“Reviews are everywhere, and short-term rental platforms are no exception…
When the host and guest leave a review after each rental, it’s more than just exchanging feelings. Your reviews can have a huge impact on your property including both the rates you can charge and your ability to rent out your space at all.
Airbnb, like many other short-term rental channels, is a unique setup in that it requires its users to trust the unknown. Unlike a hotel where guests can expect at least some consistency between each location within a brand, each Airbnb home is run by a separate owner. The furnishings, maintenance, appearance, and added comforts are entirely up to the whims of the individual owners.
Some owners take great pride in what they do and treat their guests as they would traveling family members. Some are just trying to make a quick buck and offer an experience that may be worse than a sketchy hotel. And of course, there’s a whole spectrum of owners in between.
Guests simply never know what they’re getting until they get there. The photos might be real, they might be misleadingly staged, or they might be completely fake. The same thing goes for the description where a great home’s description might have been written by a modest owner while a terrible home might have an exaggerated, salesy description.
At the end of the day, the review is the only thing that lets guests know if past guests got what they were expecting or whether they were pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised. If you receive a bad review, guests may be unwilling to take a chance on your property.
Bad reviews may come in all shapes and sizes. Some may be your fault such as not fixing that old A/C or not stopping in to check that your home was in good shape between guests. Others may be outside of your control, such as a power outage or your neighbours blaring music at 3 a.m. And some guests are just picky, looking for an excuse to scam their way to a refund, or just downright mean.
Even though you can’t always control why you get a bad review, you can decrease your chances of getting one.
The first step is by being proactive to prevent problems. Let guests know how to get in touch with you or someone else who can quickly respond if they have any trouble. You may also want to check in shortly after they arrive to make sure everything’s OK.
If they do have a problem, treat them how you would like to be treated. Quickly respond to any maintenance issues. For uncontrollable issues, such as the apartment complex pool suddenly closing, strongly consider offering some sort of discount or compensation just like you would receive at a hotel. In some cases, quickly responding to something bad happening can not only avoid the bad review but also turn into a glowingly positive review about how responsive you were.
If you get a bad review, that’s OK. It’s how you respond that matters.
If there was a real problem, such as the heat going out in the middle of the winter, start out with an apology. Then include what you did for the guest at the time, such as refunding a night, and what you did to prevent future problems, such as replacing your furnace. That guest may still not come back, but others will see that you’ve addressed the issue.
When the review is unreasonable, don’t waste your time. Other guests can tell when a reviewer is being obnoxious, and getting into an argument will only make you look bad.
In some cases, you might find that you can’t be as responsive as you want or that providing a five-star experience will take more than you thought it would. If so, MaisonNets can provide a tailored and stress-free property management solution.”
“The pictures you post on your Airbnb listing are one of the most influential details impacting whether your home or apartment is selected.
Here are some essential tips on how many and what kind of pictures to post, as well as tips and tricks on how to take the best pictures to keep your property rented for the whole season.
Your listing gets viewed, shared and rated in the unforgiving world of social media. Having professional quality pictures that accurately reflect the space for rent help present your apartment or house in the best light, without misrepresenting what guests find once they arrive.
If you don’t already know this, this tip makes it worth the time you spent reading this article. Airbnb offers professional photography. They send a local photographer to your place to take better pictures than you’d get with your iPhone!
Since it’s a highly desirable service, you should be prepared to wait your turn. It can take up to three weeks to get on the calendar, so sign up for it as soon as you open your Airbnb account.
You can add a lot of photos on the listing, but that doesn’t mean that you should. Try to limit your shots between 10-12 pictures so that potential guests are intrigued rather than overwhelmed. Regardless of the total uploaded, the first three frame the space and help the user decide whether to stay or keep clicking. Make them count.
Use high-quality pictures that show off convenient amenities, artsy rooms and other unique selling features that distinguish your property. Airbnb recommends using large photos (1024 x 683px or better) that capture the best features.
The kind of photos you need depends on the type of clientele you want to attract, such as:
Your pictures need to show your property in the best light but don’t mislead potential guests. Make sure they get what they expect after viewing the pictures. Otherwise, you risk getting a bad review that can influence future bookings.
Also, don’t stage photos with props and decorations that you plan to remove after the photo session. If you don’t own a sparkling castle on a hill, just be honest and you’ll still attract renters at a reasonable price point.
Even if you take advantage of the Airbnb photographer, the light has to be just right. Take well-lit shots that feature unique perspectives to supplement your gallery. Natural light is restful and gives people a better idea of the space, so open curtains, and shades, but watch out for glare.
Take extra care to declutter before you take photos so that your place is spotless. Keep old magazines and ratty furniture out of the shot. Then, make sure the place still looks like the pictures when the guests arrive.
Panoramic shots showcase an entire room in one photo. Alternately, the wide-angle lens on your smartphone takes nice panoramic shots that translate well online. When Airbnb clients see the shots, they’ll know you aren’t hiding any major defects.
Your guests want to see something unique, especially if they’ve invested a lot of time looking through hundreds of listings. Mix it up for them with photos taken from the ceiling and pointing down, or from the ground looking up. Just don’t cut out any great amenities you offer.
Need some help nailing your Airbnb photography? Chat with the team at MaisonNets for expert short-term rental management and advice.“
Airbnb states that it’s hosted about 200 million visitors worldwide since it opened its doors online in 2008. And Australia’s biggest city, Sydney, just squeaked into the top 10 most expensive cities to rent Airbnb, according to a survey by Bloomberg.
With three million listings in 191 countries to compete with, you need great photos of organised spaces to attract vacationers to your short-term rental.
But what happens to everything you remove from your property to keep a room clean and clear for the arrival of your guests?
Here are eight storage hacks to keep your vacation rental property or spare room free of clutter for Airbnb guests.
Let minimalist thinking guide you to keep your guests from living among your wardrobe and cluttered furniture. Clear away everything except what your guests will use, and end up with a clean tidy room or space.
Lock away and store your valuables so that they’re not a temptation to visitors. You should place family photos, artwork, financial papers, silver and other valuables in a safe place, such as a safe deposit box or off-site storage space.
If you have to leave valuable items on your property, lock them away in a closet or even a separate room to ensure their safety.
You don’t have to live in a sky rise to go vertical. Build cabinets that go to the ceiling to maximize storage space for shoes, bags and clothes, or build mini storage units inside walls and floors.
Let your guests loose in the kitchen by organising drawers to make it easy to find everything. A metal CD rack keeps Tupperware and other items up right where they can be easily seen. Which is great because who needs a CD rack anymore?!?! Store larger items in the back and the smaller ones up front so that everything’s easy to find.
Provide a suitcase stand in each bedroom for a nice touch, a nod at the hotel role your home is playing, and an easy way to help guests get organised fast so the floor doesn’t look like a mess.
Multifunctional furniture is a hot trend for vacation homes, small condos and beach getaways. If you own a vacation rental home, get a multifunctional bed that unfolds at night and transforms to daytime seating. Multifunctional walls, beds, tables and other furniture double as storage spaces as well as functional furniture.
If you don’t have enough closet space for cleaning supplies or kitchen utensils, you can get creative and find useful ways to create extra storage. For example, you can hang pots and kitchen utensils on the wall, put a frame around them and enjoy convenient access to needed items that double as artwork.
When closets are in short supply, use antique dressers to store everything from kitchen linens to towels or even pots and pans. You can also try these closet organizing tips:
These are just a few ideas that anyone can use, which are particularly valuable to Airbnb vacation home rentals.
By keeping everything stowed away, you can take great pictures that attract other guests. Besides, your guests don’t want to see your high school football trophy or bobblehead collection.
When in doubt, store it away. Whether you’re renting a regular home, or a tiny apartment, keeping your home attractive creates a better guest experience and encourages them to leave your home the way they found it.
For more advice about maximising your property with short term rentals read more blog articles here.
