Little more than a week ago, Airbnb announced the difficult news about cutting 25% of its workforce due to the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry. As their “partner” and a die-hard user of the platform, I found Brian Cheskey’s memo to be both courageous and vulnerable.
The reach of Airbnb is extensive, with listing in over 81,000 cities and 191 countries of the world. It provides more than 5 million spaces to stay and offers unique access to local experience through 15,000+ activities run by hosts. Ever since I started using Airbnb back in 2015, I’ve soon become one of the millions around the world inspired by the idea of belonging anywhere.
Why did I become an Airbnb host
While some hosts are full-time, hosting was a side-hustle for me. I enjoyed meeting new people and had formed some lifelong friendships with the people that I stayed with through Airbnb. Hence, after I ended my two years of nomadic life in early 2019 and moved into a city apartment with my partner in Melbourne, it just felt pretty natural to open our door to other solo travellers like myself.
Today, I want to share with you some interesting stats, myths, and tips I’ve learned in the past year.
Where are my guests from
From February 2019 to February 2020, we’ve welcomed 44 solo travels into our home for 303 nights in total — our occupancy rate was above 95%.
The average Airbnb guest spends 4 days in Melbourne, and the most prolonged stay was 50 days.
We’ve met some fantastic people from 17 different countries amount 20 different nationalities.
More than 90% of our guests were young working professionals or students between the ages of 20s-30s.
Myth #1: You have to rent out the whole space or nothing
The fundamental difference between Airbnb and a Hotel is — with Airbnb, you get either space or you get the location. Our apartment offers a very central city location, although our space is tiny (50m² to be exact). Yet, most solo travellers are happy to sacrifice the bedroom space for the prime location and an affordable price, since they are here to explore the city, not our kitchen or backyard.
With that in mind, we always make sure safety and comfort are at the top of our priority list.
One of the best investments we’ve made was installing the Sesame lock, by Candy House. Not only did it surprises every guest that we had, but it also simplifies the house key exchange process and leaves everyone worry-free.
When you’re renting out the spare room, and you might not like your guests poking through your knick-knacks in the lounge. Packed away your personal belongings and provide dedicated hanging space for their clothes and somewhere to put their suitcases. Make it clear what they can and can not use. That way, they know straight up what’s off-limits.
Myth #2: You should treat it like a business
Unlike many other Airbnb hosts, who began their hosting journey to cover their mortgage, or to maximize the profit of their rental properties, we didn’t treat it as a business. We believe the roots of Airbnb was about making connections and offering experiences. Without much of the financial burdens, we were pleased to welcome every guest like a long-lost friend that we haven’t met in years.
Sacrificing the size of the space doesn’t necessarily mean that we sacrifice the quality of living. With limited space, small personal touch and unique decorations become essential to a home.
The simple recipe of making a guest feel at home includes — fresh cold water in a refillable glass bottle, a pair of slippers, soft cotton sheets and fluffy bath towels, body lotion and a mini oil diffuser besides the bed (plus a pack of sheet mask for my female guests), a drawer full of local maps and restaurant suggestions, a fruit bowl filled with seasonal picks, and small pot plants laying around in the apartment. 🌿
Myth #3: Being an Airbnb host makes it tough to travel
Actually, renting out the apartment earns us the ticket to travel and pay the bills. Time management is key to success when it comes to scheduling vacations and blocking your Airbnb calendar.
For instance, if I were going away for 5 days. I’d change the “Minimum stay” to 3 nights and make the first 2 days of my trip “Available” on my calendar, then blocked out the rest. This way, I can ensure that the guest will check-in before my trip and are free to check-out while I’m away. Also, be mindful of your local forecast, show them where they can find a spear umbrella or the heater and blankets in the cabinet since you won’t be there to provide the first-hand assistance.
If you do end up needing to leave town at the last minute (after accepting a booking), let the guest know ASAP so that they can voice any special requests ahead-of-time. Alternatively, have a reliable friend to look after your space while you manage the bookings and communicate with the guest from afar. In the end, it’s a sharing economy that works for both parties.
How much did I make
In those 12 months of hosting through Airbnb, we earned a total of AUD $14,920.55, met some truly lovely people from across the globe, had many heart-to-heart and hours-long conversations about food, travelling, movies, policies, and loves. We’ve also learned an incredible variety of cultural differences, and systems around successful Airbnb hosting.
Overall, I’m glad we did it
Being a host is a trial-by-fire experience that can take away a lot of your personal space and daily freedom. However, for where we live, the experience has been fun and profitable. So much so that we’re willing to live with the extra hassle that comes with it.
Yes, it has been a devastating time for most of us, and many are struggling. There’s a lot of uncertainty out there, but some things are more apparent than ever — the world needs human connection now more than ever, and I believe that Airbnb will rise to the occasion.
Together we can help redefine the core values of Airbnb and rebuild confidence in travel. Like Brian Chesky said in his message, “When travel comes back — and it will — we look forward to welcoming millions of guests together again.”
