Do You Have What It Takes to Run a Successful Airbnb Business?

With Christmas coming up, more and more people are looking to make a little bit of extra money to spend over the holiday. From selling unwanted products on eBay to car boot sales to using your skills to create an additional revenue stream, there are lots of ways to increase your funds. But have you thought of the most obvious way to earn a little extra cash?

One fantastic way to generate an additional income is to turn your spare room or holiday apartment into money by placing it on the holiday leasing platform Airbnb. The revolutionary website has more listings worldwide than the top five hotel brands combined and has 4 million listings of properties worldwide of which are in over 191 countries.

Tempted? We outline the top tips for renting out a room, apartment or property on Airbnb and to make your Airbnb successful.

Have amazing photos

They say an image speaks a thousand words and this is absolutely true! With so much competition out there, standing out from your competitors is essential, and one way to do this is to use the best, quality images possible. Take photographs that capture the character of the place, the surrounding areas and points of interest. If you are not amazing at taking photos, consider hiring a professional photographer to do this for you. You will definitely reap the rewards of your investment.

Keep it clean and welcoming

While you may want to clean the residence yourself, sometimes it is easier to let the professionals do the job. Hiring a professional cleaning company will save you time and will take the pressure off you to be around every time a guest checks out.

Many guests are also looking for a pet-friendly property, so if you are able to offer this, it will certainly make your property more appealing for those who are looking for a place to stay with their pets.

Make hospitality personal

Creating an individualized experience is also a must — be mindful of the type of experience that you want to create for your guest. For example, leaving an array of gluten-free snacks for a person with coeliac will make them feel special and they, in turn, will share their positive feedback via social media as well as via reviews, too.

Having an eye for details will really help encourage those bookings and, in turn, positive reviews as well. Leave things like local magazines, board games and books around to help create a homely feel and make guests feel like that they are staying in a “home away from home”.

And take advantage of existing resources that may be helpful to your guests.  For example, hosts in the very popular Airbnb market of Las Vegas could provide their guests with free resources such as this very useful how to save money in Vegas infographic.  It makes the guests feel that their hosts are thinking of them.

So use Google and search around for well executed, helpful, and easy to share resources that you can give to your guests.  Or make your own!

What free and useful resources have you found and shared with your guests?