Airbnb Listing Checklist

There’s a lot that goes into hosting an Airbnb property. Staying organized and creating a system that helps you prepare for each guest can help. An Aibnb host checklist is one of the simplest and most effective ways to make sure every guest has the best possible experience during their stay.

Keep in mind, you are the property manager, the Airbnb host and the only contact that people have before and during their stay. What you do for each guests reflects on their experience. The better guests review your property the more guests you’re likely to have. You aren’t just handing keys over to a guest and leaving them on their own. You are hosting them. This is one of the things that makes Airbnb a different experience than staying at a hotel. It’s more personal and for most guests, it’s more enjoyable.

Owning and operating an Airbnb is one of the best business experiences there is, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Successful Airbnb’s require a great deal of planning, prep, and hard work. Anyone who has ever traveled knows what sort of expectations there are when you are paying to stay somewhere and your Airbnb will be no exception. Providing the best stay possible for your guests requires you to provide plenty of essential items and a few frills, as well. Thinking in advance and having a system in place that helps you prepare for each guest is the best way to get the most out of your Airbnb business.

In order to make sure you don’t forget anything and that you create a five-start experience for every Airbnb guest, we’ve put together this Airbnb host checklist to help you prepare. It’s divided into sections to keep things even more organized and allow you to move from room to room and prepare your property.

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Bathrooms

• 2 towels per guest
• Beach towels (if location calls for it)
• Place to hang wet towels
• 1 roll of toilet paper per day
• Feminine hygiene products
• Hair dryer
• Magnifying mirror
• 2 bath mats
• Toiletries, including hand soap, body soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, and anything else you think someone might forget or enjoy using during their stay

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Bedrooms

• 2 sets of sheets per bed, one of which should be on each freshly made bed
• Extra blankets and pillows
• Fan, if there is no ceiling fan
• Trash bin
• Tissues
• Bedside table
• Lamp
• Alarm clock
• Dresser and/or shelves
• Pen and paper
• Safe

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Kitchen

• Coffee maker
• Teas and coffee
• Milk
• Cream/powdered creams/half-n-half
• Salt and pepper
• Sugar and calorie-free sweeteners
• Butter
• Dishes, cups, and silverware
• Pots and pans
• Tupperware/food storage
• Light bulbs
• Snacks
• Ice

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Cleaning Supplies

• Kitchen hand soap
• Dish soap or access to a dishwasher or instructions about leaving soiled dishes behind
• Trash bags
• All-purpose cleaner
• Disinfectant cleaner
• Air freshener
• Broom and dustpan

You don’t want guests to feel as if they need to act as their own maid service, but it’s important to provide items that allow for tidying up. You might require more or less based on what you offer in terms of hospitality during guests’ stays.

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Lounge/Seating Area

• Desk or workspace
• Books and magazines
• Television
• DVDs and DVD player or subscription entertainment service
• Computer
• Board games
• Comfortable seating
• Side and coffee tables
• Coasters

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Additional Considerations

• Washing machine and dryer or clothes rack
• Laundry detergent
• Ironing board
• Electronic support, such as phone charges or electrical outlet adapters

Additionally, there are several safety items you’ll want to include to keep guests safe and protect your property. These include:

• Fire extinguisher
• Smoke detectors
• Fully stocked First Aid kits

Airbnb Listing Checklist: Extra Frills

Not everything on the list above is a must-have item. Some of what you need is predicated on what your property has to offer. For example, you don’t need to worry about laundry detergent if you don’t have a washing machine on premises.

There are also a number of items you might want to include to go above and beyond what guests are expecting when they arrive at your property. For example, you could greet guests upon their arrival with a welcome basket featuring local food and drink items. Or you might bake cookies that are fresh from the oven when they arrive.

Other Airbnb hosts like to offer concierge services and some even partner with local businesses to offer the best possible experience for guests. For instance, you might leave menus or coupons for guests that can be used in local dining establishments. It’s also a good idea to offer a variety of brochures that inform guests about local tourist attractions in the area. Though most guests will rely on GPS to help them get around town, it doesn’t hurt to provide a paper map or two for quick reference.

Hopefully, this resource offers a great start for helping you compile an Airbnb host checklist that will make it easier to prepare for guests. The best thing you can do, though, is to create a list that’s entirely personalized and allows you to ready a property efficiently based on what it has to offer. If you are managing more than one Airbnb location, you should create a checklist for each different location, unless they are very similar.

When it comes to preparing and making sure to meet guests’ expectations, the general rule of thumb is to imagine what you’d like if you were the person who was traveling and staying at an Airbnb. And then aim for even better than what you’d expect.

Meeting guests’ expectations is enough to get you a good rating on Airbnb, but if you want a great, consistent five star rating, you’ll need to go above and beyond what guests expect. It might even be helpful to check into what is offered by the most luxurious hotels in your area and try to duplicate that experience. It won’t be exactly what they offer, nor should it be since Airbnb is a more personalized experience. But if you’re able to offer the finest in accommodations, you’ll be able to compete with the best of the best in your area.