The struggle to make your Airbnb stand out on the market is fierce given that there are over seven million listings worldwide. By announcing their OMG! Fund, the online rental marketplace really simply increased the stakes. AirBnb will pay a total of $10 million to support the 100 wildest ideas for new listings in honor of crazily unusual residences and their new OMG! category, which include a boot, UFO House, and a six-ton potato, among other oddball properties.
A large potato is, of course, a show-stopper. However, we’ve gathered Airbnb advice from exemplary hosts and are aware that you don’t really need enormous vegetables or giant shoes to elicit a “OMG!” from visitors. Squeals of joy can also be elicited by a striking color scheme, an intelligent design concept, or a single distinctive piece of furniture. Here are 20 suggestions for making your Airbnb stand out.
INCLUDE DELICATE PROP STYLING
Light staging can help to increase vacation anticipation because research has shown that daydreaming about a trip can be the most enjoyable aspect of the travel process. Show prospective visitors how they may enjoy their time on your resort to the fullest. Place a jigsaw on a desk next to a window with a breathtaking view, a set of matching coffee cups on a patio bistro table, or a set of towels and wine glasses next to a hot tub, like in this Big Sky, Montana, stay.
DO NOT post images of persons.
You want guests to see themselves staying at your Airbnb. Don’t dispel the fantasy by demonstrating how you and your family are living the dream. For this reason, it’s better to stay away from listing photographs that include individuals. Don’t overstuff the property with your own photographs, either. Visitors want to feel as though the house is really theirs, whether they are staying for a week or just a few nights.
DO decorate your walls with ethnic flair.
Your walls don’t have to be bare just because you can’t hang family pictures. Display local nature photos, old postcards, or a banner advertising a popular destination nearby. Alternatively, you might build a gallery wall with local artwork as this Chicago Airbnb did.
DON’T include a lot of neighborhood photographs.
While the interior of your house is a terrific opportunity to highlight local flair, your listing shouldn’t be overrun with local images. The Prado, Magnolia Bakery, or the Trevi Fountain may be right around the block from your home, but adding 40 outdoor photos to hide the fact that your home only has an old futon and no welcome mat is not acceptable. The public will be aware of your ruse.
DO use your inner voice. Kondo, Marie
Ignoring the advice that simplicity is preferable to maximalism is one of the missed Airbnb suggestions for a rental. The two-thirds rule is an example: Take pictures of the room with around two-thirds of the furnishings you would typically have there. Even if you’re a sucker for heaps of paperbacks and throw pillows in real life, now is the time to simplify. While you’re traveling, store the extra in a storage unit or with friends.
DON’T overcrowd the area.
Even in the case of your diverse collection of salt and pepper shakers, there may be too much of a good thing. You don’t want visitors to think that your vacation house is really just a place to store items you found at yard sales. Additionally, you don’t want the guests to navigate a furniture-filled maze.
FASHION WITH GREENS
Add real plants to rapidly refresh your Airbnb room, especially if the lush surroundings complement the décor. In tiny settings, Oakland, California-based presenter Ansel Troy employs plants as “transformative minimalist art.” Greens are aesthetically pleasing and may change your attitude, he claims. Make a live wall for visitors who enjoy Instagram for more effect.
DON’T assign tasks to the visitors.
Of course, you’ll need a strategy to maintain your plants watered if you cover your yard in vegetation. But expecting visitors to take care of the plants won’t fly. Keep to succulents, which require less regular watering, and include staff cleaning responsibilities into plant maintenance.
DON’T reject a theme.
If your home is near a beach, it’s likely that your visitors are there for the beach. Design elements that pay homage to the region’s main appeal will satisfy the public. Visitors to this Airbnb in Stuart, Florida, feel firmly linked to the sea thanks to the wicker lamps, nautical wall hangings, and fabrics and furnishings in marine blues. Similar to other properties, this one in Jackson, Wyoming serves as a reminder to visitors that they are in an alpine paradise with its wooden skis, flannel pillows, and faux fur seat cushions.
A theme shouldn’t take over the entire space.
The line between groovy, kitschy, and downright nutty may be quite thin at times. Avoid crossing it. Where will your visitors enjoy a theme? Consider that. It’s great to pass old fishing lures that have been lovingly framed in the hallway of your lake property. It might be a bit much to have to look at a smallmouth bass toilet paper holder every morning.
DO create deliberate design moments.
Get a bar cart and fill it with utensils for the bar, including a cocktail shaker. Alternately, create a coffee bar in a vacant kitchen area, complete with a coffee machine, jars of coffee beans and tea bags, and a pretty sugar dish. On a credenza adjacent to a record player, you may also put vinyl on exhibit. Bonus points if you can showcase local talent. Creating these kinds of moments and using them in your listing enables visitors to recognize your attentiveness.
DON’T misrepresent amenities to visitors.
To that end, if your listing depicts a record player but when visitors arrive, all of your vinyl is locked up, they will be dissatisfied. Only display content that you are prepared to let people see.
DO highlight natural lighting.
Follow the example of this Hollywood Hills residence and let the light in. To ensure that visitors enter a bright environment, keep window coverings and drapes closed in listing images and on arrival days. Pair thick blackout drapes with sheer curtains in bedrooms so that visitors may sleep soundly but have the option of letting light in during the day.
DON’T take pictures at night
Even if your Airbnb is a marvel of architecture, no one would know it if the photos taken at night make every room appear to be a cavern. That is, unless your residence is literally a cave, as is the case with this accommodation in Valtierra, Spain.
DO showcase one “design” item.
IKEA Poäng chairs are commonly seen in short-term rentals, which is a common characteristic. Rather, spend your money on one exciting piece for visitors. Whether it’s the legendary George Nelson platform bench by Herman Miller, a Knoll Womb Chair, or even a really unusual Craigslist discovery.
DON’T obscure architectural treasures
Adopt distinctive architecture to highlight your home. When showcasing your house, embrace distinctive architecture, especially if it’s as exceptional as this Tokyo Airbnb. A picture provided by Airbnb Don’t allow the furnishings overshadow a striking structural feature. Consider this lovely 100-year-old wooden home in Tokyo: The designer chose muted furniture to highlight the Airbnb’s original Shji paper walls and exposed rafters.
BUY amusing lights.
It doesn’t matter if you spend $25 on an Amazon Himalayan salt lamp or make a statement with a paper Noguchi lamp, attractive lighting is an inexpensive way to add some atmosphere to your home. For instance, the pendant lighting made of natural fiber at this Airbnb in Tulum, Mexico, wonderfully sets the mood.
AVOID including plugs and wires in photographs.
Having saying that, avoid letting the wires for your whimsical lighting ruin the mood. An electrical outlet somehow shouts, “Not on vacation.” It makes us consider the possibility of having to work while we’re gone, which is the last thing anyone wants to consider while making their trip wish list. Cords are careless. Purchase a cord cover or tuck the cords behind the TV.
USE a photographer.
Professional photography can help you get closer to a 5-star review. Professional photography can help you get closer to a 5-star rating. A picture provided by Airbnb Do it now. And certainly, a buddy who wants to become a photographer counts. The time is not now to mention that this was filmed on an iPhone X in your Airbnb listing. Count on a professional to present your home in its finest light
