So, you’ve decided to host on Airbnb to make some extra cash, connect with new people or save up for something special. Fabulous! But, where do you start? No dilly-dallying in this post: It’s go time! Here are the very first three things you’ll do, in this order, to get you started hosting on Airbnb.
The Airbnb Guests That Nearly Shut Down My Listing (And What I Learned About Myself From It)
This experience feels tender still, and as much as this puts me in a vulnerable position to share this, I figured it would be important to do so—to let you know that I’m not perfect, that these things happen, that it may happen to you, and even if it does—you’ll be okay.
Recently, there was a huge athletic event in my home city, and so I had been able to rent my one-bedroom out for double the usual cost.
I headed out to go camping in the mountains for the weekend with a friend, trusting as usual that these would be the kinds of guests I’ve always attracted—respectful, clean, communicative and generally good people.
I was wrong.
Declining An Inquiry? Don’t Forget to Do This One Thing First
There is a message you can be writing back when you decline that could earn you future bookings, should you desire them! Read on for more.
What’s Your Unfair Advantage as an Airbnb Host?
I was working with a client recently who was frustrated that people were copying her listing.
She felt like she had put a lot of time and effort into her description and details (not to mention in the physical listing itself!) and people were pulling a copy-and-paste number on her.
My advice was simple:
Write copy that they can’t copy. (Read more!)
Location, Shmocation! How to Position Your Listing to Get Five Stars, No Matter Where It Is
I’m about to say something pretty controversial, so listen up. :) Even if you live in the middle of nowhere, you can get 5 stars in Location on Airbnb. Because, like all things, it’s not just about what you think it
Here’s Exactly What I Made Airbnb Hosting in 2015 (Plus: An Invitation to Earn More With Me in 2016)
As the year comes to a close, I’m reviewing my income from Airbnb hosting with a curious eye—wondering how I can do better next year, and what my intentions are when it comes to generating value and revenue through hosting.
Here’s what I made, plus a special invitation to a group that will help you make more hosting in 2016!
Which Kind of Host Are You? Address Your Problem Areas to Get Five Stars in Every Category
You may have read a few blogs on hosting by now, and you may have noticed that a lot of hosting advice is geared toward the “general” host.
However, there are really three major categories that hosts fall into—and depending on which kind of host you are, you may need different resources, tools and advice to make the most of your hosting experience.
This article will help you:
– figure out what kind of host you are
– uncover your biggest challenges as that category of host
– highlight your potential problem areas on Airbnb (read: where you’re likely to lose stars!)
– arm yourself with strategies and solutions for rising above these challenges and problems
Ready? Let’s get into it!
Helping Hosts Together: The Abundant Host Interviews LearnAirbnb
Of the many things that Jim Breese (co-founder of LearnAirbnb) and I agree on wholeheartedly, probably the most significant is this:
As hosts, we are in the hospitality industry, not the rental industry.
Just like in many other areas of the new economy—coworking spaces are a prime example—it’s not just about the space.
As hosts, our #1 job is not to provide a bed to sleep in, but to provide an experience. An experience filled with comfort, kindness, luxury—with humanness. We provide an expansive palette for the creation of our guest’s definition of leisure, vacation, business or play—on their terms.
Based in east Los Angeles, Jim has worked with hundreds of hosts over the past 18 months, running LearnAirbnb as a passion project and creating profitable strategies for optimizing Airbnb rental businesses.
In this fireside chat between LearnAirbnb and The Abundant Host, we talk about how to attract your ideal guests, how sites like ours can play a vital role in this new economy, and why it’s important to not overthink hosting (and what you should be thinking about instead).
Get 5 Stars in Communication & Arrival—Even When You Never Meet Your Guests
If you travel a lot, use a lockbox for your guest’s entry/exit, or otherwise are not able to meet your guests in person—how do you create a connection with them?
How do you make sure they feel confident, safe and satisfied—satisfied enough to write you a raving review filled with 5-stars across the board (particularly in Communication and Arrival)?
In this post, I’ll show you some easy ways to do just that.
Presenting… My New eBook, “Cleaning Up”!
We’re now three days out from the public launch of my new book, Cleaning Up: How to Work With a Turnover Assistant to Uplevel Your Profit, Freedom and Success Hosting on Airbnb. The intro pre-order tier has now ended; those of you who ordered early and got the discount will receive the book early, today!
Today, I’m so excited to reveal the full title to you and the cover design.
It was designed by Tony Bacigalupo, who is a whiz at Photoshop and funneled my exacting demands into poetry in pixels. :)