Airbnb has been a brilliant innovation in the area of hospitality and tourism as well as in the field of real estate investing.
The Airbnb industry has clearly challenged the hotel industry on every possible level. The major difference between the two types of industries is that the hotel one is very generic, while the Airbnb one is unique and special. The diverse Airbnb experiences of guests are a solid testimony of the uniqueness, richness, and unlimited possibilities of Airbnb rental properties, even within the same geographical location.
The purpose that the Airbnb community wanted to accomplish was a competitive edge over their rivals, and it has been achieved faultlessly. The Airbnb platform evolved beyond the imagination of its founders.
Why Favorable Airbnb Experiences Are Important
The main reason for the success of short-term rentals through Airbnb and for the huge impact on the tourism industry is the distinct, diversified, and exciting Airbnb experiences that guests become exposed to.
For a fact, hosts are the driving factor for the success of the Airbnb rental strategy. After all, the Airbnb experiences of the guests are a result of the creativity of the hosts when renting out their investment properties and accommodating for their guests, going well beyond their needs and expectations . The Airbnb hosts are driven to perfection every single day because of the competitiveness in the market.
The popularity of the Airbnb platform stems from the fact that it can be accessed by anyone who owns a real estate property and is willing to rent it our entirely or parts of it in the form of private rooms in addition to an Internet connection and some basic computer skills. This has created a strong healthy competition that has benefited guests the most by providing them with exclusive Airbnb experiences.
Hosts have also benefited from this competition by improving the Airbnb experiences of their guests and reaping the rewards in the form of more demand for their rental properties.
3 Ways to Upgrade Airbnb Experiences
Now that you’re convinced of the success of Airbnb investments and want to engage in this business venture, here are some immediately-effective tips to help you upgrade the tenant experience and make your Airbnb booked all season.
1. Focus on Unique Features
Here are a few questions that’ll get you thinking right away:
- Is your Airbnb located near a national park, beach, historic monument, or mall?
- Does your Airbnb include a jacuzzi, a pool, an equipped terrace for drinking coffee, and full-on barbecue equipment?
- Does your Airbnb have a unique design or interior (retro, for example) that can attract certain target tenants?
- Is your Airbnb equipped with necessary pet equipment, or does it contain baby equipment so parents with small children do not have to worry about extra luggage?
All of this can fall into the category of unique features that provide the possibility for a higher occupancy rate. In addition to stable Wi-Fi and kitchen equipment, make sure to include that little “extra” that makes your Airbnb stand out from the others.
2. Make Safety and Security Your Priority
By booking an Airbnb, your future tenants expect security during their stay.
Within all the additional expenses you plan in connection with your Airbnb investment, safety and security should be at the top of your list. For instance, it is always useful to allocate your budget and invest in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, alarms, and fire extinguishers.
What certainly guarantees success for your Airbnb investment and increases your chances of more bookings is installing keyless entries. These modern entry systems directly contribute to the overall security of your property – not just when tenants occupy it.
3. Address Repair or Maintenance Issues ASAP
Airbnb investments will surely see many more tenants during the year. However, the busy season must not distract you from one key factor – cleanliness and maintenance.
As an Airbnb host, you must make your Airbnb spotless and ready to welcome its next tenants as if they were the first ones to enter the property.
Simply, this means tending to any repair and maintenance issues ASAP. Postponing minor repairs or neglecting certain parts of your property can go in two directions: You can create a bigger problem, or even worse, you can harm the reputation of your Airbnb and lower the response rate.
It’s crucial to regularly visit and inspect your Airbnb in person to have the best and clearest picture of the current situation.
Also, your personal contribution is only the first step in the process. As your Airbnb makes its way onto the market over time, you will need a helping hand, which means cleaning expenses and even a property manager.
If you’re worried about the Airbnb commission fee cleaning, don’t be. According to the information, the fee is usually under 10% of the booking subtotal.
Improving Airbnb Experiences for Guests
The key to providing better Airbnb experiences for your guests as a host is to understand what the tenants need. The needs of the Airbnb hosts will vary depending on the location they are visiting, the season, the reason for their travel, and their personal preferences, of course.
But improving the Airbnb experiences which they offer must be on the minds of Airbnb hosts all the time in order to maintain the highest standards and become unique compared to their competitors.
Following are some of the best tips for improving the Airbnb experiences of any guests, regardless of how demanding they might be:
Engaging with Guests
The best Airbnb experiences for most guests are the ones which offer outstanding hospitality. The Airbnb experience focuses on the interaction between guests and hosts, unlike in the case of hotels which deal with guests in a strictly business and professional manner, without engaging with them at all.
Airbnb hosts who interact with their guests generally get positive reviews on the Airbnb platform. For example, guests might require help from their hosts with regards to transportation, sightseeing, dining, and more. This assures that friendly and helpful hosts stand out among the rest.
Airbnb Breakfast
The concept of an Airbnb rental property is obvious, where BnB stands for Bed and Breakfast. The entire starting campaign of Airbnb focused on providing better and different bed and breakfast options.
So, while offering a daily breakfast to your guests might sound like an unnecessary cost, in reality it is an excellent opportunity to be different by upgrading the Airbnb experiences of your guests. For example, a rental property that offers a breakfast option in a suburban area in Florida is more likely to witness more demand than its competitors.
Helpful Apps
The problem that faces most Airbnb rental property owners is that it requires a lot of management and time. An owner has to welcome the guest, provide assistance throughout the stay, and clean the investment property after the stay.
However, there are some very helpful apps which have been designed specifically to facilitate the work of Airbnb hosts. For example, August Smart Lock is a phone app that provides the owner with a way to unlock the door for guests without having to be at the site. It can be done from the comfort of the owner’s home.
It’s a remote controlled door unlock-able through a code from the owner. This means no more waiting for guests to show up or suffocating your schedule even more. In addition, guests get more freedom in when to arrive at the rental property, which is likely to improve their overall Airbnb experiences.
Providing the guests with entertainment at your Airbnb rental property boosts up your reviews for other guests to see. Owners who go through renovations and who have to pay the running costs of owning and managing a rental property find it hard to add more expenses that are considered luxurious in order to boost the Airbnb experiences of their guests.
However, in the competition in the world in which we live today, such additional services are becoming essentials. Airbnb owners that have added a feature as simple as Netflix have proven that it works and gives better Airbnb experiences. Guests talk positively about these things in reviews that boost ratings.
The Smart Age
If an owner is seeing an increase in his/her Airbnb income, then giving the guests special Airbnb experiences is a must. YourWelcome works in the form of a tablet with readily installed software. The tablet provides guests with a welcome guide to the rental property and instructions for almost anything that the owner wishes to add there.
The tablet also provides guests with room service options like mid-day cleaning and late checkouts. This idea is certainly a very innovative and unique way for the guests to interact with the owner, understand the investment property, and receive services with the click of a button.
Becoming a host on Airbnb is demanding. However, the level of creativity that must be maintained to give your guests the best Airbnb experiences can reap its rewards. Giving guests a positive experience from their stay in your rental property will boost your Airbnb reviews, which will lead to increased demand and ultimately more rental income.
The competition in the world of Airbnb is increasing without a doubt, and the experiences of your Airbnb guests are the main factor that will keep your property at the very top of this booming industry.