Nowadays, whenever I ask a friend of mine to travel, the first thing we discuss is which Airbnb property to stay in. This wasn’t the case a few years ago when our preferences were leaning toward hotels.This new trend of a growing short-term rentals business is happening around the globe as travelers are now preferring Airbnb rentals over traditional hotels.
Indubitably, Airbnb has brought phenomenal impact on the hospitality industry in recent years. It is now the leader in the short-term rental market. Performing well on Airbnb is thus the very first step for real estate investors to be successful in their vacation rental business.
I am an Airbnb Super host for a year now, and over the year I have accumulated good understanding of how to run a successful Airbnb rental. In this post, I am offering you a detailed guidance on how to become an Airbnb Super Host and, well, a great host in general.
Airbnb Super Host Requirements
Airbnb hosts are required to meet certain criteria before they can earn the Super Host status. If hosts meet all these requirements, they will automatically gain a Super Host status and start enjoying the benefits of a Super Host. The following requirements are retrieved from Airbnb:
- Maintain a 4.8 overall rating.
- Complete hosting at least 10 trips.
- Maintain a 50% review rate or higher.
- Maintain a 90% response rate or higher.
- 0 cancellation, with exception made for those that fall under the Extenuating Circumstances policy.
It looks like Airbnb is asking too much, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, our guide will help you achieve a Super Host status in no time at all!
Optimize Your Listing
One of the most important elements of the vacation rental business is your property description. Your property listing is like a resume or a cover letter for your property where you convince guests on Airbnb to book your property.
Similar to a resume, you should always highlight some of the selling points of your property that other rentals in your neighborhood don’t have. For instance, a large private swimming pool, a jacuzzi on the balcony, a spacious game room, a spacious walk-in closet, etc.
Airbnb hosts should always emphasize the facilitates and amenities in their listing description, provided that they are truthful and realistic. Being honest and meeting your guests’ expectations is crucial for getting positive Airbnb reviews .
As we all know, Airbnb’s goal is to allow guest to have the experience of living at the destination rather than just staying there, like in a hotel accommodation. As such, an Airbnb host should illustrate an exciting experience in their property listing rather than just writing a boring property description. Writing about the experience rather than about the property itself will absolutely attract bookings as well as boost your Airbnb reviews. For example:
Experience description: The house comes with a very spacious and colorful garden, we would always spend our weekends there chilling with our friends. We will gather around to drink some beer while watching the sunset and our children just love to have their trampoline there!
vs.
Property description: The house comes with a large garden, and you can watch the sunset from here. Trampoline stand will be provided for your usage.
Professional Photography
A picture speaks a thousand words, right? And yes, if you have the right photos you don’t have to speak a thousand words before a guest makes a booking.
Everyone loves beautiful pictures and by beautiful pictures, I mean that the pictures must be bright and focused to showcase your rental property. It is common for an Airbnb Super Host to have professional photographs. If you are not good with editing photos, hire someone who can do it for you. It is a profitable investment that will greatly pay off later.
Next, you must have an interesting cover picture that depicts an overall experience of the property. For instance, if your Airbnb property is near the beach, your cover picture should show the view of the sea. If your property is in the city, try to take a picture that showcases a bunch of beautiful skyscrapers. Your cover image is the first impression to your Airbnb guests, so make sure it’s worth it. Importantly, make it as attractive and impressive as possible!
Provide Essential Amenities, Clean Linen and Towels
An Airbnb Super Host often offers enough supplies and essentials for their guests. Bathrooms are always filled with toiletry such as shampoo, shower gel, tissue paper, disposable toothbrush and toothpaste. A fully fitted kitchen with a complete set of cutlery is also provided. A basket of tea bags, sugar, and some snacks for the Airbnb guests is recommended as well. Bottles of water are a must so that guests have some refreshment after the long period of travelling.
As a host, always provide fresh and crispy towels to your guests. Clean linens are also an essential. Make sure your property is properly cleaned and tidy before every guest’s arrival. All these details will undoubtedly aid your Airbnb reviews.
Related: What Can Hosts Do to Improve he Airbnb Experience of Their Guests?
Price Optimization
After all, Airbnb rentals are a vacation rental business, and a business will require positive cash flow to run. Providing the many amenities listed above will require cuts from the profit. It is important that Airbnb hosts are earning money in the process of hosting short-term guests. Mashvisor can be of great help in pricing Airbnb rentals by providing you with comparable Airbnb rental properties within your area. Airbnb host should at all times be maximising their Airbnb rental income to increase return in investment.
Related: Airbnb Pricing Strategy: Consider These Events in 2018
Personal Greeting and Key Exchange
I would always encourage hosts to greet their Airbnb guests during check in time and offer instructions to them personally. However, this might not always be possible because Airbnb Super Hosts don’t just sit at home all day! In addition, guests might also have travelling issues and not arrive at the property at the expected time. As a result, it is really not an easy task for both parties to come to an arrangement.
To offer flexible check in and check out, I would strongly recommend that Airbnb hosts install a digital smart lock that works online. This will definitely smoothen the process of checking in and also make the management of the property easier. Due to the booming of short term rental market, there are now hundreds of companies selling smart locks online. An Airbnb host can definitely find one that suits them and that is within their budget.
Ongoing Research for Airbnb Competition
An Airbnb host should always conduct research on the short-term rental market to gain market awareness. It is imperative that they are familiar with the market competition so they can price their Airbnb properties accordingly. With Mashvior’s investment property tools an Airbnb host can better understand the competition of the Airbnb rental market and can position their property better in the market.
Related: Mashvisor Analytics- Giving You The Numbers of 2018’s Most Profitable Airbnb Cities
Property Maintenance
One question that anAirbnb Super Host always asks themselves is “What if?”: “What if the water pipe broke in the middle of the night?” or “What if the guest lock themselves out and lost their keys?”.
An Airbnb Super Host always has a contingency plan to prepare for the ‘what if’. Appropriately, make an effort to collect valuable contacts for professionals such as cleaners, plumbers, electricians, or even gardeners if needed.
In Summary
In short, becoming an Airbnb Super Host requires consistent effort and patience. Always try to offer a bit more extra than you have promised with your listing. Be attentive to your guests and response to their inquiries immediately. Satisfy your guests’ need as much as possible because at the end of the day, they are YOUR GUESTS!
On the other hand, Airbnb has recently strarted many other rewarding programs such as the work collection, family collection, and also the Airbnb plus. Other than the Super Host program, an Airbnb host should also try to utilize all these programs to gain success in the Airbnb rental business. Furthermore, hosts should also try to put their listings on other vacation rental websites such as Booking.com, Tripadvisors, and Homeaway to gain maximum marketing exposure.