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We are big believers in hospitality when it comes to being a host. Whenever I’m talking to potential hosts and the first words out of their mouth are about all the money they could make, I get a little defensive. Hospitality has to be at the core of this, and living your dream will come after this.

That’s why we were so excited to read about our guest, Joseph Michelli, on the Airbnb blog. He’s an internationally sought after speaker, author, and organizational consultant who transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices in ways that develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on customer experience.

In his latest book, The Airbnb Way, Joseph delivers proven methods for increasing customer engagement, loyalty, and referrals that can be utilized in any service setting and industry. It gives an inside look into how Airbnb and its host community create dynamic  customer experiences and create brand loyalty in the...

Have you ever said to yourself, “Our weekends are rocking, but how do I get that weekday occupancy up?”

We are all about the guest experience, but we are still trying to run a profitable business. Unless you’re in a big vacation spot, you’ve probably got some work to do to take advantage of those weekdays and make yourself some more money.

We’ve got some great strategies you can use to keep your property booked all week long!

Take advantage of dynamic pricing

Change up your weeknight rates! You can take advantage of a third-party app like PriceLabs or Beyond Pricing to help you automate you get the most bang for your buck, or you can create rules directly within Airbnb.

Talk to the people who are already booking

Be aware of people who have booked your Airbnb on weekdays and try to create more of an interaction with them. If they come often, you may be able to give them some special pricing as an incentive to be a regular.

Give people an opportunity to...

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This episode is all about the importance of booking all guests — including your mom, your grandma, and regular corporate clients — through the app, whether that’s with Airbnb or another platform.
Sometimes hosts are tempted to take cash, PayPal, or Venmo bookings, but trust us — it’s way more trouble than it’s worth.
Reasons why you should keep it legit and always book through the app include:

• Insurance coverage
• Your payment is guaranteed
• It keeps your finances straight
• It keeps you in integrity with co-hosts, partners, taxes and the booking platform
• There’s no risk of double-booking
• It doesn’t cause problems if you use an automated management system for cleaning, messages, etc.

This is not to say that we don’t do special rates for repeat guests or family. You can even charge relatives a token amount, and that way you can still review each other. 

Sarah does actually have a repeat guest that she...

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A few weeks ago, Kelly Rauch taught us about how we can utilize Instagram and Facebook to market your short-term rental — go check that episode out if you haven’t already — and today she’s back to share how you can leverage a personal website to grow your short-term rental business

You might be thinking, well, why do I need a website if I’m using Airbnb? While Airbnb is doing a LOT of the hard work for you, they’re not going to advertise you or help your SEO on Google. But creating a website just for your space can help you get your eyes on your location, ultimately driving more people to book your Airbnb listing and increasing your revenue!

Resources:

• Connect with Kelly on IG: @kellykrauch
• Check out the website for the property that Kelly is managing: www.casapalmar.com
• Check out the property on IG: @casapalmarsayulita
• Learn more about Local Everywhere: www.golocaleverywhere.com

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Jennifer and Jamey Ratcliff are an incredible couple — and an incredible couple of entrepreneurs in the Columbus area! They own a local restaurant, Arch & Eddie’s, and a local brewery, Sixth Sense, in addition to an adorable condo that they rent out using Airbnb.

But, with three businesses, Jennifer and Jamey are obviously really busy! That’s why they wanted to hire a co-host to turn their vacation getaway into a thriving Airbnb business, and they ultimately landed on Sarah. We get a lot of questions about what it means to be a co-host, so today we’re going to dig into what that partnership looks like, from both sides, and what Jennifer and Jamey were looking for when they were hiring.

Resources:

• Check out Jennifer & Jamey’s Airbnb: abnb.me/NJhrbZQbSW
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ohiobrewcouple
• Looking for a co-host? nestrs.com
• #STRShareSunday: @old_city_hosting

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When people start hosting short-term rentals, especially if they’re sharing their own home, they are usually worried about two things: damaged/stolen property and parties (which can lead to damaged or stolen property)!

Unfortunately, things do happen, although less than you might think, but there are things you can do as a host to minimize any costs associated with the damage and ensure your hosting status isn’t damaged itself. 

But, really, we do want to emphasize that this happens very, very rarely — so don’t let this fear be what stops you from jumping into the short-term rental game!

Resources:

• Want to open your own short-term rental? Then get your FREE copy of 7 Steps to Your First Guest at thanksforvisiting.me!
• Instagram: @thanksforvisiting_
• #STRShareSunday: @jointheranks

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There’s a question we get asked all the time: What the heck is a co-host?!

At its core, a co-host is just a joint host — which means the role is open for interpretation!

One of the reasons we think so many people find the idea of being a co-host so appealing is that it’s kind of a choose-your-own-adventure job, which means you’ll really have to sit down and talk to your partners to figure out what the arrangement looks like for you.

But we know that’s not necessarily an easy conversation, especially if it’s your first time, so today we’re going to share some examples of what co-hosting partnerships might look like.

Resources:

• Thanksforvisiting.me
• Want to open your own short-term rental? Then get your FREE copy of 7 Steps to Your First Guest at thanksforvisiting.me!
• #STRShareSunday: @tinycabinbythelake

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We met today’s guest, Kelly Rauch, at our most recent local Airbnb meetup — so, let that be a lesson to you: go to your local meetups, or if one doesn’t exist, start one. You can meet some really cool people there... and then, a week or two later, you might even be on their podcast!

Kelly is a marketing expert who just blew us away when she told us how she used social media to launch a new high-end rental in Mexico, and how she’s been getting repeat guests to up their occupancy rate and bring in more income. These are FREE tools that can completely transform your short-term rental business — so if you aren’t taking advantage of social media marketing yet, take good notes and get ready to blow up your business and brand!

Want to see what’s working for other people? Check out some of these popular Airbnb influencers: @flippinwendy, @thebeachlodge, @thegranvillebarn, @theboxhop.

Resources:

• Connect with Kelly...

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We often talk about strategies for hosts who are already in the game )how to welcome guests, how to set pricing, etc.), but we’ve missed an important step: getting the property you can use as an Airbnb! We also know that a lot of your are listening because you are still planning and working up the courage to open your first short-term rental — and the more you know, the less scary that becomes!

So we sat down with Gillian Luce, Senior Marketing Manager for Homes.com. She helps us understand some data that we can use to strategize our side hustle goals for 2020, plus some other things that homeowners need to know if they are considering using Airbnb (like how it can help you pay your mortgage).

Resources:

• Learn more at Homes.com
• Read: "How To Make Money With Airbnb – Best & Worst Cities"
• Read: “Side Hustles to Help Pay for Your Mortgage”
• Read: “Technology in Airbnbs”

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We host an Airbnb meetup here in Columbus, and at our most recent one, we heard about BJ Allmon, co-founder of InnTown Stays — and we knew we had to talk to him! Because BJ is staking a unique niche in the short-term industry, and he’s solving a big need at the same time: homes for people who are recovering from a disaster.

InnTown Stays is a service that makes it just as easy to lease a house as it is to vacation in one — and it was all born to help out a friend. It’s an incredible story and we’re excited to share it with you today, not just because it’s heartwarming but because it shows that there’s still so much opportunity in the short-term rental industry!

Resources:

• Learn more at www.inntownstays.com
• Stay in one of BJ’s Airbnbs: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/32366964?s=67&shared_item_type=1&virality_entry_point=1&sharer_id=8963103
• Check out Liberty Short House: ...