Airbnb

I’ve hosted and stayed at dozens of Airbnb’s during my travels and can make these recommendations to hosts:

If you own the home, I recommend these changes and products:

Schlage Keypads – If you are using a key, a key and a lockbox, please consider this keypad instead. I have used these and they are much better than a key. You can delete the code and enter a new one after a guest moves out so you don’t have to worry about if they made a copy of the key. Much more convenient for the host and guest.
Panasonic Whisper bathroom fans. They are super efficient and really quiet.
Timer switches for the fans above. I’ve had roommates that leave the fan on all day. This prevents that.
Thermostat lock box. These prevent people from changing the temp setting. I installed one of these and have had no complaints about the temp since I installed them.
AC outlets near the bed with USB plugs are always handy to recharge a phone. 3 prong outlets are a necessity since many ac adaptors for laptops use them.
Window diffusion is handy for providing privacy and light simultaneously. It’s easy to install too. Home Depot sells this. Amazon has all different styles. I usually put on the bottom half of the window.
A Roomba vacuum on each floor is handy. These things are amazing. I don’t recommend the Roomba at Costco since it’s too expensive. The $200-$240 model 600 series from Amazon is all that’s required. Empty the dust bin and smack the filter on the ground outside once a week and you are good to go. You can program it to clean on a particular day and time each week.
These bidets will pay for themselves in lower toilet paper costs after the first two months. You can get a handyman to install pretty quick. Your toilets won’t get clogged up anymore saving you money, time, and hassle.
I recommend the expensive Charmin toilet paper and not the Kirkland brand at Costco. It’ll save money in the long run.
Even if you have AC, a portable tower fan in every room can be really useful.
If you live in an area with cold winters, or your rental is the basement, supply an Electric Blanket. These are amazing! Even if you have a queen size bed, a twin sized electric blanket is plenty big enough. They are also washable! Note that prices vary based on color, size and fluctuate so click through all the colors before buying. Since they go beneath the fitted sheet, color doesn’t really matter since you don’t see it. This will save on your heating bills and complaints of it being too cold by your guests.
Night Lights – These automatic night lights are great. Cheap and effective. Use them all over the house. That way if your guest get up in the middle of the night they can navigate their way to the bathroom.
Install a key lock on all bedroom doors. Ask the guest to leave the key in the doorknob when they check out and take a pic of it so you know they left it there.
Install a smoke detector in every room and carbon monoxide sensor/alarms on each floor and indicate this on the airbnb webpage amenities section.
Buy new towels. They are cheap and make a good impression.
A new comforter on top of the bed looks good when you take a pic of the bedroom and makes a good first impression.
A desk and office chair with wheels is a great idea. I’d estimate less than half of my airbnb’s had a desk and chair and most had ample space for one. This way a guest can work on their laptop.
Interior door bumpers. These things quiet down the door closures and solves this common problem of door slamming.

Maintenance

Squeaky doors, some silicone spray or WD-40 solves this problem.
Squeaky floors should get fixed too.
Doors that don’t open or close easily, please fix. When a guest has to force the door to open or close everyone in the house can hear it.
Door latch and striker should have some silicone spray done once a year to keep them functioning smoothly.

Misc

If you have security cameras anywhere on your property please disclose it in your ad and again in the house rules so the guest knows. It’s really creepy to be recorded without knowledge that it’s happening. A camera at the entry though can be helpful. One host told me she caught a reservation for a couple inviting 15 people over for a party and sleepover while she was gone so at the entry and maybe the back door would be a good idea. Inside the house though, is it necessary? Would you want to be recorded inside an airbnb you’re staying at?
Include everything in the rent but food makes things easier especially for short term stays. Specifically, supply body wash, shampoo, conditioner, towel for the bathroom floor, bath towels, and a yoga mat since these are bulky items that people don’t want to pack. Costco Kirkland products work well for the above items.
Verify your Wifi is fast enough to Netflix in all rooms, if not, get a booster.
Post accurate pictures and descriptions. I’ve been to a few airbnb’s where I got catfished and the pictures were not accurate at all. I was too tired from driving to find another one I just endured some crappy accommodations.
Post the house rules on a webpage so you don’t have to repeat it for each new guest. Airbnb has a section for this. I’d also include all the recommended places to eat, shop, and sight see at. Include public transportation info too.
If you have an electric car charger or plug outside that guests can use, let them know in your ad. This should be a searchable amenity on airbnb but isn’t yet. I sent it in to them though.
Be honest and upfront about the parking, noise, neighbors dog, street noise, proximity to train tracks etc otherwise the guest will complain to airbnb and you’ll get a negative review or the guest might leave before the reservation is up.
Post the WiFi network name and pw, your phone, and the mailing address of place on a piece of paper on the desk or wall so they have easy access to it if they are ordering food etc.
Indicate what mailing address to use and if it’s okay to receive amazon packages or mail at this address.
Writing reviews – keep them honest, concise, and to the point. “I would definitely host this guest again!” pretty much says it all, but feel free to elaborate. If you feel you really need to warn future hosts of this guest, that’s where it gets tricky.
Responding to poor reviews – In general I wouldn’t. Why? Adding a response will draw attention to the review. Some guests are just nasty people. Moreover, the more guest reviews you have the lower that review will get pushed down and most people won’t even see it. If you do respond, then address the specific issues in the review. For example of what not to do in a response:

AirbnbJenne A better response to this review would be, “<insert guest name> gave me great hosting advice so I installed a keypad in the front door, labeled the refrigerators, and wrote a house manual that you’ll receive after you book. Thanks <insert guest name>!” Never attack a guest in a response to a bad review, just address the issues brought up in the review. Instead of admitting your windows have no screens, something not even written about in the review, just install screens and future guests will be happier. This host is in Orlando, FL 25 miles from Disney World and has no bookings for July, Aug, Sept during the busiest season. She only has 3 bad reviews, one was scathing and mine above is just factual and informative, yet her response made it much, much worse.

As a guest:

Read 11 above under Hosting. Lesson as a guest is to read each of the reviews and scrutinize any negative reviews.
If you get catfished, take pix and contact airbnb right away. Don’t expect too much from them though…
If you don’t feel safe, record any audio of conversations, contact airbnb, and find another place. This only happened once on my trip at a cheap hotel in Cape Cod.
Take pix of everything when you leave in case the host tries to charge you for damage you will have time stamped pictures of the room, fridge, bathroom, etc. I do this but the host said I damaged something in the living room which I didn’t have any pictures of.
If there is anything damaged or suspect, take a pic when you first move in so the host can’t charge you for it. Of course cigarette, weed, other smoke smell can’t be taken a picture of, so you just have to email airbnb and the host to let them know.
If you are traveling to a different country or might not have wifi or cell data, then it’s a good idea to screen shot all the airbnb host info, address, door codes, phone number etc. I got to Canada and realized I had no cell data or wifi. Luckily the host was home to answer the door.
Stayed at a 5 star airbnb. Non smoking of course, but in reality the host and her friend would smoke outside in the backyard. I found this out when I opened my window and my room filled up with smoke. You can’t tell the host not to smoke, but to rebook something else, I just kept my window closed.

Poor or weird airbnb experiences

Falmouth, Mass and Nancy. Wow. Worst host so far I’ve encountered on this trip
Orlando, FL – Jeannie, the host keyed all the bedrooms and front door with the same key. She had no written house rules, but you would find out when you broke them. For instance, she had 2 refrigerators, one for her, and one for guests but they weren’t marked nor was this explained on the airbnb listing. I left blankets, pillows, sheets, and toiletries at her place with a verbal agreement I would pick them up in a month or two on my way back. When I emailed her, she said she had thrown them out since I left her a bad review. Airbnb wouldn’t help since it was a verbal agreement. Get any agreement in an email… She has two bad reviews and no bookings for June, July, and Aug in Orlando home of Disney World!
Regarding responding to reviews: If a guest points out issues with his or her stay, instead of publicly responding by attacking the guest, address each issue that the guest brought up. See #11 above
Honolulu, Hawaii – My host was in a conflict with his neighbor about hosting but didn’t tell me. When I parked where my host told me to, the neighbor threatened to call the cops and sicked his dog on me. A really small dog so laughable but who wants to deal with that? The air mattress sucked too. I found another place and didn’t stay there.
In Gainesville FL, a host catfished me. The pictures weren’t accurate, the house smelled, was run down, the walkway to the house had broken cement yet the reviews were all stellar! This is a very rare occurrence but still possible.
In Tallahasse FL a host had rules that we couldn’t sit on the couch or use her desk in the living room. There was no dining room or desk in the bedrooms so the only place we could sit was on our bed or the toilet. No outdoor patio table either. No place to set our laptop down. 😦 I now read the ad more carefully due to this experience.
In Memphis Tenn my host started telling my the names of all the anti depressants she was on and told me she had a fantasy of me giving her a ride in my car. I checked out the next morning…

Minor stuff

Atlantic City – Host had the wrong wifi password on airbnb and printed on the house manual. I figured it out since it was a case issue.
Philly – Host had WiFi that didn’t work well and would drop the connection. He had a tech come out and it was fixed in a day though. Rye NH same thing, but didn’t get fixed.
Honolulu – I had a host that gave everyone their own toilet paper roll and told them to bring it into the bathroom when they used it. I asked them why and they said, “to track our toilet paper expenses.” Odd, but then it happened again in Piscataway Township, New Jersey. Why would you need to track toilet paper usage? Odd. Are you going to charge someone more if they use up the whole roll?