5 Tips to Successfully Host Your Space

Melisa Sukman Epand

February 6, 2014

According to the UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, international tourist arrivals reached a record 1,087 million arrivals in 2013 – surpassing expectations and growing by over 50 million tourists travelling across the globe!

With the incredible increase in tourism, people are beginning to leverage available space for additional income using popular community marketplaces such as Airbnb and HomeAway. The Sharing Economy is the next big thing, which leads us to the following question: how can you make money renting your space? Check out our top

1. Keep your accommodation well kept

Renting your accommodation during holidays or for travelers all year round is no easy task- while you might start off with a great beach house or apartment in the heart of the city, you will need to do maintenance work on your property to insure it’s in its best condition. Keep it squeaky clean- no one wants to stay at a dirty place.

2. Find the dream marketplace

There are many community marketplaces around the world where you can offer your available space for short term rent, with major platforms including Airbnb and HomeAway. The best thing is that while you get a lot of users checking out your property, listing it is for free. Another big plus is that you can check out your future guests’ profile and know a little bit about them before hosting them. Don’t forget to use Social Media networks such a Pinterest, Tumblr and Google+ to make your property go viral.

3. Do market research

Several marketplaces like Airbnb, HomeAway, Wimdu and FlipKey will recommend a price for your accommodation. However, you know your house and area the best. Skim through ads for other rental properties and set a fair and attractive rental price, taking into account the amenities you are offering.

4. Snap away

Take several pictures of your property and try not to retouch them- you want to give your future guests as accurate an image of your accommodation as possible. Think a bit outside the box, and show off your location as creatively as possible. Should you not be able to take good pictures, or get hold of a good camera, Airbnb offers freelance photographers that will take pictures of your property free of charge.

5. Improve your guests’ experience

The first step is to set up your profile on any community marketplace- there’s no thing as too much information when it comes to this. Do your best to describe and present yourself in a pleasant, friendly way. Try and establish a good relationship with the travelers before they stay at your accommodation. Do your best to ensure they have a good time by offering them hospitality. Your guest reviews can go a long way- their recommendations will bring more people and benefit your business!

This cool infographic presented by Visual.ly shows the evolution of tourism, top most popular countries to fly to, means of transportation and profits.

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