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What’s the secret to getting your Airbnb listing booked? The answer is really all about preparation and making your guests feel welcome. Airbnb hosts who get their listing booked do the planning long before their guests arrive. Sometimes, simply outlining the details for your guests’ stay can make or break it. Preparing everything in advance will help you during peak check-in season and of course help you reach Airbnb Superhost status.
As an Airbnb host it is important to be fully prepared. Your listing is your business and you want to do everything you can to ensure that you get bookings and repeat customers. This includes having the correct supplies and amenities, writing a great listing description and having great photos. To help you we’ve written this post, the Airbnb Host Checklist: Get Your Listing Booked.
Check out the list to guarantee short-term rental success!
Note: There are many other listing sites today, such as Vrbo, Expedia, TripAdvisor, Houfy, etc. This checklist will help you for all the listing sites, not just for Airbnb.
Living Room:
Kitchen:
Bedroom:
Bathroom:
Work Space:
Safety:
There are many things you can do that can give your short-term rental an extra oomph and give your guests the best guest experience.
If you’ve included a work space for those workcationers, add a monitor for them to use or include supplies such as pens, pencils and paper. Leave coffee and tea nearby, they might need it!
Have you considered a welcome basket or a welcome gift? We have a post that shows different ways to create a welcome basket for your guests. It doesn’t have to be pricey either. You can include a hand-written welcome note with something as simple as chocolates.
Stock the fridge with some refreshments and leave them some snacks too! Some snacks to leave behind: crackers, chips, cheeseboard, cookies, fruits, etc. Find out if they have any food allergies to make sure you leave behind the appropriate snacks. Other goodies to think about are local snacks that give a special touch.
Don’t forget about including a nice guidebook for your guests! This is a great way to keep your guests informed about house rules, wifi, check-in/check-out times, important contact information, local information, things to do, etc. You can create a PDF format that you can send to your guests, keep a print-out in the vacation rental property or go digital. We recommend TouchStay or Hostfully if you are looking for a digital guidebook.
We cannot stress this enough! High quality photos are extremely important when you are listing your vacation rental property. This is how people see your property and the space you have created.
How will you capture your guest’s attention? What will make them click through and book your vacation rental?
We believe when potential guests are scanning listings sites, they are looking at four different factors that will make them click through and book:
According to Hometrack.net, “an experienced Airbnb photographer can help generate a 40% increase in earnings, 24% more bookings and a 26% increase in your nightly rate.” High quality photos of your vacation rental is an important marketing asset. This is not an aspect to neglect.
Don’t skip out on professional photos! Create an amazing and beautiful listing that attracts your guests who will want to choose your vacation rental over others. Look for local vacation rental professional photographers and be picky. Ask them if you can see their portfolio and that’s how you can decide if their style fits your vision for your vacation rental and most importantly check if their price fits your budget.
We have a lot to say about this! Afterall, we have been writing property descriptions for vacation rentals since 2015.
When listing your property, a headline and property description are the key ingredients (as are professional photos) to grabbing a potential guest’s attention and turning them into a booker. You want them to book your property over all those others on the listing sites.
So what do you do? Create a property description that will make your listing stand out from the rest. Figure out your property’s unique selling points and include them in your property description. If your property is located on a mountain top with the most majestic views include that in your property description. Show off your property’s amenities. If your property has history, create a description based on that. Think outside the box and create a description that is true and enticing.
Let’s not forget about the headline. Create an enticing headline with your property’s most unique selling point or include your property’s name if you have decided to brand your property.
If you’re interested in knowing a little more about our best advice for listing descriptions.
Making your check-in and check-out processes as seamless as possible is another important factor in creating the perfect guest experience. If guests have trouble with check-in they can become frustrated and upset especially since it is the start of their trip. This is the time where they want to feel happy, excited and welcomed.
Creating seamless check-ins and check-outs can be created with smart locks that have codes or lock boxes. This means, they don’t have to wait on anyone to let them in. In the case you have property management, this allows your team to set up your guests so they don’t have to wait on them either. It creates a nice flow between guests, owners or property managers. It allows guests to check-out easily as well. They just close the door and off they go!
Your guest guidebook can have all the information regarding check-in/check-out times and what needs to be done before your guests leave your short-term rental. Some owners request the trash be removed from the property, telling your guests where the main outdoor trash bins are located will make things easier for them. Give them clear and concise directions on what should be done during check-out to minimize confusion.
Lastly, send your guests off with a goodbye message. Thank them for their stay and for choosing your vacation rental property. This gives you the opportunity to also ask them to write you a review. Reviews are important so make sure you get them!
We hope this Airbnb Checklist helps you create an amazing guest experience for your future guests. You want to give your guests an unforgettable experience that will remind them to come back or pass on the word about your rental property to their friends and family. Happy hosting!
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