How to optimize your booking settings as an Airbnb host

In this video we are going to talk about How to optimize your booking settings as an Airbnb host in order to ensure you have the highest occupancy, and the least stress in between turnovers!

I learned some lessons the hard way about Airbnb booking settings when I started my short term rental business. One of the best things I learned was how to sync my Airbnb and VRBO calendars in order to avoid double-booking my short term rental. This hosting tip has saved me a ton of time and energy!
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Booking Settings 

There are so many ways to go about setting up this portion of your listing.

Duration of Stay

For starters, you need to decide the minimum/maximum number of days somebody can stay. I started with a three-day minimum stay but have since moved to a two-day minimum stay.

I've debated allowing people to stay for only one night, but that could get annoying since I clean the house myself. I would also worry about locals wanting to use my home for a quick hook-up, and that isn’t my idea of fun as a host.

Check-out / Check-in Policies

I set my check-out time at 1100 because that is standard for hotels and seems reasonable.

My check-in time was originally set at 1400 so that if I had a check-out/check-in on the same day I could clean during my lunch break.

This worked great until I had a guest still in the house cooking lunch when I got home at noon. They said “Oops, we missed the 11:00 check-out time, but we will be done soon,” like it was no big deal. This is after they asked if they could check out late the day prior, and I told them, no, giving them the reason.

The solution I came up with was adjusting my check-in time to 1800. An 1800 check-in time allows me to clean during lunch and/or after I get off work in the evening.

This may not matter as much if you hire a cleaner, but make sure your check-in and check-out times fit your schedule.

Also, you can put a “no later than” for check-in time. I personally don’t care if they check-in after midnight because I don’t have to be awake when they check-in. However, if you advertise that you will be present at check-in, ensure you set a limit. That way if your guest is late for check-in, they won't expect you to be there greeting them.

Update Your Calendar

I recommend that you set a limit on how far out people can book a stay with you unless you are certain that you will still be hosting and that there will be no conflicts.

For example, I almost had somebody book a three-month stay for next summer (7 months out). That would not have worked for me because my extended family is planning to visit. We haven’t chosen dates yet or I would have blocked them off already.

Now I have my account(s) set up so that people can only book a room three months in advance. That gives me time to ensure I have dates blocked off and will also ensure I don’t have people book a stay after I plan on moving out of this rental.

If your rental is going to be unavailable, be sure you block the dates ASAP!

*Side note* If you block off November 23rd because you are out of town, a guest can still book through the 23rd as their check out date. I learned this the hard way and had somebody book my listing so that they checked out after I had already caught a flight that morning (oops)…so if you need an entire day blocked off, block off the day prior as well.

Sync Your Calendars

If you list your rental on multiple platforms (which you should), you need to ensure the calendars are synced. Imagine if you had to block off dates on Airbnb every time somebody booked a stay on VRBO…that would be a mess, and inevitably two people would book overlapping dates at some point.

Thankfully, both Airbnb and VRBO allow you to sync their calendars together!

When somebody books a room through Airbnb, it will automatically block those dates off in VRBO and vice versa!

If you want to step into the big leagues, you will need to upgrade to a full-fledged channel manager like Lodgify.

-
Article:

Beyond Pricing:
Proper Insurance:


Earn $50 when you sign up as an Airbnb host:


Here is a $55 voucher for your next Airbnb trip:

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