Airbnb Hosting Tips: Everything You Need To Do To Become A Rockstar Host (2024)

Airbnb Hosting Tips… everything I have learned and everything you’ll want to know about being the best Airbnb home host! Starting my own Airbnb had been on my mind for years. In 2019, I finally made this happen when my brother and I bought a house together. I knew there was going to be a lot to learn and today I am sharing everything you need to know about becoming and Airbnb host and being a Rockstar at it!

Over the past year or so, I’ve written several blog posts on some specific areas of AirBnb hosting. This blog post is intended to be a comprehensive list of AirBnb hosting must haves, advice, and how-to’s. Now let’s dive into some of the different areas of Airbnb hosting!

Do you need help getting started on your Airbnb hosting journey? I am now an AIRBNB AMBASSADOR! That means that Airbnb wants me to help you get started (and yep, they provide me with a little credit!). To get started, click here to be a part of my Airbnb family. Note: In order to receive my personalized guidance, you must create your listing with this link.

This service is 100% FREE to you! (You will also get a $40 Airbnb credit by using an Airbnb Ambassador like myself). I will be available to help you with any questions related to creating your listing, communicating with guests, and accepting your first reservation!

Start Here With My Airbnb Ambassador Program

Finding The Right AirBnb Property

First things first, you’ll need a property to rent out on AirBnb. There are several ways to go about this – use a property you already own, buy a new place, or co-host someone else’s place. Any of these are great options and you will be able to make money on AirBnb – as long as you’ve done your research.

If you plan to purchase a new property with the intent to rent out on AirBnb, this would be considered an investment property purchase. There are a lot of variables that go in to this and I would suggest reading up on How To Buy An Investment Property before making any big moves.

If you’re like me and are looking in a beach town for your next Airbnb, here is a great article about buying a second home at the beach! Darlene at Sugars Beach has some great tips on the process overall from loan requirements, to pros and cons, to picking the right location.

DO YOUR RESEARCH!

If you’re thinking about starting an Airbnb by purchasing a new house, don’t you want to know what other Airbnb’s in the area are doing? Find out what their occupancy rates are, what their nightly pricing is, and what people are saying their reviews! This will give you a huge advantage when starting your own Airbnb.

There are a few different options when researching the market.

Analyze your specific market with a tool like DPGO. Free insight into a zip code or area to see what other properties are doing in the same area.

AirDna is another online tool that you can use to do this research yourself. Create a FREE ACCOUNT to see how it works and what type of information they can provide.

When I was looking for an Airbnb property, I made sure to do the research on the area and also possible restrictions there may be from the town, county, or state. I bought a monthly subscription for less than $40 for my specific zip code – how cool is that?

I was able to download the data, see all the information on specific AirBnb’s in my area, and really dig into how much money they are ACTUALLY making.

DON’T JUST MAKE ESTIMATES. Yes, you can log into AirBnb, look at someone’s nightly pricing, and see what dates are available. But this DOES NOT give you the end result of what they actually charged and which nights were booked.

Do you have a specific question? Reach out to me about AirBnb hosting tips and I’m happy to help!

Furnishing Your AirBnb

As an AirBnb host, I feel that furnishing your AirBnb is one of the most fun and exciting parts! Especially if you love shopping for home decor and furniture like me 🙂

One tip I would stick to when you’re picking out things to decorate your AirBnb is KEEP IT SIMPLE AND CLEAN! You don’t want to do anything too over the top or it will detract certain types of guests from wanting to book your house.

Make sure there is a clear way to keep things organized and decluttered. One of the coolest things I did with my AirBnb was remove the kitchen cabinets to create open shelving. (SEE MY AIRBNB MAKEOVER!) It was a quick, cheap, and simple DIY home decor project that created a really fun result. Here are some more Easy DIY Home Decor Projects to try… maybe at your new AirBnb!

Stick to a budget!! Things can start to add up really quickly! A while back, I wrote all about how to furnish on a budget. Check out the post for some more insight and ideas on how to keep costs low while furnishing your AirBnb.

Two of the most important rooms in your space are the kitchen and the bedrooms. Make sure you stock up with all the kitchen essentials and choose the right bedding for your Airbnb!

In the bedroom, you want your guests to feel as comfortable as possible and like they’re at home. Make sure you pick the right mattress for your Airbnb to get those 5 star reviews on comfort level.

If you’re not typically creative type, do a quick search for Airbnb bedroom ideas and you will get tons of inspiration.

Stock Your AirBnb With The Essentials

Think about what you would want if you were renting a house on vacation! Put yourself in the guests shoes and make sure all of the essentials are available at your AirBnb.

TIP: Stock up everything in your Airbnb BEFORE taking photos. This way, guests will be able to see what you have at your house.

One of the most important rooms is the Kitchen – make sure your AirBnb Kitchen has everything to cook a gourmet meal. Stock the kitchen with everything from pots, pans, a coffee bar, kitchen towels, wine glasses, cooking utensils, baking sheets, etc. See our full list of AirBnb Kitchen Essentials in our post here.

Taking Professional Photos Of Your Space

Photos are the first glimpse your guest will get of your listing. If you have boring photos, your listing probably won’t get a second look. The most important photo is the cover photo of your Airbnb listing. This is the one that potential guests will see if the Airbnb search when they’re looking for a place to rent.

HIRE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER TO GET THE BEST AIRBNB LISTING PHOTOS!

Yes, the new iPhones and other Smart phones take great photos. But a photographer will make sure to capture the right photos with the right lighting to highlight your space. Check out this post by AirBnb on some more tips for getting professional photos. They have a team of people for each area that will come out and take photos for you! You can hire a photographer directly from them or find one yourself.

Getting professional photos is really important and 100% worth the upfront cost.

Listing Your Property On AirBnb

You’ve bought the property, furnished and stocked your vacation rental, taken professional photos, now you are officially ready to LIST YOUR PROPERTY ON AIRBNB! This is an exciting milestone to get to – take it all in.

Creating your listing on Airbnb is really important. You want to make sure everything is filled out properly, your nightly pricing is set in line with your neighborhood, and your photos highlight your space in the best way.

LET ME HELP YOU FOR FREE! If you’re ready to move forward with your listing, I am here to help with questions on how to do everything with your listing. From creating an account, to uploading your photos, to setting your listing description to catch guests attention.

With my personal experience, I can help you maximize the impact of your listing and get bookings right away. Contact me to chat more about the program as an AirBnb Ambassador.

Find A Good Cleaner

The cleaning aspect of owning a vacation rental is probably the least fun part. But it has to be done after every reservation you have on AirBnb. One of the first questions you’ll ask yourself is should I charge for a cleaning fee on AirBnb?? Almost always, the answer is yes.

Find a reliable cleaner or cleaning company that you can rely on. For reference, I used a company that has experience with doing AirBnb turnovers specifically. This is one of the most important aspects of being able to run your vacation rental as automated as possible.

My cleaning company uses an app for scheduling so I can see my future and past cleans. I know exactly when the arrive and when they leave at my Airbnb.

You can add an AirBnb cleaning fee directly on your listing after it’s published. My best practice is to charge what your cleaning company charges you + $10 – $15 to go towards supplies for the house. This will account for the Airbnb cleaning cost and anything extra you supply – like toilet paper, paper towels, dish detergent, etc.

Tracking Your AirBnb Expenses

Keep track of your expenses using an Airbnb expense tracker like Stessa. Make sure that you have a clear way to track all of the money spent and earned relating to your vacation rental. If you’re looking for a little more detail, check out my post on how to keep track of expenses the easy way.

Guest Communication

Do you love making people feel welcome and comfortable? Guest communication will probably come pretty natural to you! My # rule is to send messages to guests that are respectful, informative, and upbeat.

Answer every inquiry, message, or question – even if you don’t wind up accepting the booking. Airbnb tracks your response time to make sure potential guests aren’t left hanging. This is also a factor in getting your Superhost badge!

Be clear in your house rules, check in and out instructions, and what your home has to offer (or is lacking).

Get AirBnb Superhost Status

Making AirBnb Superhost is the first major milestone after you’ve started hosting guests at your property. What does Superhost status mean?? You’re getting amazing reviews, you respond to guests quickly, and you never cancel on anyone. You’ll get a little badge on your profile and listing so guests know that you are an amazing host!

When you become a Superhost on Airbnb, this is a great accomplishment. It’s not the end, but it is the end to the first chapter on your hosting journey – congratulations!!

Don’t forget to check some more recent Airbnb hosting tips posts below for tons of advice from a SuperHost!

Some of our AirBnb hosting tips include: How to become a Superhost, Ideas for an AirBnb Coffee Bar, Home Accessories That Guests Will Love, and so much more!

Do you need help starting your AirBnb Listing?

Do you need help getting started on your Airbnb hosting journey? I am now an AIRBNB AMBASSADOR! That means that Airbnb wants me to help you get started (and yep, they provide me with a little credit!). To get started, click here to be a part of my Airbnb family. Note: In order to receive my personalized guidance, you must create your listing with this link.

This service is 100% FREE to you! (You will also get a $40 Airbnb credit by using an Airbnb Ambassador like myself). I will be available to help you with any questions related to creating your listing, communicating with guests, and accepting your first reservation!