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Dear Airbnb Owner,

You own a house/condo/boat/tent/igloo that presumably has cost you a significant amount of money, and paid to furnish it with IKEA furniture. Well, the hard part is yet to come, you need to spend some time and effort to list it on Airbnb.  

  1. Use a professional real estate photographer to take photographs for your listing. If you do not understand why then please stop reading now.  

    • You need to include photographs of the bathroom. If you don't people will infer that the bathroom is so bad that you are ashamed to allow the public to see it. Note: If this is the case, then you need to spend a couple of bucks and upgrade the bathroom.

  2. I know you really love that orange and green checkered macramé quilt, but don't proudly display it on the bed, no one wants to sleep on your nanna's quilt.  

    • Think white, monochromatic, decluttered. If this confuses you, then ask your girlfriend for help.  

  3. Give the place a good name. I'm not a marketing analyst so I am not going to tell you what to name it, just what not to name it:

  4. I own a car that needs to be parked. If you have a spot - great, then please mention this very clearly in the "About this space" section, include specifics like if it is secure, covered, etc. I need details so I can feel comfortable about parking my car at your airbnb (if I'm not comfortable . .  . ). And please be honest: "Free Parking on premises" does not mean free street parking, it means free parking on property that you own or manage. If you do not offer free parking, then clearly state that and describe in detail exactly where I can park my car, so I can feel comfortable about parking my car nearby (if I'm not comfortable . .  . ). It's not rocket science, put yourself in your guest's car and figure it out. 

  5. If your airbnb does not have what today is considered standard equipment like A/C, a door on the bathroom, a stove, wifi then clearly state it. I don't want to arrive in Ann Arbor, MI in August and find there is no A/C, then review your list of amenities to find that A/C is not listed.  

You need to put your best foot forward while being honest about what your place is and isn't (but not too honest . . . you know what Johnny Mercer preaches?)

Sincerely,

The After Action Report

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