Michael Stone

4 Signs That You Should Use an Airbnb Management Company

by

It’s always tempting to self-manage your Airbnb but a professional Airbnb management company might be the better option for you. We often find that problems arise when Hosts are either not professional enough or are non-responsive to guests’ requests. Hopefully, you’re treating your hosting like a business and not a hobby that you can deal with it when it suits you. 

Here are some signs to look out for is you are self-managing your Airbnb: 

Poor Reviews on Cleanliness 

If you’re getting poor reviews on the cleanliness of your property then you should consider changing cleaners immediately or stop cleaning it yourself. It’s probably the one major thing that guests look out for in reviews before booking and no one wants to stay in a dirty home. This will start to result in getting fewer bookings and less profits. Sometimes you obviously might get the odd bad review but if you’ve had more than 3 less than perfect 5-stars each time, it’s time to at least get a cleaner. Consider using our cleaning check list if you don’t want to use a management company.

Your Hosting too Many Bad Guests 

If you find yourself on the receiving end of too many bad guests then it’s a sure sign to hand over the keys to the professionals. Bad guests cannot only cost financially but in effort also. They might break items and often leave the property in a bad state giving your cleaner more work to do. Guests like these can also cause an issue with your neighbours and the local community, that could result in you losing the ability to Airbnb your apartment at all. Many Airbnb Management companies will know what to look out for and how to screen guests properly so they don’t stay in your property causing you drama.  

Poor Reviews on Communication 

Communication should virtually always be 5-stars unless you’ve been completely out of contact in the wilderness somewhere. Guests don’t expect a constant contact but you we find that you should contact each guest at least 3-times. Once or twice before, during and maybe after their stay. Just to say “Thanks for staying with us” is often enough. If your struggling with communication look at tools such as Smartbnb or Guesty, as their automated tool might help 

Falling Behind with Maintenance 

Property maintenance is a big part of managing an Airbnb, as any given time issue may arise that need to be resolved. But many of these issues can be mitigated by a general inspection once a month and calling in the relevant professionals. Basic things like mouldy silicone, dirty carpets, loose plugs etc.. can be sorted very quickly, but if left can start to result in low Airbnb reviews. 

Conclusion 

Self-managing an Airbnb is normally straightforward but it can take a fair amount of time. You may think your also saving money by doing it yourself, however, you may find that you’re also losing money as you’re not making the most of your property. Whereas a professional Airbnb manager will know how to help you maximize profits to ensure positive cash flow. If you notice any of the signs above maybe it’s time to switch to a Professional Airbnb Management Company.  

Wheelhouse Dynamic Airbnb Pricing Reviewed

by

In this review, we’ll be taking a closer look at Wheelhouse. A software that features a number of tools designed to help short-term rental owners maximize their revenue. This software enables Airbnb & Vrbo hosts to integrate their listing to optimize their pricing strategy by using their dynamic pricing. The dynamic pricing is data-driven and … Read more

The Party’s Over – Airbnb Suspends 800 UK listings

by
Airbnb Suspend Party Listings

Airbnb has suspended more than 800 listings in the UK after they believed that they have been used as party houses. The suspension covers the listings that have defied policies or received complaints on events and parties which are banned by the company.

In the company’s commitment to crack down on the antisocial behaviour, they have blocked UK reservations attempts over 13,500 in a single month by introducing a pilot restriction that put a stop to some reservations from the people living nearby and under the age of 25 years.

Airbnb has introduced some ground rules to be followed to prevent certain behaviour at its listed rental properties. This included banning parties at their rental properties internationally, the introduction of the pilot booking restrictions, and launching of the neighbour tools, this is where neighbours can share their concerns about any of their listings to them directly for investigating.

It started as the organization stated they will be restricting reservations in England following the lockdown introduction by the government, to make sure that no one goes against the Covid restriction rules.  From Friday 6th November to Wednesday the 2nd of December during this time all the new reservations will be done with the new temporary restrictions.

Guests who are legally not subject to the restrictions will be allowed to have long-term reservations on Airbnb. But the company will be continuously reviewing measures and keeping an eye on the way forward by the government.

The director of public policy at the organization, Patrick Robinson, issued a “zero tolerance” warning to any guest using the platform.

With the plans of filing the necessary Initial Public Offering (IPO) documents before the end of November, just before the stock market launching in December. This company is completed to its pledge to find and remove guests and hosts may still want to hold the house parties and large gatherings and fail to follow the social distancing rule.  Airbnb is positive about attracting more investors as they pursue a new IPO deal exceeding $30 billion.

Host Update with Catherine Powell | August 20th, 2020

No More Love For Airbnb in Amsterdam

by

Amsterdam has new proposals that could see a ban on holiday rentals in some parts of the city. According to a statement issued on Wednesday, holiday rentals might be adversely affecting some neighbourhood, which is leading to poor quality of life. However, this is still a matter under investigation by the municipal council. But if the statement is indeed true, such a ban could immediately take effect.

Laurens Ivens, the city’s socialist executive in charge of housing, argues that these rentals are used as profit objects instead of places to live in. The new proposal targets brokerages services such as Airbnb Inc. and Booking Holdings Inc.

According to that statement, the city aims at reducing the increasing houses that are being rented by these platforms, since it’s becoming harder for residents to find available homes. As it stands, Amsterdam has already cut holiday rentals to a maximum of 30 days in a year.

In response to this, Airbnb through their spokesman emailed a statement saying they are not in agreement with laws restricting the right of Amsterdammers to share their homes often. And that the company’s customers accounted for 8% of overnight stays in the city.
The city is also pushing for a policy which will force vacation rentals to apply for license starting from 2020 and which will be valid for five years. The new proposal also outlines that the only person who’s legally allowed to operate a property as B&B is the one who resides in it.

Montreal Latest Approach in Controlling Illegal Rentals

by

The city of Montreal is taking a new approach to alleviating what the city officials are terming as house crisis. The latest strategy by the city is directing its employees to remove lock boxes that store keys for tenants. Airbnb landlords often give their short term tenants a code so they can access an apartment on their own.

Other cities across Canada have cracked down on residents using Airbnb and other sharing platforms primarily aiming to thwart illegal Airbnb rentals. The Mayor of Montreal Valerie Plante reached out to the residents to ask them to help report the location of these lockboxes via the council hotline.  The city believes that the increase of these boxes in town is aimed to evade inspection. City Councilor Richard Ryan believes that due to the anonymous aspect of these boxes, it is hard to inspect short term rentals especially because these boxes are on public properties and not private properties.

This the campaign started the city authorities have removed hundreds of lock boxes in the downtown and in Plateau Mont-Royal areas. Owners of short-term rentals have now been looking at alternative means for entry and have removed the lockboxes themselves. Mayor Valerie and her administration continue to monitor the situation of all rental associated with Airbnb and other similar sharing platforms.

Judge Blocks NYC Law Demanding Airbnb Disclose User Data

by

To most people, maintaining the privacy of personal information is very important especially when divulging that information to others. Airbnb almost lost a large base of their customers in New York due to a law that required them to give out their customers’ information. They, however, found reprieve when they were told not to “comply” until the issue was sorted out in court.

A petition from Airbnb and HomeAway Inc was granted by a judge who ruled that the orders issued by the city’s governance should be halted. The district judge Paul Engel Mayer stated that the home sharing companies had higher chances of winning against the rule that was supposed to take effect on 2nd February. This was because the law would have been an infringement on the constitution that prohibits “unreasonable searches and seizures”.

This new law was passed by council members who claimed that the services rendered by the home renting companies disrupted the long-term rental procedures and reduced profits. It was therefore meant to reduce such rental arrangements.

The law requested the short-term letting institutions to give their client’s personal details to the city council as well as the duration of the renter’s stay and how much space they were renting. This was to help the council come up with rules prohibiting apartment owners from giving out their apartments for less than a month.

The ruling was described as a “huge win” for the company as well as other citizens by the company’s spokesperson.
This win was important considering the resistance the Airbnb is facing from other regions. Had the law been enforced, it would have given those other areas a “playbook to copy”.

New York’s mayor had a different opinion. He termed the law as “good” and went ahead to explain that it was meant to stop landlords from “creating facto hotels, which is unfair and illegal”.

This seemed to contradict the judge’s sentiment which stated that the rule doesn’t give renters an opportunity to challenge it. In his statement, he explained that the rule was “… unreasonable under the fourth amendment”.

Both parties were told to look for evidence for the pre-trial conference set on May 10th.

New Regulations Crack Down On Airbnb’s in Los Angeles

by
Los Angeles

Airbnb and Los Angeles have been battling for more than three years over the rental unit regulations and home sharing. The tide now seems to turn in Los Angles. On Tuesday, December 11, Los Angeles city council unanimously voted to approve an ordinance that puts more restriction on the rental hosts.

The new ordinance in LA is set to go into effect in July 2019 and applies to the entire city of Los Angeles including Venice, Hollywood and other hot spot areas. This law particularly limits the number of days property owners can rent their residence through Airbnb and other short-term housing platforms, such as HomeAway and Booking.com.

This is the first attempt of the city to legalize as well as crack down short-term rental in Los Angeles and critics believes that this will create conflict in the neighbourhood and will worsen the housing crisis.

When the new bill is made law, hosts will only be allowed to rent out their primary residence in which they will need to have been living there for a minimum of six months of the year.

The new short-term rental rules

  • Rent controlled properties will not be eligible for short-term letting
  • Licenses to rent under the new short-term letting rules will cost $89
  • Each host will have a maximum of 120 days per calendar year to rent their property
  • The 120 days can be extend using the “Extended Home-Sharing” option. This will allow hosts to rent their property for 365 days, at a cost of $850 for the license.
  • Any hosts who obtain more than 3 citations will have the license revoked.
  • Only one home may be used for short-term rentals at a time.
  • Additionally, a temporary structure such as RVs and trailers are banned from renting.

One of the city council members Mike Bonin says that the new ordinance is a means of striking a balance between host accommodation sharing their home to earn extra income and punishing irresponsible hosts running “rogue hotels”.

Experts believe that the recent action by the LA city council is the best way of addressing the current housing crisis. Most believe that Airbnb is taking homes away from permanent resident and putting these restrictions are the best way of addressing this issue. Besides, the new regulation has not entirely banned sharing of homes for those “who want to make their ends meet” Bonin said. The law only restricts bad rentals and those running “rogue hotels”.

Most people believe that Airbnb has helped them pay off their mortgage and the recent action preventing owners from renting out will not put the units back into the market.

Although this new law is seen as a setback for Airbnb hosts, Airbnb is advocating for the city official to have a similar ordinance that regulates vocational rentals and units that are not host’s principal residence. This motion has been introduced by council members Herb Wesson and Harris-Dawson.

The outcome could have been worse, this might have been eased by Airbnb’s announcement last month that they had collected over $100 Million in Taxes for the City of Los Angeles since August 2016.

 

Governments Have Received $1 Billion in Taxes since 2014

by

Airbnb is making headlines for all the right reasons, the company has made another step in the area of government taxes help keep local authorities happy ahead of it eagerly anticipated IPO in 2019

In 2014 Airbnb started to collects hotel and tourist taxes from its hosts and remits them to the various governments it has agreements with. Since Airbnb started collecting taxes, it has collected and remitted over 1 billion dollars to the various governments. This process for collecting taxes has been streamlined which has made it easy for both the hosts and the government to pay and collect taxes respectively.

Airbnb feels that assisting authorities to collect taxes is a part of its corporate social responsibility. As such, it enters into voluntary agreements with over 400 governments worldwide. For example, since entering into a tax collection agreement with the City of Los Angeles in the year 2016, it has assisted the city to collect and remit more than $100 million.

That is not all. In Pennsylvania, the innovative firm has collected and remitted over $ 20 million in addition to more than $2 million it has collected and remitted in the various counties across New York. These activities are not limited to the US alone. Airbnb also engages in these activities across many regions in Europe where it has assisted thousands of cities in revenue collection.

These tax collection agreements have assisted many authorities to meet their revenue targets. Hosts now are in a position to pay their fair share of taxes and support the government in carrying out its mandate. It is a win-win situation for Airbnb, governments, and hosts.

Always Get Paid, Even If Guests Cancel

by

In an attempt to attract more users to its platform, Airbnb began trialling non-refundable reservations. This is meant to assists both host and guests, hosts will get a guaranteed payout if the guests cancel the booking. Guests, in turn, will get an automatic 10% off your standard booking price. The guests will get a refund of the cleaning fee if they cancel before check-in. You’ll keep the entire nightly rate.

It will appear to the guests as an option when they go to make a reservation, putting Airbnb more in-line with hotel booking sites like Booking.com who have offered such features for many years. Booking.com, offer this in the form of obtaining a lower price or free cancellation.

Enabling this option will likely see Airbnb push your property by improving your search results and will maybe have a little badge promoting the listing. When guests are searching they’ll see the lowest price possible helping you stand out from your competition that little bit more.

If the guests select “Flexible – Full Price” then the booking will default back to your selected cancellation policy. ie Strict, Flexible and moderate.

It’s too early to tell if this feature help or hinders hosts, but our current advice is to enable this option if you have it. It’s currently only available for a limited time and not available to all hosts. If successful Airbnb will likely roll this out to all hosts in the new year.

 

 

 

Airbnb is ready to disrupt home-builders

by

Airbnb is shifting to a whole different level with the thrilling announcement of its latest project, Backyard. This will be the initiative to get into the home building business. The plan is to create modular “affordable” homes that will have interchangeable roofs and the ability to adjust the floor plan based on the needs to the occupant. If occupant needs a bedroom home the robotics walls would change the layout based on this requirement.

After disrupting hotels, the home-sharing company wants to do more to help with the houses and rent crisis.

Right now, there are more questions than answers for this new intriguing project but, the start-up affirms that will be possible to have some test units as soon as autumn 2019.

With a talented team that includes designers, engineers, specialists and experts, the $31 billion company wants to create homes to be shared from the ground up.

For the more curious, unfortunately, there is no prototype yet. In the Samara website, you can see pictures that show a little more about the project.

Airbnb is challenging the conventional thinking and revolutionizing the industry, so Backyard is expected to be humanistic, futuristic and environmentally friendly. In a fast-paced and diversified world, this start-up is keeping everyone on their toes and surprising the public.

 

 

 

Home Sharing Blogs

by

GuestReady Blog

The GuestReady blog is one which was created in 2016 by a property management company who designed it to provide tips to those looking to rent out their property. Tips they provide come from both professionals and other users around the globe, making it easier for their users to find information that pertains specifically to their listing needs.

They provide those who visit their site with an easy to navigate panel containing different articles, each covering a specific concern or question that those looking to rent out their property may have. These articles range from covering basic topics such as guest safety and etiquette to more complex topics such as being and having a co-host for your listing. Articles provided by this site are used to cover information from London, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Porto, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Cannes. With each of these articles, viewers are also able to post comments at the bottom of the page, so they can ask questions about the article to ensure that they understand all of its contents.

GuestReady Blog.

 

R/AirBnB

The Sub-Reddit page dedicated to the use of those interested in Airbnb acts as a forum where people can discuss many different aspects of their listings or reservations to stay at someone else’s listing. Provided in their navigation bar are two uniquely designed guides for those that are new to their page on Reddit. The guides provide tips to the page’s viewers where one is dedicated to hosts, and the other is dedicated to guests so that their information is more organized and easy for their viewers to navigate. These guides list a variety of information about things such as various rules Airbnb has regarding reservations, rules about managing payment, and how to handle issues you may have with your guests.

Within the forum posts made by the site’s users, there are answers to important questions as well as hosting tips provided by both guests and other hosts as well. You also have the option to submit your own question as well if you do not see an already existing post discussing the topic. They also may have posts created by users that details services and products they have found to be helpful with their own listing. The information inside these forum posts is available worldwide as those who contribute to the page come from many different countries. A platform is also available for you to send a message to one of the page moderators if you have any questions or concerns that they may be able to address for you that is not already mentioned in a post by another user.

r/AirBnB

 

Laptop Landlord

Laptop Landlord is a website that provides users with an easy to understand and follow guide, full of information on how to profitably hosting your property. This guide is designed to prevent readers from having to sift through hours worth of tips and tricks regarding being a host and skip straight to the ones that will benefit them the most. The guide is made up of eight chapters, each geared toward covering a specific category of tips that hosts can use. Some of these categories include: how to take photos, how to keep your property looking nice and tidy, and everything that a host needs to know about taxes.

The author of this guide, Tyler Knudtson, also gives his own thoughts at the end of each category’s table of contents providing readers with more insight. Contacting the author is also an option as well if you have a detailed and in-depth question that you would like to receive help with. Bonuses for each prepared chapter are also an option for readers who are interested in learning more about each of the chapters’ topics. A Twitter page has also been created for more information where news regarding Airbnb is frequently posted as well as a small number of other tips that can be useful.

Laptop LandLord

 

Everbooked Blog

This blog was created to share news, information, and tips about how to properly host a listing for your property. The blog is composed of various articles, each written by a site admin or staff member of Everbooked, the company which manages the website. They also write about updates their company goes through so that their readers who use their other services are kept up to date on how the company is changing as well as what kind of effects it will have on their services. New posts on average are added every two to three months with the oldest post dating back to March 2015. The posts that this blog provides readers with is based only on laws and information found within the United States as this is the only country where the company provides other services as well.

Everbooked Blog

 

Metro Butler

This blog is one which has been created to provide users with information about valuable services. Stored in a list that is comprised of various articles, this blog gives detailed information about how the services offered by other companies work and how they can be an asset to your listing. These services range a fair deal in terms of what they are used for and can be something as simple as item storage locations throughout a city to spaces designed specifically for luggage storage. Many of these services are available primarily in New York City as this is where the company who runs the site is located.

The website also prepares informative articles to tell their readers changes being made to Airbnb throughout the United States so they can stay up to date about how their listing may be affected by those changes. Along with the informative articles they also create social media posts that serve the same purpose. The social media platform which they have chosen to do this on is Facebook although they do have an Instagram account where they post images that can serve as inspiration for hosts.

MetroButler

 

AirDNA

The AirDNA blog is one which has been made to provide readers with tips and up to date news about Airbnb. Their articles that are geared towards providing helpful tips cover a wide range of topics including where you should or should not buy a vacation home, how you should go about investing in out of state property, and how to improve the communication that you as a host have with your guests.

When it comes to the portion of their articles that are created specifically to provide you with important news you will find that many of the articles are primarily about how cities are adopting new laws and restrictions that directly impact those renting out their property. This includes both articles about the United States as a whole and those about specific cities, such as Santa Monica and Los Angeles. These articles also cover changes that the Airbnb company is making so that as a host you are constantly kept in the loop and not surprised by any sudden changes.

One final type of article that this blog makes to provide their readers with useful information is their services articles. These articles are made to help you find services that may make your job as a host more simple while also improving your listing. Services covered in these articles vary quite a bit but seem to mainly focus on services that revolve around analytics and price planning.

AirDNA Blog

 

Pillow

Pillow is a blog designed to provide readers with hundreds of helpful tips, services, and important updates that will make hosting their property more simple. These articles are organized into two categories so that it is easy for users to navigate and locate articles that are most likely to aid them. The first category is the “New” category, where readers can go to find the information and news articles that are most likely to be up to date. Some of the topics these news articles cover include changes being made to the AirBnB company that will affect users and what the most popular listings have done to gain their fame.

The second category is the “Popular” category, where articles that are viewed and liked the most appear. This allows readers to understand fully which articles are likely to be the most helpful as they have been proven to be useful by the site’s other readers.

Searching through their articles is also an available option if you already have a topic in mind that you would like to find out more about, without the hassle of searching through hundreds of articles. After entering any topic into their search bar you will be taken to an easy to read the list of links and descriptions of articles available for you to read.

In order to be kept up to date on new articles, you can also subscribe to their blog using your email. Pillow will then send you an email notifying you when new articles have been posted on their website for you to read.

Pillow

 

1 CHIC RETREAT

Chic Retreat is a blog designed to help hosts know how to make their listing look as unique and well decorated as possible. They create articles that are made to give hosts the basic knowledge of what their guests will want to see during their stay at their listing and about how much it will cost to achieve the ideal look. Their articles are arranged so that you have a better understanding of which steps in decorating your property should be covered first. For example, they have articles that are made to cover specifically the very beginning of the decorating process, making it easier for readers not to become overwhelmed by all of the different decorating ideas.

They also have multiple lists available that cover items that are essential for your listing to be enjoyed by your guests. These lists are broken down based on the type of items that each one covers, such as essential kitchen items. Purchasing a book from them covering this exact topic is also an option as the author of these articles has written one of those as well. Subscribing to their blog will also result in you receiving one of these lists as well as updates when more lists and articles have become available for you to read.

1 Chic Retreat

 

Get Paid For Your Pad

This blog’s main purpose is to help their readers learn how to own and manage a profitable listing. Their articles cover topics that are both well-known as well as those that are more obscure, and not necessarily immediately thought of by hosts who are searching for useful information. Some of the topics which they cover include how to write proper photo captions, how to write an interesting listing description, and how you should choose your cancellation policy.

Should you read through an article and still have remaining questions, you are able to post a comment asking this question which will then be answered by the author of the article. This way you can receive more clarification about the topic. You can also receive helpful feedback about your listing in the same way. The author, Mr. Jasper Ribbers, generally responds to comments within three days of the post date as long as the article itself is relatively new.

A Facebook page is dedicated to this blog where the authors provide more information as well. This information includes news articles as well as more helpful listing tips. The makers of this blog have also created a podcast as well, for those who are interested in listening to new information as well as reading it. However, this podcast is only available to those with access to iTunes.

Get Paid For Your Pad

 

VRMB

VRMB is a blog which goes away from the standard article style blogs and instead provides information and tips to users through videos as well as articles. Each video is about two to six minutes long and covers a unique topic. One such video type is their series “Monday Morning Motivation”, which was created with the intention of helping hosts overcome various issues and stay motivated about having a successful listing. One such area that these videos address is the difficulty many hosts have with developing a website to promote their listing as well as any others they may have.

Following each video is a description of what it has to offer as well as credit given to those who worked to create it. Some videos also have a copy of the video’s transcript provided as well so viewers can read along as they listen to the video, and read more small details that are missing from the video’s dialogue. At the bottom of each video’s page is also a comment section where viewers can communicate with both the video’s creator and one another, sharing information and ideas to help each other be more successful.

Many of their articles are fairly long as they are stuffed full of useful information and statistics related to growing the popularity and profitability of your listing. The topics in these articles cover areas such as how to provide important information to your guests, why rental design is important to your listing’s success, and the double-edged sword that is rental statistics.

VRMB

 

Airbnb Secrets

Airbnb Secrets is a blog which creates content designed to give users tips about various aspects of their listings. These created and published tips come in a combination of both articles and videos, so users have multiple formats to receive information from. Many of the topics that their tips cover go over the essentials of managing a successful listing from basics such as what tools or apps to use, to more complex tips about how to properly automate the price of your listing.

Each of the videos shows three pieces of information about it and those are the numbers of likes, views, and comments so viewers can judge which videos are worth their time based on the kind of feedback they have received. These likes are also used for the “Most Popular” list. This list shows users which ten posts are considered the most useful by other users so that you have a better idea of which ones you should start with. They also have an additional YouTube channel where you can locate more videos as well as some of the same ones already posted on their blog’s page.

Many of these articles and videos also demonstrate or explain various services and how they can be helpful to hosts and make guests’ stays easier to manage. If as a host you have a specific question which you are looking to have answered their page also has a search function so there is no need for you to scroll through hundreds of pages to find the answer that you are looking for.

Airbnb Secrets

 

Hostaway Blog

The Hostaway Blog is one which was created with the purpose of helping hosts figure out the basics of using different types of services quickly and easily. They have created a panel of informative articles based on these topics. When it comes to available services they keep hosts up to date on how those services are changing, and how that may affect the business that the host does with them. For example, they inform hosts in the event that two services decide to partner with one another as it may affect the host if they use either one or both of the services.

They also write articles that cover basic tips to improve your listing and make it more attractive to various types of guests. Their articles are not based around any specific location so they have information that can likely help people from all different areas of the globe. In order to keep track of these articles users have the option to subscribe to updates which will be sent out to their chosen email as they become available.

Hostaway Blog

 

AirHosts Forum

This website is a forum where hosts can talk to one another and provide advice about various issues and hosting opportunities. These posts can be organized based on category using their automatic sorting option. The categories that can be used include resources, tools, local news, and site suggestions. This way posters and readers can look for posts that specifically relate to their questions or issues. For each post, you can also see how many views and replies have been made so you can tell how active a post is and whether or not you are likely to find a response that suits your situation.

They also have a blog that makes posts designed to clarify various policies that are important for managing your listing. In this blog, only site admins are able to make contributions so you can be more confident that you are getting accurate information. Like the forum, they have categories as well for things such as hosting tools which keeps the site organized and easy to navigate. You can also use a search function to locate posts in this section that directly relate to what you are trying to find.

AirHosts Forum

 

Your Welcome Blog

Your Welcome is a blog that is primarily used to inform users about the latest features for hosts, as well as summits and conferences held around North America and their outcomes. These features that they discuss are ones which have been added both to the main Airbnb website or app, as well as those added to outside companies who offer their services to hosts. The services offered by companies mentioned in this blog are mostly those which focus on the analytics aspects of managing your listing, however, there are a few which focus on customer service as well.

The summits and conferences which they promote on their site are those where hosts are welcome to attend and receive more information. Some of the information they discuss during these events includes how to connect devices and tools, North America travel trends, and how to increase the booking your listing receives. When you are not sitting through the talks made about these topics you can speak to those who run this blog directly at the booth which they have set up at each event. There you can discuss any questions or ideas you have related to your listing and get valuable feedback from those who know a fair bit about the subject.

Your Welcome Blog

 

All About Airbnb

This blog has been designed to keep hosts up to date on the latest news, product updates, and promotions. Their main priority is ensuring that their readers are kept up to date on any major changes being made that can have an impact on a host’s listing, whether it be a negative or a positive one. Some of these changes are simple updates to the website and apps functions, created to make the listing easier to create and maintain, while also ensuring that it looks appealing to guests.

Through using Tumblr the maker of this blog has allowed for useful tools to be available on their blog, making it easier to navigate and give feedback. The types of articles listed are organized into various tags so you know what topic each one covers. For example, some articles contain the “#Marketing” tag, so if you are looking for information about marketing tools you can begin by searching through the articles that have this tag. Each article also has the option to leave a note, a comment you can use to communicate back and forth with other users, at the bottom of the page. This allows you to receive additional insight into the available services or news they are writing about.

All About Airbnb

 

Guesty Blog

The Guesty Blog was created to provide users with information about how to save time and money, while also keeping their guests satisfied and pleased with their stay. Their articles cover a wide range of unique topics including common guest inquiries, dealing with negative reviews from guests, and how to have a budget-friendly interior design for your listing.

This blog also has features that help you determine which article tips are best for you. Each article has a rating option at the bottom of the page that can be looked at by users to see what other users think of the information and tips provided. This will allow you to determine which articles tips may be the best to follow based on how others have benefitted from them. Some of the articles also indicate services that hosts may find useful by discussing them and providing a link to an outside site where you are able to use these services.

The page also has a “chat widget” for if you have any questions related to their blog or other services. Clicking on it will immediately connect you with one of their employees, or if one is unavailable allow you to provide your contact information so that they are able to get back to you.

Guesty Blog

 

The Airbnb Blog

This blog created by Airbnb focuses on sharing stories and experiences that guests and hosts from around the world have had. They have their articles organized into various categories based on either a location type, group of people, or celebrity experience. One category they have is their Wanderlust category. Here is where they describe the various activities and experiences that can be had around the world including places like Chicago, Porvoo, and Durban.

Another category that they have is the Updates & News category which is where they post different types of articles including the “Experience In The Spotlight Series”. In this series, they arrange for famous people from different career types to meet with everyday people who are interested in that career type to explore the city and pick up helpful tips along the way.

The blog has a number of features that make it useful. Some of the articles that are available are written to provide tips and information about how to improve your listing. This can be in a variety of ways including improving the appearance of your listing by investing in better decor. Once you have selected an article that seems interesting to you there is also the option to translate the text into one of many available languages including Spanish, French, and Italian. This way no matter what language you speak fluently you are able to enjoy and learn from the available content.

The Airbnb Blog

 

LearnAirbnb

LearnAirbnb created their blog to provide viewers with tips essential for the running of a successful listing. These tips cover both the things that you should do as well as the things that you should avoid doing if you want your listing to be profitable and enjoyed by your guests. You can search through the articles to find the ones that are the most enjoyed by other users by checking the list of popular articles. You are also able to cycle through this list to view the most popular based on a period of time. For example, if you wish to you can only view the articles that are the most popular ones from the last week. In order to keep up to date on all of their latest articles, you are able to subscribe to their newsletter so they will let you know when each new article is published.

A YouTube channel is also available that can be reached through their blog page. There they create and upload new videos about various important aspects of managing your property in an efficient, profitable, and legal way. Some of the topics that these videos cover include Airbnb tips for handling your taxes, writing the best description for your listing, and what you should do in terms of cleaning services for your property. Because they have this done through such a popular social media site, there are many comments for each video, so you are able to receive different opinions and information towards the topic of each one.

LearnAirbnb

 

OptimizeMyBnb.com Blog

This blog is one which was created for the purpose of providing readers with information and tips covering a wide range of topics to ensure that their listing is a success. They have multiple panels of articles, each panel stored in a different tab so that the categories are kept separate and organized. There are three major categories which are the ones users will find to be the most important and helpful to them.

The first category they have is their “Listing Tips” category. Here they store the articles that are used to inform readers about important aspects of a listing whether you are a guest or host. Some topics in this category include completing your profile page and whether or not you should choose a pet-friendly listing.

The second category is the “Host Tips” category. Not to be confused with the prior category this one is used for tips that specifically apply to hosts. Some of the topics that are covered in this category include how to properly use interior design to help your property appeal to guests, how to handle the slow season, and how to provide an impressive amount of amenities.

The third category is the “Airbnb News” category. This is the section where they publish articles related to changes that the company is making for both hosts and guests. Doing so keeps both groups up to date on important information that may alter the way they handle listings in the future.

Should you simply wish to browse through articles you can also either look through the category which displays all the articles or the random section which will give you a few articles from mixed categories.

OptimizeMyBnb.com Blog

 

OurBnb

This blog was created by people familiar with the ways that Airbnb works in order to help other hosts be more successful with their listings. They have their blog’s tips organized into two separate sections in order to enhance organization and efficiency.

The first section which they have is the “Airbnb Hints and Tips” section. This section covers a wide range of topics about optimizing your profits by enhancing your guests experience during their stay on your property. Topics in this section include essential items you must-have for your guests, software options to aid your hosting work, and how to turn your balcony into a profitable space.

The second section covers specifically tips and hints related to the interior of your property. The tips and hints in this category are made to help you design your property’s interior in a way that allows your guests to feel comfortable and at home. Including things such as how to make a bedroom a relaxing space and how to have a well-functioning kitchen, this section is where users will go when they are trying to find information that will make their guest’s experience at their property more enjoyable.

At the bottom portion of the pages, there is also an option to leave a comment to the author of the articles. There you can request more information or clarification about something previously stated in the article.

OurBnb

 

AirbnbWATCH Blog

Airbnb Watch is a blog created with the intention of informing people of the effects that Airbnb has on different communities. They post detailed reports of how prices fluctuate based on the number of listings located in one area. Each of these reports is based on areas where there is a major event going on such as college graduation. Tables are made comparing the cost of a rental on a normal evening to the cost of one on the night of an event. Pictures are also included in these documents to demonstrate how much people are paying on different nights for rooms that are of the same quality.

Once they have completed these reports, they also provide their readers with an article giving the details of the report to make it more comprehensible. They clarify the tables in this way by directly addressing the main aspects of the statistics shown in their report that they wish to make their readers aware of so that there is no miscommunication in their writing.

AirbnbWATCH Blog

 

Rentalpreneurs

The Rentalpreneurs blog was created to provide tips and information about services available to those managing a listing. They provide this information through articles written in a combination of languages including both English and Indonesian. These articles cover both things which you should be and things which you should not be doing in order to have a successful listing. Some of the topics covered in these articles includes why you should attend conferences when you are able, how to maximize your rental’s revenues, and whether or not you should choose to make your listing a pet-friendly one.

There is a discussion section at the bottom of each article for readers to converse with one another as well as the author in order to contribute their own opinions and information. This provides users with the opportunity to learn more about a given topic through communication with people from many different areas.

A chat widget is also an option that is available from any page on the website. This widget allows you to immediately connect with a staff member who can answer any urgent questions you may have in the event that you are not able to wait the necessary time that it takes to communicate through email.

Rentalpreneurs

 

Hostmaker Blog

The Hostmaker Blog is one which has been created to provide readers with articles that help hosts run a profitable listing as easily as is possible. The articles cover topics that vary a fair bit including how to make your listing unique, how to figure out country laws related to your property rental, and how to develop a solid pricing strategy for your listing.

In these articles, they also include links to useful services and items that will enhance the experience your guests have on your property. With these links, they also provide a description of what these services/items are as well as how they can be an asset to your listing and increase your profits. They offer their own services as well which they have located on their main website as well as in multiple articles.

Subscribing to their newsletter is an option and doing this will allow you to receive email updates notifying you as new articles are published onto the website. This will make sure that you are kept up to date on the blog’s latest changes, so you are kept in the loop about changes made to services that will directly affect your listing and/or your profits.

Updated: HostMaker have now closed their business – All business for HostMaker now goes through Houst.

 

Renting Your Place

This blog is one which focuses on providing articles about how hosts are able to make the most profits with their listing in different areas. Many of these articles are brief and provide graphs and diagrams depicting the statistics surrounding the profits and costs of hosts. The topics covered in these articles, although being primarily based on profits, vary a great deal. Some of the topics covered in these articles include important reservation settings, how to cash in on local events, and reducing your property’s utility bills.

This site also has an ebook available for those looking for more information that can help them run a successful listing. This ebook covers various aspects of running a listing in a way that maximizes your profits including how to deal with landlords, how to show up on the first page of a listing search, and other tips which are not listed on the main page of their blog.

The blog also contains two podcasts that are available to listen to. The first podcast is one which was created by another website and is posted on this site as well and the second podcast was created by the same people who made this blog and wrote the accompanying ebook.

Renting Your Place

 

HomeAway Blog

This blog helps inspire hosts by providing them with useful information when it comes to managing their listings as well as examples of other listings found throughout the world. Their site contains two sections called the “Traveler” and the “Homeowners” section.

The Traveler section is made for those looking for unique places to go on vacation. Their articles in this section are various lists of properties around the world, often fitting into a specific theme that has been chosen for that article. For example, they covered an article that listed various tiny homes, a new modern living trend that is becoming popular in many different countries.

The Homeowners section is where those who own a listing can go to find various tips and resources. Here they categorize the type of articles they have based on how it will most aid you. There are areas within this section fitted for various topics including performance improvement, guest management, and successful use of the services that they provide. When you begin exploring articles in these areas you will find that they are broken down even more. For example, in the guest management area articles are broken down into sub-categories such as policies and regulations.

If navigating this site seems a bit troublesome at first there is another way to do it as well. Located at the top of the homeowner’s section is a search bar which will allow you to easily locate articles directly related to the specific topic that you have in mind. However, if you do not find the article that you are looking for you can subscribe to their newsletter to be updated when the next article is published.

 

Updated: HomeAway has now become VRBO

HomeAway Blog

 

The Abundant Host

The Abundant Host is a blog which is designed to give hosts easy to follow tips and guides about how to be. On their blog’s homepage, they immediately provide readers with tips of what they should not do in order to keep their guests happy and leaving with positive reviews. These tips range from the basics such as not charging for every little thing that comes to mind to more complex things to avoid such as not trying to push off your other creations onto your guests, as it makes you seem like a pushy salesman.

Other tips that they have available for their readers are posted into articles that are easy to read and follow. Even though they are easy to follow along with there is also a discussion section located at the bottom of each page where you can communicate with others who can provide clarification or their own opinions about a certain subject. You also can sign up for their newsletter which will notify you as new posts are added to the blog. These updates will be sent to whichever email you use when you sign up but you will also receive a guide containing even more tips as well.

They also have a section on their blog dedicated to informing readers about tools that will make being a host more simple and enjoyable. These tools can range from analytics tools to services provided by cleaning companies dedicated to ensuring that your property is clean and tidy for your guests.

The Abundant Host

Airbnb Analytic Tools

by

Bidroom

This website’s main purpose is to help people save money by allowing them to receive discounts on hotels in the area they are looking to stay. The way this works is that they search their database, which consists of more than 120,000 hotels and apartments, for the lowest-priced booking available and then work to get an additional discount on that price. The company guarantees that those who use their services will receive a discount from anywhere between 5% and 25%. Unlike many other sites, Bidroom does not collect a commission fee from the hotel so they are able to give you a better price on your booking without losing a considerable amount of profit. They also do not charge you to make a booking so you are only paying for the final price of your rental. When it comes to paying for your hotel reservation, there are many currency options which you are permitted to use including the USD, Euro, Swiss Franc, and Russian Ruble. When searching for a listing on their site you are able to also make important specifications to ensure that it will suit your needs. They offer a wide range of special filters on their search platform that allows you to request certain amenities, such as a listing with a swimming pool. There is also a text option that gives you the opportunity to send special requests to your hotel, such as wanting a bottle of champagne delivered to your room, who will then read it over before making the final config

Bidroom 

 

Beyond Pricing

Beyond pricing is a uniquely designed pricing tool created with the sole purpose of allowing you to receive the best profits from your rental listing. They allow you to link any number of Airbnb accounts to their program. Their program will then find the best prices for your property based on a number of key factors. Some of these factors include where your listing is located, seasonality, and local demand. Once they have both the recommended and minimum price determined for your listing you can enable automated pricing, an element of the program which allows you to have your prices constantly kept up to date. This can be very beneficial because you can always be certain that you are not charging your guests too much or too little as things fluctuate throughout the year. There is an available demo listed on their website which will allow you to preview both example listings’ recommended prices as well as your own listing’s, and it will even show you how you can expect those prices to change throughout the year. This information is shown to you in a variety of useful forms including an informative calendar and line graph, so you can better understand how and why these price changes.

Beyond Pricing

 

EverBooked

This site is comprised of various tools designed to help you be as profitable as possible while maintaining a fair average nightly cost. One such tool is their comparison tool which allows you to see how your profits earned monthly, annually, and weekly compare to competitors within your area. It also shows you what they charge for various services such as cleaning fees so you can fully understand what price range to stay within when ensuring that your listing is profitable but also listed at a fair price. It also will allow you to more easily view your competitor’s ratings in order to more easily understand what the other listings in your area are like. This can be a particularly beneficial tool because it will help you understand what it is about these listings that customers like and what can be done to improve your own listing. Another aspect of their program is the average occupancy rate which will show you how much demand there is for short-term rental in your area. Their services are available only in the United States and more specifically in 3,940 cities, the majority of which are largely populated cities such as Seattle, Austin, and Orlando. They also offer Airbnb market reports which act as viewpoints into what changes are being made to short-term rental throughout the United States and how these changes can be expected to progress. These reports allow you to search in any area of the United States to see how various elements such as cleaning fees, occupancy time, and average nightly price fluctuate depending on both area and the time of year.

EverBooked

 

AirDNA

This website comprises three unique tools designed to make things easier to understand when it comes to profit. Their first tool is called the Market Minder and it is best used to help you view various rental markets throughout the world. This works by allowing you to view the rental activity in over 60,000 different cities so you can see which areas are the most profitable. You can also see upcoming events in the area and how they are affecting the price of local listings so you know which price ranges are more temporary. Their second tool is their Investment Explorer. This tool uses scatter plots of various areas to show you how occupancy rates fluctuate by using multi-colored dots where red is a low occupancy area and green is a high occupancy area. With this tool, you are able to see locations of up to 75,000 different listings and see a link attached to each listing that will provide you with more detailed information about it. Meaning that you can see which listings are the most profitable in different areas. The final tool which they have to offer is the Realizer, This is a search tool with three prime filters: number of bedrooms, the number of bathrooms, and how many people the property is able to accommodate. Using the information put into these fields the tool finds locations in the same area, with the same specifications, and calculates how much you should be charging for your property based on this information.

AirDNA

 

InsideAirbnb

This website has a unique way of using its data to help those understand how short-term rental affects their neighborhoods. A key element of this tool that aids with this discovery is The Occupancy Model. The purpose of this model is to allow people to view listings in a way that will show them whether a listing is being rented out continuously, similar to a hotel, or only occasionally when the owners do not have a use for it. Occupancy rate determines this number and they find this calculation by multiplying the average length of stay and estimated bookings. It is important to note that in their model the occupancy rate has a limit which is capped at 70%. This can be a valuable tool when exploring the listings in your area because it also is able to show you how often a listing is being rented out, so you can determine who your biggest competitors are. You may also choose to narrow down your searches as well by using various filters such as their “highly available” or “recently booked” filters, to ensure that you are getting updated information about the listings near you. Their tools can also be used to show how the number of available listings in your area has impacted the housing, as well as help you get a general idea about the short-term rental laws in your city. Their services are available worldwide so there are many different countries in which you are able to use this tool including the United States, Portugal, UK, and Austria.

InsideAirbnb

 

Mashvisor

Mashvisor uses a tool that thoroughly analyzes various pieces of data to help you develop a rental strategy so that your profits are consistent, and your business thriving. Having a rental strategy has the purpose of allowing you to understand the potential income for listings in your city. This will prevent you from undercutting yourself when setting your prices and changing them as the rental situation changes throughout the year. There are multiple choices on this site ranked by experience from first-time investors to real estate brokers so you can find what you need no matter how much, or little, the amount of information you have going into this. They also offer a traditional analysis tool designed to help you make investment decisions that will be the most profitable. You can also fine tune your analysis results by editing the cost assumptions element of this tool. They also work to help you decide on the optimal market for your listing. This is done by finding which surrounding neighborhoods are the highest performing, allowing you to have confidence that your chosen location is well suited for what you hope to accomplish. Another option offered by this company is a property value tool. This tool helps explain in great detail the different aspects of your property’s value so you can determine your return on investment. The information this tool provides you with is also given to you in easy-to-understand visualizations so that you can fully comprehend what it is it’s telling you.

Mashvisor

Airbnb Closer to the Public Markets

by

Ahead of its rumoured IPO, the home-sharing start-up has hired a new CFO. Replacing Ellie Mertz, who served as interim head of finance for the last 10 months, Dave Stephenson leaves Amazon after 17 years to join the hospitality giant.

It is not the first time this year that Airbnb has poached an Amazon executive. Greg Greeley, Amazon Prime Vice President was hired by the home-sharing start-up in March.

Greeley spent 18 years under Jeff Bezos leadership. Stephenson begins his journey in January and he will report directly to the CEO, Brian Chesky.

Who is Dave Stephenson?

He spent nearly two decades at Amazon, most recently as VP and Chief Financial Officer of Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer Organization. Stephenson time at the world biggest e-commerce company was interrupted between 2011 and 2013.

In those two years, he took the leadership of Big Fish Games, a casual gaming company based in Seattle. After sharing the quarterly revenue report for the first time in its history, Airbnb is now another step closer to an IPO in 2019. Dave Stephenson brings with him a thorough knowledge of public companies and played a role in Amazon’s biggest acquisitions, Whole Food and Zappos.

Since it was created, in 2008, Airbnb became one of the most valuable private companies in the world, with more than 4,000 employees and valued at $31 billion. The IPO is expected June 30, 2019. The new year will bring to public two of the largest IPOs of the decade, with Uber in the run to the public markets.

 

 

 

Perfect Airbnb Pictures with Your Mobile Phone

by

You don’t have to hire a professional for your photos, but you should think like one. Be mindful about everything when you begin a photoshoot, and use as much natural lighting as possible. Open the windows, turn on the lights, and make sure there’s not a single mess to be found in your property. Move shoes away from the entry, and ensure that no mirrors have watermarks on them in any photo. It’s these little details that people never notice until it shows up in HD on their screens. Even if you don’t have time to completely clean your property, you can still move a mess from one room to another while taking pictures. Simply clean one room at a time, make it perfect and then move on to the next. While you’ll have to clean everything before guests arrive, your number one goal beforehand is to get the best pictures possible to ensure that your property stays competitive on the marketplace. An immaculate photo shows an immaculate house, and you want your guests to feel enticed by your listing from the very first picture.

What should be in the photo

While you shouldn’t blindly take photos without caring about the angles or composition, you should also avoid getting overly fancy as well. For a bedroom photo, stand either in the corner or under the doorframe to get a shot that features everything in the room. Every good photo should clearly show:

  • The space of the room
  • The dynamic
  • The included furniture and amenities
  • Windows and lighting

For lights, try to avoid overly white and clinical fluorescent lights as they can appear cold to guests. Opt for warmer lights, and turn them to a medium level if necessary. If it’s pouring rain outside, wait until you have a bit more sunlight to naturally enhance your photos.

You can also take photos of unique or deluxe items that you offer to your guest. If you have an extra-large television, a new stovetop, or a coffee machine that makes the best lattes in town, add it to your profile! Take advantage of posting as many pictures as possible to give your guests a complete view of your property. On average, listings with more photos will get more views and bookings than those with fewer.

This is especially true for the apprehensive or first time Airbnb user. You have to convince them that they will be safe and comfortable in your property. Show them that your property is spacious, clean, and full of everything they need to have a great time. Go big, be grand, and have fun with your photos!

If you’re not the best photographer, you can always look at either top Airbnb listings or nearby hotels for inspiration. If you’re still uncomfortable with a camera, either with the composition or technological aspects, a nearby professional is always available to help. You’ll get what you pay for, and while hiring a photographer may be a bit pricey, it’s better to spend more for higher quality photos than to redo it all later. So take it slow, aim for quality, and lay the foundation at the beginning for a solid listing!

Keep Your Photos Realistic

Don’t overedit your photos or use unrealistic filters to artificially enhance your property. While it’s perfectly fine to lightly touch up a photo, you don’t want to give your guests the wrong impression about your place. If they expect a brightly lit home with a spacious interior but find it to be dark and tight, their disappointment will last throughout the duration of their stay. Even if there’s a problem with your home, be upfront about it so they know what to expect. People will be much more forgiving if you’re honest, and you’d be surprised at what guests will accept if it lowers their budget!

Taking Pictures on Your iPhone

If you don’t have a DSLR available then here are out hand hints to taking a good quality picture with your iPhone.

  1. Use a selfie stick, if you’ve got one of these available use it as your homemade tripod, the key to a great photo is keeping it still
  2. Turn on HDR (High Dynamic Range) This will help with deep shadows and bright windows but automatically combing 3 different exposures into one photo
  3. Shoot in landscape mode only. When Airbnb process the picture, you have a much large space to show you pictures off if they are in Landscape mode
  4. Use the volume button on your headphones to take a steady shot
  5. Use as much natural light as possible. Try to take your shots on a bright sunny day when you have as much natural light streaming through those windows
  6. There’s an App for that. Try Curb Appeal and Exposio, they both great for HDR real estate photography. They can straighten the images, adjust lighting and much more to make your shots look like a pro.

Before and after using HDR on your iPhone

 

Airbnb Provide Professional Photographers

To make everything easier, Airbnb may be able to provide you with a local professional photographer to showcase your property. The availability and pricing depend on your area, and you can get a free quote to see the general price before committing. Some things that affect pricing include the size and layout of your property along with the general demand of your area.

You can schedule a time for them to come over, and they’ll take care of everything (except cleaning!) for you. They will then send the photos to Airbnb, and once approved, the photos will be uploaded directly to your listing. You can rearrange them however you’d like, and the payment will be deducted automatically from your next payout. This process is not refundable which may make perfectionists worried, but the service is great for those who are unable to take pictures themselves or can’t find a local photographer easily.

Some Helpful Videos


Beginners guide to interior photography