u/UrVAdona

Five apps open. Ten tabs running.

Nothing actually connected.

The property is the asset. The system is the business.

I consolidated the stack. Fewer tools. Better flow.

Complexity kills speed. Simplicity scales.

Solo host with one property. Guests have my real cell number from the welcome book and Airbnb messaging.

Past few months I've gotten:
- 11pm calls about WiFi
- texts asking if friends can stay extra
- "hey is this still your number?" months after checkout
- one guest who started commenting on my personal Instagram

Looking for how others handle this. I tried Google Voice last year and the SMS forwarding kept dropping messages — missed two urgent ones in a single week. Hostfully is overkill for one place.

What's your actual setup that works? Is anyone using a separate cheap phone? OpenPhone? Just toughing it out?

I manage a few properties and have been going back and forth on whether it's worth investing in higher quality sheets and towels or just replacing cheap ones more frequently.

Would love to hear how people are thinking about this, whether guests care about quality sheets and whether it shows up in reviews.

EDIT: looks like hosts agree that guests care! any brands for quality sheets/towels you'd recommend? and how long should they last?

Advice for starting first vacation rental

Hello, I’m looking to invest in a vacation property for the first time on the west coast (I’ve bought property before but they were my primary residence). I would ideally rent it out on AirBnB to help cover the mortgage and use it for vacation getaways myself. Doesn’t need to be too fancy or too big of a cabin.

The problem is I’m on the west coast where property is really expensive and I only have $50k in cash to use right now. I’m looking for advice on my three options below:

1. Buy a piece of land where I could buy it now with cash and not have a loan. Then take my time to build something on it overtime. I know I’d have to look into zoning/utilities.

2. Use it as a downpayment now ($250k price point) for a really cheap fixer upper and renovate it. At least I have an existing structure then, but it could take time to renovate while I’m eating the mortgage cost. Even fixer uppers are rare at this price though.

3. Wait until I can build up my savings to $120k where I can buy an already renovated turn key cabin ($600k price for a good one/location). It already took long to get $50k another $70k seems daunting. I also don’t know if at that price and interest rate if a STR makes financial sense.

Each seems to have pros and cons. Curious what the experts think since I’m new to this! Thank you!

Honestly asking.

I've seen posts where "hosts" (real or not) try to get creative with telling stories about creating tools for STR and then other hosts would bash the OP for trying to shill.

If it's in the spirit of helping each other, what's wrong with that?

Does that mean if one is create something even in a saturated digital market and wanted to ask other hosts to try, it's diabolical and so one shouldn't even try?

Edit: To be clear, I'm not trying to shill anything, but I'm already seeing I got downvoted.

I’ve been hosting an Airbnb in Mombasa Kenya for a while now, and one thing I’ve noticed is that what hosts usually highlight isn’t always what guests care about most.

From experience, the things that seem to matter most are:
- Reliable WiFi
- Consistent cleanliness
- A secure environment
- Easy, stress-free check-in

Curious to hear from frequent travelers — what’s something that immediately makes or breaks a stay for you?

Booking confirmed. Then gone.

Revenue disappears overnight.

The property is the asset. The system is the business.

I tightened policies, improved guest qualification, and reinforced expectations pre-arrival.

Better inputs. Fewer surprises.

Friday booked. Sunday booked. Saturday empty.

Revenue leaking in the middle.

The property is the asset. The system is the business.

I use flexible pricing, short stay rules, and targeted discounts.

Gaps aren’t random. They’re fixable patterns.

Hello!

I’m new to hosting on Airbnb, it’s a spare bedroom in a shared house with me and the cat. The room is cheap for the island and I’ve had 5 confirmed bookings with 2 of them already stayed with me, both were last minute bookings due to boat cancellations so stuck on the island.

Both guests gave 5 star overall however both gave 4 star hygiene ratings. My initial thoughts were 4 star is fine since I clean the property myself and I’m certainly not perfect, I also spent 2 hours cleaning before each guest arrived. However when I look at other cheap accommodation they are averaging 4.7 - 5 stars. I’m not charging enough to justify getting cleaners in for these 1-2 night stays, the first review was positive (another Airbnb host) but said I needed to clean the bathroom a bit better, empty the toilet bin before guests arrive and get a bathroom Matt, so I did all those things, the second guest said the only feedback was needing a sign on the door to make it easier to find which I’ll do an no mention about cleaning.

if my third guest gives me a 4 star hygiene rating it will average to 4 star overall. Should I be concerned about this? If I got a cleaner in for a deep clean once a month and cleaned myself between guests would that be enough to start getting 5 stars? Or do I really need fork out for a weekly cleaner? The guests staying have opted for probably the cheapest accommodation in the area and whilst I understand that’s no excuse for an unclean property, it seems like guests are expecting hotel level cleaning quality. The problem is I just don’t see it being dirty, you can wipe your fingers over any surface and won’t find dust, I clean everything including the skirting boards, I don’t know if I’m not taking it seriously enough or if the first couple guests had higher than usual standards?

UPDATE…

I’ve spoken to the guests and they both pointed out the shower as being the main issue, I’ve been cleaning it regularly but limescale on the door and grime on the shower door seal, I’ve spoken to my mother and realise I’ve not been using the right product to clean the glass and taps, as for the seals I just hadn’t paid any attention to them, I’ve now used a descaler and scrubbed like crazy on the seals and the shower is looking pretty incredible to be honest. I was also advised the outside of the house needs cleaning more regularly….im actually waiting on an outside tap being fitted so I could get a pressure washer to wash my car but ill also use it to clean the walls doors and windows, until then ill take a bucket and sponge to it. Thanks for your comments guys.

Hello all! 🍑

I’m a Host in the ATL and my properties are in the 1% of listings in the area. I was invited by Airbnb to attend a Host the World Cup and International Guests conference. The conference was great and I was able to connect with other Hosts and network. (Highly recommend attending events like this in your area if possible)

Airbnb representatives and guest speakers all boasted about the money making opportunities and economic boom this specific event will bring. Myself and all the other attendees were ecstatic and the numbers made sense and sounded promising. One of my properties is in a Airbnb rewards program and we received a bonus from Airbnb to support another venture which was great.

However, using our forecasting models and PMS we are on par for typical summer season rates and occupancy and not seeing that much of a boost at all. In fact, Last year we received more advanced bookings for the World Cup than this year. Some international travelers have even cancelled their travel as June is right around the corner…

Wondering if any other Hosts in the World Cup markets are seeing any traction or if this World Cup boom wasn’t at all what it was talked up to be.

P.S - I absolutely am accounting for the current political and economic climate and this administration is bad for small businesses. Just wanted to see if anyone is seeing anything different!

Prices up. Bookings down.

Silence is feedback.

The property is the asset. The system is the business.

I run small pricing experiments, not big jumps. Track conversion, adjust fast.

Pricing is a loop. Not a guess.

I vastly prefer rental properties to hotels, so I use both Vrbo and Airbnb frequently. Often the same homes are listed on both sites. What should I consider when choosing which app to use to rent? I usually go with whichever one offers the better cancellation policy. Which is better from the host perspective? Are there more protections for both the host and the guest on one site or the other?

Booked solid. Calendar full.

Feels good until you check the comps.

The property is the asset. The system is the business.

I benchmark against the market, test higher tiers, and watch conversion rates.

Full calendar doesn’t always mean max revenue.