In our busy lives, keeping daily to-do lists updated can be challenging. As an Airbnb host, your holiday let business’s profitability depends on maintaining an excellent hosting routine. Being thorough, punctual, and responsive is crucial. Practically, this means remembering to empty garbage bins and ensuring you have enough clean linen for your next guests.
If you tend to feel overwhelmed easily or struggle with organization, don’t worry – we’ve compiled our top five tips for a straightforward hosting routine to help you manage effectively.
Keep Track of Your Tasks
As an Airbnb host, you’ll have a long list of tasks to complete between guests, ranging from scrubbing the toilet bowl to restocking fresh milk in the fridge. Many hosts stick to the classic pen-and-paper method, jotting down their to-do lists and ticking off completed items. Some prefer using spreadsheets or Word Docs for task organization. For a tech-savvy approach to ease your workload, consider downloading apps designed for task management. Our favorites include:
- Wunderlist, which allows you to create multiple to-do lists.
- Calendy, to prevent double-booking.
- Time Timer, for setting time limits on tasks.
- TurnoverBnB, not just for finding cleaners but also for managing their schedules and informing them online of their next cleaning session.
- Monday or Trello, ideal for co-hosts sharing responsibilities and tasks.
Remember, the success of your holiday let business as an Airbnb host depends on an effective hosting routine.
Clean Everything
Guests might overlook a missing welcome bottle of wine, but they won’t be so forgiving about finding hair in the bathroom sink. Make sure you clean thoroughly and everywhere. Hiring a professional cleaner will greatly ease your workload and increase guest satisfaction. If you choose to do the cleaning yourself, follow this quick checklist:
- Ventilate the space by opening windows between guest visits.
- Dust every surface, including each slate of Venetian blinds and the tops of cupboards.
- Remove all rubbish, empty bins in the kitchen and bathroom, and replace with fresh bin liners for new guests.
- Pay special attention to the kitchen, ensuring no food scraps in the fridge, no burnt crumbs in the toaster, and a spotless oven.
- Make the bathroom sparkle by removing mould from shower cubicles, clearing drains, and ensuring there’s no hair left behind.
- Clean all windows to enhance your guests’ enjoyment of the views.
Simplify Your Check-In Process
Ensure you provide guests with clear, written instructions on how to reach your Airbnb, and email these directions well before their arrival. If your property is difficult to locate, include photos of nearby buildings or marked maps to clearly guide guests to your front door.
Investing in a smart lock or lockbox is highly recommended. This allows guests to access your place’s keys upon arrival, eliminating the need for you to be present. While this method may not suit all Airbnb properties, especially those needing a comprehensive tour, it’s a great time-saver for simpler accommodations like basic apartments.
Stock Up on Everything
While you may think your supply of towels and bed sheets is sufficient, unexpected incidents like a broken dryer or a wine-stained pillowcase can leave you needing extras. Instead of assuming you’ll have time to wash and dry sheets between guests, keep at least two spare sets of everything on hand. This ensures you can always provide clean linens to new guests, regardless of the situation.
The same goes for kitchen supplies. If you typically host up to four guests, stock your kitchen with more than four plates, cups, knives, and forks. Guests may not want to wash dishes between meals, so it’s better to offer more. Also, keep a spare set of plates in case of any damages during their stay.
Excel in Communication
As a successful Airbnb host, aim to respond to inquiries and guest questions within a couple of hours. Always answer emails promptly and thoroughly address all raised questions.
When welcoming guests, prepare what you want to say. This is especially important if you’re new to hosting and might be unsure of guests’ expectations upon arrival. Here’s how to make a great first impression:
- Greet guests warmly with a smile.
- Give them a comprehensive tour of the house.
- Demonstrate how to operate any complex appliances.
- Offer them a welcome gift.
- Assure them of your availability for any issues.
- Confirm their check-out time before parting ways.
Seek Advice from an Airbnb Expert
If you’re unsure about starting your Airbnb hosting routine or need assistance organizing cleaners between guests, consider hiring an Airbnb management company like Keey. We can ease your schedule’s stress and guarantee smooth check-ins every time.