Airhosts Forum is a great resource for Airbnb hosts looking to network and, critically, learn from other hosts’ mistakes. The beauty of Airhosts Forum is that it’s a wealth of information for both experienced and novice hosts. In the world we live in, it’s highly unlikely that your experience is a unique one. Platforms like Airhosts Forum allow you to make contact with someone who might have a similar experience.
We decided to go through the top posts on Airhosts Forum and find any pearls of wisdom for you! Here is a selection of posts that we think are great for hosts looking to learn from their fellow hosts!
Airhosts Forum Posts
Month-Long Stay Amenities
Airhosts Forum user Srenard asked the following question in regards to a 32-day stay: “Do I need to supply all the amenities I normally do for a month-long stay? They got a 46% discount to encourage the stay. If they want it cleaned mid-month do I charge them extra for that? I was excited about this stay at first. But as the time draws near, I am wondering if I will end up putting out more money for them than I should.”
Among some of the helpful answers, we found the following:
Annet3176 said “Depends on your discount. My discount for >28 nights doesn’t leave me much margin. They can use whatever is there then they need to buy their own.”
Ritz3 said: “I try to leave enough for the entire month. But I do contact them midway and ask if they need anything. 9 out of 10 will say they’re okay and there is nothing they need. Only one said they needed more coffee which I dropped off. I figure it’s good customer service. They’re saving me a lot of time since I don’t have to clean during their long stay.”
Muddy said: “A lot of hosts who have had experience with long-term stays suggest that the host go in to change out towels and bedding and do a quick clean once a week or so, just so you can make sure they aren’t trashing the place out. Hosts have sometimes been horrified at the state of the place after guests have been in there for a month or two.
Many just provide a starter pack of things like TP, paper towels, laundry soap, etc, with guests expected to buy their own after that. But that’s really something you should figure out and make clear before you accept a long-term booking, rather than spring it on guests after the fact.”
DPGO Insight: If it were up to us, we’d prefer to get into our properties and clean them. Or at the very least to catch any possible damage. We’d likely leave enough amenities for the first while. After that, we would then expect the guests to buy their own from that point. Remember, Airbnb’s are not hotels, and that has both positive and negative points for guests. Do you think longer stays are better for business?
Are Vaccines Required?
Airhosts Forum user Chris21 asked “What are other hosts doing about requiring proof of vaccination for guests staying in our Airbnb with spaces shared with the hosts? Our current guests informed us after their arrival that the reason they were visiting their daughter is that she is ill. I’m not sure if I can even ask if she is sick with Covid?”
Rolf said “FYI we ask for proof of vaccination. Airbnb supports you in this.”
We are unable to find any word from Airbnb stating that a host can refuse a booking based on their guest’s vaccination status.
DPGO Insight: Most comments agree that if you are hosting guests in your own house, you should be allowed to ask your guests about their vaccination status. If you’re renting a property that you do not reside in, it’s anyone’s guess whether or not you are required to allow unvaccinated people into your property. Airbnb has been very quiet on the topic, but we’ll be sure to update this page if they do release a statement!
Should You Allow Kids?
As a Superhost, User 1129 said the following about hosting guests with kids on Airbnb: “Whelp that’s it for me. I’ve sold my vacation home with attached B&B suites. And if I ever do this again, the one big thing I’ve learned is: never again rent to families with young children. They leave giant messes: garbage, diapers, marks on the wall, crumbs, and food under the bed. … Just for the record, I’m a super host with a consistent 5 stars for cleanliness and I’m a mother too! I’ve been hosting for five years and this has been my experience with the vast majority of families.”
Aelilya said “I’m sorry you’ve been runoff. Sounds like you were a great host. I allow under 2 and over 12 but people ask or sneak other ages in. I go back and forth because there are always sticky fingerprints, broken items & baby food cemented to the floor. Each category of guest has presented issues for me but the most difficult have been younger adults.”
LCL said “At the beginning of hosting, I didn’t feel comfortable taking kids in, because of the way the house is built. However, I’m so glad I gave it a go. Our home sleeps 6 and my preferred guests are two couples with or without kids. We have mostly multi-generational family vacation groups and they have been wonderful (knock on wood).”
DPGO Insights: We did a feature on how to optimize your rentals to attract family bookings, but we didn’t really go into whether you should host families or not. We did this for a very specific reason – we cannot possibly police how you should run your listing. While we can offer suggestions, they should only ever be adopted if you agree with the thought behind them. We will always advise you to make your listing as widely appealing as possible. But if you find that your guests with kids leave a substantial amount of damage behind, then you might need to consider changing your booking requirements.
How Many Beds Should You Make?
Airhosts Forum user HudsonNY asked fellow hosts “I was wondering if folks with stand-alone AirBnBs only make the number of beds that correspond to the number of guests? We have a 3-bed AirBnB that often will have a family stay (parents and use of crib in another bedroom). There is a clear master bedroom but we have been making the “extra beds” each stay. Sometimes they also seem to have been lightly used- perhaps napped in? I dunno, but it creates a lot of extra laundry +time. We charge the same amount no matter guest count and don’t intend to lock doors.”
Muddy said: “If you charge the same price regardless of how many rooms they use or the number of guests, I think the beds should be made up. Sometimes a couple might need a night apart or find one bed or room more comfortable than another.”
CatskillsGrrl said “No, my guests are welcome to sleep wherever they want. They rent the whole house. They can alternate beds if they like.”
DPGO Insights: Airbnb is an interesting platform. It’s easy to forget sometimes that we are still in the hospitality business, however far we might be from the classic hotel set-up. While it is tempting to try to cut down on costs, not making up all the beds when the guest has paid for the entire property is highly likely to end up in a poor review or even a complaint in more serious cases. Washing the extra bedding is a small price to pay when one 2-star review can derail your entire rating average.
Blocking the Day Before & Day After a Booking for Cleaning
User Lynick4442 asked: “So I’m opening up again in September and I have blocked the day before and after each booking. This is losing me a lot of business. I am planning on running a HEPA machine for the first day and then cleaning the second. I just stayed in an Airbnb that didn’t do that. I’m losing key days and weekends by doing this. And it’s leaving weird gaps on the calendar that probably won’t get filled. Who’s still doing this or have you all gone back to check out in AM and check-in late afternoons? Am I being overly careful?
HudsonNY said “I have a one-day buffer in between bookings for extra covid precautions and just in case there are any issues that need addressing. I have min stays (3-5 nights depending) and don’t allow check-ins on Saturday or Sunday and no checkouts on Friday or Saturday. I still will often have gaps midweek on Tuesday/Wednesday since many folks like to check in Thursday and check out Monday but I’m fine with that.”
IJD said “Still blocking a day before and after here, I do it manually when we get a booking. It is just so much easier. It feels like half the work and none of the stress when there’s an extra day.”
DPGO Insights: The WHO has said that the COVID virus can live on some surfaces, like stainless steel and plastic, for 72 hours. However, if you clean down all of these surfaces with an antibacterial solution, you should be in the clear. Whether you block the day before and the day after each booking really depends on your profit margins. Examine how popular your property is, and how much more money you can get for offering this service. We don’t think it’s necessary. But for those that want to be safe rather than sorry, it might be worth investigating.
Comments are closed.