Top 10 things to do to get more bookings
Hey, guys. Mike Taylor, broker owner, Red door Property Management. So today is March of 2023 and I wanted to make a video today of the top ten things that you can do to make your Airbnb stand out from the crowd. So there's been a huge, influx of Airbnb's. There is a lot more competition than the marketplace, but there is still room for you to make tons of money, but you want to make your place stand out from all of the others. So there are the top ten things that we're going to go over that can make your house stand out above and beyond all of the other ones.
Okay, guys, let's take a look at the top ten things that you can do to your short-term rental to increase your visibility on the search results in Airbnb and VRBO, and also increase your bookings. So some of these are super simple to do. Some of them are just policies that you can implement. There are a couple of them that are kind of expensive, but most of them for the most part, are very cheap. So let's take a look at the top ten.
Top 10
Coffee stations. This is just kind of a cool thing to differentiate yourself. Almost everybody has coffee. You should have coffee, but you can make it cool. You can do local fresh ground. You can do local stuff that's roasted locally. Coffee is such a cool thing. You could do a drip and a French press. There's lots and lots of cool stuff. People are really into coffee and be creative with this. You can do some really cool things with this.You can do both decaf and regular. You can have the syrups, you can have the different flavored creamers, things like that. People very much appreciate little things like that. So coffee stations is number one.
Top 9
Safety items. So this is honestly just to check some boxes on the Airbnb amenities. So obviously having this stuff is very good and we do want to keep the guests safe. But it seems like Airbnb values more amenities that you have. And so these are really pretty easy ones to implement. Obviously you'd need to have a smoke detector that is kind of a no brainer, but then going above and beyond that, having a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit, you really should always have a first aid kit too, but then a carbon monoxide detector as well. So those are all amenities that Airbnb asks if you have or do not have. And I believe that the more amenities that you have, the better you're going to show up on the search results. So those are all relatively inexpensive and pretty easy to do. So safety items, dedicated workspaces.
Top 8
So this is actually one of the most requested features on Airbnb is a dedicated workspace. So it doesn't have to be an office necessarily. If you have the room it's a big house and you can put an office in there, great. But just a dedicated desk with a chair, that will definitely do. Again, we're just trying to appeal to as many people as possible as well as appeal to the algorithm for the search results on Airbnb. So Dedicated Workspaces is definitely, definitely high up on that list. Do what you can to give yourself a dedicated workspace, even if it's just a small little area. Got to check that box.
Top 7
Family friendly items. So depending on your clientele, what type of guest you're going for, honestly, you get such a wide variety, it just makes sense to do this anyway. But you will include families looking for it if you include these items. So you're making your pool of guests bigger by including this stuff. So Pack and Play is a big one. Baby gates is a big one if you have stairs or anything that you may not want them to get into. Having kids games around. Also having kids eating like plastic cups, plastic bowls, plastic plates, small little kids forks and knives, things like that. And then safety stuff for the kids, those little safety outlet covers. Again, you are doing this to do two things. You're doing it to increase your audience as well as to check off all those boxes, as many boxes as you can on Airbnb and VRBO. Yes, you do have all of these things.
Top 6
Just kind of different thoughtful amenities. So the level has really been raised, the bar has been raised, and guests are starting to kind of get spoiled and expect really these things. They're really expecting way more of a hotel type experience. So I talk about it in Airbnb 1.0 and Airbnb 2.0. People are starting to expect Airbnb 2.0 amenities like laundry detergent, fabric softener, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, extra towels, paper towels, even small stuff like you see here. Advil Tide. We do cotton balls, Q tips, those little flossing things, toothpaste, toothbrushes, things like that. So thoughtful amenities keep those around. People are starting to expect them. And it can help you stand out and above the crowd because a lot of people are not quite doing this quite yet.
Top 5
Outdoor dining. This is another super requested item, but outdoor dining have just a table and chairs. Café lights always look great in pictures. So if you can include café lights, that is always good for the pictures. But outdoor dining is a big selling feature. Grills also here, if it makes sense in your area. Most of ours, we encourage our owners to include grills as well.
Top 4
Fire pits and S'mores station. I'm seeing this more and more, but it's just a great place for people to hang out and have a good night and create some memories here. So fire pits and S'mores stations.
Top 3
Just activities and games. A lot of times, especially if you have a bigger house you got a big group getting together, it's good to provide them with some entertainment. So on some of ours, we'll provide like a gaming console, like an Xbox. Some will have an actual video game. You can get retro video games for not too cheap. I think this one is $300 or something like that. We have air hockey, foosball, board games, things like that. There's tons and tons of activities that you can do to bring people together.
Top 2
This is actually the number two thing requested on Airbnb is hot tubs. And this is probably the most expensive one on the list, but it is the number two most requested amenity on Airbnb. So if that makes sense, add it to your listing.
Top 1
And then number one is actually free. Well, relatively free. Just be pet friendly. This is the number one most requested thing on Airbnb is that a property is pet friendly. So not only be pet friendly, but also have pet friendly amenities. So have a leash, have a dog bowl, have some tennis balls for them to go out and throw it, have some dog treats. Just make it super, super pet friendly so that when they come in there with their furry friends, they feel welcome.
So those are the top ten things for you guys to improve your listing, improve your bookings, and ultimately make more money through Airbnb. Check out our YouTube channel, like it and subscribe it. We do all sorts of videos. We do market reports for long term rentals. Check it out.
