It comes down to providing super customer service. Every AirBnB is going to be different. Some are going to have more, some less. The bottom line is the customer service. If you are attentive and make it clear that the customer is the priority, most people will be happy with their stay. My unit isn't extravagant, but it is clean and well cared for. The joy of hosting is that the good people who have chosen to stay at my place have a good experience. I may not be able to provide all the frills as some hosts, but my guests have always given me positive reviews.
Love being pushed to up our game even if we can't or don't qualify! It may help those who desire to be better, to do better and not just the barely bare minimum.
We were invited to be a Plus member recently, one of only 6 in Toronto. We accepted, having been superhosts for 39 months now. Before becoming Plus, we had an 88-90% occupancy rate, and now we average 95 %. Views from from an average of 50 a day, to now well over 400 a day, consistently. We also raised our nightly price by 25% and we still can't keep up with the requests. We were already asking a rather steep price, but are happy to charge even more. So there are clear benefits to becoming a Plus member. The only downside is that it is way too inflexible. We have little control on the listing. For instance, we are constantly upgrading the decor (we change the decor every season), adding new art, new amenities, and more. Yet, we can;t upgrade the pictures. In the last 6 months since we became Plus, we added art, new custom curtains, new cushions, but just can;t upgrade the pictures. So that's a big negative.
Great video! I'm wondering how one of my competitors who has only 8 reviews and 4.8 stars is somehow PLUS in less than a year when they don't even have enough ratings to qualify as Superhost. Meanwhile, I have 5.0 rating, 11 great reviews, great pictures and design and still just waiting on Superhost. Perhaps they know someone at AirBNB?
Never cancel a reservation- to help someone- instead have them reschedule their stay.I lost my super host when I had perfect 5.0 and everything up to needed- took months to get it back
I take it the no cancellation is the Host not the Guest. but that does sound inflexible what happens if you place is hit by a storm or you get burst pipes. I do think that 5 mpbs is too low you should be able to manage 10 then you can stream tv to two tv's at the same time at good resolution rate . just having 5 you may struggle to do that.
Your comment about the dead flies... We just hosted our first guests who leave tomorrow and we realized via our smart locks that they have continually left our back door open all day most everyday for 10 days. It was closed and locked each night so it is not a glitch in our lock. We live in FL and I am so concerned about our next guests that come in tomorrow having bugs because these guests ignored our rule of keeping doors closed other than for entering or exiting. How do I handle this? I did call airbnb but i am terrified that my first review will be negative from me trying to correct their behavior.
I have the same problem, I host in the Fl Keys and ask guests not to run the ac with the doors open. I have door and window sensors and have guests that leave the doors open when it's 90 outside. I know the ac is running and I want to call them but I don't. With nest I can monitor the ac. I would like to have a system like some hotels where if you leave a window or door open the ac turns off. I once had a bad review because you can see the high school football (which is oceanfront by the way) from my balcony. There is a picture of the football field in my listing.
Hmmm, I don't know ... I got lots of compliments for the way I designed the interior, because it's unique, but it's a mixture of items and a lot of them are old and not perfect, but that's part of the atmosphere. As well as the garden: I have lots of dead plants (dead wood for insects and as a place to hide for other hedgehogs, ...) and my garden is a green jungle, but I love it like that and my guests do too. What if Airbnb sends somebody whose taste is totally different and he thinks that my green lush garden with lots of woods and stones is a big mess? I'm not comfortable with the fact, that one person is judging me and deciding if my home is top or flop ...
I would be interested to know if my property Rose cottage in Shropshire UK can be listed as a knockout kitchen on Airbnb plus as it is a beautiful hand crafted solid wood kitchen which is well above and beyond what would be expected in such a property. I just wish Airbnb Plus was operating outside of London UK. When will that happen I would be happy to pay the $149
I am highly interested in STRs because I discovered you on Lukes channel the other night! I want to purchase a property in a major midwest city but I'm unsure how to analyze a deal. With long term rentals there are rules of thumb like the 1% rule and 50% rule. I am struggling to find something like this for STRs. Maybe there are no rules of thumb due to so much variation. Maybe the rule of thumb would be to just use long term rental rules to make sure the property cash flows in case STR doesn't pan out due to something like regulation. I would be interested in any tools or spreadsheets you use to analyze your deals. Thank you.
Hi Fred. Your last statement is the proper way to look at it in my opinion. Always having the fallback of renting it to a long term renter is smart. In most, but certainly not all instances attaining at least 1% of the value of the property in the monthly rent amount is once very common criteria to judge whether or not it would cash flow as a long term rental. Example, a $200,000 property should bring in at least $2,000 per month in rent.I typically won't even look at a property unless it can meet this criteria. This is a very general rule of thumb though and many investors want to see closer to 2%. Do a Google search for dealcheck. Great interface to run numbers on.
I’m wondering if the ratings are going to have meaning if the criteria is so strict. So guests will be aware how damaging even a 4 rating can be so unless something is really bad, it’ll always be a 5. It would be good if more nuance was acceptable in the ratings.
Not sure if I want to be Airbnb +. I meet all the Plus standards now and can be plus in the area I live! But here the thing, looking at plus hosts in my area, with the same place like mine, they are charging 25% less and some even lesser! In a 25 mile radius only 3 charge 10% more then I do in the LA Beach community. So, what the benefits? What I have learned, I can make my places a little nicer... Which I plan on doing this coming May... I already improved my photos and still have a few more to improve on. My bookings are solid now again, since plus is competing with me. I will consider being a plus once I see that at least 20 to 30% increase in revenue...with new algorithm added by Airbnb it's easy to see how my place compares. I plan to increase my price this coming June without plus. Then by October compare how plus vs superhost; if there is any difference in price!? I just don't see that at moment if the investment gives us more profits! Do we need AIRBNB to knock on our door to see if we are a plus every few months? Show me the money Plus makes me more money and I'm all in...:))
Zack Scriven when that time comes, then I will do plus... I rather wait and see the numbers are 6 months from now...I own my businesses for many years, I learned, do research 1st and see the math $$$. It's still early, but I'm at 94% avg booked every month at higher rate then plus. Of course I'm updating and monitoring twice a month comparing superhost to plus in my area. Just be a great host, always get 5 stars and keep place updated and super clean! Keep getting return guest to my place by providing great guest service and offer a small discount when they return or to there friends and family... It works for me so far...
I didn't realize the echo at first. Just training my eyes and ears for good video production. Cant wait for the new studio to be built out. I actually worked on my studio this weekend. Haven't had a chance to film any content yet because Mercedes and Karen have me running all over the county buying stuff on Craigslist for my condo remodel. 😂
As a renter, the larger soaps and shampoos are disgusting to me and my family. In fact, I know no one who enjoys using shampoos other people have used. It really is disgusting. I mean, at the very least, go to the dollar store and pick up those empty travel containers, design a personal label and fill them yourself. Cheap and the guest can take whatever is left, home. Really...the other way is downright NASTY
It's a one time fee. The fee does a couple things. It covers the cost of the time for the inspection. And it prevents hosts from applying that don't have a serious shot at making it. If it was free they would have a backlog of unqualified homes and it would take them much longer to get to inspect the homes that would qualify. Obviously the idea is if you are serious, then getting plus certified will allow you to justify and command a higher nightly rate and pay for itself. Airbnb is really pushing the plus properties if you haven't seen the home screen in a while. I would love to be in a city that offers it. I would take advantage of it. Goodluck!!
If it truly remains a one time fee, that would be fine. But as any typical company and it's growth, there are doubts that this won't change down the road. Time will tell.
And why not let us test drive this new concept. Is it really worth it? AZ only has one high season and I really doubt I would see huge changes to my bookings since my place fully books during high season.
Eyefull Tower Films if you are fully booked then there is opportunity to increase your price it seems. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes. Experiment.
I'm doing fine without plus in my area... I did some numbers in my area, that I posted in my other post here and still waiting to see if + can show me the money! At the moment I'm doing better then Plus as a superhost.
It comes down to providing super customer service. Every AirBnB is going to be different. Some are going to have more, some less. The bottom line is the customer service. If you are attentive and make it clear that the customer is the priority, most people will be happy with their stay. My unit isn't extravagant, but it is clean and well cared for. The joy of hosting is that the good people who have chosen to stay at my place have a good experience. I may not be able to provide all the frills as some hosts, but my guests have always given me positive reviews.
Love being pushed to up our game even if we can't or don't qualify! It may help those who desire to be better, to do better and not just the barely bare minimum.
We were invited to be a Plus member recently, one of only 6 in Toronto. We accepted, having been superhosts for 39 months now. Before becoming Plus, we had an 88-90% occupancy rate, and now we average 95 %. Views from from an average of 50 a day, to now well over 400 a day, consistently. We also raised our nightly price by 25% and we still can't keep up with the requests. We were already asking a rather steep price, but are happy to charge even more. So there are clear benefits to becoming a Plus member. The only downside is that it is way too inflexible. We have little control on the listing. For instance, we are constantly upgrading the decor (we change the decor every season), adding new art, new amenities, and more. Yet, we can;t upgrade the pictures. In the last 6 months since we became Plus, we added art, new custom curtains, new cushions, but just can;t upgrade the pictures. So that's a big negative.
Interesting. Thanks for your input.
Why can't you upgrade your pictures? If you did such improvement, your guests who stayed should leave very positive reviews.
No point on adding stuff if you can't update the pictures then.
Great video! I'm wondering how one of my competitors who has only 8 reviews and 4.8 stars is somehow PLUS in less than a year when they don't even have enough ratings to qualify as Superhost. Meanwhile, I have 5.0 rating, 11 great reviews, great pictures and design and still just waiting on Superhost. Perhaps they know someone at AirBNB?
Never cancel a reservation- to help someone- instead have them reschedule their stay.I lost my super host when I had perfect 5.0 and everything up to needed- took months to get it back
I take it the no cancellation is the Host not the Guest. but that does sound inflexible what happens if you place is hit by a storm or you get burst pipes.
I do think that 5 mpbs is too low you should be able to manage 10 then you can stream tv to two tv's at the same time at good resolution rate . just having 5 you may struggle to do that.
Unfortunately plus isn't available in my area. But when it is... #airbnbPlusOrBust #first
Well presented with excellent use of language!
Your comment about the dead flies... We just hosted our first guests who leave tomorrow and we realized via our smart locks that they have continually left our back door open all day most everyday for 10 days. It was closed and locked each night so it is not a glitch in our lock. We live in FL and I am so concerned about our next guests that come in tomorrow having bugs because these guests ignored our rule of keeping doors closed other than for entering or exiting. How do I handle this? I did call airbnb but i am terrified that my first review will be negative from me trying to correct their behavior.
I have the same problem, I host in the Fl Keys and ask guests not to run the ac with the doors open. I have door and window sensors and have guests that leave the doors open when it's 90 outside. I know the ac is running and I want to call them but I don't. With nest I can monitor the ac. I would like to have a system like some hotels where if you leave a window or door open the ac turns off. I once had a bad review because you can see the high school football (which is oceanfront by the way) from my balcony. There is a picture of the football field in my listing.
ICS__ Preferred wow... i think we stayed at that complex in 2011!!
Hmmm, I don't know ... I got lots of compliments for the way I designed the interior, because it's unique, but it's a mixture of items and a lot of them are old and not perfect, but that's part of the atmosphere. As well as the garden: I have lots of dead plants (dead wood for insects and as a place to hide for other hedgehogs, ...) and my garden is a green jungle, but I love it like that and my guests do too. What if Airbnb sends somebody whose taste is totally different and he thinks that my green lush garden with lots of woods and stones is a big mess? I'm not comfortable with the fact, that one person is judging me and deciding if my home is top or flop ...
I would be interested to know if my property Rose cottage in Shropshire UK can be listed as a knockout kitchen on Airbnb plus as it is a beautiful hand crafted solid wood kitchen which is well above and beyond what would be expected in such a property.
I just wish Airbnb Plus was operating outside of London UK. When will that happen
I would be happy to pay the $149
I am highly interested in STRs because I discovered you on Lukes channel the other night! I want to purchase a property in a major midwest city but I'm unsure how to analyze a deal. With long term rentals there are rules of thumb like the 1% rule and 50% rule. I am struggling to find something like this for STRs. Maybe there are no rules of thumb due to so much variation. Maybe the rule of thumb would be to just use long term rental rules to make sure the property cash flows in case STR doesn't pan out due to something like regulation. I would be interested in any tools or spreadsheets you use to analyze your deals. Thank you.
Happy to have your here Fred! Really enjoyed the convo with Luke.
Hi Fred. Your last statement is the proper way to look at it in my opinion. Always having the fallback of renting it to a long term renter is smart. In most, but certainly not all instances attaining at least 1% of the value of the property in the monthly rent amount is once very common criteria to judge whether or not it would cash flow as a long term rental. Example, a $200,000 property should bring in at least $2,000 per month in rent.I typically won't even look at a property unless it can meet this criteria. This is a very general rule of thumb though and many investors want to see closer to 2%. Do a Google search for dealcheck. Great interface to run numbers on.
Hello. Thank you for the info. Where can one see the citys that are chosen for the + program. I have my apartments in Nice France.
I’m wondering if the ratings are going to have meaning if the criteria is so strict. So guests will be aware how damaging even a 4 rating can be so unless something is really bad, it’ll always be a 5. It would be good if more nuance was acceptable in the ratings.
So how do I find out it is in my area?
Not sure if I want to be Airbnb +. I meet all the Plus standards now and can be plus in the area I live! But here the thing, looking at plus hosts in my area, with the same place like mine, they are charging 25% less and some even lesser! In a 25 mile radius only 3 charge 10% more then I do in the LA Beach community. So, what the benefits? What I have learned, I can make my places a little nicer... Which I plan on doing this coming May... I already improved my photos and still have a few more to improve on. My bookings are solid now again, since plus is competing with me. I will consider being a plus once I see that at least 20 to 30% increase in revenue...with new algorithm added by Airbnb it's easy to see how my place compares. I plan to increase my price this coming June without plus. Then by October compare how plus vs superhost; if there is any difference in price!? I just don't see that at moment if the investment gives us more profits! Do we need AIRBNB to knock on our door to see if we are a plus every few months? Show me the money Plus makes me more money and I'm all in...:))
SAM GHAREEBO theory. Plus won't make you more but is the new standard and slowly non plus properties will make less.
Zack Scriven when that time comes, then I will do plus... I rather wait and see the numbers are 6 months from now...I own my businesses for many years, I learned, do research 1st and see the math $$$. It's still early, but I'm at 94% avg booked every month at higher rate then plus. Of course I'm updating and monitoring twice a month comparing superhost to plus in my area. Just be a great host, always get 5 stars and keep place updated and super clean! Keep getting return guest to my place by providing great guest service and offer a small discount when they return or to there friends and family... It works for me so far...
Very interesting your video and helpful
Can I use condos for Airbnb?
Nice lighting and set! Bit of an echo on the audio though :)
No worries Zack. Just the temporary setup ;)
I didn't realize the echo at first. Just training my eyes and ears for good video production. Cant wait for the new studio to be built out. I actually worked on my studio this weekend. Haven't had a chance to film any content yet because Mercedes and Karen have me running all over the county buying stuff on Craigslist for my condo remodel. 😂
Techies - sheesh! LOL
I hit all of these... too bad I live in a small community. I too, think these are pretty obvious as well. Now, if they would average the star ratings.
Is this the same as superhost?
Awesome thanks for sharing!
As a renter, the larger soaps and shampoos are disgusting to me and my family. In fact, I know no one who enjoys using shampoos other people have used. It really is disgusting. I mean, at the very least, go to the dollar store and pick up those empty travel containers, design a personal label and fill them yourself. Cheap and the guest can take whatever is left, home. Really...the other way is downright NASTY
My property in AZ has been invited but it seems that they want $149 for this "Plus" service. I'm not interested if this is the case!
It's a one time fee. The fee does a couple things. It covers the cost of the time for the inspection. And it prevents hosts from applying that don't have a serious shot at making it. If it was free they would have a backlog of unqualified homes and it would take them much longer to get to inspect the homes that would qualify. Obviously the idea is if you are serious, then getting plus certified will allow you to justify and command a higher nightly rate and pay for itself. Airbnb is really pushing the plus properties if you haven't seen the home screen in a while. I would love to be in a city that offers it. I would take advantage of it. Goodluck!!
If it truly remains a one time fee, that would be fine. But as any typical company and it's growth, there are doubts that this won't change down the road. Time will tell.
And why not let us test drive this new concept. Is it really worth it? AZ only has one high season and I really doubt I would see huge changes to my bookings since my place fully books during high season.
Eyefull Tower Films if you are fully booked then there is opportunity to increase your price it seems. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes. Experiment.
I'm doing fine without plus in my area... I did some numbers in my area, that I posted in my other post here and still waiting to see if + can show me the money! At the moment I'm doing better then Plus as a superhost.
What kinds of beds are not flat?