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Airbnb Host Checklist: Setting Up for Airbnb
Planning to start a short-term rental business on Airbnb and are looking for an Airbnb startup checklist? In this post, you’ll find an Airbnb host checklist of essential things you will need to invest in for the greatest experience for your guests.
Planning to start a short-term rental business on Airbnb and looking for an Airbnb startup checklist? In this post, you'll find a checklist of essential things to invest in for the best Airbnb experience for your guests.
Being an Airbnb host isn't just about providing your guests with a place to sleep. You must consider the entire guest experience and deliver high-quality service.
As a host, you are competing with millions of other Airbnb hosts, so it's important to stand out from the crowd. Better experiences lead to better reviews, and better reviews result in more bookings. The process is simple.
So, what is the best way to ensure this? Creating a perfect customer experience for your Airbnb guests requires significant effort. A key part of that successful formula is ensuring that your Airbnb property is well-equipped with the essentials that will make your guests feel comfortable and at home.
You may want to download our free detailed guide for efficient short-term rental hosting.
Starting an Airbnb Checklist: 11 Things to Do to Set Up Your Place for Success
Turning your home into an Airbnb is a great way to make extra money, but it's not as simple as it sounds. There's plenty to do before your first guest arrives to ensure your house is ready for the best Airbnb guest experience.
You need to transform your space from a personal to a guest-friendly space by decluttering and removing old furniture. Additionally, you should remove all your personal items and store them in a separate location. It's essential to leave your guests with a clean, spacious area for them to spread out and relax.
Here are eleven things you need to do before welcoming your guests.
Take care of home safety and security
First, make sure your place is safe. So fix any exposed wires or loose steps, replace non-working smoke alarms, install CO2 detectors if you don't already have them, etc. Repair and replace the appliances and equipment you have used for years. Provide your guests with a first aid kit.
Take steps to keep your Airbnb rental secure while respecting your guests’ privacy. Since Airbnb bans indoor security cameras in listings, you may consider installing exterior security cameras, such as those that monitor your front door, so you can be sure who is entering your home. But remember that according to Airbnb’s camera policy, hosts must disclose the presence of exterior security cameras so that guests know what to expect during their stay before they book.
Consider installing noise-monitoring devices in common areas to monitor noise levels in your Airbnb remotely. Such devices will help you proactively detect and address noise disturbances, prevent parties, and avoid neighbor complaints.
Airbnb noise monitors only measure the decibel levels of noise and its duration, but they don’t identify specific sounds and don’t record conversations, so they don’t violate guests’ privacy. Still, you should keep in mind that Airbnb doesn’t allow noise monitoring devices in bathrooms, bedrooms, or sleeping areas.
Furnish and decorate your home
It's essential to make your Airbnb property both comfortable and inviting. That means you need to choose stylish short-term rental furniture that serves the functions guests need and makes your home feel welcoming. You should also decorate your space to make it more visually appealing to your ideal guests. Consider investing in such items as cushions, vases, plants, mirrors, and artwork.
Several factors distinguish an Airbnb apartment from a personal one. You need to keep the balance between durability and comfort. You can avoid high renovation costs by planning your space and furniture effectively.
Download our free guide on preparing your property for short-term rentals.
Take great photos
Airbnb photos are the first thing that attracts travelers when they search for accommodation, and listings with beautiful photos receive more views, interest, and bookings. That's why it's essential to take inviting, captivating photos that highlight what's amazing in your home and set your potential guests' expectations appropriately.
Before taking pictures of your rental space, clean your house from top to bottom to ensure that it is spotless and pristine. Try to take several photos of each room on your property, and pick the best ones to upload.
Create a catchy title for your listing
Create a memorable name for your listing that is informative and detailed enough to promote your property's best features. It can be challenging because you are limited to 50 characters, so we recommend following best practices.
Check out our guide on creating attention-grabbing Airbnb titles, where you can find some Airbnb name ideas for inspiration.
Write an accurate description
You also need an attention-grabbing Airbnb description. To make your listing stand out from the competition, your description should be more than a breakdown of your property's amenities and features.
It's essential to persuade travelers to click the 'Book Now' button. So don't try to make your description appealing to everyone. Speak to your ideal guests, emphasize unique selling points, and ensure that your words reflect your photos.
For inspiration, you may want to check out our article for more tips and good Airbnb description examples.
Set your pricing strategy
No matter how wonderful your space is, if you set nightly rates higher than comparable rentals nearby, you're likely to miss out on bookings. But setting the right price can help you attract more guests.
Travelers may be hesitant to book Airbnb listings with no reviews, so you can entice your first guests by setting a starting price slightly below your target price. And when you get a few positive reviews, you can decide whether you should raise your nightly rate to match the demand in your local area.
Remember: setting the right Airbnb pricing strategy is essential for your success. The easiest way to do it is to use a dynamic pricing tool that recommends an optimal price for each day based on market trends. This tool will ensure your price is both affordable and competitive, allowing you to secure bookings without missing opportunities while also avoiding leaving money on the table.
Although Airbnb offers a built-in pricing tool, it's not the best option. Airbnb Smart Pricing prioritizes bookings over host income to increase transactions on the platform, as Airbnb takes a commission for each booking. So, its algorithm may lower rates to attract more guests.
A better alternative is Hospitable's built-in Dynamic Pricing, which automatically optimizes your nightly rates to maximize revenue and occupancy for your properties. The best thing is that our Dynamic Pricing solution is included on Host, Professional, and Mogul plans at no additional cost.
Protect your property from potential damage
Airbnb offers free protection for all hosts in the event of an incident at their property. This program, called AirCover for Hosts, provides up to $3,000,000 in compensation for property damage during an Airbnb stay and $1,000,000 in Host liability insurance. But AirCover for Hosts doesn't cover everything, so you may want to consider an additional insurance policy to provide full coverage.
It's also a good idea to sign an Airbnb rental agreement with your guest to provide additional legal protection and prevent misunderstandings and disputes. With Hospitable, creating a new rental agreement for each of your bookings won't be time-consuming.
You can create an agreement template or customize the existing one to suit your property needs. Each time you get a new reservation, Hospitable will automatically populate the template with guest and booking data and send it to your guest for signature.
Hospitable also includes a built-in Security Deposit feature that automatically charges a security deposit off the Airbnb platform. A security deposit will act as a financial guarantee and can be used to cover repair or replacement costs if guests cause damage to your property.
You can set up automated security deposits for any of your properties and protect them without extra work. Just set the amount you want to collect, and Hospitable will automatically charge your guests 2 days before check-in and will refund them 2 days after check-out.
Arrange turnover cleanings
Airbnb guests expect your rental property to be spotless, so you may want to hire a professional cleaning service to give your house a deep clean. Although it's an additional cost, you should consider it an investment in your property. Keeping your place tidy between guests' stays is probably even more important, since cleanliness is one of the categories in Airbnb ratings. You need to work with a team of reliable cleaners who can respond to short-notice requests.
Coordinating cleanings between stays won’t be a problem if you automate this process with Hospitable Task Management. You can set task rules, and we’ll automatically notify your cleaners about upcoming jobs via email or SMS based on your booking calendar.
If your teammates create Hospitable accounts, they can use their own portal to view their jobs, report their progress, and instantly request and receive payment.
You can also opt for automated Marketplace Cleanings. Then, Hospitable will source vetted local cleaners for you through our partner's network.
Equip your rental with essential amenities
Airbnb recommends that all hosts provide essential amenities to ensure guests have what they need to be comfortable and get a good night's rest. These basic amenities include soap, toilet paper, linen/sheets, towels, and pillows. Recommended quantities of each item depend on the number of guests and the length of their stay.
Offer extras for an additional fee
Many successful hosts use upselling to improve guest experience and increase revenue per booking. You can also offer your guests additional services and hotel-level amenities that can enhance their stays for an additional fee.
Value-adding extras, such as early check-ins and late checkouts, luggage storage, bicycle rentals, firewood, gourmet food baskets, romantic weekend packages, guided hikes, and chef-prepared meals, will help create unforgettable experiences and make your property stand out in the competitive market.
The good news is that upselling doesn’t require much manual work. Hospitable lets you automate the entire process and offer paid upsells to your guests in their guest portals, without requiring third-party tools. Just create a catalog of your offerings and send your guests the link to their guest portal.
Hospitable users who manage US properties also have the opportunity to earn extra income by offering trip insurance to their guests as an automatically enabled upsell. You’ll earn commission for every policy sold.
List your property on multiple channels
While relying on a single OTA platform seems easier upfront, this approach can limit your reach and reduce booking opportunities, leaving you vulnerable to changes in policies or algorithms. Successful hosts use a multi-channel strategy that allows them to diversify their presence across platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com, reach a wider audience, diversify revenue streams, and build a more resilient STR business.
Most importantly, you should create a direct booking website to reduce your reliance on third-party platforms. It takes a bit of time while direct becomes a primary source of your income, but there are simple solutions on how to speed things up:
Create a memorable name for your property and purchase a matching domain name. Some guests already know that booking directly is better for them. So, before booking your Airbnb listing, they will Google it to check if you have a website.
Invite your happy guests to book with you again—this time, directly. You will need a marketing funnel in place to stay top of mind. Though it’s a rather simple set-it-and-forget-it exercise.
Listing on multiple platforms comes with challenges when it comes to managing calendars, pricing, and avoiding double bookings, so you’ll need to use a channel manager like Hospitable that connects all your listings and updates them in real time.
As a vacation rental channel manager, Hospitable can help you manage listings on major booking platforms, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, Agoda, and Google Vacation Rentals. We’ll protect you from double bookings with instant calendar sync. Our STR super app can also help you manage bookings across various niche sites, such as Hipcamp, Hopper, and others, via iCal Imports, keeping your calendars updated without manual effort.
Inventory Checklist for Airbnb
Sometimes, having the right item in your Airbnb listing can make all the difference. Here's the standard Airbnb host checklist to help you be the perfect host. Make sure you have these Airbnb essentials for your listing to make travelers' stay more comfortable:
Bath towels (2 per guest);
Toilet paper;
Feminine products;
Toiletries (it's better to buy them in bulk)—soap, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, body lotion, disposable toothbrush;
Hairdryer;
Garbage can;
Hangers for clothing;
Alarm clock;
Wi-Fi access;
Bedside lamp and table;
Safe for valuables;
Tea & coffee;
Tea kettle and coffee maker;
Sugar;
Milk;
Salt & pepper;
Pots & pans;
Dishes and cups;
Butter;
Cleaning supplies (all-purpose cleaner, dishwashing liquid, disinfectant, bleach, etc.);
Pens and pencils;
Full-length mirror;
Books and magazines.
Your guests will appreciate it if you go the extra mile and stock your property with these things to ensure a personalized experience:
Disposable slippers and bathrobes;
Universal charger;
Clothing rack or dryer
Clothing iron and ironing board;
Adaptors;
Smart TV;
Netflix.
Don't forget to provide your guests with a home guidebook that includes information about your house rules and a personalized welcome note. It's important to send the guest a pre-prepared welcome pack in advance.
Airbnb Host Checklist: What To Provide to Impress Your Guests
We have provided you with a rental inventory checklist of basic amenities a host should have for Airbnb guests. However, other items can enhance the guest experience and make it more special, depending on the type of traveler (business or leisure).
What do Airbnb hosts provide to impress their guests and get higher ratings? Here are some options.
For Leisure Travelers
If the guests are staying for leisure, try to go the extra mile to make your place feel like a home away from home. Add some touches that will make their stay special. For example, have a well-stocked kitchen, assuming your guests would like to cook, and provide luxuriously soft bedding and toys for the little ones.
For Business Travelers
Business guests have more convenience and efficiency-focused requirements. Consider providing smartphone chargers and setting up a laptop-friendly workspace. To become certified as "Business Travel Ready," you must meet stringent criteria. To qualify, you must ensure that the workspace, Wi-Fi, self-check-in, carbon monoxide detector, and smoke detector are included, along with certain other basic amenities.
Toiletries
Spa-quality toiletries are a fantastic way to transform your space into a truly special place, ensuring a great guest experience. Adding natural shampoos, body wash, soaps, and conditioners to your bathroom will make a huge difference in how guests view your property.
Leave a Gift
A welcome gift is anything you can give to the guest upon check-in. It's better not to mention this item in your listing and make it a surprise and delightful feature. It can be a bottle of wine, a fruit basket, a box of chocolates or sweets, bread, cheese, or even fresh flowers—here's your chance to get creative. Leave a signed greeting card with the gift and let them know you appreciate them choosing your Airbnb.
Conclusions
We hope you can use this Airbnb host checklist to guarantee your guests a positive travel experience. Start with the basics and consider what the guest truly needs. But don't forget to add a few extras to transform your Airbnb space into a welcoming home for your temporary guests.
Create a wow factor that impresses your guests even more. Remember that attention to detail is crucial if you want to be a successful Airbnb host.
