Photo by Matt Maderic
Tips to maximize your Airbnb guest experience in order to get great reviews and become a Hudson Valley Superhost.
One of the biggest questions Ray and Vanessa, owners of property management company Home Sweet Hudson, ask themselves is, “How do you make someone happy and make them feel like they’re getting the most out of this transaction?”
This is at the core of their philosophy, and pushes them to make each of their properties the best experience possible.
Here are a few of their tips to maximize your property for great guest experiences, and hopefully become a Superhost yourself.
Generating 5-star reviews
“In order to generate 5-star reviews you need to make sure your housekeepers are going above and beyond not only with making sure the property is actually clean but also staging. The way you fold beds, toiletries. We like to leave a gift, which is typically a bottle of wine,” explains Ray.
Read More: The Hudson Valley Airbnb Superhosts With the Most Breathtaking Getaways
Great guest communication
“We take a very professional approach in terms of making sure the guests know they are fully supported before and during their stays,” says Ray. “And we have a concierge service where we partner with local service providers, massage therapists, private chefs, yoga instructors that will actually come to the property. It’s such a win-win for everyone involved. The homeowners are benefitting, the guests are having a great experiences, and it’s generating revenue for local businesses.”
Automate as many things as possible
“You want to make sure you are providing a good experience for all your guests. [Create] inventory lists to make sure you’re not running out of things,” says Ray. “The worst thing is getting a message from a guest that there is no coffee.”
Personalize the experience
“We’ve taken more of a hotel type of an approach where we are creating unique experiences. We proactively set up an itinerary for our guests,” says Vanessa. “[For example] I created a food crawl for a 12-year-old’s birthday party. Things like that can be really special and make people want to come back.”
Automate as many things as possible
“You want to make sure you are providing a good experience for all your guests. [Create] inventory lists to make sure you’re not running out of things,” says Ray. “The worst thing is getting a message from a guest that there is no coffee.”
Be transparent and set expectations
“You need to ask yourself what the honest truth about what the experience is and have the guests decide if that’s the experience that they want. Being transparent about what to expect makes the experience that much smoother for everyone involved,” explains Vanessa.
Photography is very important.
“You really want to find a way to show a layout of the house, how the rooms [look] so that there aren’t any surprises. iPhone photos don’t really cut it anymore. It’s an area you want to invest some money into,” says Ray.
