I'm an Airbnb Superhost who's had over 500 guests. Here are 5 things I wish visitors knew before checking in.

As an obsessive traveler, I've ever been fascinated by the world of hospitality.

Throughout my profession successful nationalist relations, I was fortunate to activity for immoderate of the world's champion edifice brands, which gave maine a behind-the-scenes look into what it takes to supply an exceptional impermanent experience.

Now, I'm an Airbnb Superhost pinch dozens of five-star reviews and precocious standards that I strive to uphold regular astatine my rentals crossed upstate New York.

Airbnb is simply a marketplace, truthful your rental options (and the group who big them) will vary. However, galore hosts, for illustration me, are dedicated to providing an exceptional acquisition for guests.

Here's what I wish group knew earlier staying astatine my properties.

It's really adjuvant erstwhile you show maine why you're coming

Booking a rental home tin consciousness for illustration going connected a first date, conscionable pinch a place. You mightiness wonder: Will it look for illustration the photos? Were definite features overexaggerated? Will it fulfill my needs?

As a host, I consciousness similarly, though my position is much of a protective parent: Will you return attraction of my babe and return her connected time?

When you nonstop maine a connection to present yourself and explicate why you're visiting, I get a glimpse of your characteristic and tin consciousness much astatine easiness astir welcoming you. You go a existent person, not conscionable a look connected a screen.

Plus, learning much astir you, your guests, and the intent of your travel helps maine to supply you pinch amended recommendations.

I walk a batch of clip curating section recommendations

Speaking of recommendations — I person a batch of them. I've explored each area of the areas wherever my rentals are based, visiting section restaurants, hiking trails, shops, and more.

It's been fun, but it's besides research. Part of the logic I did this is because I want to beryllium capable to stock individual recommendations pinch guests. Anyone tin Google, but arsenic a host, I want to propose section places, dishes, and recreation tips that a speedy hunt won't uncover.

When I cognize who's staying astatine my Airbnb and what they're looking to get retired of their trip, I'm amended capable to curate my recommendations.

The first fewer minutes of a enactment are crucial, and I clasp my activity for your check-in

I utilized to activity for a boutique edifice marque that commissioned immoderate proprietary research astir the impermanent experience.

One uncovering from it has stuck pinch me: The first 10 minutes of a guest's presence group the reside for their full stay.

For my rentals, that translates to a bid of questions. Did I supply clear capable directions, aliases did you thrust past the location a fewer times earlier uncovering it? If you're arriving astatine night, did my motion-sensor ray illuminate the driveway and enactment connected agelong capable for you to unpack your car?

Did the personalized cardinal codification activity connected the first try? Did my location look spotless erstwhile you walked in? A soft and seamless presence is cardinal — it sets the shape for you to instantly consciousness astatine home.

My rentals are a constituent of pridefulness that I've spent months perfecting and testing

Before committing to immoderate paid stays, I made judge each of my rentals had respective thorough proceedings runs.

I person spent galore weeks hosting family and friends, demanding their astir nitpicking, elaborate feedback.

I've besides stayed pinch my ain family astatine each spot during each season, making real-time improvements to summation functionality aliases adhd missing amenities.

Not each big does this, but I find this has been the champion measurement to get thorough, realistic feedback astir each property.

Give maine a 5-star reappraisal aliases nary reappraisal astatine all

Think astir your past Google search: How often do you task past the first page of results?

Just arsenic first impressions matter connected hunt engines, they're arsenic important connected Airbnb, wherever listings pinch higher reappraisal scores mostly rank higher successful the algorithm.

Though 4 stars whitethorn look commendable elsewhere — moreover the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it arsenic "of a superior grade of excellence"— it doesn't rather trim it connected Airbnb (or connected a batch of review-fueled marketplaces).

In galore ways, the occurrence of my business hinges connected achieving five-star reviews. I'd alternatively guests not time off a reappraisal than springiness maine thing little than a cleanable score.

This communicative was primitively published connected August 5, 2024, and astir precocious updated connected August 28, 2026.