Airbnb Super Hosts: What We Have Learned Along The Way
We have been hosting guests in our converted carport for 3.5 years and enjoy the variety of people that come our way to enjoy the Big Island of Hawaii. Through a lot of good reviews, consistent effort and maintaining a comfortable space, we have remained Super Hosts and want to share what we have learned with you!
The smallest touches leave the biggest impact - Welcome your guests with a personalized sign so they fell invited right into the space. After a long day of travel, it is so fun to see your name written out and assures you that you are in the right place.
Put yourselves in their shoes - After a long day of travel, what do you like? A variety of toiletries, comfortable toewls and blankets, and a few snacks waiting for you all help! We live in a destination where people are often making day trips, so we make sure to have a cooler and ice bags ready to go. It is so simple for us and makes a big difference for the guests! I will never forget being a guest at an Airbnb near Disneyland when it was just me and my 9 month old. The host loaded up the fridge with so many baby friendly snacks that made such a difference when we arrived late at night. It was so sweet and appreciated!
Share personal recommendations - We have a binder full of all of our favorite places and some brochures. I now send the link to an online version of the recommendations as soon as guests book, so they have it as a planning resource. This was a little bit of work create a super comprehensive docuemnt in the beginning, but it has been such a value for all of the guests! Plus, from a host perspective, it helps eliminate additional quetsions from the guests when this is provided from when they book.
Make the check-in process easy - Clear instructions and directions are helpful for all involved! Self check-in is best and ensuring there is little room for error sets your guests up for a positive stay from the start. Ensure the parking area is obvious and well lit - seems like a no brainer, but you want to make the arrival process as easy as possible.
Set yourself up for success - We have extra sets of sheets, comforters, beach and beach towels along with toiletries, paper goods and cleaning supplies in the unit, so we can quickly flip the unit. We also make sure all of the bedding can be used together, so we can speed up the flipping process. This also comes in handy if something is unexpectedly running low or the guests need extra. They don’t need to ensure we are home to get an extra item as they are stored for them in the unit. We don’t make it super obvious, but keep some plastic bins under the beds for easy access.
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