My thoughts on providing true hospitality in the short-term rental industry.
As the cofounder of GuestBook and Superhost on Airbnb, I’m constantly thinking about a couple of things: How can I provide excellent hospitality services to all of my guests? How can I use technology to make my job easier and my guests’ experience even better?
Our core motto at GuestBook is #GuestsAreGold. What we mean by this is that every single host out there in the world should treat their guests as if they are gold, who deserve a world-class experience each and every time. It certainly doesn’t have to be hard, and in the long-run, will have an incredible impact on the overall growth of your vacation / short-term rental business. After all, when you create an amazing hospitality experience for your guests, they wind up leaving great reviews. In turn, this boosts your profile on booking sites, which leads to increased bookings and more profitability.
Decorate Your Place… Don’t just furnish it.
A well-furnished Airbnb rental is the first step in pleasing your guests. Think about what kind of usage your rental will receive, and furnish it accordingly. Don’t just throw any couch or any bed in the place to make your rental look like a random collection of furniture. Think about what type of experience you would want to receive when walking in to the place. Make it attractive, but also make it functional that can withstand the wear and tear of high usage. You don’t have to break the bank either. There are plenty of furniture companies that provide stylish, comfortable furnishings at an affordable price. IKEA, Wayfair and other online retailers are just a couple of examples. For a small fee they’ll also deliver and assemble all the items for you, making setup relatively painless. One approach I took to purchasing furniture was making sure that no one item exceeded the amount of the deposit I request my guests to pay. In the event they break something, it will most likely be covered by the damage deposit. There are a couple of exceptions of course, such as the couch and the bed, but otherwise things are easily replaceable if need be. That said, be sure not to skimp on comfort for the sake of a good price. Your guests want to feel comfortable and welcome. For some, this is their first time traveling on a booking site like this and they’re often time comparing their experience in your place to what they would have otherwise received in a hotel. Would you want to arrive to a scratchy cheap couch, folding chairs and a hard bed with a thin blanket? Probably not.
What we decorate the walls with is just as important. Walls essentially provide a blank canvas to make a statement about your personal style. One of the big appeals of Airbnb is the ability for guests to book unique places all over the world, vs a standard hotel room which looks the same no matter where you book. Gone are the days where cloned rooms are desired. Again, this doesn’t have to break the bank. A bit of thought into your location, the usage your place will receive, the types of guests you’re attracting and the overall style you’re trying to achieve will go a long way. I had the unique opportunity to work with a local / up and coming photographer who was looking for a little exposure. I purchased a large collection of oversized prints of various models she photographed and turned the bedroom into a bit of a gallery. I tastefully added her business card next to one of the prints and she even received calls and inquiries from a few of the guests. It was a win win win for everyone. I got inexpensive art, my guests experience a cool bedroom, filled with stunning black and white photography (unique experience), and the photographer gets a bit of exposure.
Customer Service and Communication.
Whether you intended to or not, as an Airbnb host, you have thrown yourself into the hospitality industry. Most of us did not study hospitality in school and certainly we do not hold any type of hospitality degree. But, this is where we find ourselves. So let’s be sure to do it right. In this new age of electronic communication, one should not forget that effective verbal and non-verbal communication skills should be emphasized and well-executed in the hospitality industry.
As a rule, the mirror technique is a good method to try on your guests. I try to employ this when communicating to my guests. The best way to successful communication is to observe your guest’s own communication style and to respond accordingly. For instance, when you are dealing with a guest, you may notice that some guests make small conversations and others may only be interested in the issue to be dealt with quickly and spontaneously. So observe your guests and act accordingly as it is important to think how you address your guest or deal with complaints (use humor for light-hearted guests).
I have a 6-point method that works very effectively
1. First point of contact — Immediately upon booking. (Always)
Showing gratitude and appreciation for to the guests for booking and immediately responding to them already sets the stage for how you’ll communicate with your guests.
2. Second point of contact — 5 days ahead of the guest arriving. (Always)
A short and friendly welcome message takes away any anxiety that guests might feel about traveling. Let them know you’re anticipating their arrival and excited for them to stay at your property. Also let them know that check in instructions will be coming in a couple of days.
3. Third point of contact — 2 days ahead of the guest arriving. (Always)
Send your check-in instructions. 2 days out from arrival is when guests really start to think about their trip in details and want to know how to get in. If someone will be there to greet them let them know. If check in is automated, send along any access codes or instructions. This gives them enough time to review the details and ask any questions before they start their journey.
4. Fourth point of contact — Immediately upon the guest checking (Always)
Seems like a know brainer. Of course, guests will be in contact immediately if there’s a problem, but a quick “touch base” reminds them that you care about their safety and security. Remember, there’s no front desk as there is in a hotel. This is obviously unnecessary if you manually welcome your guests but even then, it’s nice to make sure everything is ok after they’ve been there for a few hours.
5. Fifth point of contact — Midway through the guests stay (depending on the length of stay)
If your guest is only staying with you for a few days, this probably isn’t necessary. If the guest is there for longer, it’s good hospitality to check in with your guests. Maybe they’ll respond, maybe they won’t either way, you can never go wrong by asking them how it’s going. If there’s a problem, it gives them a chance to bring it up and for you to fix it. It certainly is a way to address any potential problems before it turns into a bad review.
6. Sixth point of contact — 24 hours before the guest checks out. (Always)
Thank the guest for staying at your place. Let them know you appreciate their stay and wanted to give them a friendly reminder about check out time. This is one last opportunity to touch base before they leave and usually ensures a smooth check-out and clear communication about expected departure.
Thanks to GuestBook Automation, Steps 2, 3 and 6 are handled automatically, which leaves me more mental space to focus on 1, 4, and 5 on my own. Messaging automation is great and there are a lot of services out there that can do the job effectively, but the reality is that true hospitality can never be fully replaced by the human touch and personalized response that only YOU can provide your guests. There is no amount of automation that will ever truly let you be fully hands-off and provide quality hospitality at the same time. The two cannot co-exist in their respective entireties.
Guest Experience (International)
Above all else, the guest experience is what really brings home the 5-star reviews. Thus, we named our company Guest Experience International. If you’re following the above tips for decorating your rental and providing good communication, then you’re already ahead of a lot of other hosts. Now it’s up to you to be available and reactive to answer any questions that may arise during your guests’ stays… But what else can you do. We’ve already established that it’s a good idea to check in once or twice with your guests during their stay to make sure they’re having a great time and enjoying their stay.
But that’s not all…. Ask yourself, what else can be done to “go the extra mile” without breaking the bank and make the trip memorable. Here are a few ideas. Things I do at my place in Miami that don’t break the bank but make a huge difference to my guests. I’m not going to promise or guarantee this will turn you into a Superhost. To many services out there promise that in unrealistic ways. I do however know that because of my collective efforts to execute on what I listed above, I’ve been able to bring in great reviews, I’m consistently booked, I’ve been able to slowly raise my rates every year without a reduction in the number of bookings (in fact that number has gone up year over year) and … I’ve achieved Superhost status on Airbnb.
Here are my little extras.
1. Coffee - Nothing says welcome to travelers (especially international travelers who have been flying for hours) more than the ability to arrive, drop their bags and grab a cup-o-joe. Even if it’s not until the next morning, it’s just a nice way for them to relax without having to scramble off to the nearest Starbucks first thing in the morning. Before they get acclimated with the area. I’ve found that about 30% of my guests take advantage of this offering. I leave out 3 coffee pods regardless of the number of guests or number of nights. I’ve never been asked for more and I’ve never really tracked this as a huge expense. It’s a Keurig machine so the cost of more pods has been minimal over the years.
2. Dishwasher Pods - Again, this is a nice offering more than anything else. Because most of my guests are there for a short period of time, most of them don’t cook or use the dishes. For the ones that do, the pods are there for their usage. Again 3 of them. That’s it. Anything more than that and they’ll have to get their own. Really, this is only if guests are staying for an extended period of time and there’s no expectation that they HAVE to wash the dishes before they leave. I charge a cleaning fee for this very reason and my cleaning professional usually takes care of cleaning up afterward. This is one of those small details that make my guests feel like I’ve thought of everything.
3. Laundry Pods - Same as above. Most short stay guests never touch them. Long term guests will need more than I offer, but since I have an in-unit washer and dryer, 3 pods is enough to get them started, cover their basic needs and let them know I care enough about their stay.
4. Beach Accessories - Beach towels, two beach chairs, one beach umbrella and a couple of boogie boards. I’m in Miami beach. Need I say more?
5. A Guidebook To The Area - Whether your guests use Travlr, which automatically delivers key information about the area surrounding your rental, another service, or a full color printed guidebook, this is a nice touch to help your guests navigate an area they’ve probably never been to. I have a printed list of “My Favorite Places In South Beach” and my guests also have access (through Travlr) to essentials such as Pharmacies, ATMs and Banks, Grocery Stores and Restaurants. Surely this helps with their advanced planning research and let’s them know even more that I care about their stay.
6. Shower Accessories - This one is self-explanatory. New travel regulations make it harder and harder for travelers to bring their own shampoo and body-wash. I’m happy to provide it. Hotels do. So do I, and so should you.
7. Entertainment - I can say for sure that my guests aren’t coming to Miami Beach to sit around and watch TV, but for a small monthly cost, I’m able to provide basic cable services, access to sing in and stream their own Netflix account and of course WiFi. It’s not even a question. Sometimes just being able to sit and zone out for a bit is a nice thing to do on vacation.
As I said above. These tips and tricks are designed to help you improve your hospitality offering. If you’re anything like me then THEY SHOULD help you reach Superhost status on Airbnb. Regardless of whether they do or don’t (There are other factors involved that make it impossible to make such a guarantee). They’re bound to improve the overall hospitality experience for your guests. Every guest is different, certainly some are more challenging than others, but what’s most important is that you do everything you can to make sure they have a world-class experience. A little attention to detail, a bit of assistance from technology and a genuine care for hospitality should make it all possible.
