Running a vacation rental isn’t easy: many factors can keep it from performing as expected, and they aren’t always obvious. That’s why we created this guide to help you spot what to improve in your property and in how you market it. Welcome to Ahead Tips.
Present a spotless stay
With a steady flow of guests, it’s normal for the place not to be at its best after each checkout. But handing over a spotless space is key: trash, dirty bathrooms or unwashed beds hurt your reviews and rating. Watch for the most common mistakes: hair on sheets and under beds, neglected bathrooms and missing kitchen items.
Cleaning is demanding, so we recommend adding a cleaning fee (opens in a new tab) to your listing to cover professional help. And to top it off, use professional photos: a great image wins guests over more easily.
Recommend places and activities
There’s nothing worse than arriving somewhere and not knowing what to do. Recommend that typical restaurant, hidden bar or café or little-known fair so your guests feel like locals. Put together a guide or, even better, a custom map in Google Maps.
That extra attention builds rapport and gets you recommended to friends and family.
Make the rules clear
Hand over a house manual with your rules, as clear and specific as possible: it prevents misunderstandings and even legal problems. Insist that guests read it; if they don’t, they may do things you don’t agree with and, when you raise it, leave bad reviews.
Reviews are the most important signal of your listing’s success.
Look after your ranking
Performance depends on how your property ranks on each platform. Watch four things: reviews, the most important signal of your listing’s success; a response rate of at least 90% to qualify for Superhost; opening up to long stays, with the kitchen and inventory ready, for steadier income; and turning on Instant Book, which Airbnb says brings more visibility and more bookings.
With these tips you’ll see better visibility, performance and ranking. And if you’d like someone to handle all of this for you, let’s talk about your property.
