Considering listing your space on Airbnb? Want more guests and glowing five-star reviews? Read on.
I got a call from Phoebe last week. She said, “We didn’t know that the Airbnb listing would be rented out so quickly after listing. The house is not ready for guests.
What staging experience do you have?
Have you ever hosted on Airbnb?
Can you help us?!”
The client and their family have been living in their house for years and decided to put it up on AirBnB while they temporarily live out of the country. They got a booking request way sooner than they expected.
We had about 48 hours to pull the house together to the point where it didn’t look lived in by two adults, a child, and a dog. Oh, and a lifetime of possessions.
It was a way faster turn-around than I would’ve liked, but here’s what we did to get the space ready for guests:
Bedding
First, we changed all the bedding to new, clean, crisp white sheets. Give your guests the experience of climbing into a hotel bed. Have you ever stayed in a hotel that didn’t have white sheets? Didn’t think so. There’s just something so fresh and so clean (clean) about sleeping in white sheets. You’ll also be grateful you can bleach them when you need to.
Pillows
Make sure each bed has 4-6 pillows each. While the average person probably only uses 1-2 to sleep with, there’s something soo inviting about hoping into a bed with a bunch of pillows, am I right?
Towels
We swapped shabby towels out for fresh, new white ones. Like white bed sheets, there’s just something clean and inviting about white towels. And if you don’t want to go with white, at least get all matching towels. Choose your theme and get towels to match it.
Warm It Up
We chose a beautiful bouquet of flowers for the kitchen. Whether you want to do the same or use house plants, just do something to warm up the space. Without any plants or flowers, a house can feel sterile, and nobody wants that. Bring the outside in with a cute plant or some flowers. Or maybe a fresh eucalyptus bundle hanging from the shower head?
Guide Your Guests
Craft a house and city guide with important details and neighborhood favorites – out-of-towners will really appreciate the tips. Also, no house is ever the same. Does your tv require three different remotes to get it going? Write it out step-by-step so your guests have a smooth experience settling in.
Leave A Surprise
Surprises delight. We chose to leave the the guests with a bottle of champagne and some chocolates. Anything is better than nothing. Think regional. Located in wine country? Leave them with a local bottle to enjoy. Is your region known for something or do you grow something on your land? This Hipcamp Brian and I just stayed at provided homemade white sage bundles to take home and it felt like the most thoughtful thing ever. (I love white sage.)
Remove All Personal Belongings
Choose a theme for your Airbnb. In this case, we went with bright coastal vibes. Allow your space to have personality, not personal items. Remove anything personal or anything your guests might judge you for. Then box things up and store them either off-site or locked in the garage. We boxed things up by room, clearly indicating what contents are in the box to make it easier when the family moves back into their home.
Need help getting your house Airbnb-ready? Get in touch – I’d love to help!