Here's Why Some Airbnb Rentals Are Successful While Others Are Not

Airbnb is a commercial phenomenon. Since its founding in 2008, it has grown into a global company operating in more than 80,000 cities across 190 countries worldwide. Today it has more than 150 million users and the number keeps on growing—Airbnb hosts have welcomed 400 million guests in the company’s 11-year history.

Vacation rentals are booming

Leasing your property to short-term guests is big business. From welcoming temporary roommates willing to crash on an airbed—the “Air” that Airbnb is named for—to renting out entire homes or investment properties on a daily or weekly basis, more and more people are supplementing their income through short-term leases. It can be incredibly lucrative. The average two-bedroom apartment can make an expected profit of over $20,600 a year through Airbnb.

Like all businesses, renting your property to short-term guests must be done properly in order to be successful. A 2016 study by Morgan Stanley found that half of guests used home-sharing services as an alternative to hotels, and just because they’re paying to stay in a private residence instead of a corporate block doesn’t mean their standards are any lower. Particularly if you want your vacation rental to compete with traditional accommodation in terms of price and popularity, you have to decorate, manage, and clean it to the same standard.

Guest satisfaction has never been so important

Keeping your guests happy is vital to running a successful short-term rental on Airbnb, because reviews are a critical component in the site’s ecosystem. Airbnb’s Superhost feature is triggered by a high percentage of extremely positive reviews, and guests can browse and sort by the best-reviewed properties, meaning in popular areas a single negative review can plunge your listing into obscurity.

The good news for hosts is Airbnb guests appreciate the personal touch and the vast majority are satisfied with their rentals. The same Morgan Stanley study showed 93 percent of Airbnb guests polled said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the property they leased, a rise of 3 percent from the previous year. However when guests are dissatisfied, cleanliness is a big culprit, accounting for over 12 percent of complaints. (The biggest grievance by far was poor customer service, mentioned in 82 percent of complaints, proving that guests renting space in residential homes still expect professional service.)

Residential cleans aren’t hospitality cleans

Cleaning a property between guest turnovers is a challenge for anyone in the hospitality industry. When you’re running a holiday stay business out of your home, you might be making mistakes without even realizing. A residential clean is not the same as a hospitality clean. When guests sleep in a bed or use a bathroom, they don’t want to be reminded that anyone else has been there before them.

The smallest detail can make the difference between a pleasant experience and a nightmare. It isn’t enough to ensure there are no stray hairs in the bathtub. If your shower door has water stains, or the bedroom smells musty, guests will notice and it will impact their overall impression of your property’s cleanliness, no matter how hard you worked before their arrival.

You should be cleaning and disinfecting every surface of your rental property or space between each guest, vacuuming and sweeping—yes, even under the bed—and wiping down every appliance, every time. Traditional hotel rooms are built to make the task of cleaning and turning over between guests as efficient as possible, but your spare bedroom probably wasn’t furnished with this in mind. Carpets, ornaments, and other personal touches attract dust and can make a room seem dirty even when it isn’t.

A thorough hospitality turnover includes steps such as scrubbing down the bath and shower every time, cleaning in hard to reach places like down the sides of the bed or behind the toilet, and cleaning and disinfecting inside all appliances. These aren’t steps you’d take on a daily basis while cleaning your home and are often frequently overlooked when people lease residential properties, but they’re the first places your guests will inspect for dirt and grime.

You can make the job easier with small investments such as non-streaking tablets for your dishwasher or disposable toilet brushes, so guests are never confronted with streaky dishes or rust-stained cleaning utensils. You can also extend the lives of your linens and towels by purchasing black or gray washcloths for makeup removal so guests leave your whites sparkling white.

Other areas to focus on include light bulbs and switches. Dusty bulbs are dim and make a space look dingy, so be sure to wipe them down with a soft cloth between guests. Take the time to check all bulbs are still working properly and switch out any that aren’t, and as a final step, clean the light switch. Switch plates and door handles are magnets for greasy fingerprints, which make precisely the wrong first impression on your guests.

Let the professionals help

Cleaning your property to hotelier standards is a tall order, especially in the short time between one guest departing and another arriving. You might not be in the area for turnover, or don’t have hours to spend scrubbing floors and washing dishes. The extra income from short-term rentals might not be worth the time it takes you to prepare for guests and clean up after them.

Hiring a turnover service takes the hard work out of renting your property. Professional cleaners understand what needs to be done, and the best order in which to tackle a pre- or post-rental clean. Many cleaning services have cleaners with hospitality experience so they know where to concentrate to reassure your guests the space they’re renting is truly clean.

Your rental property is an investment, and in an increasingly competitive market it needs to stand out. The majority of Airbnb customers—around 60 percent—are millennials, a demographic that values consumer reviews and trusts them as much as a personal recommendation. Your business can’t afford to have customers complaining because the bath drains too slowly or there are dust bunnies under the bed.

With a professional turnover service, you can concentrate on streamlining your check-in and checkout processes, making organizing rentals at your Airbnb property fast and efficient, without monopolizing your time. Professional cleaners know the right equipment for the job, and ensure no spot is ever overlooked.

At Pro Housekeepers, we’re experts in vacation property turnovers. We know what matters most to you is providing exceptional service for your guests, on a strict timeline, without breaking the bank. Our services are available in major cities across the United States seven days a week, and we even offer same-day appointments if you need a cleaning in a hurry. Contact us today to find out how our exceptional cleaning services translate into your five-star reviews.