Let’s talk about my top 5 tips on how to increase your chances of getting 5 star reviews out of the gate.
YOU ARE READY TO BECOME A HOST & WANT TO DO IT RIGHT.
It is especially imperative with your very first guests, because 5 star reviews are incredibly important to your continued success, and can take a very long time to recover from anything under 4 stars.
? “The key to avoiding disappointment is to have realistic expectations.” ?
This is basic human psychology and as a business owner, it is up to us to properly set expectations for our guests.
Based on my experience, it is inevitable that there will be something you didn’t think of, whether in how you outfitted the house, or in your communications with the guest, but if you can prepare your guest to expect some hiccups and build rapport, they will be far more likely to be forgiving if something goes awry.
Here my top 5 tips on how to set expectations and earn 5 star reviews from the start:
? Use the 20% off offer on Airbnb for the 1st 3 guests. They will offer this when you first set up the listing. You can’t add it later, so don’t skip this. You can always change your mind later and not offer it, but I highly recommend against that. You can manually do something similar in VRBO.
? When you get your first 5 bookings, have a template created for the very first response that says something like,
“I’m so beyond excited and honored that you have chosen my home for your lodging. This unit is brand new to the market, and you are one of our first guests! While we have put our heart and soul in to preparing every little detail, there may be some items or communications that we have missed. You get to be a part of making this one of the best places to stay on Airbnb by sharing your feedback on any little way we can improve our guest’s experience.”
I have found that guests love feeling like they are a part of your success, and if you make them feel special right off the bat you are building a relationship with them that makes them feel connected to you. The personal connection is a HUGE part of 5 star reviews
? Stay there for at least 1 night before you welcome any guests. This helps you notice things that may be missing.
? Have a friend who has never been there before stay there and treat them just as you would a guest. Send all communications, provide them with directions, the code, etc. This is a trial run with a stranger to the property before your first guest arrives. This hashes out additional items or communications that you may have missed or could improve on.
? Leave an extra special guest gift for your first 3-5 guests & a hand written note welcoming them and reminding them of something similar to the message template I posted yesterday. I personally find that chocolate & wine are well loved by most.
Okay, so now you have my top 5 tips for setting guest expectations & earning 5 star reviews on a brand new listing!
NEXT UP: SETTING EXPECTATIONS FOR YOURSELF
We all hope for everything to be perfect and go perfectly with our rental, but this isn’t a realistic expectation. It is inevitable that you will make mistakes.
Read that again because this is SO IMPORTANT.
IT IS INEVITABLE THAT YOU WILL MAKE MISTAKES.
When you expect mistakes to happen, you will be far less disappointed when they happen because you were mentally prepared.
Be okay with mistakes & when it happens, have a sense of humor with yourself, learn from it, be humble and do everything you can to make it right for your guest. Avoid being defensive at all costs because that will put your guest also on the defense which will be a lose lose.
I teach tips like this + many other ways to start off on the right foot with your rental in my FREE GUIDE:
⏬Download it for free by clicking on the image above!
Now that you have the guide, and you have me by your side to help you succeed as a host, are you ready to become an Airbnb host? Just click here to get started! {Note, this is a referral link and I may receive payment from Airbnb at no cost to you if you become a host on their platform}.
Happy Hosting!
