Airbnb Peak season is usually the most stressful and busy time for vacation rental owners and property managers. Once you have hosted a full season, you can always learn from your guests and find ways to ‘save time’ each year. Let’s learn a few tips to streamline your process and enjoy as much of your own time as possible.
Your Airbnb’s Peak season is when you can really expect to be full and busy. It may be the summer or winter, but it won’t take too much convincing for travelers to visit your area and book your listing. The Covid-19 era may either increase or decrease your bookings during this time depending on your location.
Here are some practical tips to increase efficiency to enjoy the benefits of your peak season! If you prepare yourself a little in advance, you can simplify your hosting life during the peak season.
Airbnb Peak Season Tips
1. Prepare in Advance.
Preparation is key when it comes to managing your vacation rental’s peak season. Any task you can complete in advance will minimize the inevitable workload you will have to manage when the time arrives. Find ways to avoid rushing at the last moment and simplify.
2. Stock up on Essentials.
Simply: buy in bulk. You don’t want to be running back and forth to the grocery store for marked-up items like toilet paper and snacks for your guests. Use Amazon or join a bulk store like Costco and stock up on all the essentials you will need over the peak season. Items like toilet paper ( It’s actually on shelves again) water bottles and coffee will always be needed to survive your peak season.
3. Stay Super Clean and Sparkling.
A lack of cleanliness is one of the main reasons for guest complaints during the peak season. Especially now that we are in the midst of a Pandemic, cleanliness is really everything. Don’t skimp on cleaning your Airbnb before the arrival of each new guest because it’s the busy season. Follow the Airbnb protocol for cleaning and disinfecting between guests. Here is a sign that helps guests know that you have sanitized prior to their arrival.
4. Speed up your Turnover Time.
Make your life easier and set your check-out at 11 am and check-in window at 3 pm. If guests need a later check-out or earlier check-in they can simply request and you can try to accommodate when it’s possible. Any window less than 4 hours and you’re going to be limited to what you can plan in your free time. Don’t get caught washing loads of laundry before each guest it will take over your life during your Airbnb peak season.
Sheet sets: You want one on the bed, one in the wash, and one (or two) handy and ready to go. If laundry gets backed up a day or so it won’t matter. The day your rushing to change and wash the sheets on time is the day a guest with a new spray tan checks-out and stains everything (yes this happened to us!) Have 3-4 sets of white sheets on hand. This will keep your stress levels from going up when something gets stained.
Face Cloths and Hand Towels: These will get the most stains, foundation makeup and mascara will tinge them at some point! Make sure to have 8 towels, 6 hand towels, and 20 facecloths on hand. Have a stock of towels waiting over peak season and you’ll have less stress.
Stain Fight: Always use spray and wash on these stains before washing them, then inspect every towel coming out of the dryer for the slightest stain. Keep any stained towels in a basket until you have a big enough load to add a cup of bleach and let it all soak for an hour.
5. Don’t Start Any Renos in Peak Season.
This really goes without saying but If you’re thinking of painting the entire house or re-tiling the shower peak season is not the best time for that. Either postpone or speed up any projects that require keeping your Airbnb vacant– even if it’s only for a couple of days and you will maximize your occupancy and booking profits. Unexpected issues can always come out of the blue and extend the renovation process. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to cancel a confirmed reservation at the last minute to finish up a job, which would jeopardize your Superhost status. Always plan for major projects in the offseason when your booking calendar isn’t totally booked out.
Pro Tip: Make sure to gather all of the needed information and prepare everything for their arrival with a Guest Welcome Book!
6. Communicate with Guests.
During your Airbnb peak season, you should try to prevent commonly asked questions. You can achieve that by making sure your listing descriptions and pictures are as clear and precise as possible, and of course, having an easy to understand house guide/guestbook will be key to success! As a result, most of their questions and issues can already be resolved in advance with your house guide, which will save you a ton of time.
7. Answer Guests Quickly
Answering guests’ questions asap is very important. No guest wants to wait for hours to get a reply. There are 4 key guest messages that you should have saved in your templates on the Airbnb app. These are your go-to every booking sequence of messages that every guest should receive to feel welcomed and know that their comfort is important to their host. Even during the busy Airbnb peak season
The 4 key messages that you will need to send at the right time for every new booking especially for your Airbnb peak season:
- Booking Confirmation = A friendly welcome message.
- 48 hours before arrival= Parking and Check in Instructions.
- During Stay = A touch base message ‘hope you are enjoying your stay’ etc.
- Morning of Check-out= Check-out time reminder and thank you message.
Messages should always be polite and welcoming and remember to change the guest’s name! Click here for free message templates you can copy and paste.
8. Grab my Expert Tips!
Now that you have learned how to streamline your vacation rental’s peak season it’s time to get to work and start preparing. Just follow these simple tips and your peak season is sure to go smoothly for both you and your guests! Check out my book The Ultimate Superhost Guide which is part of a full bundle of goodies for Airbnb Hosts! There is even an editable welcome book, check out printable and Wifi Sign included!
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