AirBnB has seen phenomenal growth since it’s inception in 2007 in San Francisco. Initially started as Air Bed and Breakfast – charging guests to sleep on air beds in their spare room, founders Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia have come a long way since those days and AirBnB is now a multi-billion dollar empire.
So, many Windsor landlords have jumped on the bandwagon, offering spare rooms or buy to let properties on the sharing platform. But is it all it’s cracked up to be? Here are our top tips to maximise your income on your Windsor rental property:
MODERNISE – chuck away the chintz – get hold of some home magazines and replicate stylish hotel-like living room and bedroom designs. Add new modern scatter cushions, rugs and throws. Colour co-ordinate where you can. Add texture. Make sure to have at least one item of interest in every room (ie pictures or wall art) – it makes all the difference. See some of Accommodation Windsor Property Makeovers
CLEAN, DE-CLUTTER – keeping your property clean is an obvious one, descale shower heads, shower screens and taps regularly. Throw away or remove clutter – no-one wants to see or have to dust your keepsakes and family photos. Make the space homely but without personal effects – remove any valuable (sentimental or otherwise) pictures and ornaments and replace with good quality generic items that match your scheme. Don’t overdo it with the colour matching – it can look too twee.
UPGRADE – kitchens and bathrooms should be modern and functional. Add facilities to make life more interesting like a Nespresso coffee machine, quality cooking implements, use stainless steel pots and pans and modern white crockery that is easily replaceable – hold some in stock as chips and breakages can be common especially in properties that allow children.
ADD NEW FACILITIES – Netflix or Sky are a good item to have, unlimited Wi-Fi is an absolute must – you won’t get bookings without Wi-Fi and it cannot run out so has to be truly unlimited – almost everyone nowadays spends time on social media or uses streaming services. Sky TV can be quite expensive – Netflix is a good alternative. Consider upgrading your TV to a smart TV with the streaming and social media apps installed for a more seamless experience for your guests – they can also log into their own Netflix accounts if they want to. If you have multiple properties then try multi room accounts by Netflix – up to four properties can use one account for as little as £13.99 per month (as of March 2021).
GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY – this is a must. A good quality iPhone camera can work well but you must edit your photos afterwards to make them as bright and as good as they can be. A professional photographer would be a better option if you can afford it. From as little as £100 you could get some great results and we think you’ll get this back on your first booking.
FLOOR PLANS – people love to see the size of your property and a floor plan is a great way to do this – do it yourself or use one of the many applications available on the web. This helps guests to visualise how they will live in your space, it is a one-off cost and will be invaluable to some people. Add furniture to show what sleeping arrangements are like or how the living room is laid out.
COMMUNICATION – make sure you communicate with your guest so that you can plan for their arrival and notify them of any quirky things they may need to consider – it’s a great chance to get to know your guest and offer suggestions for places to eat, where to park and how to access your home.
WELCOME GUESTS – a meet and greet service is the best way to welcome guests to your holiday home or corporate rental. Arrange a convenient time and make sure to get a contact number so that you can check that they are on time. Showing them around your property and demonstrating the heating system and appliances always makes guests feel at ease and reduces the chance of late night calls if they can’t work it out themselves.
DEAL WITH ISSUES – there are always issues in rental properties – whether you book holidaymakers or corporate travellers. Ensure that you respond to maintenance issues quickly and efficiently. Always apologise for issues and have a good list of suppliers that you can call on to fix plumbing, electrics and anything else you cannot handle yourself.
ASK FOR REVIEWS – this is a no-brainer – a good review will help sell your property to the next guest! Thank guests for good reviews and always respond to negative reviews. Tell the negative reviewer how you have solved the issue. It is important for future guests to see that you care about your property and their experience and that you are prepared to deal with issues that will always arise.
Repeat the above on a constant cycle. Be on top of your game. Or use a host company to do it all for you. A company such as Accommodation Windsor Ltd. We started renting properties for short term stays back in 2004 – yes even before AirBnB! We’ve learned a lot along the way, made our mistakes early on and learned from them.
We take away all of the strain and pay a handsome rent to you in return for your quality property. We ask that you maintain your property (or allow us to on your behalf) to a high standard to keep the flow of quality corporate and leisure clients coming.
If you would like to know more about our services, please send an email to nigel@accwindsor.co.uk with details of your property and I will be in touch to let you know how we can use AirBnB and many other sources to generate a strong revenue stream from your Windsor property.
How do hotels compare to apartments?
We have just taken over a new townhouse in Eton that is set up for short or long term serviced accommodation. Brocas Street in Eton is the location of this fabulous townhouse which features a roof terrace with views of Windsor Castle and the river Thames. Watch the world go by in style from the top floor which also has a sofa bed and a flat screen TV. Down below there is a large open-plan kitchen, living and dining space with 2 large flat screen TVs and unlimited Wi-Fi.
During the global pandemic of Covid-19 we are pleased to offer accommodation for key workers at reduced rates. NHS staff and those working in essential services on the front line deserve our respect and we would love to be of assistance to you, especially if you are feeling stressed or needing a place to stay to relax away from others in self isolation.
We have been around since way before the likes of AirBnB and Booking.com.
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