2018 Book Recommendation: Optimize Your Airbnb

There are few times in your life when a first conversation just stays with you.  My first conversation with Daniel Rusteen, author of the newly released “Optimize Your Airbnb: The Definitive Guide to Ranking #1 in Airbnb Search,” was one of those.  We talked about Airbnb host strategies and tactics at length but what surprised me was that it was mostly a one way download of Airbnb hosting insights from him to me.   No, the learning something new from someone isn’t surprising—I learn new things from every new conversation—but in the context of Airbnb hosting insights, it was very surprising at the time.

Here’s why:  When we first spoke, I had just completed a massive research study analyzing actual Airbnb data of over 250K hosts and 430K listings across 200 major markets.  Pair that with a detailed attitudinal survey of 1312 hosts at various levels of experience, I had in my hands Airbnb insights that even the most experienced hosts weren’t aware of.  And through my blog LearnAirbnb.com, I had been regularly crowdsourcing and pulling the best hosting insights from over 150K+ hosts every month.

Finally, I’ve personally taught and coached thousands of new and experienced hosts to get the most out of their hosting experience.  I’ve helped complete newbies get their listings off the ground, land their first booking (sometimes within minutes of launching), and even become super hosts.  I’ve even helped some hosts grow their Airbnb empire from 1 listing to dozens of listings (include one with over 500 listings!). So, when it came to conversations about Airbnb hosting strategies and tactics, I’m almost always the one dishing out the insights.

But when I first spoke to Daniel, it was the other way around.  He knew it all and then some.  He had insights that no amount of access to privileged hosting data or first-hand hosting experience could teach.  And he was more than eager to share it all.

As we connected over many more conversations debating the merits of the latest and greatest new Airbnb hosting tactics, we soon discovered we were living almost parallel lives.   We had both worked at companies we loved with great coworkers but in jobs we hated.  Daniel was in accounting and I was in finance.  And we had separately left the 9-5 grind in early 2015 and began building our Airbnb businesses that would eventually become LearnAirbnb.com and OptimizeMyAirbnb.com. There’s a reason why LearnAirbnb only recommend Daniel’s Airbnb listing services—he’s shown me over and over again that he’s the best by a wide margin.

So what sets Daniel’s book apart from the many others written by successful hosts? He distills the best and the latest strategies down into easy to follow methodologies that can be applied by any host in any market, rather than an attempt to make one size fits all recommendations that worked only for the author in their market for their listing. 

Daniel’s book is the culmination of not only his first-hand knowledge as a successful host, but also a unique combination of insider knowledge and his obsession to dissect the craft of hosting from multiple angles.  He helps you understand how every choice you make as a host impacts your time, your profits, and your ultimate enjoyment as a host.

From the very first steps of preparing your unit and starting with a great listing to operational hacks that’ll save you loads of hours and prevent massive headaches, you’ll find everything you need to start and run a successful Airbnb operation.

This book is ideal for you if you’re:

• An Airbnb newbie who’s completely new Airbnb hosting but want to make sure you stack the chips in your favor. If you want to have the best chance of taking your fair slice of the sweet home sharing pie, you need to read this book and follow Daniels recommendations.
• An experienced host who’s already hosting and you just can’t help but feel that you’re leaving money on the table but you just aren’t sure where to start. All hosts face similar sets of challenges and opportunities.  Let Daniel help you identify yours so you can get the most out your hosting experience.
• An aspiring professional host looking to build your own Airbnb empire. What gets to you 1 or even 5 profitable listings will not get you to 10, 20, or 100 listings.  Understanding the strategies and specific tactics laid out in this book is crucial to building the operational systems you’ll need to scale.

You don’t know what you don’t know. If you don’t read this book, there will be a lot that you don’t know that you don’t now.  And these unknown blind spots will cost you in time, money, and unnecessary stress.

Do yourself and your future guests a favor, get this book and learn to become a great host.

Symon He

CEO, LearnAirbnb.com