It's almost time for Spring Break, Panama City Beach, FL!! Are you ready? Check out these top 10 tips for Airbnb Hosts!
1. Prepare your listing
The number one tip I would suggest for all Airbnb hosts is preparing your property for the activity of Spring Break. Test all utilities: electric, gas, water, etc. and make sure everything is working according to it's purpose. If you have multiple sinks, order a Digital Water Thermometer and make sure all of your hot waters are approximately the same. I found out recently that some shower/tub fixtures come with a regulator and even though my water heater was turned to hot, one of the showers was scalding, while the other was lukewarm! Run a full cycle through your washer, dryer, dishwasher, garbage disposal, trash compactor, and all other major/minor appliances. Check your toasters, coffee makers, blenders, crockpots and all items for frayed or bent cords, warn switches and cracks and breaks. Look for leaks and disfunction under counters, in freezers, refrigerator door water and ice dispensers and other sinks and appliances. Check for any and all other maintenance issues that have been over looked and make sure everything is in tip-top working order before the Spring Break crowd comes to Panama City Beach, FL.
2. Update The Listing photos
It's proven fact that it is unsettling for a guest to arrive at a property and it not look like the
photos in the listing. As you switch out
throw pillows, rugs and update worn-out linens and furnishings, make sure that you are updating your photos. Professional photos are very important as these photographers know how to chose angles and subject matters that enhance the visual appeal of your Airbnb property. In addition to making sure your photos are updated, make sure you have photos of important items such as washers and dryers, coffee makers, full size bath tubs, on-site amenities, an over-head of how far your listing is from the beach, shopping or other features in the area. Photos should represent your listing and location so that your guests are happy as soon as they arrive and can be rest assured that they will have the time they intended to have.
3. clean out clutter
The functionality of your listing isn't only important for your guests, but also for you and your housekeeping crew. Clean out your owner's closet, water heater closet, pantry, under bathroom and kitchen sinks and any other supplies areas that have a tendency to get unorganized and cluttered. Take inventory and get rid of old cleaners and chemicals that are no longer being used. Dust, clean and sweep out those areas. Because of the shortage of quality housekeeping, it is very helpful to label your owner's closet shelves so that when new housekeepers come in they know where to get supplies and where to leave things that should be left in the closets. Hang up the brooms, vacuums and mops on hooks for your guests and housekeepers. Try to compartmentalize, this Mind Reader 3 Compartment Mesh Storage Draw was perfect in our owner's closets for shampoos, conditioners and soaps. If you do not have shelves in your owner's closet, build some or get a plastic set like these Gracious Living 4 Level Storage Shelves. Clean out all of your kitchen cabinets, dust and disinfect the shelves and put the items back in an organized manner. Kitchen cabinets and shelves can also be labeled. Remove extra survivor cups and items that don't make sense to have your your cabinets. This also gives you a chance to make sure you have enough silverware and that you don't need to replace pots and pans this season! Here's a freebie - you don't need a 15 piece pots and pans set in a 1-2 bedroom listing. Spend the money on a few good pieces and you won't have to replace them as often and your guests will have a better experience with quality cookware.
4. Take Inventory and order supplies
It's not hard to remember important items like toilet paper and paper towels for our listings, but what if a pillow is ruined or we have an odor issue that we need to address prior to the next guest? Get your ducks in a row and get those items ordered now so you don't have to panic when/if you need to jump into action to address an issue. One of my favorite products is R86, which can be ordered on Amazon.com. R86 is an industrial order eliminator that (if used correctly) can eliminate cigar, cigarette and pet odor in 24 hours. For pillows, blankets and extra supplies, make sure you order them to be stored, in other words, make sure they come in an air-tight, shrink wrapped package so that you can store them and they don't collect dust, odors or get dirty.
Don't forget to order extra full encasement and zippered pillow protectors, mattress protectors and box spring protectors. Other items that you should consider having in your owner's closet are extra silverware, shower curtains, shower liners, HVAC filters and extra water filters. You can never be too prepared and they will all get used eventually.
5. Have Fun
Yes, hosting is serious business, but if you look around your property and don't see "fun", you should probably do something about that. Airbnb's new platform is all about the experience, you'll see at the top of their website that there are experience icons. Airbnb does not want to be known as a booking site for lodging, they want to be knows as the booking site to book some fun! Examine your listing on Airbnb, your photos, your property and make it functional and fun. Invest in a margarita machine or a hot tub this season to enhance the experience. Make sure you feature your fun in your photos and descriptions. If you have a fun listing, make sure the feature is, well, featured. If you have a pool, water slide, beach front, hot tub, etc., make sure it's in the first line of the description and in the first 5 photos in your listing. And just have a little fun.
6. Update your listing
If you're not updating your listing regularly, you definitely should. Booking sites have glitches and your listing changes without you even thinking about it. Make sure your pricing is correct, booking settings are correct, descriptions and photos are updated. The most important thing is to update the features on the Airbnb booking website. There are new features add all the time, and to get your listings bumped up above the competition, Airbnb likes to see you use all of the features they have to offer. Change your first photo so the listing looks fresh for those who have seen it before. Some views will be more appealing to some then others, so make sure to capture as many new guests as possible. Your past guests will most likely look you up in their messages, not by searching the photo on Airbnb.com, so don't worry about missing out on past guests. Make sure your spelling, punctuation, capitalization, spacing and all grammar is correct. Panama City Beach is growing and ever changing, make sure you remove old photos/info. and replace with the newest hot spots to visit along our Emerald Coast. Don't forget to update your printed and electronic guest manuals, agreements, contact information and anything else your guests use for your listing.
7. Update your contacts
If you're like me, you haven't talked to the trash company, pest control company, locksmith Realtor or host community since the last time you had a problem. If you haven't updated your contacts for your service providers and vendors, this is the time to do it. When was the last time you needed an electrician? Don't wait until you need that key provider to hunt one down. Call all of your service providers and make sure they know you're still in business, let them know if you have added or deleted any proprieties from your inventory and let them know that you appreciate the last time they took care of you. Show respect and honor for what they do by asking if they have any new processes for ordering service and find out if anything has changed with their service offering since you last spoke. This is also a great opportunity to boost your contacts list, ask that same provider if they have started working with any rockstars lately that you might be able to add to your rolodex (yes, they still make them!). If you really like your service provider, take the extra time to get their address and send them a $10 gift card for lunch. This gesture will go a long way. Don't forget to reach out to other hosts in the area, keeping in touch with local hosts can be very helpful too!
8. connect with Housekeeping
If you value the efficiency of turning your property and the relationship with the person, company or people that help you with that process, reach out to them. Take them to lunch, send them flowers, treat them like royalty. A good housekeeper can make all the difference in a successful short-term listing. When you connect with your housekeepers, make sure you allow them to speak about the changes, updates, improvements, and plans they have for this spring break season. Don't spend all of the time talking about your expectations and the things that went wrong last season. Make sure you encourage them, thank them and ask them if there's anything you can do as a host to make their jobs easier in your properties. Make sure you let them know how organized and uncluttered you go the property for them. Caring about your MVPs will go a long way this Spring Break season.
9. Connect with Maintenance
Another valuable member of your team is your handyman, your on-call guy or gal that has
your back when you need them the most. Did you send him/her a thank you note, a gift card or take them to lunch last year? Give it a try this year and ask him/her to come by the property and do an inspection of all the functions. Pay them well to do this for you. Do what they suggest (within reason) to prepare and maintain your property. The respect you show them in their field of expertise will go along way if they have to do an emergency call or trouble shoot something for you.
If you have building maintenance, connect with them too. If you've never met face to face, make sure you take the time to shake their hand and let them know who you are. Be genuine and truly appreciate the efforts they put in. Your efforts of showing your appreciation will be returned when you call them for that last minute issue or concern.
10. Review booking site Policies& recent news
Last but not least, Airbnb and other booking sites update their policies constantly, so make sure you view the latest and greatest so that you're not surprised! Key features that you will want to review are legal, cancelation policies, photo policies, discrimination, Covid policies and other policies that you will not want to hunt down if you are in a situation. Additionally, Google recent news for the booking platform that you use. Be up-to-date on the buzz for short-term market updates, the latest scandals and the general feel the traveler feels about home hosting.
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