutes of your guest’s scheduled check-in time (even on weekends and holidays).
Here are a few tips from three experienced hosts around the country:
Wendy Manson (Marquette, Michigan)
Give the grand tour: Our old Victorian home has quirks, so we meet all of our guests to walk them through things that might not be apparent, like the 125-year-old front-door lock, the giant radiator, and the sound system. We make sure they feel totally comfortable.
Create a scavenger hunt: When guests arrive they usually run around checking out the different rooms to decide where they want to stay. It's pretty fun! So I made a little treasure hunt of the house's unique features that people might not notice otherwise. It's accessed via QR code and has hints and pictures of things, like Cupid on the ceiling of a certain bathroom, or the bluebird painted above a particular room.
Reduce and reuse: Everything in the house is upcycled. I’m a big estate-sale hound and go to vintage stores to hunt for bargains.
I wanted to create a business that helps people get together and be cozy, and also live light on the planet.
Level up the bedroom: I put little brass nameplates on all of the bedrooms so they feel unique. One is called the Narnia Room because there’s a beautiful painted cabinet inside. Also, really good bedding makes a huge difference.
Sophia Jiang and Tyler Martin (San Francisco)
Live like a local: Our favorite part of our house is the neighborhood, and we want to our guests to know all the wonderful aspects. We have a binder full of personal tips and a breakdown of restaurants, along with a snippet about our favorite dish.
Set up a test run: We gave ourselves a month to set up the space, then another month to have family and friends stay over for a trial run. If you've set up a space but never lived in it, you won't recognize things that may be missing. Our loved ones shared helpful feedback, like that our closet was too dim, so we bought LED lights for it.
When you stay at an Airbnb, there are touches that make you think, ‘Oh, somebody clearly lives here.’ The only way to know is to stay there and experience it for yourself.
Celebrate the occasion: It’s always nice when you stay at a hotel and they do something special, so we try to do the same. We pop over to the nearby chocolate shop for some fancy treats before grabbing flowers. It can make someone’s day and we’re supporting local businesses. When you put good energy into the universe, you get good energy back.
Melissa Masters (Brookline, Vermont)
Elevate the experience: When we first began, we charged $50 a night and only provided bedding. Guests were responsible for everything else. But every guest would knock on our door and ask to borrow things, so it became an opportunity: Providing more enabled us to raise our rates.
Splurge on something special: We invested in a wood-burning hot tub in the middle of the forest and adjusted rates to include this special amenity. When people are deciding between a few places and one has a hot tub, it might convince them to pick your listing.
Give fair warning: The photos of our cabin on Airbnb are beautiful and magical, but you have to remember it might rain or that it’s not always 80 degrees and sunny there. We put a disclaimer on the listing: “Remember, you’re going to need a sense of adventure.” We’d rather lay it all out.
I don’t want someone to come and have a less than ideal experience. I want to make sure this is the best fit for them.
Get springy: There are always fresh flowers in the cabin. I usually make three arrangements: One in the cabin, one in the outhouse, one in the outdoor shower. Every week, the flowers are different and no two arrangements are the same. One of our guests painted one of the arrangements during their stay. It’s a framed piece we have in the cabin now, which is so special.