AIRBNB THE WAY FORWARD!
AN INTERVIEW WITH A CONFIDENT OWNER
Probably not everybody knows: Airbnb literally started from a couple who offered air mattresses on the floor of their apartment, to paying guests, at a time when they were really short of cash. They had just moved to New York from Boston, were jobless, and could not afford paying their rent. New York hotels happened to be fully booked due to a conference, and the couple saw an opportunity to make some dollars. Airbnb indeed stands for Airbed&Breakfast, and their tagline was 'forget hotels'.
Today Airbnb market has become increasingly saturated and competitive. Of course, if you are starting up your own Airbnb accommodation you will need more than a couple of air mattresses on the floor and you will probably look for -and find- a lot of advice on how to make the most of your listing. Advice covers all the points you might think of to ensure you advertise the space well: fill in your profile, get the price right, get good photography, make sure you offer the necessary amenities, allow one night stays, optimise SEO, set quick response, avoid cancellations, allow instant booking, get verified, use social media (twitter, Instagram and such)...
I am sure you will agree it is all good advice.
However, something very basic has gone amiss in all the blogs, websites and e-communities trying to give us the best advice. For the majority, in fact, they are abstractions of strategies, and/or theory of common sense, with the added bonus of some market strategy.
As a property passionate interior design expert, I know, deep in myself, there is more to it than just statistics and SEOs.
So I have decided to go a step further and I have managed to land an informal interview with a very successful couple, proud owner of a small but perfectly formed apartment which they rent through Airbnb.
Since the launch, a few years ago, the rental of their property has gone from strength to strength and there has hardly been any time where it has sat empty. Daniela and Giovanni have indeed been very successful and I now want to share the secret of their success with you.
The day we meet up, Giovanni is away for work. Daniela and I meet at the apartment, where I will be staying for the night. The building is of classic italian architecture and sits in a lovely cobbled street near the Capo Market in Palermo. For those of you who are not familiar with it: give it a google. It is worth your time if you head to this beautiful and contradictory city.
With a fresh drink in hand Daniela and I sit in the airy and light sitting room for our chat, me with a recording device and she with a smile on her face - you have got to love Italians!
Daniela tells me that she feels that [...]
'the first thing that counted when she started renting her apartment was the location. The fact that the apartment is locate in the old centre, and at walk distance from tourist areas and attractions was really important'.
Once you start working, however, it is the price policy that makes a great difference in your ranking. Airbnb will analyse your booking and will start suggesting changes of prices (in the form of special offers, for example) to ensure that, if for example, there is a couple of days uncovered, you will be able to find someone, for those couple of days, just by slightly lowering the price. The more you follow their advice, the higher your ranking will get'.
Cleanlyness, Daniela explains, is also very important. Guest will scrutinise your places open drawers, cabinets, look into corners while they sit (even when they use the loo), run they fingers on surfaces... look under beds... then they will give you a feedback. So, don't overlook anything! Then she adds:
'[...] and then of course all the tips and advice on the local area: places to go for a drink, for food, for live music. These, needless to say, are the places I go, because they are worth it.
Then, she explains with a (not so well) disguised hint of pride,
it appears to be very important that the house feels 'lived in'.
She adds:
the presence of my books and my personal furnishing has made a great deal of difference. I do get lots of comments about it, she continues. The fact that this has been my house, and therefore the fact that does not have furniture 'off the shelves' -you know, that type of high street furniture that one finds everywhere else- has made a huge impact. The attention to details that I have personally put into it, its style and the knowledge of what is necessary and what is superfluous in order to enjoy the space. This has been the major point of impact for me.
And I have to say, Daniela has done extremely well in choosing her furniture and her decoration. Something that, as an interior stylist, cannot fail to notice: the apartment delivers what it promises. It is uncluttered, fresh, stylish and has the USP of original deco, with large original painting from a local artist on the walls and a mix of perfectly balanced modern and classic furniture.
The space is a space where anybody would want to stay on their vacation: it is welcoming, it has some original pieces that make you gasp with their presence. Being in it fills me with emotion, and this is exactly the emotional engagement that any space, worthy of the label of a great interior, should evoke.
Indeed, how many times have you dismissed accommodation based on the fact that the offering was a rather sad-looking and disorganised space? And how many times have you instead booked something maybe a tad more pricey, because it looks fresh, stylish original, welcoming, and emotionally engaging?
A desirable space is exactly that: desirable. And there is no amount of SEO, quick responses, verifications, or ranking, that can bit the emotional response to a space. And no potential customer will turn a blind eye to the lack of style and tidiness of your offering.
My advice, if you want to start your airbnb or give your existing one a boost, is to look around at it with your customer's eye. Analyse it with a fresh eye: what works well aesthetically, does not work so well, what is its main strength, what is its worse weakness, how do your photos look like on the website, compare those with some other airbnb on offer in your area.
If you find it difficult to do decide what to do to make your space more appealing, ask an expert. Homestyling for Airbnb is quite a niche. But there are people who can help, in your area and not. Some of them offer a 'distance' service (which is also cheaper) and all they ask you is to send them photos and some other details, such as room sizes (approximations are ok). Homepoise offer this service.
There is also lots of images on the internet for you to get inspired!
Tell us what you think!
Have you had experience with Airbnb? What do you think is the secret to keep it successfully running? Have you had it professionally styled to be able to put your nightly rate up? Would you do it, if you could?