Consider this as an Airbnb guest: You’ve just arrived at the Airbnb you’re staying in after a lengthy taxi ride from the airport. This is the first time you’ve visited this city, and you’re excited to discover ‘real’ places, but you don’t know where to start. If only you could tap into some local knowledge to get you up and running…where do you even begin?
When renting on Airbnb, your guests are seeking more than just a place to stay. They want to live like a local and see the world from your point of view – which is why they booked to stay at your Airbnb in the first place. You’ve done everything to make sure they have all they need – a comfy bed, a clean kitchen and a warm welcome.
It’s time to take your service to the next level – some local tips of places to visit, to make them feel really at home. 90% of people say they trust friends and people they know above anything else for purchasing recommendations.
You could leave a list of local recommendations on the table in your Airbnb so guests can pick it up and see it when they arrive, but there are a few issues with that. You need to print a new sheet with every guest check in (time consuming), it needs to be manually updated in your text editor (even more time consumed), and many guests don’t want to carry around a large printed pamphlet in their pocket (creates inconvenience). It’s a great low-tech starter solution, but I’ll let you in on a little secret…go digital and win big!
Pearlshare is a free app for iPhone and iPad that makes sharing places quick and simple – it is designed as convenient as possible, so guests won’t need to download anything to view the places you recommend to them.
Below is a step by step guide on how to effectively use Pearlshare
Step 1: Make a personal recommendation
Step 1. Make a personal recommendation
Share some recommendations ahead of arrival – cafes and coffee shops that serve a late breakfast are super-useful for late check-ins:
- Find out your which your guest’s favorite cuisine.
- Search Pearlshare’s extensive database for somewhere you know they’ll love.
- Copy the link, then add it to your message in airbnb.
Need help making your first recommendation? Get in touch with [email protected] – he’ll help you get up and running.
Step 2: Build a Collection of useful locations
Step 2. Build a Collection of useful locations
Pearlshare makes it easy to group all of your recommendations. All of the details your guests will need to find and book are stored in one place, on a ‘Pearl’. When you’ve found or created the Pearls you want to recommend, you can build them into sharable Collections.
Every public Collection you make can be accessed by anyone via a pearlshare.com link – your guests don’t need to download Pearlshare until they want to save something for themselves.
Check out James’ Collection of places in Clerkenwell, London, near to his property.
Airbnb Pro Tip: Guests are more receptive to Collections created based on a theme (e.g. Nearby Restaurants)
Step 3: Get discovered
Step 3. Get discovered
Create an account and then add your listing as a Pearl
People use Pearlshare to discover great places to stay – and the Pearls you save are an extension of your personality.
You get notified anyone saves one of your Pearls – connect to anyone that does and use the built-in messaging to get in touch BEFORE they have even thought about staying with you.
It goes without saying that you can and should add your listing as a Pearl, to ensure all the contact details are up-to-date.
Step 4: Collect recommendations from your guests
Step 4. Collect recommendations from your guests
Your guests are explorers, they’ll often unearth places you never knew existed. Using Pearlshare, you’ll never forget these recommendations – find and save them, they’re never more than a few taps away.
Airbnb Pro Tip: You could even build a ‘visitors book’ collection, to save all the places that are recommended to you.
There is no better way to welcome your guests than sharing your local knowledge – and by getting to know the things they like, you’ll be better prepared for the next explorer that heads through your door.
In the comments below, let me know where would you recommend guests visit in your city?
Pearlshare makes sharing your personal recommendations quick and simple – download the iOS app for free: https://pearlsha.re/download
Become a Pearlshare priority host – sign up to receive our exclusive tips for hosts here: https://pearlsha.re/airbnb
