This was one of the most popular posts from 2022 so I am republishing as June is pride month. A great time for a post on how you can make your Airbnb listing more welcoming and LGBTQ+ inclusive. Plus I will share my experiences hosting LGBTQ+ families. If you are reading this blog, then you know I am a Wholehearted Host so I don’t want to get into the weeds on why inclusion is the right thing to do – it just is. It makes sense on a human level but also on a financial one. Being inclusive means that you have simply added an additional ideal guest avatar to your business. There are many spaces where LGBTQ+ people are not made to feel welcome, and so providing a welcome space will set you apart from the competition. Plus give amazing guests more reasons to book with you, leave you amazing reviews, tell their friends and stay with you again and again.
What can’t be ignored is the impact of LGBTQ+ people have on the travel and leisure business. In the U.S. the community wields $100 billion in travel spending power annually, according to John Tanzella, president of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association.
Source
A 2021 survey by that group of 6,300 LGBTQ+ individuals from across the world, found that 26 perfect of those who plan to travel this year were likely to stay in a vacation rental instead of a hotel or resort
Perhaps you don’t personally identify with any of the letters in the LGBTQ+ spectrum. However, you can still wear your ally badge with pride and be an incredible host.
So the question to ask yourself is “How to create more LGBTQ+ inclusive listings”? Here are my top 5 ways to ensure your business is LGBTQ+ friendly.
1. Be inclusive when defining your Ideal Guest Avatar
As you know, I am all about clearly defining your ideal guest avatar – your IGA. For me, this is a family traveling as inbound tourists. Now for my business, I define a family quite broadly. After all, families come in different shapes, sizes, colours and religions. But the underlying needs and daily rhythms of families are the common thread.
I have hosted families where the parents were two women, two men, single parents, grandparents, extended families. Older children, younger children, trans children. To me, these families have similar needs and these are all my ideal guests but I still want to show that we are LGBTQ+ inclusive and signal that my homes are a safe place.
Perhaps your ideal guest avatar is not a family… perhaps your IGA are groups of friends (baecation), business travelers, traveling nomads and snowbirds. All of these require different strategies to set up your listing and amenities as well as your marketing. And you can be inclusive in how you define your own IGA within these demographics. I have plenty of posts on the Ideal Guest Avatar, but I am always open to have a chat in person. Drop me a line and set up a 15 minute call.
2. Make no assumptions with your communications
When potential guests write to us asking certain questions, I don’t assume that the family is a husband, wife and 2.5 kids. I ask people how many people in their group and if necessary the ages of the children.
It has been my experience that most LGBTQ+ families are screening me to see if my places are a good fit for them. So, often the first communication will include words like, “My name is Mark, my husband and our kids are traveling on these dates and can you accommodate us….”.
I always mirror this to signal that I have acknowledged their family dynamic and answer their questions honestly and truthfully.
If there are cases where there are multiple bedrooms and bed configurations, I will state what my options are and ASK if these will suit THEIR needs. Your listing should also clearly list in bullet points your amenities. If you need help with your listing copy, reach out.
3. Signal using colours, flags or photos in your listing and social media
Your listing is the first chance you have to make a great first impression. So signaling your allyship in your language, imagery and bio to show that you are LGBTQ+ inclusive. (BTW if you want to learn how to write a great bio, check out my blog post and take action in your bio.)
Emojis work great here – you can quickly signal that you welcome people from all over the world and that you are LGBTQ+ friendly with a few images. 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ 🌈 👩❤️👨👩❤️👩👨❤️👨
I know that modern inclusive language can get a little unwieldy, but a few well chosen images can signal much.
In your bio you can state that you are LGBTQ+ friendly or that you are an ally. This does have the added benefit of folks who are not your ideal guests to self select away. Personally speaking, if a white surpremacist or homophobe is looking at my listing, I am not so interested in hosting them. So if my statement of being an ally will mean that these folks don’t book with me, I’ll take that as a win.
4. Educate your staff on your LGBTQ+ Inclusive values
Have you written a company vision statement/mission statement? This should be inclusive and really communicate to the outside world your company/personal values. This should also be used when you hire staff to ensure they uphold these values in all areas of your business. So you can specifically speak with staff on how to treat all guests with respect and dignity.
Modeling how to treat all guests is your duty as a business owner so your staff will take the lead from you. Be aware that assumptions, gossip and prejudice is toxic to any business so as the business owner, it is your job to set the tone for the entire organization. Plus act swiftly if any of the staff are not in alignment with the vision and mission that you have defined.
5. List your property on multiple OTAs including some LGBTQ+ inclusive ones
There are a few OTAs that are specifically aimed at the LGBTQ+ market and being LGBTQ+ inclusive. Two of the biggest are FABSTAYS and MisterB&B.
If you take a look at the listings on these sites, you can also see how other hosts are using language and imagery to signal to LGBTQ+ guests will be treated with dignity and respect.
If you want to do a deeper dive into inclusivity for your listing, the sites above have really cool guides and tools for hosts so that you can ensure you are LGBTQ+ inclusive.
Final thoughts
Being a Wholehearted Host in all areas of your business is a smart choice – ethically and financially. The great thing about this business means that you can have impact in your immediate communities and also in the lives of your guests – all your guests. Knowing that my hospitality standards have contributed to another person’s happy memories brings me so much joy. Being able to provide a safe place for LGBTQ+ guests brings me a sense of accomplishment.
It doesn’t cost me any money to be inclusive but it has brought me high paying guests who have returned multiple times which has been extremely profitable. Win-Win
So many people in corporate jobs often feel that they are not in alignment with their company culture but as a STR business owner you can design a business that matches your values. Flying your ally flag will also give like minded guests another reason to be happy about choosing your listing. The more touch points to connect with guests that are not price related, means you are not using discounting as your main marketing tactic. You can have a profitable, sustainable and ethical business, sleep well at night and create generational wealth for your family.
Is copywriting getting you down?
I get it – it is hard to know just what to write in all areas of your listing. Many hosts are so burned out by the time it comes to write their BIO, they just leave it. But it is a really important marketing tool. If you want to learn how to write a great bio, check out my blog post with all the tips.
Leave a Reply