Amy Willard, Guest Author at Turno

Improving Your Airbnb Game

Amy Willard — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 02:26:56 +0000

Akin to the real estate slogan, “location, location, location”, one for the vacation rental market should be, “details, details, details”. Overall experience is what makes a holiday memorable…and if it’s bad, well…

When cruising through options on rental sites, the pictures are what draw in your potential client. Many owners go to great lengths to make sure that there is just the right styling and that their property looks clean and bright. But reality doesn’t often back up those pictures.

Over time, deco can get broken or go missing, furniture damaged, linens stained, or maybe a rogue guest has dampened your spirit. So, it might start to feel like this venture isn’t worth it. Everyone can have a bad season but attending to some of the unseen details as a baseline can help you carry on.

Furniture

I’ve seen it many times because it’s going to be a “rental”, owners put in their tired furniture and redecorate their own homes. It’s kind of a rule of thumb that if it looks dinged up, people will think you won’t care if they are reckless.

You don’t have to buy new furniture, but solid good-quality used furniture will not only take a beating, but people will subconsciously take better care of it. The same goes for the mattresses and pillows. Did you know that Marriott® has a web page where you can buy their famous mattresses?

If your guests feel rested during their stay…or not, they’re probably going to blame the mattress. Installing quality bedding, not your old ones, is a good investment.

Linens

I was a vacation rental cleaner for a host who thought that having white towels was a good idea…until a wedding party used his home for the bachelorette party. Thick layers of makeup and cleaning up regurgitated pizza destroyed the lot. Hotels have industrial chemicals and machines to battle the worst of stains, but they also have voluminous stores of backup linens. I recommend dark-colored cotton towels.

They can hide all kinds of previous sins without looking bad and cotton can take the hot washing required to sanitize between guests. Microfiber may be inexpensive, but if it’s used for, say…cleaning up a broken perfume bottle, the fibers can hang on to the glass chips and possibly scratch a later guest or furniture. Cotton is biodegradable too.

Bed linens should also be of higher quality. Use down comforters with duvets and cotton sheets. All-in-one comforters don’t launder well and become lumpy and awkward looking. The duvets can be switched and laundered in between guests, and the down provides coziness without a bunch of extra blankets.

They are going to endure more washing than what home sets normally do especially during the pandemic. In laundering microfiber sheets, I have found that they are full of static no matter what.

They attract every single stray hair in the room. They also form pills, which can be uncomfortable to sleep on. I have found IKEA sheets to be a great value. They feel like crisp cotton, are inexpensive, and can be purchased separately so if one sheet is damaged, you don’t have to replace it with another whole set.

Kitchenware

Whether your guests choose to prepare food or not, it’s nice to be able to use superior cookware, matching dishes, and flatware. A hodgepodge collection says “cheap” and that you don’t trust the people in your home to care for it…so they won’t. Heft and style lend to their experience, and that you want your guests to feel at home.

Stocking the property with the best quality you can afford is just as important as high-quality vacation rental cleaning. High-quality furniture, linens, and kitchenware will yield higher rental income and better guests. If it looks cheap, you will get cheap.

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Know What Guests Look For in a Vacation Rental

Amy Willard — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 19:56:02 +0000

Vacation rentals are a glorious boon to traveling families, and to the property owner who can cash in on their spending.

By providing the home-like atmosphere that make people more relaxed, (the reason for a vacation…right?) there is an edge to hotel stays from being less expensive overall to families who may have special needs (dietary, allergies, space constraints, etc.). But there are things that guests look for universally, wherever they stay.

Keep it Clean

“Clean” means different things to different people. Some are strict, others are more lax. I have personally stayed in places that I wouldn’t let my dog stay in for lack of another choice.

If you’ve hired a separate vacation rental cleaning person/company, make sure they meet the standard you want, consistently. There are two specific things that will make your guests immediately think your property isn’t cared for.

Visible hair, especially in the bathroom. Though every human sheds hair (head and body), it is a common conclusion that if there is hair, the place isn’t clean. Get every single hair out…vacuum every room.

Dust. It gathers especially under beds and lower horizontal surfaces like bottom shelves of end tables, baseboards, and remote corners. Make it a habit with you or your cleaner(s) to get behind/under the furniture about once a month. In dryer climates it may need to be more often.

Be Charming

One of the reasons folks choose a vacation rental property over a hotel is their charm. They don’t all have the same bedspread covers, carpeting, or chairs. Contribute to their experience.

Add unique decorations and wall hangings.
Have one bedroom “designated” as a kids room…include books and games for children to dig into. Kids love finding toys that are different than their own.
Include some bubble-bath or other pampering goodies to the master bath.
Make a list of local restaurants and coffee shops they might want to visit. Good food makes good memories
Make the yard/patio area inviting, even in winter. Guests may want to come back!

Be Responsive

It’s safe to say most people will not be visible to you for the duration of their stay, but there are those that will need some hand-holding despite your best efforts to plan for their needs.

Sometimes all it takes is some reassurance on your part to help them enjoy their trip. Know that it’s not about you or your property…some people are just needy.

5-Star General

Getting those high ratings can sometimes mean some extra work, but people look for those first…and the number of ratings you have. They will also look, if you have them, at your low ratings. Check for other tips on how to drive traffic to your property to keep it full and profitable.

This is first and foremost a people business. Your property is part of their experience, positive or negative. The Golden Rule is a good place to start.

The post Know What Guests Look For in a Vacation Rental appeared first on Turno.

Should You Get a Co-Host for Your Rental?

Amy Willard — Tue, 02 Jun 2020 19:18:18 +0000

Time is money. And if you have a well-established vacation rental, you know how important this can be. Having a co-host can help maximize the time the property is available, and your income from it.

In this suddenly shaky travel industry, many are concerned about keeping things above water, let alone profitable. New rules regarding vacation rental cleaning and Covid-19 add a new twist and take away rental days, especially if you offer your property to first responders.

I am currently a private co-host for some friends who live in a different state. I was also a former cleaner of many vacation rentals including theirs, having run a Airbnb cleaning business for 13 years. In my experience, the most successful properties are the ones that are run as a business, not a side-gig.

Why?

Popular properties can make a fair sum of money and a co-host will help you keep the sailing smooth especially if you have other things on your plate…you know, like kids, your job, your home, and maybe a vacation of your own.

They can be responsive to guests if/when you can’t.
Be a backup cleaner if the cleaners don’t show up (they sometimes don’t).
If you and your property live in different parts of the country/world, they can be the local eye-in-the-sky for you.
Help you expand your property list, and
You can help someone earn money during these uncertain times.

Who?

This job can fall to anyone of your choosing. Depending on the responsibilities you would have them accept, from being just a back-up in case you can’t be reached to full-fledged supervisor doing everything from managing reservations to emergencies.

Do you have a friend or neighbor who has helped out in the past that you trust?
Do you have a loyal and responsible cleaner who would be willing?
A management company.

Of course, the more you have them responsible for, the more you should pay them and that should be agreed upon ahead of time. In fact, write it down. And aside from the management company who likely has their own insurance coverage, YOU will be assuming all liability for your co-host.

Things happen, no doubt, and having a co-host can help in shouldering the what-ifs.

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