Business

Myth Buster #4: What Worked With Airbnb Will Always Work

Psst…it won't.

Sound Familiar?

Pesky Problem

You think that what worked in the past will always work in the future.

Several years back when you started hosting, keeping your Airbnb booked felt easier than it does today. (That’s because it was.) And back then, there seemed to be fewer Airbnbs in town. (That’s because there were.) And nowadays, the Airbnb app feels so different than it used to. (That’s because, you guessed it, it does.)

For an industry that is so young, change seems to be the only predictable thing about the short term rental market. And actually, the problem here isn’t the change itself. The problem is that you, as a host making money in the ever-changing short term rental market, think that what worked in the past will always work in the future. And unfortunately, that’s just not the case.

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Bite-Size Solution

Stay curious and keep a pulse on the changes in the short term rental market.

In its relatively tiny lifespan, the short term industry has changed enormously. It’s so new that it’s constantly morphing into the next version of itself. And yet, as a host, when your focus is consumed by the day-to-day demands of actually welcoming guests into your space, it’s easy to expect the circumstances around hosting to remain the same.

The short term rental industry is kind of like the iPhone. We know that in the grand scheme of things, the product is still relatively new, and that it has already been through massive renovations since it first came out. And yet, we can’t really imagine our lives without smartphones now, even though, yes, you remember a life before 2007. And similarly, you (and everyone over the age of 16) remember what it was like to travel before the era of Airbnb.

With all of these fast-paced technologies, our mind tends to flatten all of the iterations that came before, and instead overlay our own blanket definition of what an iPhone or Airbnb is. And if you’re a host who experienced substantial success in the past, those glory days—even if they were just a few years ago—are likely to be your personal definition of what Airbnb is and determine how you expect it to work. Or if you’re newer to hosting, tales of those glory days may have been the springboard that led you to make the investment and leap into hosting when you did.

The trick is to keep a pulse on the changes in the short term rental market. And most importantly, maintain a curious mindset around discovering what’s working today to keep your place booked. That includes actively updating your listing and experimenting with new changes, and then using your Airbnb data to see what works best.

So many Airbnb hosts fall into the set-it-and-forget-it mistake with their own listing. Months and then years slip by without updating a thing, and then hosts are scratching their heads, wondering why bookings are down.

Meanwhile, the short term industry and guest expectations have continued to evolve. And the competition has updated their photos, leaned into the most popular current amenities, and leveraged the app’s latest features. Their listings look new and modern while the unattended ones look comparatively stale. And no one is looking to book a stale vacation.

5 Minutes

Here's Your First Step

Do a quick audit and compare your listing to the local competition.

Now typically, in this hyper comparative world of social media, Jay and I tend to be pretty big proponents of keeping your eyes on your own paper, doing your own work, and focusing on what you can control.

But without sprinkling in a little outside context, keeping blinders on for years at a time will leave you oblivious of the trends in the broader industry in which you are a business owner. As the rules to the money-making game continue to change, you have to pay enough attention to operate successfully.

Which brings us to a quick audit. First, pull up your own listing as a guest would and take a look around. What do you see? Jot down your notes. Then, search for similar stays using the filters in the app, just like your guests would when they’re planning their next vacation. Now scan the competition. What do you see? Jot down some more notes.

And for today, that can be it! To start, you don’t have to do anything more than just look around and let what you see percolate for a bit. This exercise isn’t meant to boost or pummel your ego. It’s meant to get your wheels turning as you think about what your current local market looks like and how you can stand out in an ever-changing market.

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bye-bye blindspots

The Ultimate Airbnb Checklist Collection

The number one question we hear from hosts is “What am I forgetting to put in my Airbnb?” This collection is the definitive answer to that question. In our signature product, we go room-by-room, step-by-step until your Airbnb is perfectly appointed and ready to impress. Bye-bye blindspots and hello happy guests!

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Even the best hosts can forget a thing or two

Luckily all 15 of these common mistakes are super easy to fix. Grab your copy of the checklist below and dive on in!

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You’re an ambitious Airbnb host with a big heart. But on some days, hosting isn’t exactly what you had imagined. Maybe it’s overwhelming. Or isolating. Or just not making the kind of money you had envisioned. At Big Heart Hosting, we’re on a mission to help hosts like you thrive, not just get by. We create step-by-step resources that bring together the best hosting strategies from around the world. We’ll give you the knowledge and community you need to create the joyful, prosperous Airbnb you deserve.