Airbnb encourages its hosts
to offer maximum comfort, convenience and a superior experience to their
guests. To ensure this, Airbnb takes on an active role to standardize
their offerings. They request hosts to make their rental space pleasant to stay
in. Airbnb has gone as far as to offer loans to hosts
in Portland for making house improvements. These home improvement
loans are part of the Airbnb Portland Select program which are aimed at travelers who seek a more
upscale hotel-like experience. This program offers guidance and support
to Airbnb hosts to improve their rental space and make it more
appealing to this particular segment.
Safety and Security:
Airbnb has partnered with
the American Red Cross to increase awareness about security and safety and
provides related information to the hosts. They mainly focus on preventing
house fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Airbnb provides related
information on its website to provide more clarity to their users and has gone
as far as to distribute around 30,000 smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to hosts
worldwide.
The hosts are provided with this
information through email, dashboard notifications as well as the newly
introduced home safety page on the Airbnb website. Airbnb has
also donated around $1 million to support the Red Cross home fire campaign in
2014. Moreover, Airbnb Portland has
also made it a requirement for Airbnb plus program to have hosts
install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms in their homes.
Steps to prepare your property for Airbnb
Substantial Investment:
The conversion of a property to
an Airbnb requires a substantial investment from the host. The
investment is of both time and money in order to deliver superior customer
experience and get high ratings.
Firstly, the host would have to
consider whether his home is feasible to become a furnished or
unfurnished Airbnb rental. The rules and regulations to register for
an Airbnb in Portland will also need to be considered.
Permissions for the Rental Services:
Hosts will have to get a
short-term rental permit which accrues for stays under 30 days and taxes for
each stay will also have to be filed. There will also be a requirement to
intimate Portland authorities and neighbors before running the Airbnb and
the hosts will be bound to share their data with the authorities by the end of
December 2019. There will also be a need to assess the return on investment of
running an Airbnb. The Airbnb usually bring in higher revenues for
short term stays depending on the location but there is also a higher vacancy
rate and overhead costs also need to be considered before starting
an Airbnb in Portland.
Assessment of the Rental Space:
There is a vital need for an
initial assessment of the rental space including walls, floorboards, paint,
kitchen, any valuables, and high-end equipment, garage, garden, fire alarms,
beds, kitchen appliances, etc. This will make it easier for the host to know
which items to repair or replace to make it fit for the guests.
Checking the Amenities:
The host can make an amenities
checklist to make sure all the requirements are met. Next, the host needs to
make sure that their rental space is clean and hygienic as per Airbnb Portland requirements in order
to get high ratings.
After that, the host will need to
choose insurance and Airbnb policy from Airbnb's cancellation
policy that is best suited to their particular situation.
Select the Rates:
The most important part is to
select a nightly and weekly rate for your Airbnb depending on your
location. This can be done by comparing other Airbnb's in your
location and considering your unique value proposition offered to guests to
determine the rates.
The last step is to list your
property. The property should be described accurately and the unique options
must be presented in an attractive way to garner the attention of potential
guests.
