Airbnb is one of the fastest-growing booking platforms in the world. This American company was founded in 2008, and before it experienced its commercial success, it faced numerous ups and downs, since there were at least three separate launch attempts.
Today, with its unique approach, it provides support, guarantees, tools and inevitably records successes, which are believed to be in the long run.
The concept of Airbnb is quite simple, and provides much more than can be seen. Therefore, in the continuation of the blog, we discover what Airbnb is, we bring you useful tips for its efficient use, as well as its advantages.
What is Airbnb?
Airbnb is an online platform that connects people who want to rent out their accommodation with people looking for accommodation in that place.
It covers over 100,000 cities and 220 countries worldwide. Airbnb comes from the abbreviation “air mattress bed and breakfast”.
It features a variety of filters, which helps guests find the right accommodation, a chat that connects accommodation publishers and guests directly, as well as handling secure payments through the site.
Airbnb takes a 3% commission on bookings, as well as a 6% -20% fee for guest services. Another option is a fixed commission of 15% paid by the accommodation publishers, and guests do not pay an additional fee for using the platform.
In addition to accommodation, Airbnb also offers the possibility of booking certain tourist events, tours, excursions or experiences.
Advices on how to optimise your Airbnb
Using Airbnb is easy. It is important to attract and keep the attention of guests right at the beginning, so below we show you a few simple and useful tips for using Airbnb, which can potentially bring you more reservations:
Respect for local laws
Before creating an account and publishing accommodation, it is important to check local laws, as well as the insurance of the homeowner or accommodation publisher.
This is very important because it allows all owners and publishers to check whether they can report as hosts on Airbnb, as well as to inform them of any potential limitations that may arise in that case.
Failure to comply with local laws can attract fewer guests, and ultimately affect profits, and can also potentially mean that insurance will leave you out in the event of serious damage to your property.
Creating an account
The second step involves creating an Airbnb account. So, if you are renting a room, apartment or house, you need to click on “Sign up” and create your account, which is completely free, and then on the “Switch to hosting” option located in the upper right corner.
After creating the account, you need to verify it, by submitting several documents that confirm your identity.
In the host mode, on the icon “Create a listing”, which is also located in the upper right corner, you can create accommodation, which offers different options depending on what you rent (room, apartment, house ..), what is the accommodation capacity, number of rooms , bathrooms, amenities offered by the accommodation, availability, as well as a specific location.
In the “Listings” section, located in the upper corner, you can find the published accommodation and access any modifications to the accommodation information.
Focus on a good title, photos and unique descriptions
The title of your entry is what guests read first, so you need to make it as interesting and curious as possible. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the unique aspects and benefits that your accommodation offers.
Photos are unavoidable and very important, they should be of high quality, good resolution, taken from wide angles. Potential guests will first notice the cover photo, so it would be desirable to post one that shows the best angle of your accommodation, so that guests are delighted from the very beginning. Photos are advised to be horizontal to show as much detail as possible.
The space for describing your accommodation gives you the opportunity to impress guests with words. Highlight what makes your holiday accommodation special and convenient. This is also an opportunity to present all the wonderful facilities that you offer, in order to make your stay more pleasant, but also additional notes that you want to emphasize.
Showing positive reviews
Showing positive reviews creates a good perception of your advertised accommodation, and instills more trust in potential guests.
You can collect good reviews by meeting or exceeding their expectations.
Advertise on multiple OTA channels
In addition to the many benefits offered by Airbnb, it is advisable to be connected to several different OTA channels, in order to increase your exposure.
Each channel brings with it a diverse audience, so by using multiple channels you can attract a larger number of different guests.
A serious drawback that occurs is the occurrence of double reservations, which can be eliminated by using the Channel Manager system.
With the help of the Channel Manager system, you can automatically synchronize all calendars, reservations and prices from different sites, to one control panel. Establishing control through the central board eliminates the possibility of duplicating reservations.
Communicating with guests
The options offered by Airbnb are numerous, so when you receive a reservation request, you can negotiate directly with your guests.
In order to make the job as easy as possible, it is desirable to state expectations or some specifics about your accommodation, which will be useful to guests.
Also, you are able to communicate with guests via chat, as well as write comments of up to 500 words (applies to both hosts and guests).
Advantages of using Airbnb
Free advertising – setting up your accommodation via Airbnb is free. The hosts can post photos, descriptions, location and all other relevant information that is important for booking guests.
Setting your price – Another benefit is that the hosts can set the price they want for the night, week or month.
Protection – For eligible countries, there is a high level of protection in case of damage caused by guests.
