In just a few short years, Airbnb went from being a startup or a simple business venture to becoming a well-known brand. There are millions of users and listings across the globe on the Airbnb platform. The feeling of being ‘at home away from home’ is one of the numerous benefits of staying in a short-term rental property.
Other advantages include the wide selection of available listings, rates that are more affordable than hotel rooms, and more. The market for short-term rentals is appealing to more people than just guests. Homeowners, too, can maximize their rental revenue by taking advantage of the surge in demand for short-term rental units.
For that to happen, if you are a homeowner or want to make some extra cash out of renting out your condo, you need to be ‘Airbnb Ready.’
Tips on How to Make Your Home Airbnb Ready
Before you rush into listing your house on Airbnb, you should ensure that it is comfortable and convenient for visitors to stay there. Taking time to ensure that you are well prepared for success is preferable to having to work much harder to repair a poor reputation caused by a lack of preparation.
Creating a successful listing for your property on Airbnb requires a significant investment of time and energy. In some instances, you might even need a complete condo remodel. You will need to undertake an AC inspection and ensure that the air conditioners and heating systems work well. Here are a few other tips on how to make your home Airbnb ready.
1. Keep All the Rooms in Your Home Clean
Many people are proud of their homes, making it a priority to keep them as clean and organized as possible. On the other hand, because it is a private setting, there is a good chance that some homeowners overlook the most obvious details.
As long as those details do not result in problems, mundane tasks like dusting, regular vacuuming, and picking books and magazines are not a concern.
Many people frequently opt to stay in high-quality hotels because of the high level of cleanliness found within those establishments. Your guests expect to arrive in a pristine environment during their stay at your establishment. For this reason, before accepting guests at your Airbnb, you should give each room a comprehensive cleaning.
Check that all the linens are clean, and that the garbage bins are empty, before opening your doors to guests. Remember that your guests are evaluating this experience compared to staying in hotels. Also, remember that hotels have an entire staff devoted to conducting comprehensive cleanings.
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Since cleaning can be time-consuming and laborious, hiring a professional cleaning service to handle the work may be one of the first wise financial decisions you want to make.
2. Make it Convenient
When planning how to make your home Airbnb ready, one of the most important considerations is what is convenient for you and your guests. Your duty as the host is to ensure that the guest’s experience is as smooth and trouble-free as is humanly feasible to maximize their degree of contentment and make them feel like VIPs.
You can do that in several ways. If they are flying in, you can hire the services of an airport limo business for pick-up and drop-off. The perfect opportunity to welcome your guests is during the check-in at the Airbnb, and doing that in person will give you more marks. It is also the best time to hand over the keys to the rental.
3. Go Smart
Technology is yet another thing that should be on your list of how to make your home Airbnb ready. Since today people are more tech-savvy, you must take the appropriate steps before welcoming guests to your establishment. One approach to get things going is to provide conveniences like quick internet access via Wi-Fi.
You also have the option of going with electronic or smart locks instead of the conventional lock and key, which will enable your visitors to unlock their doors speedily and swiftly by employing a one-of-a-kind access code specific to them.
Smart speakers, a video doorbell, a smart thermostat that saves you the agony of running over to the rental to manage the temperature, and smart lights are some additional home devices that will make your Airbnb stand out from the competition.
You might also install security cameras outside, but if you do so, you should inform your guests about them first. Otherwise, some of them could worry that you are spying on them. Installing motion detectors and universal charging ports in the bedrooms and close to the couches is another fantastic idea.
4. Stock Up For Emergencies
Always be prepared for unexpected events. Your guests need to have everything they require in an emergency. Therefore, include the following items on your list of how to make your home Airbnb ready:
A first aid kit, a fire extinguisher that is easy to access and use in the case of a fire breakout, smoke detectors, snow shovels, flashlights, weather radios, batteries, and non-perishable food among others.
5. Give Your House Some Personality
The quality of your interior design will determine how your guests perceive your home compared to the thousands of other options they have to choose from, and they will remember it. The main entrance is the first space visitors to your home will take in when they enter the building.
You only get the one shot at making an impressive first reaction, so strive to make it count. Adding a welcome mat and a coat rack, for example, will not only make your visitors more comfortable but also reduce the time you spend tidying up.
Your home may also benefit from the incredibly quick brightness and added oomph factor of adding indoor plants. Sufficient attention given to every room should be the topmost factor to consider in how to make your home Airbnb ready. The following is an overview of the modifications you can make in the most important rooms.
i. Sitting Room
It is essential to provide your guests with a relaxing space to enjoy, such as a cozy living room with adequate lighting. To keep your guests occupied throughout their stay, it is a good idea to have things like novels and a game or two on hand, as well as a smart television that provides access to streaming services such as Netflix.
Your living room is an excellent location for a sofa bed because it will enable you to accommodate a greater number of guests and make your Airbnb more appealing to visitors looking to book as a group or family.
ii. Kitchen
Using Airbnb has many benefits compared to staying in a hotel room, but access to all of the conveniences typically found in a home is one of the most important. One of those is a kitchen with all the trappings of convenience, comfort, and luxury.
Most Airbnb guests might not cook elaborate meals, but it does not harm to give them the option, especially if it is something, they are interested in trying. The kitchen in your home should have, at a bare minimum, a burner, a kitchen counter, and the essential items, including cutlery, glassware, plates, and basic culinary equipment.
Other things you can include to make your guests happy are a good coffee maker, a microwave, fridge, kitchen towels, mittens, hot pads, a vase, cleaning equipment, spices, condiments, and a few recipe books.
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For guests that do not want to cook in, you can also provide contacts for Chinese food delivery or any other food delivery service and those of any fast food restaurant nearby.
iii. The Bathroom
The bathroom is yet another significant space in your Airbnb, as it allows you to go beyond and transform your guests’ stay from satisfactory to unforgettable.
Add some luxury to the bathroom by transforming it from an ordinary-looking bath place to a mini spa. Add fluffy and soft towels, matching bathrobes, a nice bath mat and complimentary luxurious soaps and shampoos.
iv. Bedrooms
Nothing irritates people more than a poor night’s sleep and irritable guests tend to be much more critical than happy ones. If you are trying to figure out how to make your home Airbnb ready, take the bedroom(s) seriously, as the quality will determine your overall rating.
If you want to avoid legal trouble and keep your rating as high as possible, ensure that you maintain the greatest level of bed bug control. If a guest finds bed bugs in their accommodation, you will likely be required to close down your new Airbnb business.
Investing in high-quality amenities like plush mattresses and cotton sheets will go a long way to making your guests feel at home in the bedroom. Use of polyester sheets is not advisable. Those who want to take things even farther can invest in Egyptian cotton, which has a greater thread count.
Another great idea on how to make your home Airbnb ready is to provide your guests with thick but comfortable duvets to keep them warm during the winter. Additional pillows are also a big help.
If the bedrooms are exposed to a lot of natural light, installing blackout curtains is a smart choice because they provide your guests with the ideal solution to sleep in. You should also ensure there are enough cabinets for the smaller items your guests might need to store.
v. Outdoor Space
If you have an outdoor space, sprucing it up will go a long way toward making your guests feel more at ease, which can lead to a positive and higher rating. Below are some things you can add to your outdoor space to give it more value and a feeling of homeliness.
A hanging porch swing is the epitome of tranquility. You may create a cohesive look for your outdoor space while establishing a central theme for the area. Create a visual contrast by incorporating varied sizes and shapes of pillows into the mix.
A patio light string is one of the quickest and easiest methods to give your outside space a more lively and inviting atmosphere. The use of lighting outside creates an appealing and exciting atmosphere.
Guests on vacation expect a variety of options for meals that they can prepare quickly and easily. They will be able to cook meals outside and enjoy spending more time there if you provide them with a gas barbecue.
A very important piece of advice is to ensure the area outside, and your plants are in great condition. Get rid of dried and withered plants and add style to your outdoor garden by placing some plants in one or more stylish containers. A good mix of color, texture, and finish will take the appearance of your outdoor space to the next level. Water features, too, will complement the plants.
If you have the space, setting up a table, chairs and conversational lounge sets outside is another excellent option for making your guests appreciate the place and effort.
6. Other Minor Details
When it comes to how to make your home Airbnb ready, the thoughtful addition of a few minor details and touches will go a long way. Your guests will know that you have put thought into their comfort if you provide thoughtful touches like a bottle of wine upon their arrival, freshly cut flowers, or a product made in the area, in addition to leaving a list of places of interest, and things to do locally on the countertop.
Other small details include a local directory, the most important phone numbers, the closest and best fast-food restaurants, and cab or Uber numbers.
Bottled water, a guide if they want to explore the surrounding area and a translator if they do not speak your language are some other things you can provide. You can also provide things like instruction manuals for the devices in the home.
In conclusion, how to make your home Airbnb ready will involve effort and consideration at every stage, from check-in to cleanup of the kitchen and bath to all the rooms in the home. With trial and error, you will be able to transform your home into the destination of a visitor’s dreams.