Denver Airbnb Stay: Jenny’s Experience staying at an Airbnb with a Hostess

I had the privilege to interview a colleague, Jenny Nuss, on her Airbnb experience in Denver.  Jenny is the creator of the blog, The Alone Zone.  She created this blog for introverts and everyone who needs to be alone every once in a while.

Jenny said to me, while she usually chooses Airbnb’s without a host live-in, this particular Airbnb she chose quality and price over having an Airbnb to herself.  She was on a tight budget for this trip and while she was apprehensive about staying in Airbnb with a host, she said it was actually a decent experience.

The pricing was under $100, split between two people, which was reasonable, especially because the Airbnb was a bit out of the way of where Jenny was hoping to be.  But it was to check-in and settle into their rented room.

“The atmosphere of the Airbnb was friendly, and the hostess of the house presented herself and the house in a welcoming manner.” Said Jenny.

Every guest is looking for a welcoming and friendly Airbnb, whether you the hostess/host is there or not.  Jenny especially enjoyed her experience because her hostess left free coffee, instructions or policies and also helpful tips for activities around Denver.

“She wasn’t there very often, or we didn’t see her much, but when she was around, she was helpful and very nice.” Jenny said.

Jenny was worried about safety and security, but all hesitations were squandered after she became more acquainted with the security measures of the home.  There was a code box to enter the home.  It was a secure home in a nice neighborhood.  Jenny felt she was safer at this Airbnb than at a hotel, “I was surprised at that.”

The checkout process was easy and the hostess laid out instructions that were on a poster in the room.  The only major cleanup that was expected was to strip the bed of the sheets and duvet cover.

Overall, Jenny had a good experience, her first time staying with a host, at this Airbnb in Denver.  She would stay there again and highly recommend it to others.

~Lyssa at HostessRight Signing Off 🙂

Color Schemes Galore: Best ways to choose your color designs for all rooms of your Airbnb

Hi Crew!

Today I want to talk about color schemes for your Airbnb.

Any home or hospitality expert will tell you neutral colors are perfect for all decorating purposes, but that’s not true.  While yes, we do not know exactly what our guests are looking for, but as hostess and hosts, we need to know what our properties need.  Think of the location of your home, the charm of the home and a theme you want for the Airbnb.  The link I have provided will send you to rentingyourplace.com, they have some great tips for how to decorate your Airbnb.

In that specific blog post, they talk about identifying your audience, who are you trying to attract to your rental property and what kind of experience do you want them to have?  If you have an antique or historic theme for Airbnb, choose colors and decorations for that specific theme, don’t go neutral or modern, it won’t match the rest of the exterior or interior aesthetic.  Choose colors that are right for your charm of the house, the aesthetic will attract the audience you want.

I found an article on Forbes.com, this article had some great advice for coloring your home.  One piece of advice was to pick the largest room or the focal point of your home, choose a color for that specific room and then use colors around the rest of your home to complement that focal point.  It will make options and overwhelming decisions dwindle down.

Takeaways, Airbnb is a community based on reviews and ratings.  Your home should reflect your style, your home or apartments charm and the Airbnb’s locations.  Most of the time people are looking for a relaxing getaway and or an intimate hospitable experience.  If you need recommendations or options for colors, HGTV has the Sherman Williams collection on hand with color swatches galore!

If you want more decorating and interior design tips or ideas, check out a previous post “A Must Watch Show on Netflix for all Airbnb Hostesses and Hosts: Stay Here”

 

~Lyssa at HostessRight is Signing Off 🙂

 

Announcement! Sneak Peek into HostessRight Airbnb Style Weekly E News Letter

Hi Crew!

I am briefly going to talk about an upcoming e-new letter for HostessRight.  If you have liked the content I have been sharing with you all, then you can sign up for my news letter.  You will stay updated on content I will be posting in up coming weeks and get the inside scoop on fun activities I will be doing.

Stay tuned in for more posts to come on Thursday and Saturday, this week!

Always remember to like, comment and share my blog posts 🙂

Have a beautiful and inspired day!

~Lyssa at HostessRight signing off 🙂

Ratings are an Airbnb Hostess and Host’s Best Friend: Tips to remember to get good ratings.

It’s true, ratings are your best friend!

Ratings and reviews are the reason people choose your home over so many other Airbnbs or even hotels.  They stay for the ratings.  Of course, people may stay at a three or four-star hotel for a cheaper rate, but there is something a little different while staying in someone else’s home.  With hotels, it’s a similar process, you check in at a front desk, you know a worker is there 24/7, if something is wrong, there is usually someone to fix any issue and you feel a bit safer, even if it’s only a three-star hotel.  But with an Airbnb, people are expecting just a bit more quality.

Here are several tips to remember, if you want those five-star ratings:

Don’t be a catfish and Advertise Appropriately: If your Airbnb does not live up to the standard people are expecting, guests will write about that.  No one wants to be catfished, by people or by Airbnbs.  Be honest and upfront about locations (like if it’s in a not so great spot and then price accordingly.) and let your guests know about anything they may need to be concerned or aware of.  On the other hand, if you have a fantastic Airbnb property, WRITE ABOUT IT!  Don’t be humble or coy about your property, it will only help you in the long run.

Welcome Baskets go a long way:  I will tell you, after my years of working in the hospitality industry, people leave important amenities at home all the time.  It is in our nature to forget at least one thing that we need.  Whether it be toothpaste, deodorant, a phone charger, anything, we will forget it.  Welcome baskets are not necessary and expenses will add up if you have to replenish them very often, but people will appreciate little amenities they can use, take or even eat!  These baskets really do go a long way and people will rave about them in reviews and ratings.

Offer extra services:  I talked before in my last blog post about extra services.  While yes you can charge for extra services, they are still greatly appreciated by the masses.  While we expect – since Airbnb’s are someone else’s home – people will keep Airbnb’s tidy and left the way they found it, some people do not, unfortunately.  These people, and many other guests will leave five-star reviews for cleaning services.  I have talked to people that have stayed at Airbnb’s that made them strip the beds and take out the trash.  It’s only a mild inconvenience, one that wouldn’t deter them from staying there again, but they felt as if that was not their responsibility, especially after paying a decent amount for the Airbnb.  Of course your home and your rules, just remember you’re trying to be the hostess with the mostest!

Concierge it up:  Help your guests out with fun vacation/ tourism hot-spots.  Offer up a list of your favorite restaurants, bars and activities to go to in your area.  It takes some of the pressure off of your guests to find things to do, if they are there on a fun vacation.  And even if they’re not (let’s say they’re on business.) they will still keep in mind your intent to guide and help your guests.

Always be on your game:  In cases of emergency, make sure you or someone who manages your property is there to help.  You never want your guests to feel helpless or abandoned.  Whether you live at your Airbnb property or you’re across the nation or even just across the street, your hosting skills should always be on and ready to go.  Stellar ratings and reviews will follow your lead.

Remember, some people rent out Airbnb’s for a living, they are pros in hospitality and Airbnb.  Some of us are amateurs and that is okay, I am here to help you succeed in your hospitality venture!

~Lyssa at HostessRight Airbnb Style is signing off 🙂

Airbnb with a Sketchy Location but Fantastic Renovations: Chicago Airbnb: Justin’s Experience

“My GPS was telling me to go left and right, take this winding road here, turn right again and your destination will be on the left.  I’ll I could see was homeless people and rundown shops and one Dunkin Donuts.”

Airbnb’s can be in any location, owned by any type of person and advertised in any way.  The question, in profitability’s case, is do we advertise if our home or property is in a sketchier area?  If you ask Justin (which I did) he would say, yes please advertise where you are!  “I don’t think it would have stopped me from reserving the Airbnb and going there, especially because the inside of the house was super dope and the couple seemed really nice, I just would’ve had more of a heads up about where I was actually going.” Justin said.

Advertising your address is a must, because how else are your guests going to find you?  And you’d think your guests would look up your location to see the community, what will be around them for activities, so on and so forth.  But some people do not research that much, or simply they have a one-track mind for their stay.  Justin planned on being in Chicago for two nights.  He went for a Black Hawks game and a concert.  He was not particularly interested in the community where he’d be staying.  He was concerned about pricing and aesthetics.  “They had a dog advertised on their page and I loved that [too].” Justin said adoringly.

Justin had an overall great experience; the couple was incredibly accommodating, they had a very lovely and newly renovated home [on the inside] and check out was super easy.  Justin had only been to Chicago once before as a child with his family, so he was unaware of many specific bad areas of Chicago and would’ve liked more of a description of where his Airbnb was.  HostessRight Airbnb Style is leaving you with one piece of advice today: Describe your location, for newcomers it’s helpful and could save you a bad review or two with a forewarning on your profile (obviously if necessary!).

~Lyssa at HostessRight Airbnb Style is signing off 🙂