Running short-term accommodation can be incredibly rewarding, but it’s essential to understand the time commitment involved. Depending on the nature of your property, you might spend 2-3 hours daily managing it, with this increasing to 5-8 hours on days when guests change over. But what exactly takes up all this time? Let’s delve into the tasks that can consume your day.
Guest Communication
Being a good host means staying on top of guest communications. Airbnb expects prompt responses to enquiries, ideally within a few hours and certainly within 24 hours. This involves responding to potential guests’ questions about your property and reviewing their profiles and past reviews before approving bookings. Once a booking is confirmed, there’s ongoing communication about house rules, check-in times, and other details. If you have multiple guests each week, this can quickly become overwhelming.
Cleaning
Even if you hire professional cleaners, you still need to coordinate their access to the property, provide detailed cleaning instructions, and manage their invoices and payments. If you opt to do the cleaning yourself, remember that Airbnb guests have high expectations for cleanliness. Falling short could result in poor reviews, affecting your future bookings.
Check-Ins & Check-Outs
This aspect of hosting might seem straightforward, but it can be surprisingly time-consuming. Not all guests arrive as scheduled, and some may need extra guidance to find your property, despite detailed instructions. The check-in process can involve several phone calls and possibly waiting around for late arrivals.
Managing Hiccups
Even the best-prepared hosts can face unexpected issues. From broken hot water systems to lost keys or complaints about noisy neighbours, these problems require immediate attention. Being an Airbnb host often means being on call 24/7, ready to drop everything to assist a guest, which could mean leaving a party early or missing a family event.
At Town or Country, we understand the dedication required to manage a successful short-term accommodation. Our serviced accommodation solutions in Southampton are designed to ease some of this burden, allowing you to enjoy the rewards of hosting without the constant time commitment. We also offer housekeeping-only and maintenance-only options to provide you with the flexibility to choose the level of support that best suits your needs.
Can we help you? Get in touch with us today to discuss our range of services, call Richard Clarke in our New Business team on 023 8088 1000 or send an email to richard.clarke@townorcountry.co.uk