Charging More per Guest?

[Rob Denn]

When doing research and scanning the AirBnB listings in my neighborhood, I came across a Superhost listing that charged approx $165/night.  I was a little surprised because I was thinking about maxing out at $140/night on my unit.  Reading on I found that this particular listing also noted that it could accommodate up to 8 guest.  When I plugged in 8 potential guest, the price jumped to approx $250/night (or more depending on the night).  I  was shocked!  I was even more shocked when I saw that the apartment was only really built as a 1bed/1bath (as noted by some of the reviews). But the host got around this by putting beds in a sun room, using blow up mattresses, etc.  Is this common?  Does it actually work and increase profits without turning off potential guest?  My unit is an official 2bed/1bath flat.  But now I'm considering adding a queen sized hidden murphy wall bed to the large enclosed dining room.  Any thoughts?

[Luke Carl]

@Rob Denn Hello! I own and self manage from a distance 5 VRs in the Gatlinburg Pigeon Forge market. The answer is..... Its totally up to you! I have 3 2 bedrooms and its very rare I allow more than 4 guests in them. Some of my competitors will allow 8 or even 10 in a 2 bedroom! I keep my number of guests low to try and keep the headaches and bad reviews to a minimum. I also don’t want 8 people tearing up my house.

I’d say take the number of bedrooms and times it by 2. Any guests past that number charge extra per guest. If they want to sleep on the sleeper sofa charge them extra. It’s wear and tear on your couch cushions. The total number you allow is up to you but I’d suggest not starting out TOO high. And of course you can always change it one way or the other so nothing to worry too much about. Just get up and running!!

Good luck!