8 Tips For Running a Successful Airbnb

We opened the doors of our Airbnb 5 years ago and have hosted hundreds of guests (most of which return year after year!), while maintaining Superhost status and a near-perfect 4.99 star rating. Here are our favorite tips!

Our Airbnb Tips in Our 6th Year Hosting

In 2017, we poured our hearts into the life-changing decision of purchasing our Michigan Tree House. After 3 solid years of renovation, our home went live on Airbnb in spring of 2020. (Perfect timing, right?!) We’ve learned so much over the years of groups for everything from birthdays and family reunions to writer’s retreats and quiet couples’ getaways. We love this home and we love sharing it with all of you. It makes us so happy to see the same families return year after year, making core memories in the space we’ve worked so hard on. Keep reading for our top 8 tips for Airbnb hosting, along with the smart home devices that allow us to run it smoothly from afar!

1| Be a Good Neighbor

We consider our role in our community to be among our highest priorities. We want our guests to feel free to enjoy themselves, and we’re also incredibly mindful of that fact that we have neighbors. We take all of the necessary steps to keep follow local protocols including registering with our township every year and paying all of the required fees. We open our doors to the local safety inspector and follow all of the expected rules and regulations.

For us, this is a no-brainer. We wouldn’t want to live next to an unsafe or poorly maintained rental, so we strive to create an environment where our home integrates into the local community seamlessly regardless of who happens to be staying there. We’re grateful that our guests have respected our house rules and have been absolutely lovely!

2| Provide Quality Textiles

We spend a lot of time in our own Airbnb, so we’ve tailored our textile selections to work best in the space. We have two sets of quality bedding for each bed for three reasons: 1) nobody likes scratchy sheets, and 2) quality = longevity, and 3) having two sets allows our cleaning crew to turn the space over faster by simultaneously making the beds and washing the bedclothes.

The same rules apply for high-quality bath towels (and plenty of them!), blankets and beach towels. A few years ago, we invested in sand-phobic, quick-dry beach towels. They’re not inexpensive, but they’re an absolute game changer since they don’t get weighed down when it’s time to leave the beach. They also help to keep sand out of our washer and dryer, so it’s a win on every level!

With all this in mind, we are always checking on how these textiles are wearing over time, and we will replace (and donate) them if we notice frays, pilling or stains.

3| The Annual Refresh

Wear and tear is a natural part of any home, so each year we do a late winter/early spring refresh of the entire space. This involves a top-to-bottom inspection and overhaul. We make any necessary small repairs, touch up all of the paint, replace worn textiles, stock up on consumables like toiletries and gift bag supplies, deep clean the appliances and ensure that everything is up to our standards. Baseboards and windows are scrubbed, light fixtures rinsed and dusted, toys scrubbed and torn books removed.

We’ve got it down to a pretty solid system, so it takes both of us a full eight hour day (sometimes two!), but it’s worth it to know that the home will look as good as our returning guests remember it.

4| Purchase High Quality Furniture

When it came time to furnish the home many years ago, we invested in quality pieces that we’d happily place in our own home. And guess what? Every piece is still in the home and holding up beautifully. Buying high-quality furniture is a more expensive investment in the short term, but we haven’t had to replace a single big-ticket item in five years of consistent renting. When it comes to our Airbnb, quality over quantity – always. Our long-term furniture spend is likely smaller over five years than if we had purchased lower quality items that might be due for replacement by now. High quality furnishings also set our listing apart from the crowd and give an elevated feel to all of the space’s ‘touch points’. It’s worth it. We promise.

5| Provide accessories for nearby attractions

Hiking, biking, beach days and bonfires are all on the agenda in southwest Michigan. We believe that providing the accessories (and a great digital guidebook!) to make it easy for people to enjoy themselves will help them make the most of their stay. Regardless of what the draw to your specific area might be, cater to those needs.

For us, beach accessories, bonfire supplies and a fleet of charming vintage bikes makes for enjoyable, active stays. We keep everything organized in bins, not only for ease of use, but having a place for everything makes it that much more likely that guests will put things back where they go!

We’ve also stocked the home with dozens of board games, puzzles and books for lazy rainy days. Simply put, think about how you enjoy spending time in your space and make it easy for your guests to do the same.

6| Hire Help That Cares

Finding the right support team is potentially the most difficult part of any short term rental host’s job. Yes, keeping everything in-house and handling your own turnovers, cleaning, property maintenance and emergency calls is an option. But distance, other obligations and economies of scale often make hiring these things out a necessity.

We had a couple of mis-steps with the wrong cleaning crew before we found the right team for us. The most important things that we required in our cleaning team were clear and easy communication, agreed-upon standards and consistent execution. We found that a cleaning ‘company’ that sent out a different crew each time wasn’t the right fit for us. Our standards are admittedly high and we’re very particular about how our home looks. In the end, we found an owner/operator who runs her own business and is as particular and exacting as we are and we’ve never looked back. We take great care of her and she takes great care of us.

7| Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst

No matter how prepared we are, things beyond our control will occasionally impact our guests’ stay. Things can break, the internet can go down, the power can go out, a critter can end up somewhere that it shouldn’t. We’ve got a plan for that. We have a local emergency contact that can stop by in a pinch for a small fee. Also, our schedules are flexible enough that I can be on-site in 90 minutes in an emergency. Our guests have been overwhelmingly kind when things have occasionally gone off course, but we also try to make it right by sending them a digital gift card to our favorite local boutique grocery store/coffee shop as a thank you for their understanding.

8| Create a Smarter Home

Keeping your short term rental ‘smart’ is essential! We recommend investing into one smart ecosystem whenever possible to eliminate the need for too many apps. Easy connectivity in one place is key to keep things simple and straightforward.

All of these devices have their place, and they all bring peace of mind in their own way. Battery cameras can be placed anywhere to monitor activity when no one is home (solar panels and plugs are also available as add-ons to extend battery life). Smart thermostats can maximize savings and alert you if temperatures ever drop below your predetermined ‘safe’ levels. As a bonus, you can set the home to your desired temperature ahead of time so it’s comfy by the time you arrive! The overall theme is this – If you’re 90 minutes away from your airbnb, knowing it’s safe will mediate anxiety and allow for greater enjoyment for both you and your guests.

1. google nest learning thermostat | 2. google nest cam | 3. schlage encode smart wifi deadbolt lock | 4. electric radiant floor heating thermostat | 5. moen flo smart water monitor | 6. google nest protect Smart Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm

We’re an Open Book

Some of these tips may seem self-explanatory, but they bear repeating! We’ve helped a handful of friends in our area get their own short term rentals up and running and we love sharing our knowledge. If there are any specific questions we haven’t answered, feel free to ask! If you’d like to get even more in the weeds, we also offer design consultations where we’re happy to dive deep into all things rental and property management.

---

Looking for more content like this? Check out this post about our ‘smart’ Airbnb, hosting after 1.5 seasons, Part 1 and part 2 on being landlords for over a decade. You can also view our Airbnb listing right here!