The history of my relationship with Airbnb: 10 countries and 15 cities, 17 apartments and rooms for several days and 2 houses for a month. What have I learned for myself in 4 years and will I continue?

To be honest, I have never had any serious problems with airbnb.ru, and I am 99.9% satisfied with it. Stop, where did one hundredth go?

What accommodations can I find on Airbnb?

Almost anything - rooms, apartments, bungalows, villas and even tree houses! It usually takes from 30 minutes to an hour to search for an accommodation option in one city - I look at photos of apartments, read reviews of “former” ones (I also translate foreign languages). I also compare prices with RoomGuru - it happens that the good old number in 3 stars also wins.

My feedback on Airbnb

Our apartment for 4 people in Jerusalem - $ 100 / night

Note: and if not the first, then here's a life hack - register a mom / dad / friend (remember that the bonus is not entered, but is automatically credited when you click on the link), and the discount coupon will work again. 🙂

Step 2. Let's go further - search for accommodation for travel. Apartment reservations are available in almost any city in the world. To do this, set the parameters you need on Airbnb:

• city
• dates (from 2019 the numbers drop out along with the cost - convenient)
• and the number of people by clicking "apply" and then "housing"

and here they are - all the rental options for your dates, from a luxury townhouse in the center to a bum-style tent by the lake (I told you, for any wallet? 🙂).

What filters are there?

• Housing type(whole housing, separate or common room) - I usually don't choose anything here, I am guided right away by the ads. You can slap, for example, the first option, and the house / apartment will be completely in your - temporary - possession
• Price- you can choose the border amount that you are ready to shell out per day (from 0 to 50,000+ rubles)
• Book instantly- see one step below
• Trip type(for families / business trips) - in my opinion, the filter is not quite relevant, because a more interesting and cheaper option can be found just in the tape
• Others- if necessary, indicate the number of bedrooms, amenities, area or tick the box "unique housing" (a hut in the woods, a yacht or a houseboat? 🙂)

Step 3. We study housing - a short algorithm is as follows:

• look at prices
• we determine the location on the map on the right (when you hover over the ad, its price tag is highlighted on the map)
• we open several apartments we liked
• read reviews

When you click on a property, you can see detailed information about the rules / conditions of residence, photos of rooms, reviews from travelers and the owner. I advise you to CAREFULLY go through literally each letter. The site works in Russian, so there is also a magic button "translate". Pay attention to the "Amenities" section. It happens that the owners also include breakfasts - they are quite simple, but still nice 🙂 Plus, it saves both time and money.

Our apartment in New York (Brooklyn) for $ 67 / night for two - it has a robot, a fireplace and even a cinema (more details wrote in the telegram @howtrip)

My advice on how not to fly over and overpay:

1️⃣ I never choose apartments about which no reviews or a small number of them (2-4). Although I admit that everyone starts somewhere, and that cool loft with zero responses in a month or two will become a super-sellable offer. But I’m probably going to step aside.

UPD: I changed my mind and now I am looking at the "new items". And all because they sometimes offer a 20% discount to the first 3 guests. I have already booked this twice, and successfully!

2️⃣ Of the whole bunch of rave reviews, I mark those that are automatically generated by the service itself "The host canceled this reservation ..."... This means that the owner canceled the reservation so many days before the arrival of the traveler - if there are 3 or more, I pass by.

3️⃣ An important factor is response frequency and time host (can be found below reviews). They demonstrate the attitude of a person to Airbnb - scores or is really responsible.

4️⃣ Above the red button "Request a booking" there are several lines that add up to the final cost, but these are not always specific:

• Cleaning fee- I do not see the need if I am going for 3-5 days or even a week. In principle, it is not large - up to 2,000 rubles for all accommodation
• Discount per week / monthly- this is your favorite 🙂 If you book an apartment for 7 days or more, then some hosts discard 10-15% of the price, and if for 3-4 weeks, then the discount can go up to 30-40%! That is why Bali cost me 400 rubles per night.

5️⃣ And someone enters and security deposit... You can find out about this in the "House Rules" section, expanding them completely. I wonder what he not written off and is not frozen on the card when booking (and even more so, it is not given to the owner in cash). If the owner complains about the damage after the checkout, Airbnb reviews the claim (with your participation, of course) and issues a verdict - pay the amount or forgive. I haven't had any experience with collaterals yet.

6️⃣ Do not click on "Request a booking" immediately. First, write to the landlord (in the “Host name” section, the “Contact” button): ask something about the apartment or just mention how you liked the option. But be sure to clarify, whether the desired dates are free - the calendar can and junk. Plus, it saves you money from sneaky instant bookings.

7️⃣ What is instant booking? The host has set up an automatic booking confirmation, not a manual one. Accordingly, the money on the card is frozen right there, without waiting for the final word from the owner. In fact, this is a convenient option, and overlays (cancellations) are extremely rare 🙂 The red button "Request a reservation" is a regular one, and "Reservation" is instant.

8️⃣ Browse cancellation policy... Flexible, moderate, strict - the amount that will be returned to the card depends on them if you decide to cancel the apartment.

Step 4. The host has 24 hours after your request to accept or decline your reservation. If the outcome is positive, payment is made, and airbnb.ru opens access to all information about the accommodation - the exact address, telephone for communication.

What to consider on financial matters (how payment is made):

• Airbnb takes commission from 10 to 15%, the value of which depends on the cost of the reservation
• Payment is always in rubles, not in dollars and not in euros, even if the cost is indicated in those currencies. And it is better to use a ruble card, in order to avoid frantic conversion

• If you select "Share payment with friends" - your friend will not be able to pay with bonuses. Only those who book accommodation can use them

Step 5. Wait for the trip and contact the host the day before to clarify the details.

Entrance to the house in the center of Barcelona, ​​where we rented an apartment - 30 euros / day

How do I contact Airbnb?

Before booking for all questions write to support www.airbnb.ru/help. Unfortunately, it will not work to make a call, they simply do not have such an opportunity.

If you made a reservation, and there was a need to contact, find the letter in the mail "Your booking is confirmed". At the very bottom there is a red button, go to the Help Center, flesh out the problem. You will be offered to write or call their Russian-speaking support service (the number is free). Note: this very Russian-language support is often busy, there are few operators, so they throw it on the English-speaking one.

I recently discovered their Vkontakte page - vk.com/airbnbhelp, there is also a good connection there.

What happens if a booking is canceled?

Canceled by host: Full refund or bank transfer to another booking. If you canceled: full / partial refund (subject to conditions).

If you choose accommodation with flexible cancellation, then there will be no problem. Always pay attention to this. In January 2018, we canceled our booking in Thailand - the money was returned to the card within 2 days! 🙂 Important: the refund is made to the card that was indicated at the time of booking.

By the way, if you are traveling only to one country for a week or 10 days, then I advise you to look at the cost of tours, it often happens that they are more profitable independent trip(applies to countries such as Thailand, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and other popular destinations):

What are the advantages of the Airbnb.ru website? Positive feedback from tourists

The apartment where we lived in Paris (August 2018) - 65 euros / day

1. The lowest prices for apartments around the world. And it is true! This is especially noticeable in large and expensive cities. As mentioned above, many offers have discounts when booked for a week or month. It is also profitable to rent an apartment by a company, when calculated per person it turns out to be more budgetary. You can find cool offers for quite reasonable money. So, in Phuket, I rented an apartment for 600 rubles a day with a swimming pool and a gym. Not bad, huh? And in Barcelona - a room for 600 euros for a whole month.
2. Simple and straightforward site. This, of course, is not a very tangible plus, but many services have big problems with this.
3. All kinds of options - you can find luxury apartments overlooking the entire city, a small and cozy apartment in a residential area with locals. In general, the choice and prices for every taste.
4. By renting a place to live on Airbnb, you get to know the locals and feel the culture of the country. Which is quite difficult to grasp if you check into a hotel and talk to a receptionist programmed to smile.
5. The service has solved one of the main problems for many - full payment - and now it is not necessary to give the full amount when booking. It can be divided into two parts, and the second one should be spent ≈2 weeks before the trip. Condition: total amount - from $ 250, date of travel - not earlier than in 4 weeks.

What are the disadvantages of the site? Negative reviews

Our accommodation for a day in Moscow on Bolshaya Sadovaya - 4200 rubles / day for three

First, I will say a few words. Here I read the messages, and I think if everything were as bad as some describe, so Airbnb would have been blown away for a long time. Well, and through one, of course, the fault is the user's inattention.

1. If you have been advised of a specific accommodation - for example, Michael's cozy apartment in NusaDua - you won't be able to find it by name. This has become a very uncomfortable moment for me more than once.
2. Payment upon booking. Now it is already possible to divide the amount into two stages, but back in 2017 this was not the case, which did not suit me wildly. Money, in fact, is in a "suspended" state for several months, and maybe quite a large amount. Airbnb has finally gone to meet customers. I know you will say that the hotel can be bought without paying at all. But here, when canceling a reservation, significant losses are incurred by ordinary people for whom this is not something that would be profitable. And this is offset by cheaper prices than hotels. On the other hand, you can always cancel your reservation (at a certain time before arrival) and the service will return the full amount based on the conditions that were specified in the apartment's profile.
3. If any problems arise, the support service takes a very long time to respond to letters. And it's okay that problems rarely arise, but they do happen. The last time I had a question was about a refund. Surprisingly, the money was returned faster than the employee answered - 2 days vs. 5 days 🙂
4. Negative reviews about Airbnb abound in the following: caught by a scammer who tricked me into slipping a bad apartment or canceled a reservation a week before check-in. But just for such a case, responses about accommodation, host ratings and the ability to contact before booking are introduced. Always carefully read each comment, see the date of registration of the profile and photos of the accommodation. If you have any questions, then be sure to write to the landlord - this is the difference between Airbnb and a hotel search engine, that he - about communication and waiting... In addition, the service is really customer-oriented - any cancellation is accompanied by a discount coupon, and money is returned for non-compliance with the conditions (after the proceedings). But this does not eliminate the need to look for new housing and unpleasant emotions. This is where one missing hundredth is hidden.
5. Speed ​​- people are not always online and after booking you need to wait for the owner's confirmation. Therefore, if you book accommodation in the morning and plan to check in in the afternoon, it is better to look for hotels through Roomguru.

By the way, if you stopped at Booking, check: did you receive a refund of 1,000 rubles >> from a booking of 8,000 rubles or more? :)

Is Airbnb eligible for a visa?

Embassies accept airbnb reservations for visa. For example, we made the Spanish Schengen and attached several confirmations from this site. It can be done without any problems for a visa to the Czech Republic, France and other countries.

Click on "View Trip Plan" and print the detailed receipt. Names and dates are displayed there.

What other features does Airbnb offer?

In addition to accommodations on Airbnb, it became possible to book various entertainment and events with local people. For example, we have booked:

• surf lessons in Bali for 450 rubles instead of the usual 1500 rubles on the beach
• boat trip in Barcelona for 4200 rubles per person
• cupping and a lecture on coffee from a classy barista in Barcelona for 1400 rubles
• jeep safari in Dubai for 1500 rubles (morning)

Is it profitable? Without a doubt. Using the website in Los Angeles, you can learn how to make ice cream, book in Paris sightseeing tour, in Rome buy tickets for the concert of locals. All this is available via the "Impressions" button.

And in 2018, the Airbnb Plus search for luxury accommodation is being introduced. The options marked with this sign are classy dwellings with maximum amenities and hospitable hosts (and the corresponding price).

FAQ

1. What if the apartment is not at all the same as in the photo?
   Submit photos and videos of your accommodation immediately to the Airbnb Help Center. The complaint is usually considered within 3-4 days, but the full amount + moral damage is returned.
2. What should I do if, after confirming the reservation, the owner asks for an additional payment or informs that he has to cancel the reservation?
   In no case do not cancel it yourself, otherwise, in which case, you will not be able to return the full amount. Contact the Support Center.
3. What does the review mean: “The host canceled this reservation _ days before arrival. This is an automated posting "?
   The owner canceled the reservation so many days before the arrival of the tourist. If there are many such marks, I close the ad. Although, in fact, the owners are also subject to fines for the "drain", and considerable.
4. Canceled the reservation, but lost / replaced / stole the card specified in the profile. How do I get my money back?
   Funds are returned not to the card, but to the account to which it is linked. If you reissued the card, the issue is resolved by transferring the amount from the account to new card... If you closed the account itself, then you need to contact the bank with an application. Recently I myself faced such a question - everything was quickly resolved in a week.
5. I want to change / shift the dates of the reservation, the owner approves, what should I do?
   In the "Trips" section there is a change / cancel item. Enter new dates, the host confirms, you get an updated booking.

This is my review for airbnb.ru. I am friends with the service and have not caught any hint of "setup" for three years. What will be yours? 🙂 Share in the comments!

Coupon from Airbnb and 3 more ways to save

1️⃣ It is more profitable to rent a house for a week or a month, because usually from 7 nights there is a 5-15% discount, sometimes more.
If you need to stay for 2-3 days, then it's easier to take a hotel or hostel on RoomGuru or. On the second, by the way, you can also get 1000 rubles a discount (for any booking)

With a discount, accommodation for 7 days will cost less than 6 or 5. And rent for a month will be more profitable than for 3-3.5 weeks. It happens that the monthly discount starts from 27-28 days.

2️⃣ Why not take a chance and look for new offers (special icon next to it)? Some hosts offer a discount on the first 3 bookings, and it can go up to 30-40% of the initial cost.

3️⃣ Some apartment owners add a fixed cleaning fee. It is a tangible amount (who will determine how), especially if the booking is 3-5 days. So try to find accommodation without cleaning. You can write to the host and ask - what if I clean it myself? :) Sometimes they go to a meeting and the price goes down. But if you are against, you should not insist.

4️⃣ Naturally, a life hack that many people know about is a coupon of 2100 rubles for the first booking. BUT! Even if you already have an account, follow the link, issue a new one for your mom, sister, aunt, friend and voila. So far in 2019 it works. And even for yourself you can, if you have changed your passport or you have a driver's license.

Optional: watch the conversion. We already wrote about this in our article, in short - at the bottom right on the Airbnb website there is a little thing for switching currency.

Copying of materials is allowed only with the obligatory indication of a direct, active and open to indexing hyperlink to the site.

Get ready for a long post. In this article, I tried to take into account all the nuances and close all questions about renting out my apartment using Airbnb. This information is based on my personal experience and the experience of my friends. And therefore practice, practice and more practice. Go!

How do I rent an apartment through Airbnb?

Imagine a picture:

You got on a plane to relax in some wonderful country, for example, in Greece. All week you lay on the beach enjoying the sun, sea, life and fresh seafood. You met new people, ate delicacies and tanned well.

And so you returned home, checked your account and were glad that you had a good time and managed to make good money while basking in the sun.

But wait a second, is that possible if you're not a venture capitalist?

Every year more and more people rent their accommodation to travelers. Some of them make six figures.

You need 3 things to make money with Airbnb: an empty house, a room that is idle or even a sleeping place, openness in communicating with people and a desire to make money.

Airbnb's idea is simple - you rent out your accommodation to travelers (often more expensive than apartments for rent to your fellow countrymen), and travelers enjoy the opportunity to live in comfort and feel like a local.

To help tourists delve deeper into the daily life of their destination, the founders of Airbnb have created a $ 30 billion company. This service covers 190 countries and 60 million tourists as its clients.

The good news is you can get your piece of this huge pie.

If you prefer to first carefully familiarize yourself with a new situation for you before rushing into the pool with your head - this article is for you. Here is everything you need to know to make money successfully by renting out your accommodation to tourists. And the basis was personal experience renting an apartment through Airbnb.

How does Airbnb work?

Airbnb is an online rental platform that offers an alternative to the hospitality industry. It is also a good earning opportunity for those who are open enough to let strangers into their home.

Airbnb connects tourists in need of affordable or unique accommodation and hosts offering a spare bed or fabulous palace depending on their capabilities.

Tourists use Airbnb when:

• hotels are overcrowded (for example, during a festival);
• hotel prices are unreasonably high;
• do not like hotels a priori and prefer to live "like at home".

They can come to you for a couple of days or for several months, all this is negotiated in advance on the website and we will move on to technical issues a little later.

Airbnb charges a small commission from both tourists and landlords.

Why rent out your home on Airbnb?

Airbnb has become a very popular site among landlords because it allows you to earn extra money without spending too much time and money. But this does not mean that this type of business only has no negative sides.

Opening your home to strangers is always a risk.

Firstly, renting out housing is also a kind of income generation, which is taxed by law. For non-payment of tax (if, of course, you are caught), you will have to pay a fine.

Secondly, we have all heard horror stories about housing that has been destroyed or robbed by tenants. Statistics show that such cases are less than 1%, but they also take place.

But if you have the courage to let strangers live on your property and decide for yourself the tax issue, then Airbnb can be a lucrative business for you.

If you like to chat, then this service will help you make many new acquaintances around the world. Many business people use Airbnb, and you have the chance to meet people from different backgrounds.

Not to mention the fact that an empty home is a big source of expenses if you don't use it in any way. So why not bring benefits to people who will pay you for it.

Airbnb Landlord Requirements

Initially, in order to rent your property on Airbnb, you need to create an account. It's free for both tourists and you. To register, you need an email address, or an account on Facebook or Google+ account.

Legal aspects

If you live in Russia, then you do not need to do any additional gestures. If you, as a decent citizen, are going to pay taxes, then you have 2 options:

• pay personal income tax as a physical person. face;
• register as an individual entrepreneur.

Choose the option that is more profitable for you, keep in mind that the individual entrepreneur also has insurance contributions to the Pension Fund.

If you live in another country, then clarify this point in your legislation.

Personal space

By registering for, you must accept the rules of the game - here it is customary to respect personal space. And if you have security devices at home, such as CCTV cameras, then warn your guests in advance.

Otherwise, the guest may terminate your agreement and claim a refund, and you will receive a penalty through Airbnb.

Time spent

If you are serious about making money with Airbnb, then be prepared to spend a few hours a week on it.

You need to visit the official Airbnb website often to interact with your potential guests: answer questions, negotiate any points in order to convince travelers to stay with you.

You also need to confirm your reservation and clean up after the guests. Of course, you can delegate the latter to a cleaning company.

Get the owner's permission

If you are a tenant yourself, then you will get permission from the owner to sublease the entire premises or part of it, as prescribed in the contract, so as not to have problems in the future.

A responsibility

The Airbnb community is built on reliability and trust. Therefore, it is very important to accurately and correctly describe your rental housing: provide real photographs and normal living conditions (electricity, heat, running water and cleanliness).

Otherwise, negative reviews will be left for you, and your offer will have a low rating and tenants will bypass it.

How to get good reviews

Hospitality is the key to success. Airbnb has hospitality standards. Therefore, if you want to make good money in this service, then try to match them. This will help you get good reviews, which means your services will be more in demand.

The math is simple: good reviews = more guests = more money.

To get good reviews, you need to pay attention to the following aspects.

1. Always update your rental availability. It is important that the platform and prospective guests know when your property is occupied and when it is free.

2. Provide future guests with information in a timely manner. Be available for communication and visit Airbnb more often to be ready to answer questions in time, tell more about your accommodation, when you can check in / check out, etc.

Sometimes it happens that having booked accommodation with an unscrupulous landlord, the traveler is actually on the street in an unfamiliar city. In such a situation, he tries to quickly find a replacement for him, and here you are online.

3. Be considerate. Always prepare your home for new guests. If for some reason you have to cancel your reservation, then do it in advance so that the tourist does not find himself in the situation described above, and he has time to calmly find himself a new home.

4. Be honest. Provide real information about your accommodation so that travelers' expectations do not diverge from reality. Otherwise, your account may be blocked.

About safety

Safety is a question for every sane person facing a previously unknown phenomenon, and Airbnb is no exception.

There is always a risk that you will come across an unreliable person. Airbnb landlords have experienced various situations where the house was turned upside down after a party, property was damaged, and in some cases guests changed locks and refused to leave.

In Russia, this is quickly resolved with the help of the police, but in England, for example, serious problems may arise. They have such a concept as "squatting". This is when strangers can move into an empty house without demand, and they can only be evicted from there by a court decision, and the trial is a long matter.

Due to these incidents in 2011, Airbnb had serious problems, so since then they have implemented a complex verification system that has become a benchmark in the rental / rental industry.

You cannot be anonymous, and the system of reviews and ratings works both ways, keeping both guests and landlords within the bounds of decency. Those. you can only let trusted people with good reviews to your home.

Before confirming a reservation, the parties can only communicate through Airbnb. All messages containing telephone number are automatically blocked. Of course, there are workarounds, for example, sending the number in parts, but you need it?

Moreover, the bank cards of the participants are also confirmed by the system. You can exchange contacts with the guest only after the booking has been paid, so that you can call and communicate in a more convenient way.

All payments are made within the system using online banking. When a guest orders a reservation, he must enter his card details, or pay through PayPal, which also takes care of the safety of users.

Payment is credited to your account the next day after the guest checks in to your property.

Another important thing is that you always have the option to decline a booking request if the guest does not seem reliable enough to you. There will be no sanctions for this, you have the right to accept only those you trust.

If you need Additional Information then Airbnb has a Facebook Connect feature that allows landlords to request recommendations from a guest's friends.

If these security measures prove to be ineffective, the landlord will be paid $ 1 million in guaranteed insurance. You will be able to take advantage of insurance if your damage does not exceed $ 1 million.

If you have any problems, you can contact Airbnb and request a refund. Please note that insurance does not cover all property or personal liability, so you might be better off purchasing separate insurance.

How to get an Airbnb account right

Filling out information about housing on Airbnb is quite simple. The platform itself is intuitive, so it won't take long to fill out an account. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, here are some tips.

Heading

Many people underestimate the importance of a bright and catchy headline, and write something like “Bright and modern two-room apartment in the city center”. That's not bad, but there are thousands of titles like this.

To stand out from the gray mass, you need to be a little creative, you need to be remembered. For example, in Minsk there is a "taxi with a squirrel"; everyone in the city knows him. It's just that a man drives his customers in an inexpensive foreign car, and a real tame squirrel lives in the cabin of his car. A trifle, but cool.

There is no need to indicate your city in the title, this is understandable. Travelers first choose a city and then an apartment from the proposed options.

If your home is outside the city limits, this is worth mentioning.

Description

The description is simple, it is best if you write about your accommodation clearly and, most importantly, honestly. Provide as many important details as possible so guests know exactly what to expect. Don't make false or exaggerated claims.

To look more professional, translate your description into at least English, I advise also into Spanish and Chinese, but this is optional. In this way, you will build more confidence in your effort to be understood.

Photos

Photos are very important. Most often they rent an apartment with good photos... The logic here is simple, the higher the quality of the photos, the more bookings.

Take photos during the day, natural light is best. You can only upload 10 photos to your account, so choose the ones that give guests a clearer idea of ​​your room: how it looks, what size, what kind of bed, bathroom, etc.

For ideas, I advise you to contact your more expensive and popular competitors. See what angles they choose and do the same.

Airbnb also provides photographers. Photography is free. An icon will appear on your photos that they were made by an Airbnb employee, which means that they are reliable, and you have a plus to trust. Just find out if this service is available in your area.

Set the rules

Airbnb allows all landlords to set their own guest policies. Consider your needs, travelers and neighbors. For example, do not make noise after 23 o'clock, do not smoke. Indicate the number of people you are willing to let into the house. You may want to assign them some household responsibilities, for example, taking out the trash after themselves, watering the flowers.

Your profile

Your profile is one of the most important elements of your account. People trust people. This means that you should look like a trustworthy person in the eyes of travelers. Fill out your information so completely and clearly that guests know what to expect from you as a host.

Price

Another important aspect that everyone pays attention to when choosing a home is the price. Before setting your prices, take a look at your competitors' rental prices. Take into account their location, photos and analyze how successful they are (according to reviews). Look at hotel prices.

While you are a beginner, set the price slightly lower than your neighbors' for approximately the same housing option. Take into account that you will need to pay the Airbnb commission, buy the necessary little things, like toilet paper, and possibly pay for the services of a cleaning company.

If you seriously want to make money on Airbnb to rent out your accommodation, be flexible in your pricing. Look at the market demand and raise or lower prices depending on the tourist season.

Lafhak. It is very easy to estimate the season, go to wordstat.yandex.ru. Check the "Query History" item in the purple search bar. In the line, write "hotel Moscow", write your city instead of Moscow and click "Pick up". You will see a graph from which you will understand how often tourists are looking for accommodation in your city, depending on the season.

It is very easy to use these, if you know that demand is expected to increase next month, then raise the prices. On the other hand, if you don't have a lot of guests so far, reduce prices until you get at least 2-3 positive reviews.

If you don't want to do these tambourine dances, Airbnb has a built-in pricing tool. It will automatically adjust your price based on the demand in your area. You can set the minimum and maximum price per day.

Landlord's checklist

So, you have completed your profile according to all the rules and even got your first booking. What's next? Now you need to prepare your accommodation for receiving guests.

Regardless of what level of comfort your home provides, you always need to welcome guests clean and with goodwill at the ready. Think of your property like a professional hotel, trying to maximize your guest experience and get good reviews.

Check your accommodation

Remember that your guests' expectations should not be at variance with reality. Think about how well your furniture fulfills its function. It is good if there is a washing machine, but if it is broken, then it would be better if it were not.

Do not overload the space; less furniture is better than more. Ikeevsky minimalism will do just right. But you have to worry about the safety of fewer things.

Put things in order

Arrange a general cleaning before renting out your house. Clean up the kitchen, bathroom, hallway. In general, wherever your guests can go.

A messy apartment is what killed off a lot of barely started Airbnb businesses. Nothing supernatural is required from you, just:

• Vacuum carpets and mop floors;
• Wipe off dust, even where you usually do not climb yourself;
• Wash the bathroom until it shines. Have you ever heard the phrase: "the toilet is the face of the hostess." Rough, but to the point.

Mend the broken

Broken wires, flimsy steps, broken furniture - fix or throw away anything that can cripple your guests with its malfunction. Good reviews are important to us, right?

Change your bedding

This advice may seem obvious, but you will be surprised when you find out how many hostels are neglecting it. Change bed linen after every guest. If you are too lazy to wash often, buy several sets. This will help you avoid bad reviews. Who will love someone else's hair on a pillowcase?

Empty the refrigerator

This is a rule from the category of "destroy all traces of the presence of previous guests." And it seems to be as unclear to many hosts as the previous point.

Nobody likes someone else's half-eaten pizza in the fridge. But if you buy salt, pepper, oil for frying, etc., the guests will be pleased.

Wash the bathroom clean

Any good Airbnb host offers 3 basic things to guests: a clean bed, a clean kitchen, and a clean toilet. Always keep these 3 points in mind, and you will get good reviews, which means even more guests. Hope this motivates you to be a good landlord.

It will also be superfluous to buy towels, toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste, and whatever you see fit. This is not a waste of money, but an investment.

Keep track of valuable things

If you rent out a room in your home or your guests have been staying with you for more than a week, then make sure your valuables are in safe places. Keep money, jewelry, personal documents and albums with family photos where your guests do not have access.

If necessary, you can even purchase a safe, so that you can be calm about your property.

Give guests a separate key

Make sure you have at least one spare key for guests. Never give them your only keys, they suddenly lose.

There is always something that can be done better. If good reviews are important to you, here are some helpful tips to look out for.

Added value

It is important to understand that the more attentive you are to the comfort of your guests, the more travelers will rent an apartment from you. If you're serious about making money with Airbnb, think about the added value you can give your guests, at least at the start of your business.

If you pay attention to the reviews from your popular competitors, you will notice that tourists really appreciate the little things that their landlords take care of.

I know many people who are too lazy to bother with all this, and I understand them, but their results are appropriate.

Don't keep your guests waiting

Always greet guests, and if you do not have time, then ask your friends about it. Be aware that travelers may arrive at night and need to live somewhere.

You can rest assured that you will not receive good reviews if you make your guests wander for hours at a closed door waiting for guests.

Meet them at the airport

The first impression is the most memorable. The best thing you can do for guests in this case is to meet them at the airport or train station. Firstly, in this way you will not only significantly reduce the number of SMS with questions about how to get there, but also make life easier for travelers. Believe me, they will appreciate it.

If you do not have time or desire to play pokatushki, provide guests detailed information about how to get to you on public transport or taxi. Share fares and provide signs to help you know they are on the right track.

Help them find their bearings in a new situation easier.

Create a "Welcome card" (print it on a piece of paper or whatever is enough for imagination) and enter there information that may be useful to them. For example, your contact details, list best restaurants, the city's museums and things to do.

The next day, check how your guests are doing. Do they need anything else. If you have the time and desire, you can spend them together, show the tourists the city. After all, renting out through Airbnb is not exactly the same as with regular renting / renting of housing, to some extent it is also a community.

Stand out from the crowd

Try to offer guests something special to make them stand out from the crowd. Dinner at the restaurant, free guided tour, homemade biscuits. I guarantee that your guests will be happy and will recommend you to their friends.

Ask for feedback

Starting any new business is not easy. The same is true for your Airbnb business. If you are new to the site, then it will be difficult for you to find your first guest. People usually choose places where others have visited and talked about their experiences. They want to know what to expect, and that's okay.

The good news is, if you're new to Airbnb, you can ask your friends or family for feedback. Pay for your accommodation at the lowest price. Yes, you will lose a little money on the service commission, but it will be much easier for you.

What to do if you still get a negative review

Sometimes, even if you tried very hard, things can go to hell. When you have the first negative comment on your profile, it's a matter of time. It doesn't matter why guests gave you a low rating, you need to remain calm and try to resolve the situation quickly and tactfully.

Apologize to the guests for what happened. Even if you disagree with the review. Business is business, and the client is always right. Make it clear to your future tenants that you are sorry about what happened and do your best to ensure that this does not happen again. If you believe that the guest is at fault, then you have 14 days after check-out to leave a review.

If the negative review was too negative, write a public response to the review and explain what happened, tell us how you corrected the situation and reassure guests that they will not face it in the future.

All reviews remain forever, so do not give in to emotions, even if you really want to and stay professional, regardless of whether you communicate with a guest in person or resolve issues online. Always admit your mistakes and treat reviews as friendly advice on which way to improve.

Remember that good communication can always prevent bad reviews. Always keep in touch with your guests and try to make their stay with you as hassle-free as possible.

Oftentimes, bad reviews are written because of a simple misunderstanding. So try to be understood correctly.

How best to exchange keys

Key exchange is the first contact with a guest. Try to make it feel good. If you don't have time to meet your guests in person, here are some ways you can hand over the keys to them.

Ask friends

The most common way. If you can't do it yourself, then ask your relatives, friends or neighbors. Give the tourists the phone number of the person who has the key.

Leave the key at a nearby store

A nearby shop or cafe is also a great place to leave your key. But in this case, you must be completely confident in the reliability of the workers. Also make sure your guests arrive during business hours, otherwise just create a new problem.

Use a key safe

Perhaps the easiest way to exchange keys, if you constantly do not have time, and you do not want to jerk your surroundings. Buy a small key safe with a combination lock. Then your guests can get into the apartment at any time of the day. You can attach it directly to your door, or you can place it in some secret place.

You can also install an electronic lock, which can be controlled from a distance using mobile phone... Or you can give the code to your guests and change it every time they check out.

Surephost Icon

If you have received at least 10 guests in a year, then you have a chance to get the Superhost status (super host). To do this, you need to fulfill several requirements. You must answer at least 90% of booking requests, and over 80% of your reviews must be 5 stars.

By earning a Superhost badge, you will become more visible among competitors, and you will have your own advantages and bonuses.

Outcomes

If you are a hospitable person and are ready to let strangers into your house, then Airbnb can be a good source of additional income for you. But you need to initially find free time to do this business.

Is it profitable to rent an apartment through Airbnb? The answer is unequivocal - yes. Firstly, renting an apartment is always more profitable, and secondly, foreigners pay more money.

Many people have managed to create a steady source of income for themselves by renting out a few apartments and getting six figures a month. And you can, too, if you enjoy hosting and you've read this article carefully.

Accommodation on airbnb.ru

What is a siteairbnb

Airbnb.ru (airbnb.com) is a worldwide rental site. The essence of the airbnb (airbnb) project is to connect the owners of apartments (rooms, apartments, houses, villas and even yachts) in different countries who want to rent out their home, and potential tenants of this home during travel, business trip, study, vacation and other circumstances.

The advantages of renting accommodation from owners around the world over standard hotel booking are obvious. For the same money (and often cheaper) you get a full-fledged apartment instead of a small hotel room. It is very convenient to rent a house or apartment from the owner in family trips, especially with children, or for large companies. For travelers alone, it is convenient to rent a room. Let's compare the cheapest double hotel room and airbnb accommodation at the same price in Stockholm. What will you choose: stop in a hotel with a tiny room and a shared (!) toilet or in a bright spacious two-room apartment for the same funds?

On the left - a large kopeck piece, on the right - hotel room without a bathroom

How to rent an apartment without intermediaries from the owner on airbnb

There are a few simple steps to go through the airbnb website for the first time worldwide to rent your home. Subsequently, in just a few minutes you can rent an apartment without intermediaries from the owner on the airbnb.

Filling in the profile

Start with yourself. The owner needs to be sure that he is receiving a decent guest. Be honest about filling out the profile, because it depends on whether the owner approves your booking.

• Register now. Of course, first you need to register. Have you noticed a gift from us? Next, I'll tell you what this means.
• Fill in the description. Tell us a little about yourself.
• Upload a photo. It is desirable that the photo was yours, close-up and with a smile.
• Confirm profile. There are several options: linking an account with social media, telephone, e-mail, verification through a scan of the document. This is a very important point that confirms that you are a real person with serious intentions.
• Collect positive reviews. When you start using the site to the fullest, negotiate with the host about the exchange of reviews from the first booking. They can be left at the end of the stay for a certain period of time. Unfortunately, many guests and hosts are too lazy to do this later.

⚠ Since airbnb is a site for renting housing around the world, try to give your description and reviews not only in Russian, but also in English.

Important nuances when booking an apartment forairbnb

When you start looking for housing in a city or country of interest, pay attention to the following parameters.

Master:

• Description of yourself.
• Profile confirmations. The more the better
• The presence of positive reviews (the owner may not have reviews about this accommodation, but there is something else).
• Response rate. A good host strives for 100%.
• Superhost status. Awarded for special merit, as shown in the diagram below.

The best hosts are awarded the Order of the Superhost

We were satisfied with the owner with the superhost status.

Apartment (house, room):

• Reviews about the apartment on airbnb.
• Photo availability. Sometimes the pictures are taken by airbnb representatives, then they are marked with the "Verifed" sign.
• Address (area of ​​location).

Accommodation and booking conditions:

• Cancellation policy. We will consider this item in more detail below.
• Availability of options: home appliances, internet, parking, etc.
• The presence of a collateral. Sometimes the owner can indicate the amount of the deposit for the safety of the property.
• The minimum number of days of stay.

⚠ The lack of reviews about housing, verified photos and the "superhost" status of the owner does not mean that this housing should not be considered. Most likely, the owner does not often rent an apartment, only recently joined the airbnb site or is in a rarely visited place.

What do we pay for

The payment includes basic payments and additional ones.

Basic:

• The amount of rental housing.
• Airbnb Service Fee (≈6-12%).

Additional (at the request of the owner):

• Cleaning.
• Other host services.

The total amount is indicated in a special window - everything is extremely transparent.

On the right, you can always see what is included in the price and the final cost of the booking.

General rules for paying for housing

Contact the host by clicking the button

Once you have decided on a place to live, contact the landlord through messages. Tell us a little about yourself and the purpose of the trip, ask the owner additional questions, clarify whether the accommodation is available for the dates of interest. If both parties are happy with everything, request a booking. You can correspond with several owners at the same time, but only one can request a booking for the same dates. Otherwise, several owners may confirm your reservation at once, and funds will be debited from your card for all confirmed requests.

⚠ If you do not speak the host's language, use online translators. Do not make complex and ambiguous sentences in order to minimize distortion during automatic translation.

You can skip messaging with your host and send a booking request right away. But I do not recommend doing this if you have found several vending options, and there is little time left. You may not have time to submit a new application for another accommodation if your booking is not rejected immediately.

Submit a booking request and await host confirmation

Some apartments on airbnb have instant booking. This means that confirmation from the owner is not required. But I, nevertheless, try to first enter into correspondence with the owner in order to clarify the details of interest.

Book your accommodation worldwide instantly

Payment on the airbnb website takes place online using a bank card, as soon as the owner confirms the reservation, or at the time of booking, if the accommodation has an “instant confirmation” status. For residents of some countries, other payment methods may be used (for example, PayPal). The airbnb service acts as a guarantor of safety Money... The host will not receive payment until 24 hours after your arrival. Therefore, if something went wrong, it is very important to report a claim in support of airbnb before this period expires.

Travel coupons and bonuses

On the airbnb site, an incentive system has been created for attracting new users. For a successful invitation of friends, both you and your friends will receive so-called coupons. In fact, these are not standard coupons with a promo code, but a travel bonus that is assigned to your account.

If you just sign up on airbnb.ru, there will be no bonus. And if you go to a special invitation link, then the system will give you a discount of $ 15-35 for booking accommodation (promotions change periodically, they may soon be canceled altogether, so it's better to register now). After registering on the site, you can also invite friends and acquaintances and give them gift coupons. What for? And then that after they rent a place through airbnb, you will be credited with a new coupon. It is better to register now, as the promotion can be canceled at any time. So, recently the value of bonuses has changed several times.

Kostya and I once went to Moscow and decided through airbnb (you can read our review with photos at the link). By that time, we had already accumulated 2 discount coupons for a total of $ 50. For a fancy new three-ruble note in two days, we paid $ 60 instead of $ 110, redeeming coupons. We liked saving so much! 🙂

This is how our receipt for the payment of a three-ruble note for two days in Lyubertsy looks like

⚠ Coupons are valid for 1 year.

Cancellation of booking on the websiteairbnb

Of course, there are situations when plans or travel itinerary change. Therefore, when choosing accommodation, be sure to pay attention to the cancellation policy. They are of several types:

• Flexible.
• Moderate.
• Strict.
• Super strict 30 days.
• Super strict 60 days.
• Long term.

The first three conditions are most common. For all of the above options, the general rules also apply:

But if the owner cancels the reservation, this will affect his rating. The airbnb system automatically publishes information about this fact in the form of a guest review. The owner cannot delete it, therefore it is not in his interests to spoil his reputation. In addition, the host pays serious fines and will not be able to obtain Superhost status within the next year. But if this did happen, the guest will be refunded and assisted in finding a new home.

Compliance with airbnb rules is a guarantee of safety

Take a good look at the worldwide rental policies on airbnb. They are designed to provide maximum safety and comfort. The system is built in such a way that it protects both guests and hosts. It happens that under the pretext of saving on service fees, the owners may offer you to pay them directly. Booking bypassing the airbnb website entails the risk of running into scammers. And in this case, you will not be able to take advantage of the system guarantees.

Explored the possibilities of Airbnb

Marina and Konstantin Samorosenko

Collected in one place links to all sites for booking accommodation in travel, which I know. Here you will find out how easy it is to spend the night in almost any city in the world at an adequate price or even free of charge! Or find really unusual place, living in which will be remembered for a long time.

The post contains the largest hostel database in the world, the largest rental service from owners, websites for booking unusual designer hotels, overnight stays in exchange for help with the house or looking after a pet - in general, options for every taste. Take your pick!

Classic: hotel aggregator sites

Personally, I open these sites first when I am going somewhere on a trip. As the name implies, they combine information from various booking systems, such as: booking, hotels, ostrovok (some of best prices across Russia), agoda (good for traveling in Asia), trivago, expedia and many others.

Aggregators compare prices, look for discounts and special offers, there you can find not only hotels, but also hostels, guest houses- very convenient when everything is in one place.

Read also:

Free overnight stay

The best way to understand a country and its people is to get to know local residents, or even better to live with them for a while. Such opportunities are provided by international hospitality sites when people invite guests to their homes. Just don’t see them only as a free overnight stay; rather, it’s a cultural exchange, interesting communication, an opportunity to improve languages ​​and find new friends around the world.

Source: instagram: @myinterior

Accommodation in exchange for housework

These sites should not be considered only as a way of free accommodation, but as a new unusual experience and an opportunity to help people and the ecology of the planet for a week, a month, or maybe more. The bottom line is that you work several hours a day, and in return you get room and board.

Source: GettyImages

Services for renting cool and unusual hotels

If you want to live in a lighthouse, in a tree house, visit eco-friendly hotels or hotels only for vegetarians, try glamping (glamorous camping) or just chick, then there are special sites for this.

✔ and - here you can buy someone else's booking at a discount. Someone could not go and sell their reservation on the site. You get a good discount, and the person gets money for a non-refundable room.

AirBnb is the premier rental service that makes it easy and safe to rent apartments and houses in many countries around the world. On the site, homeowners post advertisements for the delivery of housing, and those people who need it, rent it. It's simple. All ads are posted with a description, photos, a list of what is and what is not in the apartment. Moreover, Airbnb is not limited to renting apartments; on the service you can find excellent houses on the ocean, rooms, yachts and even medieval castles.

Renting a home on Airbnb goes through several stages:

1. Direct search for housing
2. Correspondence with the owner, in which you can find out everything to the smallest details
3. Payment
4. Arrival and check-in
5. After living, you can leave a review about the accommodation (this is optional)

Renting an apartment on Airbnb is no different than renting a house, a private room, or a yacht. The process is the same. The service itself has established itself with positive side, has been working all over the world for many years and its popularity is growing every year, of which there are only numerous, moreover, it has been fully translated into Russian, so knowledge of a foreign language is not necessary. Compared to hotels, booking an airbnb apartment costs on average 2-3 times less than a room in a three-star hotel. And if you are eating with your family or with friends, then Airbnb is what you need, because hotel rooms are usually designed for 2 people, and you have to book several rooms at once to fit everything (especially for groups of friends of 4-8 people ), and by renting an apartment on Airbnb, you can all stay together.

Why you need to rent a house on AirBnb:

• You will see the real condition of housing from numerous photographs
• You are guaranteed the security of your lease, i.e. You will not be thrown, all homeowners are checked by the service.
• You can find out reliable information about housing from reviews that are written by people who have already lived there.
• Each ad contains a list of available devices (Wi-Fi, washing machine, TV, air conditioning, etc.).
• You can set your filters by price, type of accommodation, facilities, etc., which will allow you to find exactly the property you want.
• The site is very easy to use, it is translated into Russian.
• The site has received thousands of positive reviews from travelers around the world.

How to find the right place to live on Airbnb

Knowing some of the features of the service, you can find airbnb apartments for the most low prices and with a high level of comfort. Often newcomers do not know these "rules for a good search" and find not the most comfortable housing. For those newbies, here are some tips for booking an airbnb apartment.

• Read accommodation reviews carefully... Reviews were written by those who have already lived in this apartment / house / room, so they reflect the real situation. Choose a property for which more than 5 positive reviews have been left.
• Prefer housing with verified photos... Photos of some apartments are tagged with the "Confirmed Photos" tag. This means that the landlord provided comprehensive information, professional Airbnb photographers came to him and personally photographed the rooms.
• Ask the landlord for all the details... Do not hesitate, if you want to know what is the speed of Wi-Fi, how long to walk to the city center, whether the windows overlook the sunny side, what pattern is the rug in front of the entrance - feel free to write to the owner, he will be happy to answer all your questions.
• Better to book with a host with a verified profile... Each host has their own profile on Airbnb, please review it before booking, if the profile is not verified, then it is better to find another accommodation option.

Airbnb vs Hotel Comparison

Is Airbnb Safe

Don't worry, it is absolutely safe to rent an apartment abroad on airbnb. The service is the guarantor of the lease. When did you find suitable option housing, transfer money to the airbnb service as payment, and not to the owner, which excludes the possibility of the owner “disappearing” after the money is transferred (and on some foreign services this is the case). Only after checking in, Airbnb transfers the money to the owner of the accommodation, and you calmly rest and enjoy life.

But not without a fly in the ointment in a barrel of honey. The service is safe and in case of problems it is a guarantee that you will not be left in trouble without help, but some owners can be cunning and provide inaccurate information about their housing. But such hosts can be simply identified and not booked with them. Be sure to read the article about that, and then you will be protected to the maximum.

Airbnb and visa confirmation

Booking on Airbnb is suitable for proof of accommodation, which is required upon obtaining a visa. You just need to print a receipt for payment from the site. There is no difference between confirmation with and with Airbnb, all embassies accept both.

If you do not eat alone, then when booking accommodation on Airbnb.ru, write in the names of all people who are going to live with you in these apartments, and they will also be indicated on the receipt. If suddenly you did not do this during the booking, then contact the support service, write the names and surnames (as in passports) of all guests, and then the service staff will correct the receipt and send the corrected version to your mail.

Some embassies also require a copy of the owner's passport: a page with his photograph and a page with his signature. You can find out exactly whether these additional documents are required or not for your visa, you can only at your embassy (call them or write to the mail). If you still need copies, then just send a letter to the owner asking (if you do not own English language, then you can translate the letter in an online translator) send copies of the pages and within a few hours or days (when how) you will receive them. For almost never need to get a copy of the passport of the landlord.

Instructions

It's easy enough to figure out how to use the AirBnb website, but, knowing a few tricks, you can find very good and cheap housing.

AirBnb is the best travel rental site. Travel and enjoy life! All the best!