Let us answer all your beginner Airbnb questions

If you’re looking into starting your own Airbnb, you may have some questions, and we’ve got the answers!

Your friends, family (or even you) have likely booked with, or hosted their own Airbnb. So what is an Airbnb you may be asking?

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What is an Airbnb?

Airbnb started in 2008 when two designers shared their space with three travellers who needed a place to stay, and ta-da Airbnb was born! But what does this term stand for? Airbnb stands for Air Bed and Breakfast. However, don’t worry, you don’t have to provide breakfast for your guests (but you can if you want to!) So what counts as an Airbnb? Anything from a house, a single room, a caravan, hut, or boat can be an Airbnb. So if you have any of the following properties (or another type of property) you can start your own Airbnb.

So why should you start your own Airbnb?

Many people start their journey into hosting on Airbnb because they have some spare space or their children have moved out, and some people even build a new property so they can start their own Airbnb!

How do you get started?

For people who have a spare space they wish to hire out, they should create a free profile on Airbnb and other sites, or could sign up to Zodiak, a site that manages people’s Airbnb bookings and services. To create your own free account, you will need to sign up with your Google account, email address, or Facebook address. After this, you will need to fill in some details and hey-presto, you’re ready to go!

Before or during these steps, you should really figure out what kind of Airbnb you want to host, and what separates your property from other Airbnbs. You will then be able to market your Airbnb to a certain audience by including a relevant listing title, description, list of amenities, and including fantastic photographs.

Once someone chooses your Airbnb property, the site will take 3% of the booking fee, as well as a service fee (5-15%), and you will receive the rest of the income. 

Why Airbnbs?

Guests choose to stay at Airbnbs rather than hotels because the prices are usually more reasonable and they can also have a unique experience that is more personal and allows them to gain more knowledge of the local area. 

On the other side, Airbnb hosts choose to host because they would like to make a bit of extra money on the side and enjoy hosting and meeting new people.

What factors affect Airbnb listings?

Many different factors affect the price of the Airbnb listing, but the main ones are:

-Amount of listings

-Median guest arrivals per listing 

-Median rent per guest arrivals

-Airbnb’s share of rental income

To get many bookings you must first research and find a suitable price for your property. This is because you don’t want to scare people off with a price that is too high or low. Therefore, I would recommend you research Airbnbs in your area, and see what they have to offer guests and their prices, and price your Airbnb accordingly.

There can also be a service fee added on top of your regular Airbnb fee, and this should be made clear from the booking.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many reasons why you may want to start your own Airbnb property. These include having spare space, making extra money, and meeting new people. You will also be able to see how well you’re doing and improve your hosting abilities once guests give their reviews. A good tip for Airbnb is also to never cancel a booking (unless under extreme circumstances such as a family death) this will mean that you don’t move down in the search rankings and may eventually have the opportunity to become an Airbnb Superhost. So what are you waiting for? Get hosting!

Written by Lauren Middleton