When I revamped my Airbnb I thought for a long time about how to improve my listing amenities., and this article is a result of what I did.
Exceeding expectations for your Airbnb Guests is one of the easiest ways to get fantastic reviews. The first time I stayed in the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok, I was literally amazed with what they provided guests. I knew it would be good, but not this good! (The Penisula Tokyo’s even better).
The principle of exceeding expectations applies to any Airbnb or any short term rental business. It’s the same principle that applies to doing well with any business: If your customer gets more than what they thought they would, they will for sure give you due praise in their reviews (well most will!).
In this article, I’m going to look at some easy wins, as well as some more expensive items. Different things will be appropriate (or not) depending on your demographics, location and the seasonality of your business. Most of the first 5 items though will apply to any business.
The fact is that you will have a variety of customers. Some will be on holiday, some will be there for business, and some for something else! Here are the things you absolutely must have:
OK, so these are the basics, but not let’s go and get ourselves an upgrade. Because if we upgrade our pad, we upgrade our reviews!
In addition to all of the above, here are some ideas of things which will go further to impress, but won’t break the bank:
Approximate cost of the upgrade to you: $2000.
Ok, so we think we have the market for it, and people who will pay, so now let’s upgrade to:
In addition to all of the above, here are some ideas of things which will go further to impress, but won’t break the bank:
(In addition to your must-haves and premium economy items)
Cost of upgrade: $20,000!
Here’s where is gets expensive, but if you have the money to invest, and the footfall to fill your space, it will be worth it.
In addition to all of the above, here are some ideas of things which will go further to impress, but won’t break the bank:
(In addition to your must-haves, premium and business-class items)
Of course, if you’re marketing a first-class property you also need an outdoor space. Even an apartment must have a balcony.
Cost of upgrade $40,000+!
To go from an empty property to the standards above, these are the costs I’ve worked through:
Class | Cost |
Must-Have | $3000 |
Premium | $5000 |
Business Class | $20,000 |
First Class | $40,000+ |
All this has been fully costed and worked through. You can contact me for the details!
So of course how you decorate your property and which amenities you provide depends very much on your location, foot-fall, and of course your own budget.
But Airbnb have made an effort to move up-market with the launch of www.airbnb.com/luxe.
However, having done the research myself, the easiest wins seem to be the premium class option. You give your guests a lot more for their money and surpass expectations, but you’re not killing yourself with financial outlay.
Let me know what you think. What class is your short term rental?
To your success,
Robert