Airbnb Host Checklist: Setting Up for Airbnb

Planning to start a short-term rental business on Airbnb and looking for an Airbnb startup checklist? In this post, you'll find a checklist of essential things to invest in for the best Airbnb experience for your guests.

Being an Airbnb host isn't just about providing your guests with a place to sleep. You must consider the entire guest experience and deliver high-quality service.

As a host, you are competing with millions of other Airbnb hosts, so it's important to stand out from the crowd. Better experiences lead to better reviews, and better reviews result in more bookings. The process is simple.

So, what is the best way to ensure this? Creating a perfect customer experience for your Airbnb guests requires a significant amount of work. A key part of that successful formula is ensuring that your Airbnb property is well-equipped with the essentials that will make your guests feel comfortable and at home.

You may want to download our free detailed guide for efficient short-term rental hosting.

Starting an Airbnb Checklist: 9 Things to Do to Set Up Your Place for Success

Turning your home into Airbnb is a great way to make extra money, but it's not that simple. There's plenty to do before your first guest arrives to ensure your house is ready for the best Airbnb guest experience.

You need to transform your space from personal to guest-friendly by decluttering it and removing old furniture. Additionally, you should remove all your personal items and store them in a separate location. It's essential to leave your guests with a clean, spacious area for them to spread out and relax.

Here are nine things you need to do before welcoming your guests.

Take care of home safety

First of all, you should make sure your place is safe. So fix any exposed wires or loose steps, replace non-working smoke alarms, install CO2 detectors if you don't already have them, etc. Repair and replace the appliances and equipment you have used for years. Provide your guests with a first aid kit.

Furnish and decorate your home

It's essential to make your Airbnb property both comfortable and inviting. That means you need to choose stylish short-term rental furniture that provides the function that guests need and makes your home welcoming. You should also decorate your space to make it more visually appealing to your ideal guests. Consider investing in such items as cushions, vases, plants, mirrors, and artwork.

There are several factors that distinguish an Airbnb apartment from a personal one. You need to keep the balance between durability and comfort. You can avoid high renovation costs by planning your space and furniture effectively.

Take great photos

Airbnb photos are the first thing that attracts travelers when they search for accommodation, and listings with beautiful photos receive more views, interest, and bookings. That's why it's essential to take inviting, captivating photos that highlight what's amazing in your home and set your potential guests' expectations appropriately.

Before taking pictures of your rental space, clean your house from top to bottom to ensure that it is spotless and pristine. Try to shoot several photos for each room in your property, and pick the best ones to upload.

Create a catchy title for your listing

Create a memorable name for your listing that is informative and detailed enough to promote your property's best features. It can be challenging because you are limited to 50 characters, so we recommend following best practices.

Check out our guide on creating attention-grabbing Airbnb titles, where you can find some Airbnb name ideas for inspiration.

Write an accurate description

You also need an attention-grabbing Airbnb description. To make your listing stand out from the competition, your description should be more than a breakdown of your property's amenities and features.

It's essential to persuade travelers to click the 'Book Now' button. So don't try to make your description appealing to everyone. Speak to your ideal guests, emphasize unique selling points, and ensure that your words reflect your photos.

For inspiration, you may want to check out our article for more tips and some good Airbnb description examples.

Set your pricing strategy

No matter how wonderful your space is, if you set higher nightly rates than in comparable rentals nearby, there's a good chance you'll miss out on bookings. But setting the right price can help you attract more guests.

Travelers may be hesitant to book Airbnb listings with no reviews, so you can entice your first guests with a starting price slightly below your target number. And when you get a few positive reviews, you can decide whether you should raise your nightly rate to match the demand in your local area.

Remember: setting the right Airbnb pricing strategy is essential for your success. The easiest way to do it is to use a dynamic pricing tool, which will recommend an optimal price for each day based on market trends. This tool will ensure your price is both affordable and competitive, allowing you to secure bookings without missing opportunities while also avoiding leaving money on the table.  

Although Airbnb offers a built-in pricing tool, it's not the best option. Airbnb Smart Pricing prioritizes bookings over host income to increase transactions on the platform, as Airbnb takes a commission for each booking. So, its algorithm may lower rates to attract more guests.

A better alternative is Hospitable's built-in Dynamic Pricing, which automatically optimizes your nightly rates to maximize revenue and occupancy for your properties. The best thing is that our Dynamic Pricing solution is included on Host, Professional, and Mogul plans at no additional cost.  

Get vacation rental insurance

Airbnb offers free protection for all hosts in the event of an incident at their property. This program, called AirCover for Hosts, provides up to $3,000,000 in compensation for property damage during an Airbnb stay and $1,000,000 in Host liability insurance. But AirCover for Hosts doesn't cover everything, so you may want to consider an additional insurance policy to provide full coverage.

It's also a good idea to sign an Airbnb rental agreement between you and your guest to get additional legal protection and prevent misunderstandings and disputes. With Hospitable, creating a new rental agreement for each of your bookings won't be time-consuming.

You can create an agreement template or customize the existing one to suit your property needs. Each time you get a new reservation, Hospitable will automatically populate the template with guest and booking data and send it to your guest for signature. Check our help article to learn more about how this functionality works.

Hire a cleaning service

You can consider getting a professional cleaning service to give your house a deep clean. Although it's an additional cost, you should consider it an investment in your property. Keeping your place tidy in between guests' stays is probably even more important. You need to work with a team of reliable cleaners capable of responding to short-notice requests.

Equip your rental with essential amenities

Airbnb recommends all hosts provide the essential amenities to ensure that guests have what they need to be comfortable and have a good night's rest. These basic amenities include soap, toilet paper, linen/sheets, towels, and pillows. Recommended quantities of each item depend on the number of guests and the length of their stay.

Inventory Checklist for Airbnb

Sometimes, having the right item in your Airbnb listing can make all the difference. Here's the standard Airbnb host checklist to help you be the perfect host. Make sure you have these Airbnb essentials for your listing to make traveler's stay more comfortable:

• Bath towels (2 per guest);
• Toilet paper;
• Feminine products;
• Toiletries (it's better to buy them in bulk)—soap, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, body lotion, disposable toothbrush;
• Hairdryer;
• Garbage can;
• Bed linen and pillows;
• Hangers for clothing;
• Alarm clock;
• Wi-Fi access;
• Bedside lamp and table;
• Safe for valuables;
• Tea & coffee;
• Tea kettle and coffee maker;
• Sugar;
• Milk;
• Salt & pepper;
• Pots & pans;
• Dishes and cups;
• Butter;
• Cleaning supplies (all-purpose cleaner, dishwashing liquid, disinfectant, bleach, etc.);
• Pens and pencils;
• Full-length mirror;
• Books and magazines.

Your guests will appreciate it if you go the extra mile and stock your property with these things to ensure a personalized experience: 

• Disposable slippers and bathrobes;
• Universal charger;
• Clothing rack or dryer;
• Clothing iron and ironing board;
• Adaptors;
• Smart TV;
• Netflix.

Don't forget to provide your guests with a home guidebook that includes information about your house rules and a personalized welcome note. It's important to send the guest a pre-prepared welcome pack in advance.

Airbnb Host Checklist: What To Provide to Impress Your Guests

We have provided you with a rental inventory checklist of basic amenities a host should have for Airbnb guests. However, other items can enhance the guest experience and make it special, depending on the type of traveler, such as business or leisure.

What do Airbnb hosts provide to impress their guests and get higher ratings? Here are some options.

For Leisure Travelers

If the guests are staying for leisure, try to make an extra effort to make your place feel like a home away from home. Add some touches that will make their stay special. For example, have a well-stocked kitchen, assuming your guests would like to cook and provide luxuriously soft bedding and toys for the little ones.

For Business Travelers

Business guests have more convenience and efficiency-focused requirements. Consider providing smartphone chargers and setting up a laptop-friendly workspace. To become certified as "Business Travel Ready," you must meet stringent criteria. To qualify, you must ensure that the workspace, Wi-Fi, self-check-in, carbon monoxide detector, and smoke detector are included, along with certain other basic amenities.

Toiletries

Spa-quality toiletries are a fantastic way to transform your space into a truly special place, ensuring a great experience for your guests. Adding natural shampoos, body wash, soaps, and conditioners to your bathroom will make a huge difference in how guests view your property.

Leave a Gift

A welcome gift is anything you can give to the guest upon check-in. It's better not to mention this item in your listing and make it a surprise and delightful feature. It can be a bottle of wine, a fruit basket, a box of chocolates or sweets, bread, cheese, or even fresh flowers—here's your chance to get creative. Leave a signed greeting card with the gift and let them know you appreciate them choosing your Airbnb.

Conclusions

We hope you can use this Airbnb host checklist to guarantee your guests a positive travel experience. Start with the basics and consider what the guest truly needs. But don't forget to add a few extras to transform your Airbnb space into a welcoming home for your temporary guests.

Create a wow factor to impress your guests much more. Remember that attention to detail is crucial if you want to be a successful Airbnb host.