Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky has stated that travel after COVID-19 will not be the same. Many Airbnb/vacation rental hosts may be concerned after hearing this from the horse’s mouth. However, this is not always a terrible thing. While he indicates that the pattern of travel is changing, this does not suggest that individuals would travel less or use Airbnb less.
Airobotics, an Airbnb analytics platform, examined 240,000 active Airbnb listings in Florida, California, New York, and Texas and their booking performance in May and June.
1. Enable self-check-in
If you’ve just visited your Airbnb hosting page, you may have noticed that Airbnb recommends hosts include “self-check-in” under the opportunities area. However, some hosts are hesitant to include it. One of the most common reasons for not using self-check-in is a fear of receiving a negative review if Airbnb hosts do not personally meet visitors.
However, contrary to popular opinion, self-check-in listings have superior review rankings in the check-in, accuracy, and communication areas. Self-check-ins provide Airbnb guests more freedom in terms of when they check-in.
Clear communication is essential for a good self-check-in process. Giving guests a recorded training film is an intriguing tip. Some hosts, for example, record themselves exploring the house and demonstrating how to utilize some of the facilities on the video. Another suggestion is to plan welcome greetings, check-in instructions, and check-out messages using automated communications. This appears to be very valuable for hosts that have many properties.
If you’re considering self-check-in, you should consider purchasing one or more of the following: a keypad, a lockbox, or a smart lock.
2. Use relevant keywords.
The global pandemic has made hygiene and privacy a priority for vacation rental visitors because of the growing concern about personal health and security. So, how can you convince prospective guests that those are also your top priorities as a host?
When a user searches for a place to stay on listing services like Airbnb, the title is the first thing they see. According to our research, listings featuring phrases like “sanitization,” “sanitized,” or “secluded” had more bookings in June than ones without similar words. Furthermore, listings containing those descriptors were more likely to be occupied than those with other common adjectives such as “luxury,” “contemporary,” “bright,” and “historic.”
It’s worth noting that only one of the 130 listings included words like sanitization or seclusion.
You should also include:
- Other words that convey a sense of seclusion include “isolation” and “social distance.”
- On your title, include words like “sanitary,” “sterilized,” “sanitized,” “sanitized,” “sterilized,” “deep clean,” “extra clean,” “enhanced clean,” and “cleaning routine.”
3. Make your space suitable for short-term visitors.
There are more mid-term bookings now than before the epidemic, so make sure your place is ready to handle these types of guests as well.
Mid-term guests often require a kitchen, a washing and dryer, wifi, and heating. A laptop-friendly office could make your workplace more appealing as well!
Some Airbnb hosts have received numerous bookings from office workers working remotely, allowing them to work uninterrupted. This provides remote workers with the personal space they require during the day to work when they are interrupted at home.
Also, when possible, provide discounts for weekly or monthly stays, as your short-term rental rates are likely to be too high for someone looking for a mid-term stay.
4. Do not overlook domestic passengers.
Our investigation indicated that the number of domestic tourists is rapidly increasing in contrast to international travelers. Because the US already had a relatively high share of domestic Airbnb guests before COVID, this pattern is more visible outside of the US.
So, if you’re a vacation rental owner or property manager in Portugal with just English listings, it’s time to add a Portuguese translation to your listings or even to the headline of your listing. Many countries are currently banning international passengers, so make careful to tailor your list to domestic travelers.
One last thought
Despite the devastating effects of the global pandemic, the vacation rental and short-term rental industries have changed quickly. However, we are currently seeing an increase in travel habits, particularly in domestic travel and mid-term stays.
Finally, try adopting vacation rental software to improve your daily operations, remain on top of your responsibilities, and have a better understanding of all your bookings and calendars.
