Want to know how Airbnb works? Here's everything you need to know about insurance, tax, local laws and impressing your guests.
Sections
Before you join Airbnb
Placing your listing
Before your guests arrive
Get to know them
Have a look at potential guest’s profile before you agree to host them.
Airbnb allows hosts to ask for a profile picture, trip description and verified phone number before they allow them to stay. Just don’t ask for an uncomfortable and downright creepy amount of personal information. It won’t bode well.
Hosts who are a bit unsure can use the Instant Book facility and only accept guests who have been recommended by other hosts.
Make sure communal areas are clean
This is a given but some still sadly miss the mark. The welcome area, hallway, bathrooms, kitchen and dining room should all be clean when a new guest arrives.
Respond to their enquiries quickly
Get back to room requests quickly, particularly if your guest is in a tight spot. It’s best for both of you to get bookings confirmed as soon as possible.
It also helps to send them an email around a week before they’re due to arrive with information on how to get to your house from the airport or train station, some interesting local attractions and a list of restaurants and cafés in the area.
Personalising the information that you give them based on what they’ve shared in their profile will go down well.
Use this opportunity to mention anything about the house that isn’t in your ad, like having a lot of stairs or no bath.
Include an information sheet and travel brochures
Having an information sheet in the room is a handy reference point for reminding guests where things are, how to use certain gadgets and a rundown of the house rules. Try to limit it to one side of A4 if you can.
Leave out local travel brochures, restauarant menus, train and bus timetables, which your guests may find useful.
How are you going handle the key handover?
If you’re not going to be around when your guests arrive, perhaps you could leave the key with a trusted friend or neighbour who can meet your guests outside your house.
A keyless lock is a good idea if you’re not going to be available very often. It’s just a case of sending a code to the person staying – and there's no faff over lost keys. Bonus!
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Keeping up with the competition
After the stay
Rate them too
It’s not just you that gets rated here. You can comment on your overall experience with the guest. They don’t get the star rating that hosts do, but it provides them with useful feedback for future stays.
Not working? Consider the alternatives
If you’ve given Airbnb a fair bash and aren’t happy with it, you could try one of the alternatives.
Homestay is as it sounds. You’ll always stay in someone’s home so you’ll get to experience a place like a local. Accommodation is a little more limited than Airbnb though so you may not have as much choice of stay in your dream location.
There’s other options like Wimdu, HomeAway, Roomarama and FlipKey to explore too.
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