I want to start by saying I love AirBNB. I love it’s spirit. I love that it empowers people to become entrepreneurs. I love that it has disrupted the travel industry in so many ways. It earned me five figures in four months.  But I have a confession to make… I don’t stay in AirBNBs that often. 

I just completed a 3500 mile road trip, driving from Florida to Kansas to Virginia and back to Florida, stopping at a load of fun places in between. Who took care of my AirBNB during all of this I hear you ask? I told you before – I automated it, which left me free to enjoy a really excellent trip. Memphis, Kansas City, St Louis, Nashville – I basically spent an entire month eating the best BBQ America has to offer. 

We saw gators in Georgia, met the King in Graceland, and found an Irish bar that was once part of the Underground Railway (slaves used a tunnel in the brewery to escape to freedom). My 20 month old son saw more of America than most people see in their lives.

But…

We didn’t stay in an AirBNB once. 

Here’s why I Don’t Stay In AirBNBs

1. Price

AirBNBs can be expensive! When we were looking for a place to stay in Memphis, once taxes and cleaning fees were included we found nothing coming close to the cost of staying in a decent hotel. We stayed at the Sheraton for $117 for the night. If we had been a larger group, it might have made sense on a cost-per-guest basis but for just me my wife and my son, the maths didn’t work to stay in an AirBNB.

Host Take Away – set your nightly rate low to attract more guests. It’s obvious, but it’s the easiest way to guarantee a high occupancy rate. Sure you will be earning less per night, but if you get the balance right you can get a higher return over all.

2. Nightly limits

Most of the trip, we were only staying in places for one night. We’d arrive in the morning, explore town, see the sites, go to dinner and then crash at a hotel. The next morning after breakfast we would be on our way to the next city. But many AirBNBs have a minimum stay of more than 1 night. We were immediately locked out of staying at these places.

Host Take Away – if you have unbooked days, consider removing your nightly limit. The obvious issue with this is that high turnover will lead to higher cleaning costs, but again there is a balance to be found. I wouldn’t suggest opening up your entire calendar to one night stays, but midweek days where the weekends are already booked anyway could work well. You might attract longer stays too – a lot of people search for one night initially and then put in their exact dates once they have found a place they like the look of.

3. Breakfast

Since we would always be in a rush to get back on the road, stopping somewhere for breakfast would often cost us a lot of time. So we’d use the hotel breakfasts. They might be a little more expensive but it worked for us. But despite the BNB part of the name, most AirBNBs don’t offer breakfast (including mine). If you want to encourage guests like me, one solution is to include breakfast items to your mini-bar. Don’t have a mini-bar? Here’s how to set one up.

Trader Joe’s offers some quite nice breakfast options that will keep well in your mini-bar or freezer.

Make sure to include a photo of the breakfast options laid out nicely in your listing photos to attract guests.

4. Travelling as a Family

Travelling with a baby is hard. And takes a lot of gear. Having to lug all that stuff from the car to our room (by myself as my wife carries my son) is a real pain. We always have three suitcases, a stroller, and a baby-changing bag at a minimum. So if I can avoid dragging in a crib and a highchair too that’s a big help. Most hotels will have these and set them up before you arrive if you request in advance. But few AirBNBs offer this.

AirBNB has a Family feature which is supposed to make it easier for Guests with families to book, safe in the knowledge that all of the amenities they need will be in the house. But the list really isn’t adequate. Here’s what AirBNB thinks families need:

Frankly, my family needs more than that. We couldn’t care less about a TV, but definitely need a Pack-N-Play crib* and a high chair*, and so would most families with young kids.

Host Take Away – lighten the load for your guests. Include a Pack-N-Play crib* and a high chair* in your AirBNB. You can pack them away in a closet when not in use and let guests help themselves if they need them. But don’t think that’s enough. Make sure your guests know you’ve got them! Put photos of them in your listing! People won’t read your whole listing, but they will skim through your photos.

Why I DO stay in AirBNBs

It’s not that I don’t stay in AirBNBs ever – I DO! We’ve stayed in some wonderful AirBNBs. AirBNB is perfect for us:

• When on week long stays or more.
• When we are looking for the place to be the experience.
• When on group trips.
• When on extended work trips.
• When we want separate rooms for the kids.

If you’ve never stayed at an AirBNB before you definitely should. If you use this link you will get $40 off your first stay*. If you are considering becoming a host*, take the above tips into account so you can cater to as many types of travellers as possible.

Thanks for reading.