Nearly anyone can become an Airbnb host, but not everyone can offer the high-quality guest experience that helps their Airbnb listing take off. If you want your vacation rental to stand out so that you can become successful on the platform, you’ll ultimately need to elevate your property to cater to potential guests looking for a short-term rental that goes above and beyond.
Here’s how to make your Airbnb luxury with just a few simple changes. You’ll thank yourself later!
Elevate Your Space
It’s hard to run a luxury Airbnb if the environment doesn’t give off the vibes that travelers are looking for. Here, we’ll cover a wide range of changes you can leverage to make a first impression. However, some simple ways to elevate when you’re just getting started include:
- Install High-End Flooring: Flooring is one of the first things a guest notices when they enter a home. This is why it’s important to equip your Airbnb property with high-end flooring. Some excellent flooring options that will make all the difference in how guests perceive your property include natural stone flooring, hardwood flooring, and even premium vinyl. Don’t forget that you can create a stunning atmosphere on any budget. It just takes a bit of creativity!
- Improve the Look and Feel of Your Rooms With New Paint: Beyond the floors, the walls are the next focus in any room. A fresh coat of paint can be a great way to spruce things up, but you can always take it a step further and add some new wallpaper or even an accent wall.
- Don’t Forget the Outside: Nothing’s worse for a guest than booking a property with high-quality photos, only to go outside and see that the backyard and other areas of the property are not as nice as they should be. Take care to maintain or renovate the exterior of your home to get that luxurious feel inside and out. You want to make sure guests feel satisfied staying indoors or using your outdoor entertainment space.
Luxe Amenities
In the hospitality industry, amenities are king. After all, if a property offers everything in terms of looks but isn’t functional enough for the modern guest or doesn’t offer them something that they’re unable to enjoy at home, the positive reviews might not be flooding in as you expect.
There are going to be two types of amenities that you’ll focus on as you aim to transform your Airbnb into a luxury experience: large amenities and smaller amenities.
Larger amenities that guests may be looking for when they’re perusing the Airbnb platform for their next stay include things like hot tubs and pools, powerful HVAC units that are capable of efficiently warming or cooling space, and even large TVs so that guests can enjoy their time in your rental when they decide to stay in rather than visit local attractions.
With that in mind, you can still make your Airbnb stand out with the smaller amenities as well. Some of the smaller essential amenities you may want to focus on include high-end coffee makers, towel warmers, and a water filtration system for clean water for bathing, drinking, or cooking.
Put simply, guests want to feel as though they’re being given the best possible experience they can receive. If you can make guests feel this way on your rental property, you can run a successful Airbnb that will stand out.
Personal Touches
One of the tips and tricks for marketing your Airbnb as a luxury experience that may go undiscussed is to add personal touches to make your guests feel special.
Now, personal touches can come in a wide range of mediums, so it’s essential to learn more about the different ways Airbnb hosts add their personal touch and how you can leverage that to create your branding. Some ideas for personal touches include:
- A welcome card with your guests’ names and a personalized message.
- Complimentary robe and bath slippers.
- A bottle of wine with the guests’ names on it.
- A small basket of candy or baked goods.
- Luxurious self-care items.
- A sachet with fragrant herbs is left on the bed.
- And more…
Think about an experience you had as a guest on someone else’s property and how you can make your listing even better using those strategies. The more work you put in, the more you’re going to get out of your efforts.
Stylish Decor
Interior design is what separates average Airbnbs from Airbnbs which are characterized by charm and class. The right decor can completely transform a room, taking it from an empty husk to a gorgeous and decadent environment that anyone would be glad to pay to stay in. While everyone’s interior design tastes will vary, some tips will help you make your property more appealing.
- Consider what your style is or which interior design trends you’re looking to emulate. Your Airbnb property may change over the years, so coming back to this and finding new decor that meets these needs will likely be a regular occurrence.
- Make sure that your decor matches a color scheme and can be prominently featured throughout your space. Some examples of decor that you’ll be incorporating into your space include your furniture, lamps, paintings other wall decor, tables, and so on.
- Don’t forget about texture. Texture can greatly transform a space. For example, a relatively minimalist space can be enhanced with a shag rug, which adds a touch of comfort and something new that guests will surely be drawn to. Meanwhile, accent pieces can help certain areas stand out. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your interior design scheme.
- Experiment with what works and what doesn’t. Guests aren’t shy to leave reviews that tell hosts exactly how they feel about an Airbnb’s decor. If something doesn’t work, you will switch things up, but experimenting is the only way you learn what guests want most and how to deliver that.
Impeccable Cleanliness
Impeccable cleanliness is something Airbnb requires of both hosts and guests. It’s likely something that’s already in your house rules. That being said, not all hosts adhere to cleanliness requirements or make it a major focus to keep a property as clean as possible. What you end up with when you let your house go is negative reviews, an experience that tends to gross out guests, or a property that doesn’t look or feel like it’s at the pinnacle of the Airbnb platform.
Fortunately, this is something that can be changed. Cleaning can be a challenge or a chore for hosts, so the first step to take is to create a comprehensive chore list and schedule that’s easy to stick to after each stay. Then, streamline the cleaning experience by making sure that you have all the tools and cleaning solutions at your disposal. This ensures everything is ready when you need it.
Of course, you can also skip the hassle of doing it yourself and reach out to a nearby cleaning company to help you with the cleaning aspects of property management. Just remember that this will add to your property’s costs, running guests a little more. (Of course, if they’re paying for a luxury experience, they may not mind!)
Impressive Welcome Gifts
There are personal touches and then there are impressive welcome gifts. The first are amazing additions that guests will appreciate the moment that they start making themselves comfortable on your property while the latter are things that will truly amaze them and offer an experience for your guests that they will never forget.
As with some of the previous ideas, impressive welcome gifts could encompass any number of things. If you know that your guests are celebrating a special occasion, for example, you can make them feel welcome in your home and show them that you’re truly paying attention to their experience by giving them a gift card to a local restaurant or a special anniversary basket with experiences and high-end dining treats. It’s a nice surprise not featured in your listing description that sets you apart.
Of course, you don’t have to get extremely personal to show potential guests that you’re a luxurious Airbnb owner. Some other welcome gifts include movie tickets, exclusive passes to an event that guests may be in town for, or even gift cards for a shop nearby that they may love. If you make them feel at home and give them something a little extra, you’re sure to make them feel like they’re in the lap of luxury.
Host Like a Pro
Much like there are luxury hotel experiences and then average hotel experiences, how you act as a host plays a crucial role in where you fall on the spectrum. When you’re catering to guests from the Airbnb community, you should always:
- Be Attentive: A host that is checked out is an immediate red flag that prevents guests from checking in. You’re interested in their business, so it’s important to be responsive and act like it!
- Maintain Clear Communication: Clear communication is important because it ensures that all parties know how this relationship will work and what the stay has to offer. Answer any questions from the moment the guest books the property and let them know of anything they need to be aware of ahead of time.
- Make Sure Their Needs Are Met: While you don’t want to deal with overly demanding guests or go out of your way to provide a hotel experience (Airbnb is for travelers who prefer their privacy and independence, after all), you should still bet there to meet their needs, regardless of whether they need help finding something on the property or using certain high-end Airbnb amenities. You’re there to act as their guide on this luxury experience.
- Address Any Problems Immediately: Accidents happen and unforeseen problems occur. As a pro host, you’re able to tackle any of these issues with haste, all while maintaining your composition. No matter what the problem may be, be there to offer support so that it’s quickly remedied, allowing your guests to get back to their luxury stay immediately.
Memorable Experiences
Memorable experiences are made beyond just the experience offered by your Airbnb property. One such way that this is achieved is by offering your guests personalized recommendations. Personalized recommendations are essentially recommendations for things that guests can do while they’re in the area, especially if you live somewhere that is often in high demand and has a lot to offer nearby.
Open your instant or direct booking with the question, “What are you looking to experience while you’re here?”. Once they tell you a bit more about why they’ve come to the area and what they’re hoping to see, you can offer some advice to them for places that they may have not thought of yet that may be right up their alley. This can be especially important for guests who have children or for guests who have pets, both of who want a safer and more fun environment for both parties. It’s extra work on your part to do this for each of your new guests, but it can greatly change what they do while they’re staying at your property and potentially enhance the time they would have had otherwise.
A Little Bit of Care and Attention Goes a Long Way in Creating a High-Quality Experience
Learning how to make your Airbnb luxury isn’t as hard as you might think. While some of the work goes into the house itself and the amenities within it, a luxury Airbnb requires you to deliver a superior experience as well. Going the extra mile for every guest, keeping your space clean, and showing them what the world around them has to offer while they’re staying at your home can all make a difference in how guests perceive their stay. If you’re ready to improve your Airbnb, leverage the advice above to drastically transform the stay experience.