Back to: Essential Beginners Guide To Airbnb
A wide range of people use Airbnb every day around the world, and while you’re likely to have guests of all types and of all ages, it’s important to get a feel for your average guest before starting. Is your property near an abundance of downtown pubs, or is it more rural and surrounded by nature? Will you cater towards college-age travelers, backpackers on a budget, or towards older couples with a taste for luxury? Even if you plan strictly for one group, understand that you’ll likely get a mix of personalities throughout the year.
Along with understanding your average guest, you’ll also want to think carefully about your ideal guest. Even if you live near a number of young-adult clubs, you can still gear your listing towards older couples if that’s what you desire. You may lose out on more younger travelers, but you may also get to charge more with older and more financially stable guests. To understand your perfect guest, think about the type of person you wouldn’t mind spending a week with. What are their ages, and what are their habits? Now imagine why these people would come to your area. Is it for the museums, or is it for the nearby nature or nightlife? Once you imagine your perfect guest, you can then cater your listing and decor towards them. Of course, you’ll have to expect and plan for all types of travelers, but you can subtly market towards a specific demographic if that’s what you desire.
Renting Out Your Entire Property or a Single Room
It’s also important to decide whether to rent out your entire property or a single room. Airbnb offers three main choices for your property including:
- Entire Apartments and Homes
- Shared Rooms
- Private Rooms
Renting an entire property means that the renter has access to everything in your property, and you must be away from it during the duration of their stay (unless invited over.) Renting out your entire property can help to maximize profits, but you must have another place of your own to reside in for the entire time.
You can also choose to rent shared rooms which would create an atmosphere like a hostel. This may work in areas that cater to younger crowds, but each space in a shared room would be rented for less than a private room.
Finally, a private room can be rented to a single traveller or group in a number of ways. You can rent out a private room while you’re still living in the apartment in another room, or you can rent out multiple private rooms to different groups. You’ll have to decide which configuration works best for your current living situation, your number of properties, and your goals for becoming a host.
Along with your goals, you should also imagine how your personality would mesh with other travellers. You may wake up to find them cooking in your kitchen or using the bathroom, and you must be prepared to be on your best behaviour at all times. Keep this in mind before planning on the ideal configuration for your property.