“Little things usually mean a lot when it comes to catering for short term guests.
Utility is paramount for them to enjoy their stay, leave you positive reviews, and inevitably tell their friends about their experience.
The amenities should be a reflection of the rental property location, the type of guests you expect to stay, and the experience you want them to have.
Most importantly, there are some things that your guests want (and need) to know about in order to make their stay a memorable one, here are six of them.
Every property (and neighborhood) has its own set of rules and subtleties that may be unspoken. To make sure your guests enjoy their stay and don’t cross any boundaries, it is helpful to outline the do’s and don’ts of staying.
For example, you may have a dodgy electrical switch that trips the whole property if someone uses it, or your neighbours may be particularly sensitive about noise on the balcony after 10pm.
Of course you don’t want to come across as a dictator, but a few rules and regulations will help your guests enjoy their stay in peace. After all, they want positive guest reviews too!
It’s common for short-term guests to check-in with their host, especially if they encounter a problem during their stay. And it’s no surprise that people expect a prompt and helpful response from the property owner or manager when they do.
Most online booking platforms provide a portal for communicating with your guests, whether it be via the web or on a smartphone app. But you should take communication one step further than this. Leave your guests a welcome note with a list of emergency contacts if they need them. Of course you will be one of those contacts, but if you are unavailable, then who should they get in touch with?
The easier you make it for your guests to contact someone when they need to, and solve the challenge they are facing with your rental, the better their experience will be.
The expectation of short-term guests for fast, reliable, and easy to access internet is growing by the day. Just about everyone has a laptop, tablet or smartphone on hand when they stay at your property, and they don’t want to chew through their whole data plan to make the most of their stay.
With that being said, you probably should create a closed Wi-Fi network that is protected by a password, so that not just anyone can jump on and use it. In this case, ensure your guests have the login details and have no trouble getting online. They will thank you for it.
When sites like Airbnb first came onto the market, guests had lower expectations for things such as amenities and clean linen. But as the short-term rental market continues to grow, your guests are more discerning and expect more.
They probably don’t expect a full spa treatment when they stay at your home, but they do expect clean linen, hair appliances, and replacement amenities such as toiletries and fluffy towels.
You may choose to mount shampoo dispensers and soap on the walls of the shower including body lotion, hair conditioner, and mouthwash – these are easy to replenish and lower your environmental footprint. You could also invest in a set of towels that are easy to switch and stock when a new guest arrives.
It may be your home, but guests want to feel like they are getting the service of a hotel.
Which electronics do you have in the house that your guests may want to use?
Things like your TV or stereo are the basics, but you may offer additional perks such as a DVD collection or Netflix subscription. All of these things can add to the experience of your guests, but you need to provide adequate information to make sure they can get everything working.
Some other items you may like to provide to your guests are phone chargers, overseas adaptors, an iron, a hair dryer and any other gadgets that will make their stay that little bit more relaxing.
Some of the more popular vacation rentals are equipped with an array of different knick-knacks that make a guest feel right at home.
These include a fully stocked kitchen and fridge, cookware, blenders, silverware, mugs, glasses, cups, and plates for example. Also, bottle and can openers, or wine glasses are a nice touch.
If you’re going for superhost status, you may like to ask your guests whether there are specific supplies they would like to see at your place.
Want some help creating a 5-star experience for your guests?”
“A second property can be an excellent way of earning additional income, but it does take a little bit of maintenance and know-how.
Without proper management, it can easily go from ‘additional income’ to ‘drain on finances’. If it doesn’t generate enough interest, then you’re stuck paying utilities and taxes on a property that is mostly empty.
The good news is there are several ways in which you can maximise the effectiveness of your Airbnb listing in order to generate new and return customers.
Here are our three tips on how to do so.
You might think that Airbnb is where just about everybody goes to find short-term rentals. In reality, while many people do flock to the popular website, there are still many more who use different websites to scout for staycation properties.
By listing on multiple websites, you will be able to cast the widest net possible for customers and generate interest from different demographics you may not have even considered. As you receive more interest in your property, you will also gain greater freedom to screen for the best tenants, reducing your chances of a no-show or a tenant who leaves your place a mess – it is rare, but it happens!
You will also be able to increase the amount of time your property is rented for throughout the year, increasing your profit and maximising your rental ROI. Those taxes and utility bills we mentioned before? They will go right down when you rent your place out more often: the surest way to guarantee this is by covering all your bases when it comes to listing your rental.
If you are trying to boost the popularity of your short-term rental, one of the most powerful resources at your disposal is your previous renters. Word of mouth is a timeless, unbeatable marketing tool, and offering incentives can often entice people who were previously reluctant to leave reviews to come forward.
Referral incentives can work in one of two ways. You can extend an offer to previous renters, promising a discount if they book a stay with you within a certain time frame or date range, which will incentivise them to come back and visit your property. If they enjoyed their first stay, they are very likely to want to return!
You can also offer referral incentives as a way of enticing previous renters to encourage others to rent your property. For example, if a previous renter refers a friend who books a stay, you could offer them a free night’s stay, a complimentary service, or a booking discount. This is simple yet incredibly effective way of growing your network and maximising the value your short-term rental listing.
Social media is one of the most powerful tools you have in your property owner’s arsenal. If you haven’t already, create social media pages for your property, and update them regularly with news, informative tips and stunning photographs.
Encourage engagement with your posts by asking viewers to like, share, comment, and rate your property. As many people book short-term vacation rentals online, reviews are the metaphorical bread and butter of many property owners’ livelihood.
Invite your previous tenants to write positive reviews on social media, and you will see a massive uptick in traffic and interest.
When all is said and done, the best way to promote your short-term vacation rental listing comes down to utilising your existing network and thinking beyond promotion on one single platform. Realistically, the more eyes that view your listing, the more chance you have of renting out your property more often.
By listing on multiple sites, offering discount-based incentives to customers, and effectively harnessing social media, you will be well on your way to the status of property tycoon.”
“Having goals is great and all, but as a general rule of thumb, you need some sort of income to finance them. Whether it’s buying the car you’ve always wanted (and paying off a car loan) or learning a new skill (and taking classes to perfect it), the process of achieving your goals often involves a little bit of extra financial outlay.
So how do you get your hands on a passive income that you can use to fund your goals and give you more financial freedom? Well, you could sell random things online. You could start (another) side hustle. Or, if you own an investment property (and if you’re reading this, we’re guessing you probably do), you could rent it out.
Even if you do not have prior experience in renting out a property, it’s surprisingly easy to become a major player in the short-term rental market. The main thing to remember is to pay attention to how you are maintaining and managing your property so that you are constantly maximising your returns from it.
After all, when you rent out your property, you want to earn more than what will simply cover your mortgage. You want to earn that little bit extra that will be the icing on the cake when it comes to having financial freedom.
In this post, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide to renting out your investment property and (this is the best part) making money from it. The short-term rental market is an incredibly lucrative way to obtain wealth through property, and provided you understand a few key basics, it definitely doesn’t belong in the ‘too difficult’ basket.
Let’s go back to basics here. A short-term rental comprises a furnished home or apartment for people who are looking for a place where they can stay for a short period of time. Typically, people rent places out on a nightly, weekend or weekly basis.
To ensure your rental will be both profitable and popular, familiarise yourself with the market and inspect other rentals in your neighbourhood. Make sure you look at rates, conditions and any extras on offer. Do this online – although if you want to be super diligent, you can also call a local property manager to get more information.
Your listing should be a fun, an engaging read, with headlines that persuade a potential tenant that they will have a good time staying at your property. Try to appeal to the imagination of the reader and aim to make your listing stand out. You want people browsing online to be curious enough to click through to your advert and send you a direct message enquiring about rates.
While listing your property on multiple sites can be time-consuming and require a lot of effort on your part, it’s important. Many people skip this part and just list their rental on one or two sites, which is actually a huge mistake.
You want to make sure many potential renters can see your short-term rental property, so you should not just list it on popular sites such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and VRBO. You should also put up your listing on sites like Stayz, CampInMyGarden, CouchSurfing, and FlipKey to get more bookings and find good tenants. Here are more reasons why you should list on multiple sites.
It may feel costly at first to renovate your place and furnish it for guests, but it will pay off in the long run. You want to make sure your guests have a fantastic stay and will leave a positive review for your rental.
It makes sense to make them feel at home the moment they step in. Talk to them before they even stay at your property and make sure you greet them upon their arrival. Before you know it you’ll become known as a super host!
What your guests say and think about their stay at your short-term rental matters, and can seriously influence the decisions of future tenants. You need to garner as many positive reviews and glowing recommendations as possible in order to stay competitive, regardless if your property is in a main city such as Sydney or Melbourne, or in a more regional part of the state.
The first step is to manage your guests’ expectations right from the very start. Be honest with your description in your listings and treat people like you value them – you do, even if it’s only because they’re bringing you value!
Remember that one of the most important truths for beginners in the short-term rental market is that your first guest is never your last. When you get something right and gain positive feedback, rinse and repeat. Over time, you will develop a successful and highly-structured method of earning money out of your investment property.
While a short-term rental may seem like it is more complicated than other traditional types of renting, it is a way to profit from property without veering towards long-term commitments. The strength of using your investment property as a short-term rental property is that you really can make significant gains – plus it shows higher and more consistent capital growth in the longer term.”
