How to Get More Bookings on Airbnb — Stand Out and Book Out

The Big Picture On Getting More Bookings or Airbnb:

• • Optimize your Airbnb listing with quality photos, detailed descriptions, and regular updates to stand out.
  • Focus on longer stays, offer amenities, and go the extra mile with personal touches to impress guests.
  • Consider co-hosting, make your space inclusive, and be flexible with guest requests to increase bookings.

So you’ve set up an Airbnb account and hitched yourself to the Airbnb craze. And why not? It’s a smart way to profit off a room you don’t use regularly or to earn more on a rental unit.

However, as Airbnb’s popularity continues to grow, you need to grow alongside it if you want your Airbnb business to be competitive. What worked four years ago may not be good enough to stand out and attract consistent bookings today.

Sub-par listings, accommodations, or Airbnb business practices are a surefire way to leave money on the table.

If four walls, a bed, and a glass of water are all you offer, it’s time to reevaluate your Airbnb business plan. Here are proven tips to perk up your Airbnb business, impress your guests, and boost your bookings and revenue!

1. Enable Instant Booking for Faster Reservations

Unsurprisingly, Airbnb’s algorithm favors listings with instant booking features — these listings often rank higher in search results.

Try putting yourself in the guests’ shoes. You’d surely appreciate the convenience of securing your accommodation without waiting for the hosts’ approval. This alone can lead to increased bookings and higher occupancy rates.

But if you’re concerned about guest quality, don’t worry; Airbnb allows setting specific requirements, such as positive reviews or government-issued ID verification, so hosts can maintain control over who can instantly book. 

Also, implementing this feature doesn’t mean sacrificing preparation time; automated scheduling solutions can seamlessly integrate with your Airbnb account or property management system to generate cleaning tasks automatically.

2. Attract Longer-Term Bookings

Every booking requires you to coordinate with guests, change the linens, clean the rental unit, etc. A one-night booking requires the same amount of work as a one-month booking, yet the difference in Airbnb revenue is enormous.

Running an Airbnb business is effectively a second job, which means managing your time is a top priority. After all, time is a limited resource and one you can’t get back.

One option is to charge more for one—or two-night stays. You can increase the nightly rate and offer deep discounts for weekly or monthly bookings. Another option is to set a minimum stay requirement.

When determining your Airbnb strategy, weigh the pros and cons of longer versus short-term stays. Does your state require eviction for renters who stay longer than a certain period?

If you rent out a room in your home, you should vet long-term guests to ensure you can live alongside them for the full length of their stay!

Booking several short-term guests a week can result in a pricey turnover. Making sure your space is tidy after every guest might not seem like a time-sink, but it can add up fast. Should you choose to host a guest for months at a time, they’re held to a higher level of accountability, which means less wear and tear. Moreover, you’ll enjoy a steady source of more consistent income.

As a final thought, remember that one—or two-night stays can prevent longer-term guests from booking during that time slot. If someone books your unit for a Saturday night only, all of the following guests looking to visit for a week-long stay will no longer see your listing as an available option.

For the fine details of long-term hosting, check out Airbnb’s advice on the subject.

Comparison of Short-Term vs. Long-Term Airbnb Booking

For a better picture, here are some major differences between short-term and long-term booking!

3. Keep Your Listing Current

Setting up an Airbnb profile and kicking your feet back is not enough. As a host, there’s a lot expected of you from both your guests and the site itself. Forget that you’re running a business on Airbnb, and you risk obscurity.

To stay relevant to Airbnb’s search engine, you have to put detail into your listing. Your online presentation is the first thing potential guests will see before deciding whether to contact you, so a stellar listing is a must.

How do you improve your image? Start with images! Photos of your space that offer a realistic representation of its look and feel will draw people more than a block of descriptive text ever could.

Make sure the unit is spotlessly clean, and take photos during daylight hours on a sunny day. The more light, the better.

Use a real camera rather than a phone, and take shots from every angle—and don’t hit me with “my phone has more megapixels, blah blah blah.” Just borrow a real camera from your good friend or rent one!

Aim for at least 20 photos, preferably closer to 30. Include a shot of the front of the building.

Another tip is to rewrite and improve your description semi-regularly. Be as thorough as possible—both about the space and your neighborhood—to avoid surprises for your guests that might result in a poor rating.

Airbnb owners should also note their parking policy in the listing. Guests value any amenities your place offers and will value a safe and inexpensive parking space if you can provide one.

Always specify exactly the number of bedrooms and the size and number of beds in each. It’s incredible how many hosts fail to do this and lose Airbnb revenue and bookings.

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4. Spruce, Spruce, Spruce!

Everyone has had a poor hotel experience. The sheets have a criminally low thread count, the locks don’t work, and there’s a suspiciously dark stain on the carpet.

Do you really want to operate your Airbnb business like that?

As a host, you’re expected to provide for the people in your home. You don’t earn five stars by sitting on your hands. Before your visitor steps foot through the door, you should have checked off the following questions:

1. Is there a bottle of water on the nightstand and fresh towels left folded for the guests?
2. Is the bed and the rest of your home clean and welcoming in its presentation?
3. If you own a pet and rent a room in your home, have you searched for dog/cat hair that might cause an allergic reaction?

Check in advance with your guests to see if they have any unique needs. You don’t want a clumsy interaction in which a request is unaccounted for, leaving you on the spot without an answer.

Remember that first impressions matter! If you want to be perceived and remembered in a positive light, allocate at least an hour to preparing the space your guest will be staying in. The extra care counts.

5. Create a Pre-Arrival Guide for Guests

Providing all the necessary information before guest check-ins lets them navigate their stay independently. The guide should be as straightforward as possible so the guest would be less likely to reach out to you for simple clarifications, which defeats the purpose of the pre-arrival guide.

A simple welcome book should include details such as precise directions to the property, access instructions, Wi-Fi passwords, house rules, and so on. Automating this process through a sequence of pre-scheduled messages can save hosts valuable time while ensuring guests receive timely information.

Many property management platforms offer message templates covering various stages of the stay, from booking confirmation to check-out reminders. And, of course, guests will appreciate knowing how to contact you in case of emergencies or unexpected issues.

6. Go the Extra Mile

Small touches can make a huge impact — a bottle of wine left with a handwritten note, a list of recommended restaurants or entertainment, or a chocolate left on the pillow.

To get the most out of your Airbnb business, you have to go above and beyond the call of duty. Unexpected little touches like these make your Airbnb rental memorable.

If you’re meeting your guests in person, take a moment to ask them about their plans for their stay. Ask if they’d like any recommendations or referrals.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in the city? Are you aware of an upcoming event? Bringing these to your guests’ attention will go a long way toward forming their final opinion of your service.

Guests will appreciate the time you take to show them special attention. You’ll stand out in their mind as someone who housed them for a few nights and led them to discover new opportunities.

7. Co-Host Other Airbnb Landlords’ Rental Units

Hosting your own Airbnb listing is great, but have you considered co-hosting another? A co-host assists other owners in managing their Airbnb unit and the needs of their guests, and it’s a great way to earn commission on the side.

If you are familiar with the area and are already running an Airbnb business there, it can be an easy way to expand your business and Airbnb revenue. You already have a cleaning crew in place, and you can tweak your Welcome package to reflect the other host’s property.

The technical process is simple. Just ask the other host to visit the Airbnb website, navigate to “Listings,” select the listing they want to edit, and click “Co-Hosts.” From there, they can add you and up to two other co-hosts.

As a co-host, you’ll be expected to communicate with guests, prepare their accommodations, make updates, and clean. If you’re willing to make space in your schedule to offer an extra pair of hands, this can increase your profit and improve your credibility.

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8. Make Your Listing as Accessible as Possible

You won’t generate any money through exclusivity. The goal of any Airbnb owner should be to present their home as a safe, inclusive space for people of any background. Selectivity is fine — necessary, even — but choosiness hurts more than it helps.

Consider making your space particularly welcoming to guests with children and animals. If a family intends to stay in town for the night and bring their young children and dog, they’ll search for listings that allow everyone to stay. Making this openness explicit can attract more interest.

While it’s true that you run a greater risk of damage by letting in rowdy kids and pets, you’ll make up for it with increased business.

When detailing your listing on Airbnb, include information relevant to people with special requirements. Is your rental unit wheelchair accessible? Is there elevator access to the unit? Does the shower feature handles?

The more inclusive you can make your listing, the more Airbnb revenue and bookings you can expect.

9. Incorporate Flexibility into Your Airbnb Business Plan

Sure, you have your own schedules, a full-time job, and other responsibilities. However, the more flexible you can be to special requests, the better your ratings will be and the more bookings your Airbnb business will see.

For example, could you find ways to accommodate guests’ requests about check-in and check-out times to the best of your ability? A car rental or flight delay might cause an unexpected change in your guest’s plans. Would you want them to leave a poor review because you kicked them out into the cold to enforce a policy?

When mapping out your Airbnb business plan, look for ways to automate entry and exit so your guests can arrive without you and “check out” without you.

Similarly, be responsive if guests make a special request. If the unit does not have air conditioning and a heat wave comes through, can you provide an extra fan or two? If a guest loses a key, what’s your plan for getting them a copy?

You can charge extra for items like lost keys, but what you can’t do is leave the guests waiting without a key for eight hours. If you’re unavailable to help a guest, who’s on deck to help them?

Invest an hour in drafting a thorough Airbnb business plan that includes contingencies like lost keys, special requests, backup contacts, etc.

10. Utilize Different Platforms For More Chances of Bookings

Some of you might think, “This is about Airbnb, isn’t it?” You’re not wrong, but the bottom line of this blog is to increase your revenue, and expanding your vacation rental’s reach beyond Airbnb can significantly increase your property’s revenue potential, so why not?

For starters, platforms like Vrbo, Booking.com, and Homestay cater to diverse traveler preferences, while niche sites like Mister B&B and Handiscover target specific travel needs. However, choosing the right platforms isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. That’s why market research is essential for identifying the most suitable platforms for your property type and location.

Of course, managing listings on multiple platforms comes with its own set of challenges. One of the biggest hurdles is synchronizing calendars, rates, and bookings across different platforms. Fortunately, specialized software solutions can streamline this process — automatically updating availability and pricing across all connected channels.

Think Like an Airbnb Business

Airbnb hosts and other vacation rental landlords are businesspeople and need to think like business people. That includes creating an Airbnb business plan, having detailed policies in place, and having plenty of contingencies.

Most of all, it means focusing on marketing, looking for ways to make your listings stand out, taking outstanding “product” photos of your unit, and being responsive to all requests.

Take the SparkRental online masterclass on How to Double Your Revenue with Airbnb, and sign up for an Airbnb account if you haven’t already done so.

If you follow all tips above, you’ll see significant boosts in your Airbnb revenue in no time. Happy hosting!

What are your tips for boosting your Airbnb revenue? Share your experiences and thoughts below!

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