Being in the service industry and the hospitality industry can be nerve-wracking because you have to deal with all sorts of people all the time. Even if you're hosting an Airbnb, you still want to ensure that you make a great impression on your guests.
If this concerns you, here are a few tips and ways that would help you create that great impression on your Airbnb guests.
1. Touch up the entryway
They say that first impressions last, and the same rule applies to your Airbnb. Therefore, you want to find a way to make your Airbnb's first impression as appealing as possible. If your goal is to manage first impressions, you shouldn't focus on the inside of your Airbnb just yet. It would be best if you started by touching up the entryway first.
Try it for yourself and take a look at the path leading up to your property. Look at it from your guests' perspective. What do you think stands out the most on the entryway, both in a right and wrong way? This perspective should help you decide which ones you want to keep and which ones you want to modify somehow for the better.
2. Present a local gift
If your guests are from out of town or are foreign, one great way to welcome them is by presenting them with a local gift. Receiving a gift is always a pleasure, but even more so when it's as thoughtful as a local gift that your guests won't find where they're from. Plus, you know more about which local goods are the best, and they might not know about them.
It doesn't have to be anything too pricey or complicated. It can be baked goods that the locals love and that you love. Taking this additional step will make your guests feel warmly welcomed in an unfamiliar place, which they will appreciate.
3. Give them a welcome basket
Speaking of a warm welcome, you might also want to consider giving them a welcome basket once they come into your property. A welcome basket is different from the local gift in that it should be a basket full of essential things, like maybe some coffee or snacks. Although it might not be like a local gift, it's still a treat for them.
When there's a welcome basket on the property, it gives that additional professional touch that your guests will appreciate. It's also another way for you to improve your first impression of them.
4. Ensure the cleanliness
When Airbnb guests rate their rentals, they take into account several factors before doing their final review. They take notice of the quality of the Airbnb in terms of how well taken care of it is by the host. That's why according to Maid Sailors' home cleaning services NYC, it's crucial to your success that you keep the cleanliness of your Airbnb for each renter.
Even if it's not a factor that guests rate, it's still vital that you clean your Airbnb every time a guest leaves. Not only does it make your place more hygienic, but it also makes it safer to stay in because you clean it regularly.
5. Make your rental smell good
A clean Airbnb rental is essential and is not an optional case. However, if you want to elevate your efforts in making your rental fresh, you might also want to go through the steps of making it smell good.
Making your rental smell good can be tricky for some people because too much can deter your guests from your rental. That's why you should choose a smell that is not too strong. You want it to be subtle enough to overcome people when they enter, but it is still quite noticeable.
Again, it's one of those small steps that you can take to elevate your guests' experience in your Airbnb.
6. Allow easy check-in process
It's always a little uncomfortable having to deal with strangers, even if you are the Airbnb host. Plus, sometimes you might not be free enough to stop by the Airbnb, but you have to welcome your guests and help them check-in. To help reduce the hassle of the check-in process for you and your guests, you should invest in a keypad door knob.
It's hassle-free because you're guests don't have to jump through hoops to figure out how to get through and into the property they rented. At the same time, you also don't have to go through the hassle of meeting every guest you have because you can send them the code. You can then change the codes for each guest.
7. Give them their space
Although you might want to have a high rating as a host, it can backfire if you end up smothering your guests. Don't make your guests feel like you're always hovering around them and give them their space.
All you need to do is prepare an excellent rental for them and, at the same time, make yourself as available as possible for any of their concerns.
8. Have a meal with them
Although you want to give your guests some personal space, some of them might be welcome to you going the extra mile. They might appreciate a local showing them around and having a meal with them, so feel free to invite them to a welcome lunch.
This extra step is not very intrusive but still very welcoming for your guests, so it doesn't feel creepy to them. Of course, you have to be ok with the fact that they might decline any time.
9. Prepare a travel guide
Another helpful thing you could leave in your Airbnb for your guests would be a local travel guide. Make sure that you keep an updated travel guide so that your guests can have a way to brainstorm activities they can do while they're there.
The travel guide can also help them find their way towards specific amenities, like an ATM and grocery stores, without contacting you. That's why you should make sure that you leave the travel guide in a prominent and noticeable place.
10. Welcome them personally
It might help your guests if you welcome them personally and show them around the rental area. That way, any initial questions that they may have regarding how to use the property will have answers already since you're there.
At the same time, you can use this opportunity to hand them their welcome basket and the local gift if you plan on giving them. Of course, this isn't necessary, but that extra bit of effort will not go unnoticed.
The tips in this list are ranging from simple to not-so-simple, but either way, their end goal would be to please the guests and create an excellent impression. Therefore, if you want to level up your Airbnb hosting, these tips are the way to go. Next time you have a guest over, try and apply them and see for yourself how happy it will make your guests.
