Why I have built these tools for you
When I started hosting on Airbnb around a decade ago, I had to learn everything by trial and error. I was doing everything on my own and making plenty of mistakes. But also learning so much – I think that when I am learning and stretching in new ways is when I am at my happiest. My main mission was that I was trying to create a space for family and friends to stay and also open up for people like my family and friends to stay.
Starting out, I had to learn everything so quickly. I agonized over every detail: renting the apartment; sourcing furniture & decor (I am so not a decorator); safety; comfort and convenience. I lay in bed imaging where to put furniture and how people would be physically moving around the space.
Then I had to learn all about the mechanics of the Airbnb dashboard and which boxes to check. I had to decide on my policies for rules, pricing, communication and meeting the guests, checking out, cleaning and all of the thousands of unseen details that make up a short term rental.
Then the listing went live – I had barely completed the listing and my photos were poor and I didn’t even have my welcome book or maps finished. The demand for Short Term Rentals was so high that I was booked right away but then it all got real, very quickly. These were real paying customers who were planning to stay in my listing. Living breathing humans. They sleep, eat, bathe in my space. I was responsible for their safety and their comfort.
What a ride – it was scary, exhilarating and awesome all at the same time. I thrive on new adventures and experiences but this was really intense. One thing I hadn’t considered was how I would love to meet people in person. I’ve always loved real estate but in more of a life sized doll house kinda way – detached almost. Then it was all real when I was able to meet travelers, hear their stories and experience my city through their eyes.
Learning on the job
During this time, I was on my own – my husband had a full time job working 6 days a week in a restaurant. I also had a full time job and my son was still very little. But I did it all: cleaning the apartment, meeting the guests and also answering a ton of guest questions about my area.
I went to all the hosting meetups arranged by Airbnb, spent hours looking at the other listings in my area and generally scouring the Internet for any information about this new sharing economy. It was so hard as there was so little information out there.
I met up with different hosts and talked to them about their businesses. There were “Systems first” IT guys who saw this as an opportunity to automate and maximise their numbers and stats. There were the “money first bro-marketers” who saw this as a way to get-rich-quick with minimal effort, there were “commission first” real estate developers who saw this as a way of selling real estate.
None of these styles resonated with me and how I viewed the sharing economy. I think it is a privilege to create spaces where humans live. Where and how people sleep is such a personal thing and as a species it is when we are most vulnerable. I take this responsibility seriously and it brings me so much joy to take care of people. Sure this is a business and I am a business person. I care about maximizing the revenue but I also think that the sharing economy lights up my humanity as well.
Validating my Vision
The business kept growing which validated my vision and hospitality values. Business was indeed booming. If the guests didn’t keep booking with me then I would have stayed with a single listing for family and friends with a part time paid guests.
As I didn’t fit in with the other hosts in my orbit, I made up my own rules and standards. As I grew the business, I made sure that anybody who worked for me also shared these values and vision.
I tested my marketing, my listing photos, my rules, my communications and my systems. The business kept growing and growing as guests gave such amazing reviews, referred me to their friends and came back time and time again. I have had repeat guests that have bought property to allow me to manage this for their own hosting business.
Again more validation for my “Guest first” business model, my hospitality values and my communication systems. My focus has always been on the guests’ needs, comfort and their convenience. The money followed.
I will note with some satisfaction here that a number of the “money first” or “systems first” hosts that I met initially are no longer hosting. It seemed that in fact, they were not interested in the human side of this business and while the money was good, the effort of taking care of living, breathing and complicated people just wasn’t worth it for them.
More and more, I have been meeting more hosts that are looking for ways to make a sustainable business alongside a exceptional hospitality business. There is a way to balance great hospitality with an extremely profitable business. But what I discovered is that there hasn’t been many tools that support these kindred spirits.
So I am aiming to solve this issue by sharing my own tools that I use in my business. These are communication templates that I use with my own guests in all areas of my business. The language has been tweaked, tested and adapted as my business has grown and the market has matured.
5 Start Communication Template Swipe Files for Busy STR Hosts
It has been a busy time behind the scenes around here. I have been very busy creating files that can be used by other Wholehearted Hosts in their business. Super easy to implement: Copy and paste directly into your listing or use in communication templates or canned responses. I really want these to help hosts save time and stress. I wish I had these when I was starting out. It would have saved so many mistakes and miscommunications.
The list of Swipe files I have created to date are:
These are available as singles or as discounted bundles. Coming up soon are other hosting tools and templates. I have some trash signs, and some printables for inside your listing to set some smart boundaries for you and your guests.
I’d love to hear what sort of templates and swipe files hosts are needing. I am already updating the Covid protocols to include the new regulations from Airbnb.
Keeping Listings Fresh
How often do you look at your listing? Are you at a loss as to what needs to be included to best represent your hosting style and your brand? Getting a fresh eye on your listing is essential.
I can help you with that. Talking with hosts and viewing listing photos is not just my job but it is my passion. I can see very quickly the sorts of guests you are attracting and if you are also leaving money on the table.
disclaimer: We may receive a small introduction fee from vendors. This will not affect any prices that you are charged. But I will only recommend vendors that I know and love and ones that I have used for myself as a customer.
[…] miss out on this 2021 Black Friday Sale!Get it here!!!Need more info? Check out my swipe files here and my squeeze program […]