Do you own or rent property in the woods, desert, or along the coast? Why not put up a luxury yurt for an Airbnb glamping business?
If you’ve been keeping up with news on short-term renting, you’ll know that Airbnb long-term stays have been on the rise since Covid-19.
In our previous article, Monthly vs. Long-term vs. Short-term Stays on Airbnb, we mentioned that bookings of more than 28 nights were up by 50% in August of 2020 compared to the previous year.
We think accommodating longer-term guests is a great idea. It’s a good strategy to keep making money during Covid-19, and a sure way to keep your property booked even during slow months.
If you feel the same, you’ll want to make your property “long-term friendly”.
More than 80% of Airbnb hosts now accept longer-term stays. By doing so, they benefit from reduced workloads and lower overhead expenses.
Longer-term guests have different needs, though. Many of them are families with kids, remote workers, professionals who need to relocate temporarily, and pet parents.
If you’re considering accommodating any of them, these are the amenities you’ll want to include in your property to make their stay as comfortable as possible.
Durable pots and pans, cooking utensils, dishware, cutlery, and a few extras — like wine glasses — go a long way. People who stay long-term will cook, and having the essential equipment to prepare meals will come in very handy.
You can provide cooking oil and basic condiments, as well as cleaning essentials like dish soap, sponges, dish towels, and an abundant supply of paper towels and garbage bags. These are kitchen staples that people often forget when they go shopping for supplies.
A coffeemaker or tea kettle will be highly appreciated, along with some coffee, tea, cream, and sweeteners. While you’re not obliged to provide an abundant supply (we don’t advise it, either), you can certainly provide a starter pack.
We recommend 3 to 4 days’ supply of pantry essentials. Just make sure to let your guests know where the nearest grocery stores are so they can make a weekly run. Or you can provide links to suppliers that deliver to your doorstep.
A laptop-friendly desk that’s near a power source, fast and reliable WiFi, and an ergonomic chair are essentials for work-from-home professionals. You can go the extra mile by providing a printer. A desk lamp, a pad of sticky notes, a stapler, and some pens and highlighters will likely add a wow factor.
A power strip and surge protector with USB charging ports will let your guests charge their laptop, iPhone, iPad, digital cameras, and other electronic devices all in one place. It’ll also prevent unruly power cords from messing up the living or work area.
You may want to throw in 1 or 2 universal adapters as well. Most guests bring their own, but even the most experienced travelers tend to forget to pack theirs.
Guests who go on Airbnb monthly stays will want to relax in front of a big screen to check the news and watch movies. Cable TV or any movie streaming service like Netflix, AmazonPrime, or Hulu will be a hit with families, especially those with older kids and teenagers.
A crib or playpen, high chair, baby gate, and maybe even a baby monitor are sure to delight parents with babies. They will likely bring their toddlers’ own training or “sippy” cups, but plastic, non-breakable plates, bowls, and cups will be useful for all young children.
Keep a first-aid kit fully stocked, with clear instructions to the closest hospital or emergency room. Additionally, secure your electrical outlets with covers and tables with corner guards.
With so many people now traveling by car, this amenity is in huge demand.
It’ll be a premium if you can provide it, so be sure to mention it in your listing description. If you can’t offer free parking on your property, direct your guests to the closest area in the neighborhood where they can safely leave their vehicles.
One of our jobs as hosts is to make our guests’ life easy while staying at our place. Though many of them work from home these days, they still go online for video meetings. They need to dress up for those and will want clean, freshly laundered clothes. A hot iron and ironing board will also come in handy.
Make sure there are extra sheets and blankets, pillows, towels, toiletries, hangers, and even a bathrobe — all the creature comforts that make it easy for guests to settle in and stay for a while.
Again, only provide a starter supply. For toiletries, that could mean a couple of bars of soap, small bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and several rolls of toilet paper.
Since the regular cleaning will fall on your guests’ hands, it’s a good idea to provide standard cleaning supplies. Because of Covid-19, Airbnb also recommends stocking up on extra paper towels, disposable gloves, multi-surface cleaner, disinfectant wipes or spray, and anti-bacterial hand sanitizer.
Read also: 9 Tips to Help Your Airbnb Rental Survive Covid-19
You can offer a mid-stay, monthly, or quarterly sanitation — for a fee. It’s when you can change all the linen, replace air filters, do pest control if necessary, and vacuum everywhere — under the beds, all the carpets, and even the walls and baseboards.
Inform your guests that Airbnb requires hosts to provide regular sanitation and that you’re doing your part to make sure everyone is safe. Explain the process and cost, detailing why the price will be higher than usual. Your cleaning crew will be doing more than just cleaning, and they’ll likely show up dressed in protective gear and use hi-tech equipment to carry out thorough disinfection.
Do you or your crew have an ozone generator or electrostatic sprayers? Offer to use those. If your guests agree to it, work out a schedule so disinfection can be done while they’re away for an entire day.
This is an especially welcome treat in places where summers can get extremely hot. Otherwise, electric fans will do.
A yard, patio, porch or balcony are premium amenities. If you have any of those, make it look more useful and inviting by placing outdoor furniture, a barbecue grill, and a hammock or rocking chairs. You can enhance that al fresco experience by adding even more thoughtful touches: string lights, wind chimes, bluetooth speakers, and ornamental or potted plants. That’s a huge draw that potential guests will have a hard time passing up.
As you’re able to provide any of the above amenities, be sure to include them in your listing description so you can stand out in search results.
Airbnb advises hosts to offer discounts for longer stays and to price listings exclusively for 28 days or longer.
Why not reach out to former guests — especially those you were happy with? Let them know you’re now accepting Airbnb monthly stays. Instead of trying to attract new customers who are complete strangers, you may as well entice those you’ve already vetted.
You can also consider diversifying your listing to other platforms. According to research, hosts who list on multiple channels earn twice as much as those who simply stick to one.
Consider sites like Vrbo, Booking.com, and Apartments.com. Even Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist can be alternative platforms for advertising your upgraded rental.
Read also: Alternatives to Airbnb: 5 Best Rental Listing Sites to Get More Bookings and Revenue
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