Airbnb Business Advice You Wish You Had Known From The Beginning

[Account Closed]

Hey,

For those of you who operate Airbnb's and other short term rentals or vacation rentals what advice do you wish you would have had earlier when you first got started?

I think a few good ones are structuring your business strategy for future expansion, using legal entities, vetting the cleaning crew, always leaving guests good reviews (because they'll usually return it), etc.

[Elizabeth Harding]

Always use keyless entry of some sort not a lock box because that always uses the same code. Make the code the last four digits of the guests phone number and delete it after checkout.

Pay attention to the details. We have every light switch marked with what it does and our light/ceiling fan pulls indicate which is the fan and which is the light.

Have multiple sets of all bedding, towels, bath mats, etc but do not leave all the extras in the unit. The more you leave, the more they use. That said, put out more than one towel per person.

Do something that makes the guests feel special. We make sure there are always fresh flowers on the table and a few muffins. If we know they are coming for an occasion like an anniversary, we leave a note or card. 

Buy an ozone machine! They are around $70-$100 on Amazon and they are unbelievable for getting smells out. From cigarette smoke that drifted inside to strong cologne to fragrant food smells, a couple hours and the place is ready again.