How to Tailor Your Airbnb Listing to Your Ideal Traveler

While there are some essential items that all Airbnb listings should consider having, there are some things that you should only consider purchasing for your Airbnb listing in order to tailor your listing for your ideal traveler.

However, if you know your ideal traveler well, a few choice purchases can go a long way to helping you deliver a consistently great guest experience.

It’s easier than you think.  Just put yourself in their shoes, identify potential key sources of stress, and find the simple solutions to address them.

Which of the following is your ideal traveler (or most frequent guest)? And is your listing set up to cater to their needs?  All of these simple solutions can become simple amenities you could highlight in your listing description and photos to make your listing that much more appealing to your ideal traveler.

Ideal Traveler: Business

We covered in length how you could make your listing more appealing to the business traveler in a previous post.  Business travelers may need to work your unit and need a few extra things to help them get their work done.

If you have a sizable percentage of of your guests traveling for business, consider getting the following items for your listing.

• A dedicated work space. It doesn’t have to be large or fancy, just a small simple desk will work.  If you have a corner space, consider a simple corner desk set up.
• A wireless all in one printer.  Get one that can print, scan, copy, and can connect wirelessly like this popular and affordable OfficeJet 4650.
• A monitor and laptop stand.  Modern day professionals often complain of not having enough screen “real estate” for working and chances are good that your business traveler will only have a laptop with them.  By having a 2nd monitor and a simple laptop stand for them, you’ll make your listing far more appealing to them.  This HP 21.5″ LED monitor and this Sceptre 24″ monitor are two popular and affordable monitor options.
• Wireless keyboard & mouse.  Having a dual screen setup is quite useless if your guest needs to stand or reach to type on the laptop keyboard.  Instead, opt to provide a simple wireless keyboard and mouse option for them to use as part of this dedicated workspace.
• Other miscellaneous office items.  Some other optional items that you can make available for your business guests include a webcam for video conferencing, a microphone, and dry erase board.

Ideal Traveler: Elderly and/or Recovery

If your listing is situated near a hospital and is frequently booked for recovering patients or elderly, you’ll want to include some simple upgrades to improve both the safety and comfort of your listing for these guests.

Consider these upgrades:

• Fall proof your bathroom.  Falling is one of the biggest injury risks to elderly travelers, particularly when showering.  To upgrade your safety, consider adding an anti-slip bath mat in the shower or tub as well as grab bars by the toilet and the shower.  If you do not want to drill into your wall, you can opt for suction grab bars instead.  Also, consider adding a shower chair as well.
• Prevent tripping.  Either remove your area rugs or use these NeverCurls to pin down rug corners so they do not curl and risk tripping your guest.
• Light the walk ways. Fumbling around in the dark trying to find the light switch is a sure way to increase accidents.  Make it easy for your guests by installing motion sensor night lights near exits, in walkways, and the bathrooms.
• Provide backup cane. Just in case the guest forgets to bring or misplaces their cane, have a backup cane they can use during their stay.

Ideal Traveler: Families with Kids

Traveling can be stressful by itself.  But throw in young children and it can become chaos.   If you frequently host guests with young children, here are a few upgrades that can make their stay a little less stressful.

• Safety first.  Remove any choke hazards.  Plug up any open outlets because kids are curious and accidents happen.  Cover sharp corners and edges of coffee tables and furniture. Some adult shins will thank you also.
• Help them minimize their mess. Kids are messy so make it easy for the parents to minimize that mess and make it easy for them to clean up.  That means having kid friendly placemats on the dinner table and spill resistant sippy cups.
• Give the parents an option to rest.  Especially if they have an infant in tow, having something like the Boppy newborn lounger could give your travel weary parent guests a much needed breather.  Or have a convertible high chair where they could sit their child or turn it into playtime.
• Give the kids something to play with.  A few choice selections of age appropriate toys or something as simple as paper and washable crayons will do.
• Minimize changing mess & stress.  If you don’t want your baby guests to make a stinky mess, set up a designated changing area with a changing table (or a changing pad) and a hands free diaper pail to lock away any odors.

Going really above and beyond, some hosts have even included baby monitors in their listing along with back up baby wipes and infant friendly sunblock.  The more you are hosting guests with young children, the more these upgrades will make your listing appealing to these guests.

These are just three common traveler types.  What other traveler types have you frequently encounter?  Couples? Pet owners?

What other upgrades have you made that improved the appeal of your listing?