Make a Great First Impression - Every time

[Kathleen Osborne]

We all want to make our guests feel welcomed and appreciated. In turn, we’d like them to leave us five-star reviews at the end of their stays. How can we make this a win-win situation every time? With quality control measures and systems. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Hire the best cleaners around and give them a check list to follow after every guest and another list for once a month for deep cleaning.
2. Tackle maintenance with set schedules to keep guests from having to report problems. But when unexpected issues do arise, tackle them immediately.
3. There should not be any known maintenance issues in your property. However, if there are, address them in the welcome booklet in the form of a Q&A section. Let the guests know how to work around issues.
4. Provide a welcome booklet in the unit as well as a digital version you email to guest the day prior to arrival. Keep both up to date.
5. Include house rules in the welcome booklet. A written policy about non-smoking, pets, quiet hours, limiting number of guests in the house, etc. is much easier to convey in writing before someone even checks in.
6. Tell them what to expect with check-in, check-out, parking, local attractions, hidden gems in the area, etc.
7. As Rob Abasolo of Robuilt will tell us, buy nice – not trice. Buy quality furnishings and supplies. No one wants to sleep between scratchy sheets or use dingy towels. And you certainly want items to last as long as possible to save yourself time and money in the long run.
8. Make sure your listing photos accurately portray what guests can expect in your rental.
9. Set up automated messages to send the welcome booklet the day before check-in and the thank you note with a request for a five-star review 24 to 48 hours after check-out.
10. Thank them for their review afterwards and ask them to refer friends and family to your rental.

The list may seem long. But once you set it up the first time it will go smoothly (most of the time). Good luck! And share your thoughts on other ways to make a great first impression.