Hi, I’m Danielle.
And I’m Ely.
And this is our Hunter Green House in the Catskills.
How’s it going? My name is Ray. And this is our Hunter Green House in the Catskills.
How’s it going? My name is Ray.
We are at my Airbnb The 1925 Cottage here in beautiful and scenic Paupack, PA.
Welcome to Upstate New York.
I’m Lisa and this is Marco, and this is our House on Smith Lane.
We’re here to share our collective experience
as a quick start guide to setting up your listing.
Before we get started, we have one thing to say.
Welcome!
You’re going to get used to saying that.
A lot.
Chapter one. The importance of photos.
Photos are super important because that’s what guests see first.
Your first photo is what shows up in search results.
So, make sure to lead with your best.
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to take great listing photos.
Because the biggest photography secret?
It’s all about the lighting.
We put a big emphasis on photos
because you want to give people a sense of what your listing is all about.
It should be bright and intriguing enough for people to click through and see more.
You want to have a good mix of wide shots and details as well
to really show people how special your place is.
There’s a full video on this with professional photographers and hosts.
So be sure to check that out.
Chapter two. Perfecting your title, descriptions and amenities.
Descriptions help not only sell your space, but tell the story of your space.
Don't feel pressure to come up with the perfect description.
Just plan to update it later as you get inspiration and feedback from the guests.
Also, keep it brief.
Details can live in the amenity section.
My first title for the cottage was kind of ridiculous. It was
Harold and Durrett's Original 1925 home located not far from the lake,
which is a lake now, but wasn't a lake then, because it stuck. It was –
it just kept going on and on.
And now it's just the 1925 Cottage.
Highlight what makes your space unique.
Be sure to be honest. It's really crucial when getting great reviews.
I think the best way to sell staying in an old home is to really play up the features that make it unique.
The things that really make it full of character and full of interest.
For example, the chair I'm sitting in right now.
It's pretty amazing. But when people stay at the cottage, they always tell me that they feel like they're home,
and when they come in the door, the house gives them a big hug.
Guests on Airbnb are looking for unique experiences.
Let your personality and hosting style come through in your descriptions.
Chapter three. Setting the right price.
As much as photos and descriptions matter,
one main factor for a guest to ultimately book? Price.
When you're just starting out and you don't have the luxury
of all those great reviews, the best thing to do is take a look at
other properties in the area, similar listings,
and see what they're priced at. And then price yours a little lower.
Going forward, you can raise your price
or consider additional fees as a way to grow your earnings.
We have a cleaning fee to cover the cost of our cleaning services and supplies.
You can also add an extra guest fee.
Also, check out smart pricing. It lets you set a minimum and maximum price
and gives you recommendations based on similar listings in your area.
In the summer, we have a pool, which is super nice.
So, we keep our prices a little bit higher.
In the winter, things are a little less popular,
so we'll bring our price down a little bit. And that way we can keep bookings constant throughout the year.
Chapter four. Owning your calendar and booking settings.
Being a host means hosting when you want, how you want.
So plan your calendar accordingly.
Settings in your account allow you to control how and when guests can book your listing.
By syncing your calendars, you can avoid cancellations and penalties,
which could hurt your ranking as a host.
If we need a day between guests to get everything organized or clean,
we can choose to block one or several days automatically between bookings.
And when we really want to make sure our calendar is booked out, we use Instant Book.
Instant Book helps you increase your chances of getting booked
by allowing guests to book automatically.
You won't be approving every request,
but you do have control over your bookings by setting your own criteria.
For instance, only allowing guests with a government issued ID
and positive reviews to book your home automatically.
Your calendar and settings let you get the bookings you want.
So spend some time fine tuning this.
Chapter five. The keys to standing out in search.
Here are six key elements that can help you boost your search ranking.
Number one, activate Instant Book.
Number two, maintain a high acceptance rate.
Number three, get lots of positive reviews.
Number four, price competitively.
Number five, avoid cancellations whenever possible.
Number six, respond ASAP to guest inquiries.
Well. That's pretty much it.
You know, those are the tricks that helped us become really successful.
I think it really was all about getting to the front of those search listings.
Chapter six. How bookings happen.
There are three ways guests will contact you.
One, sending a message with any questions before their stay.
You will receive this as an inquiry in your inbox.
Two, requesting to book. And when that happens,
you have 24 hours to accept or decline.
Three, booking instantly through Instant Book.
That's it! It's pretty simple. We try to respond
as fast as we can and try to accept as many requests as we can.
It's a foolproof way of upping your rankings in the search.
Chapter seven. Getting paid.
Getting paid on Airbnb is super easy.
As in, it's automatic.
Set up your payout preferences in your profile.
Choose from methods like direct deposit or PayPal, Set up your payout preferences in your profile.
Choose from methods like direct deposit or PayPal,
whatever works best for you.
Well, how are we feeling? Ready to become the ultimate Airbnb hosts?
Remember, should you have more questions–
There are lots of hosting resources to help you as you go in the Airbnb Resource Center.
You'll find other hosts like us sharing our learnings and pro tips.
So, be sure to check that out as well.
So, until we meet in real life, thanks for learning with us and–
Happy hosting!