There are plenty of paid Airbnb cleaner and turnover services now that serve the host community, some nationally based and some local. Airbnb has even integrated Handy into their platform in some areas, like New York City. And they often do more than cleaning—they can take care of everything from washing the sheets to handing over the keys.
(I’ve got a list of some of these services here, which is the official resource page for my book, Cleaning Up.)
My general opinion, however, is that paid services are too impersonal for this particular kind of work.
Let’s look at just one aspect of it:
If you choose a cleaning service, it is very likely that you’re not going to have the same person come turnover your pace every time.
This means several things:
- You’re not going to be building a relationship with one person who understands you and your hosting goals.
- You’re not going to have the shared empathy and accountability that only this kind of one-on-one relationship can build.
- Your service cleaners will likely not be able to tell when a guest has moved a table, lamp or chair out of place.
- Your cleaners will not have the ability to become intimately familiar with your house, which means they won’t know if smells are slightly off, if there’s a beeping sound that’s normally not there, if the refrigerator is humming more loudly than normal, etc.
Ultimately, you are likely not going to have one person who really cares about your guests.
I’m not knocking all services, by any means. Some do an excellent job, and they are definitely convenient if you need something last-minute, your assistant gets sick, etc. However, I believe they should be used mostly as a backup.
Here’s the thing: Being an Abundant Host first and foremost means we care about connection—and that connection can’t be felt by your guests if you someone who has no idea how you want your house cared for is between you and them.
Think about it this way:
Imagine you were going to see a therapist. One day, he told you that the company had switched over to a service, and that you would be promised the same kind of quality, but you had to see a different therapist every single time.
Would you stay with that company? Not many people would. Because even if you were promised a higher quality experience, you wouldn’t feel the same. It’s the personal connection that would be missing—the growing, shifting blossoming relationship with a single person.
We’re actually building three lovely relationships when we hire one person:
- The relationship between you and your turnover assistant.
- The relationship between your assistant and your listing—they’ll be spending way more time there than with you, and will learn their way around and recognize what it’s needing and what’s it’s lacking.
- The relationship between your assistant and your guests—this energy can be felt even if your guests never meet your assistant.
Your assistant will care more about your listing and how it’s presented as they become increasingly involved in these relationships.
The return on investment here is extremely high. They’ll start to own their responsibility in presenting your guests with an outstanding product.
And that’s something only a relationship can facilitate.
Want to learn more about how to find this mysterious, magical person? Check out my new book, “Cleaning Up: How to Work With a Turnover Assistant to Uplevel Your Profit, Freedom and Success Hosting on Airbnb,” in which I’ve written 71 pages about it!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this controversial topic! Leave your comments below.
Thanks for reading! Have a question that wasn't answered here? If you'd like more specific help, I'd love to work one-on-one with you. Or, if you want to work collaboratively in a group with fellow motivated hosts, find out if the next Abundant Hosting Mastermind group is open. I also wrote a book, Cleaning Up, where I give you the nuts and bolts (and so much more) of finding your perfect turnover assistant, thereby upleveling your profit and success on Airbnb. Have a beautiful day!