AirBnb is best service for rental housing, with which you can easily and safely rent apartments and houses in many countries around the world. On the site, home owners post advertisements for housing for rent, and rent it to those people who need it. It's simple. All advertisements are posted with a description, photographs, and a list of what is and is not in the apartment. Moreover, rent Airbnb apartments is not limited, on the service you can find excellent houses on the ocean, rooms, yachts and even medieval castles.

Renting a home on Airbnb takes place in several stages:

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

Renting apartments on Airbnb is no different from renting a house, a separate room or a yacht. The process is the same. The service itself has proven itself on the positive side, it has been operating all over the world for many years and its popularity is growing every year, which is worth the numerous ones, in addition, it is completely 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 cheaper than a room in a three-star hotel. And if you are traveling with family or 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 everyone in (especially for groups of friends of 4-8 people ), and by renting an apartment on Airbnb, you can all stay together.

Why you should rent a home on AirBnb:

• You will see the real condition of the property from numerous photographs.
• You are guaranteed rental security, i.e. You won’t be scammed; all homeowners are verified by the service.
• You can find out reliable information about a property from reviews 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 housing, amenities, etc., which will allow you to find exactly the housing you want.
• The site is very easy to use, it is translated into Russian.
• The site has received thousands of positive reviews from travelers all over the world.

How to choose the right accommodation on Airbnb

Knowing some of the features of the service, you can find airbnb apartments at the most low prices and with a high level of comfort. Often newcomers do not know these “rules of a good search” and find not the most comfortable accommodation. Especially for such beginners, here are tips for booking airbnb apartments.

• Read reviews about accommodation carefully. The reviews were written by those who have already lived in this apartment/house/room, so they reflect the real situation. Choose accommodation that has more than 5 positive reviews.
• Give preference to properties with verified photos. Photos of some apartments are marked with a "Photo Verified" label. This means that the owner of the property provided comprehensive information, professional Airbnb photographers came to him and personally photographed the rooms.
• Find out all the details from the landlord. Don’t be shy, if you want to know what the Wi-Fi speed is, how long it takes to walk to the city center, whether the windows face the sunny side, what pattern the rug in front of the entrance is - feel free to write to the owner, he will be happy to answer all your questions.
• It is better to book accommodation with a host with a verified profile. Each host has their own profile on Airbnb, review it before booking, if the profile is not verified, it is better to find another accommodation option.

Comparison of Airbnb and hotels

Is Airbnb safe?

Don't worry, renting an apartment abroad on airbnb is absolutely safe. The service is a rental guarantor. When you have found a suitable housing option, then transfer money to the airbnb service, and not the owner, as payment, which eliminates the possibility of the owner “disappearing” after transferring money (and this happens on some foreign services). Only after check-in does Airbnb transfer money to the host, and you can relax and enjoy life.

But there was also a fly in the ointment. The service is safe and in case of problems it guarantees that you will not be left in trouble without help, but some owners can be cunning and provide false information about their housing. But you can easily identify such hosts and not book anything with them. Be sure to read the article about that, and then you will be protected to the maximum.

Airbnb and visa confirmation

An Airbnb reservation is suitable for proof of accommodation, which is required when obtaining a visa. You will just need to print the payment receipt from the website. There is no difference between confirmation from and Airbnb, all embassies accept both.

If you are not traveling alone, then when booking accommodation on Airbnb.ru, write down the names of all the 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 at the time of booking, then contact the support service, write down the names and surnames (as in foreign passports) of all guests, and then the service staff will correct the receipt and send the corrected version to your email.

Some embassies also require a copy of the apartment owner's passport: a page with his photo and a page with his signature. You can find out exactly whether these additional documents are required for your visa or not only at your embassy (call them or write to them by email). If you still need copies, then simply send a letter to the owner with a request (if you don’t own English language, then you can translate the letter using an online translator) send copies of the pages and within a few hours or days (depending on how) you will receive them. It is almost never necessary to obtain copies of the apartment owner’s passport.

Instructions

Figuring out how to use the AirBnb website is quite simple, 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!

Traveling around different countries, most travelers stay in hotels, boarding houses or guesthouses. Since 2008, an excellent AirBNB service has appeared, where you can book varied and inexpensive accommodation from private owners instead of hotels. Moreover, the choice of housing on the site was more colorful, educational and all over the world. Unfortunately, AirBNB has changed for the worse and negative reviews about Airbnb are becoming increasingly common. I was registered in this service almost from the very beginning and I have something to compare with.

For a long time I liked renting apartments from private owners through AirBNB, so I was always happy to recommend this service to my friends. But the further you go, the worse and more expensive the service becomes.

Now AirBNB is not always profitable and convenient for travelers, and I no longer want to recommend it. I myself am almost completely, because... many apartment options with Airbnb are now available on Booking and they are cheaper. But I don’t know what I will use tomorrow. I tried HomeAway and others - everything is not the same, and most importantly, the choice is too small. I really like the idea of ​​AirBNB, so I hope something similar will appear soon, but better, cheaper and without hidden fees - and I will definitely tell you about it (stay tuned for updates on FB and VK).

Airbnb has taught us that the only way to book cheap apartments is through them. Alas, this is no longer the case. Before you book something on Airbnb out of habit, Google it and look for the same option in other services - it only takes a minute, but you can save almost twice as much (see example below).

Here I’ll tell you what has changed in Airbnb, and below you can read my old article about how it was once a really great service.

Important changes to Airbnb since 2018

What happened to Airbnb and why renting housing through them became unprofitable and even risky:

• Bookings in Europe are being cancelled. at the last moment - there is a risk of being left without a reservation at the height of the season.
  Since 2018, renting housing through AirBnb has become risky - there are more and more reviews that reservations began to be canceled at the last minute. This is due to the entry into force of new laws that homeowners are subject to - this is mainly true for Europe and the USA. The most reviews about booking cancellations I have seen come from the following cities: Barcelona, ​​Valencia, Lisbon, Amsterdam, NY, Singapore. However, Airbnb, instead of helping to solve this situation, shifted all responsibility onto the clients - get out of it however you want.
• It is better not to apply for a visa when booking through AirBnb
  In connection with the previous point, they may refuse to receive it or give it for a shorter period - this has begun to happen more and more often.
• AirBnb customer service is unhelpful.
  This used to be the best customer service I've ever encountered. Nowadays it’s impossible to even find where to contact the support service on the Airbnb website, the e-mail and phone number of the support are carefully hidden, and when they manage to reach not the automatic replies, but a real person, they answer like robots and cannot help in any way.
  Especially when your question concerns tricks with payment on Airbnb - the support service begins to “turn on the fool” and pretend that they do not understand what they are talking about. And they say we don’t understand where you got the screenshots from...
• Removed prices from the calendar.
  Previously, you could look at the prices for each day in the calendar and select those days when they were cheaper, but now this option has been removed.
• They hide the final price.
  The price you see on the main page may differ from the final price by 1.5 times! Guess in whose favor?
  Moreover, this doesn’t seem to be an Airbnb scam, because... It's all there somewhere in the rules and there's no way to dig into it. They just learned to hide the final price so cleverly.
  For example, we want to rent an apartment in Milan for 3 days (see picture below) - on the Airbnb main page the price is 53 euros per day:

  Now watch your steps carefully: on the next page they already write that 50 euros is super! But commissions are added, a total of 205. I wonder where the price of 53 on the main page came from?
  At Step 3, for some reason the price turns into 206.36 and they write that this is a conversion fee. What kind of conversion? From euro to euro?
  And finally, in the end, they convert us into rubles and the total price becomes 213 euros for 3 days (for this day the Central Bank rate is 1 EUR = 73.90 RUB). How much did you end up with per day? (The answer is below the picture.)

  
  Airbnb Price Trick - Follow the Steps

  We count: magically 53 euros turns into 71 euros per day! By the way, it’s not clear where 53 came from? In general, if you look at the screenshot, many more questions arise for Airbnb...

  Therefore, do not rush to book, first go to the payment page and compare this price with the price on other services - always compare the final price, not the intermediate price! You will be very surprised.

• Airbnb has become more expensive and hidden fees have appeared.
  The commission has increased: Airbnb now takes 3% from the owner and 15% from the guest - as stated on their website. In addition, many do not notice, but Airbnb does a forced currency conversion not in favor of the client, and this adds up to 3% at the final payment step. Total 21% – this is too much! Therefore, I switched to Booking, where the commission is lower, and the price for the traveler is final and there are no hidden fees - to the client immediately on the first page.
  Why Booking? Yes, because this is where the same apartments with Airbnb are now presented, but at a better price. It looks like Airbnb has become unprofitable for apartment owners, too, because... even the starting price for apartments has become higher than, for example, on Booking.com.
  For example, here is the same apartment in Lisbon, which is listed on Airbnb and Booking (using the links it is easy to compare from the photo that these are the same apartment). Let's compare prices for the same dates:
  

  Total: 372 euros on Airbnb (without conversion fee, the exact price will be in the last step) versus 233 euros on Booking (final price).
  If you pay with a ruble card, your Airbnb bill will end up being 28,449.04 rubles. at the Central Bank exchange rate 1 EUR = 73.90 RUB. That is, the final price is 385 euros!!!

  

  That is, the euro exchange rate in Airbnb turns out to be 76.47 rubles, which means the markup is the same +3% for conversion.
  It would seem that for payment it is better to leave the account in the host’s currency, but no - Airbnb forcibly converts it into the currency of your country, which you specified during registration, even if you pay with a card in euros, and you will only find out after payment (I wrote about this in their support with all the screenshots at every step of the booking process, because at every step the price changed, it seemed strange and I decided to take screenshots, but they replied that I was a fool and had chosen the wrong currency, and it was unclear where I got the screenshots from...). I wonder if the host’s currency is “tugriks” (for example, in Thailand), will there be a double conversion? I didn't check. Well, Airbnb has found a great way to make money!

• Airbnb absolutely don't care about loyal users.
  If they offer promotions and discounts to newcomers, then to those who have been using the service for a long time, they only increase commissions every year. I think many people remember the 12% commission.

Why did Airbnb stop caring about its clients? Maybe Airbnb will come to their senses and turn back to us, the clients? After all, there was a great service and you can still occasionally find interesting options on Airbnb, but, alas, less and less...

How AirBnb used to work

(Everything below was written in 2010 and is no longer relevant - I’ll leave it for history)
My acquaintance with AirBNB happened by chance. In March, when planning a trip to, I was still unable to book an inexpensive hotel there. Prices started at $100 and went into space. As a result, on the advice of a friend, I found myself through AirBNB apartments on the 28th floor in the Bukit Batok metro area. For only $80, with a great view from the window and a great pool. Although the owner was nominally present in the apartment, I practically did not interact with him. For my first experience, I was more than pleased - I managed it and had a good idea of ​​“how I would live here” :)

Don't confuse AirBNB rentals with couchsurfing. “Registrations” through couchsurfing are free, but do not provide either privacy or comfort. Hotels, on the contrary, offer comfort, but at a high price. By the way, in some cities there are not as many hotels as you would like. That's why renting a home via AirBNB this is something in between - more comfortable than “fitting in”, but cheaper than hotels.

Why do I like booking accommodation through AirBNB?

In the photo: a fully furnished apartment in Prague, for example, can be rented on AirBNB for 29 euros / day

1. Savings

AirBNB offers nice, well-equipped accommodation for less than hotels. This is especially true for fashionable, expensive and tourist cities such as Nice, Barcelona or. It’s up to date to book your accommodation via AirBNB on holidays, when the cost of all hotels skyrockets.

2. Hotels are not available everywhere

In the photo: when traveling you can choose completely different and unusual types of accommodation

You can live in a variety of areas of cities where there is simply no. Booking via AirBNB, a traveler can test a variety of housing formats: apartments in skyscrapers, standard apartments, separate villas, romantic attics and even yachts :) Moreover, there are options to get a room in an apartment or rent the entire property.

3. New impressions and interesting experiences

Living “like a local” for a couple of days, something like a “demo version”, is a valuable experience and broadening your horizons. A great way to appreciate the features of housing and the quality of local life, to feel like a “Barcelonian” or “Singaporean”. Especially useful if you are thinking about visiting this country :)

4. Communication with new people

If you rent a room in an apartment, it is quite possible to improve your knowledge of a foreign language by communicating with the owners of the property. For example, learn something about the locals, about the real prices and rules of life of this country and its inhabitants.

How to book accommodation through AirBNB

Register for AirBNB, fill out your contact details in your profile. To book good accommodations through AirBNB, you need to be liked by potential hosts. Post your most welcoming photo, write what kind of “white and fluffy” traveler you are, and landlords will be drawn to you :) By the way, on AirBNB, landlords and tenants have their own personal ratings. The more often you rent through AirBNB, the more recommendations you will have. This will simplify subsequent settlements.

What to look for when looking for accommodation on AirBNB

In the photo: first of all, we check the calendar and prices for the required days

First of all, check the calendar for available dates and prices for these days. Prices may vary on different days of the week.

Having selected an interesting housing option, we study the final price, living conditions and reviews of other guests.

Pictured: Please note that cleaning fees and AirBNB fees have been added.

When renting housing through AirBNB, you pay the actual price for housing + site commission + cleaning fee + guarantee amount (blocked/refunded)

In the photo: it is important to read all the living conditions

We study all the conditions for renting housing on AirBNB

Typically the landlord specifies the following:

1. Type of accommodation: apartment (house) or room only
2. Number of guests (in this example 4). If there are more guests, an additional fee will apply for each additional guest.
3. The amount of the security deposit (this does not always happen). This amount is blocked by AirBNB from your card in case of damage (in this example 150 euros)
4. Housing cleaning fee. Sometimes the landlord charges more money for cleaning, thereby reducing the site commission for you (a percentage of the daily price of the apartment)
5. Penalties for canceling a booking (flexible, moderate, strict) - be sure to read these conditions when booking.
6. We study in the description what is in the apartment: parking, internet, washing machine, TV, etc.

If everything suits you, write a request to the host or simply click the red “Book” button. Then wait for a response. Most landlords will respond and confirm your request fairly quickly. Sometimes, however, they refuse.

If you see a lightning bolt icon, it means the apartment can be rented automatically, without waiting for the owner’s confirmation. So convenient.

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

How to rent out an apartment through Airbnb?

Imagine the picture:

You boarded a plane to relax in some wonderful country, for example, Greece. You've been lying on the beach all week, enjoying the sun, sea, life and fresh seafood. You met new people, ate delicacies and got a good tan.

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

But wait a second, is this even possible unless you're a venture capitalist?

Every year more and more people rent out their homes to travelers. Some of them earn six figures.

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

The idea of ​​Airbnb is simple - you rent out your home to travelers (often more expensive than daily rent apartments to your fellow countrymen), and travelers rejoice at the opportunity to live in comfort and feel “like a local.”

By helping tourists experience the day-to-day life of their destinations, Airbnb's founders have created a $30 billion company. This service covers 190 countries and 60 million tourists as its clients.

Good news - you can get your piece of this huge pie.

If you prefer to first thoroughly familiarize yourself with a new situation before rushing headlong into the pool, this article is for you. Everything you need to know to successfully make money by renting out your home to tourists is described here. And the basis was personal experience renting an apartment through Airbnb.

How does Airbnb work?

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

Airbnb connects tourists in need of affordable or unique accommodation with homeowners offering a spare bed or a fairy-tale palace depending on their capabilities.

Tourists use Airbnb when:

• hotels are crowded (for example, during a festival);
• hotel prices are unreasonably high;
• They don’t like hotels a priori and prefer to live “at home.”

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

Airbnb retains a small commission from both tourists and renters.

Why rent out your home on Airbnb?

Airbnb has become a very popular platform among renters because it allows you to earn additional money without spending much time and money. But this does not mean that this type of business does not have negative sides.

Opening your home to strangers is always a risk.

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

Secondly, we've all heard horror stories about homes that have been destroyed or stolen by tenants. Statistics show that such cases are less than 1%, but they also occur.

But if you have the courage to let strangers live in your property and resolve the issue of taxes for yourself, then Airbnb can be a profitable business for you.

If you like to communicate, then this service will help you make many new acquaintances around the world. Airbnb is used by many business people, and you will have the chance to meet people from different social circles.

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

Airbnb Rental Requirements

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

Legal aspects

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

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

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

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

Personal space

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

Otherwise, the guest may terminate your agreement and request a refund, and you will receive a penalty in Airbnb's system.

Time spent

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

You need to visit Airbnb's official website frequently to interact with your potential guests: answer questions, make arrangements to convince travelers to stay with you.

You also need to confirm the reservation and simply 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 obtain permission from the owner to sublease all or part of the premises, specified in the contract, so as not to have problems in the future.

Responsibility

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

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

How to get good reviews

Hospitality is the key to success. Airbnb has hospitality standards. Therefore, if you want to earn good money in this service, then try to comply with them. This will help you get good reviews, which means your services will become 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 the availability of your rental property. It is important that the platform and future guests know when your property is occupied and when it is available.

2. Provide future guests with information in a timely manner. Be approachable and check in with Airbnb frequently so you can answer questions in a timely manner, tell us more about your property, check-in/check-out times, etc.

Sometimes it happens that after booking accommodation with an unscrupulous landlord, a traveler actually finds himself 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 proactive. 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 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 security

The question of security arises for every sane person who encounters a previously unknown phenomenon, and Airbnb is no exception.

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

In Russia, this kind of thing is quickly resolved with the help of the police, but in England, for example, serious problems can arise. They have such a thing as “squatting”. This is when strangers can move into an empty house without asking, and they can only be evicted from there by a court decision, and the legal process is a long process.

Incidents like these got Airbnb into serious trouble in 2011, so they have since implemented a sophisticated vetting system that has become a benchmark in the home rental industry.

You can't be anonymous, and the review and rating system works both ways, keeping both guests and landlords within the bounds of decency. Those. you can only allow trusted people with good reviews into your home.

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

Moreover, participants’ bank cards are also confirmed by the system. You can exchange contacts with the guest only after the reservation 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 makes a reservation, he must enter his card details or pay through PayPal, which also takes care of user security.

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

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

If you're looking for more information, Airbnb has a Facebook Connect feature that allows hosts to ask for recommendations from a guest's friends.

If these security measures prove ineffective, the landlord will be paid a guaranteed insurance of $1 million. You will be able to use 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 may be better off purchasing separate insurance.

How to properly register an account on Airbnb

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

Title

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.” This is not bad, but there are thousands of such headlines.

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 it. It’s just a man driving his clients in an inexpensive foreign car, and a real tame squirrel lives in the interior of his car. It's a small thing, but it's cool.

There is no need to indicate your city in the title, this is already clear. Travelers first select a city, and then apartments from the proposed options.

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

Description

The description is simple; it is best if you write about your home clearly and, most importantly, honestly. Include as many important details as possible so guests know exactly what to expect. Do not make false or exaggerated statements.

To look more professional, translate your description into at least English, I recommend also Spanish and Chinese, but this is optional. This way you will generate more trust by your effort to be understood.

Photos

Photos are very important. Most often apartments are rented from 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 those that will give guests a clearer idea of ​​your space: what it looks like, what size it is, what 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 its own photographers. Photography is free. A badge will appear on your photos that they were taken by an Airbnb employee, which means they are reliable, which will add to your trust. Just find out if this service is available in your area.

Set the rules

Airbnb allows all hosts to set their own rules for guests. Consider your needs, the needs of travelers and your neighbors. For example, do not make noise after 11 pm, do not smoke. Indicate the number of people you are willing to let into the house. You may want to assign them some responsibilities around the house, for example, taking out the trash after yourself, watering the flowers.

Your profile

Your profile is one of the most important elements of your account. People trust people. This means you must appear in the eyes of travelers as a person worthy of trust. 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 housing is the price. Before you set your prices, look at your competitors' rental prices. Take into account their location, photos and analyze how successful they are (based on reviews). Look at hotel prices.

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

If you're serious about making money by renting out your home on Airbnb, be flexible with your pricing. Look at market demands and raise or lower prices depending on the tourist season.

Lifehack. It’s very easy to evaluate the season, go to wordstat.yandex.ru. Check "Query History" in the purple search bar. In the line write “hotel Moscow”, instead of Moscow write your city and click “Select”. You will see a graph from which you will understand how often tourists look for accommodation in your city depending on the season.

These are very easy to use; if you know that demand is expected to increase next month, then raise your prices. On the other hand, if you don't have many guests yet, lower your prices until you get at least 2-3 positive reviews.

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

Landlord checklist

So, you have set up your profile according to all the rules and even received your first reservation. What's next? Now you need to prepare your home for receiving guests.

Regardless of the level of comfort your accommodation provides, you should always welcome your guests in a clean and friendly manner. Think of your property like a professional hotel, trying to maximize guest experience and good reviews.

Check your accommodation

Remember that your guests' expectations should not differ from reality. Think about how your furniture performs its function. It’s good if there is a washing machine, but if it’s broken, then it would be better not to have it.

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

Get organized

Before renting out your home, do a thorough cleaning. Clean up the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway. Basically, anywhere your guests can get to.

Dirty apartments are what killed many fledgling Airbnb businesses. Nothing supernatural is required from you, just:

• Vacuum the carpets and wash the floors;
• Wipe off the dust, even in places you usually don’t go into;
• Clean your bathroom until it shines. Have you ever heard the phrase: “the toilet is the face of the owner.” Rough, but to the point.

Fix what's broken

Broken wires, flimsy steps, broken furniture - fix or throw away everything that could injure your guests due to its malfunction. Good reviews are important to us, right?

Change the bed linen

This advice may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many hostels neglect it. Change bed linen after each guest. If you are too lazy to wash often, buy several sets. This way you will avoid bad reviews. Who would like someone else's hair on their pillowcase?

Empty the refrigerator

This is a “destroy all traces of previous guests” rule. And it seems to be just as unobvious to many hosts as the previous point.

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

Scrub the bathroom clean

Any good Airbnb host offers their guests 3 basic things: 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. I hope this motivates you to be a good landlord.

It would also be a good idea to buy towels, toilet paper, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, toothpaste and anything else you consider necessary. This is not a waste of money, but an investment.

Keep track of valuables

If you rent out a room in your home or have guests staying with you for more than a week, 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 to give you peace of mind regarding your belongings.

Give guests a separate key

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

There is always something that can be done better. If good reviews are important to you, here are a few for you useful tips, which are worth paying attention to.

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 provide to your guests, at least at the beginning 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 rental owners have taken 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 guests waiting

Always greet guests, and if you don’t have time, ask your friends about it. Keep in mind that travelers may arrive at night and will need somewhere to stay.

You can be sure that you won't receive good reviews, if you force your guests to hang around a closed door for hours waiting for guests.

Meet them at the airport

The first impression is the most memorable. The best thing you can do for your 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 don't have the time or desire to go on rides, provide your guests with detailed information about how to get to you by public transport or taxi. Communicate the fares and provide signs to help them know they are on the right track.

Help them navigate a new situation more easily

Create a “Welcome Card” (print it on a piece of paper or whatever your imagination allows) and put in it information that might be useful to them. For example, your contact details, a list of the best restaurants, museums in the city and things to do.

The next day, check how your guests are doing. Do they need anything else? If you have time and desire, you can spend it together and show tourists the city. Still, renting out through Airbnb is not quite the same as with a regular home rental/rental; to some extent, it is also a community.

Stand out from the crowd

Try to offer your guests something special to stand out from your competitors. Dinner at the restaurant, free excursion, homemade cookies. I guarantee that your guests will be satisfied and recommend you to their friends.

Ask for feedback

Starting any new business is not easy. This is true for your Airbnb business as well. If you are new to the site, you will have a hard time finding your first guest. People usually choose places where others have been before and talked about their experiences. They want to know what to expect, and that's okay.

The good news is that if you are new to the Airbnb platform, you can ask your friends or family members to leave a review. Pay for your accommodation yourself at a minimal price. Yes, you will lose a little money on service fees, but it will be much easier for you.

What to do if you do get negative feedback

Sometimes, even if you tried your best, things can go to hell. It’s only a matter of time before you have your first negative comment on your profile. No matter why your guests gave you a low rating, you need to remain calm and try to resolve the situation quickly and tactfully.

Apologize to your guests for what happened. Even if you don't agree with the review. Business is business, and the customer is always right. Let your future tenants know that you regret what happened and will make every effort to ensure it doesn't happen again. If you believe a guest is at fault, you have 14 days after check-out to provide them with feedback.

If the negative review was too negative, then write a public response to the review and explain what happened, tell how you corrected the situation and assure guests that they will not have to deal with this in the future.

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

Don't forget that good communication can always prevent a bad review. Always communicate with your guests and try to make their stay with you as hassle-free as possible.

Often bad reviews are written due to a simple misunderstanding. Therefore, try to be understood correctly.

What's the best way to exchange keys?

The exchange of keys is the first contact with the guest. Try to make it leave a good impression. If you don't have time to greet your guests in person, here are a few ways you can hand over the keys to them.

Ask your friends

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

Leave the key at a nearby store

A nearby store 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 that your guests arrive during business hours, otherwise you will only create a new problem.

Use a key safe

Perhaps the easiest way to exchange keys if you constantly don’t have time and don’t want to disturb your surroundings. Buy a small key safe with a combination lock. Then your guests will be able to 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 that can be controlled remotely using your 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 receive Superhost status. To do this, you need to fulfill several requirements. You must respond to at least 90% of booking requests and have over 80% of your reviews being 5 stars.

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

Results

If you are a hospitable person and are ready to let strangers into your home, then Airbnb service 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 out an apartment through Airbnb? The answer is clear - yes. Firstly, renting an apartment by the day is always more profitable, and secondly, foreigners pay more money.

Many people have managed to create a permanent source of income for themselves by renting out several residential properties and earning six figures a month. And you can too, if you like to host guests and you have read this article carefully.

This is a site that allows you to rent accommodation from local residents of the city you are planning to visit. You can rent a shared or separate room, an apartment, a house or an entire cottage - in general, any place where you can come, leave your things and spend the night. To do this, you just need to enter your destination, arrival and departure dates into the search.

How is Airbnb different from a hotel and hostel?

A hotel is an expensive pleasure. However, price does not always guarantee quality. And even if you decide not to save money on vacation, it's hardly worth giving most of your money for a room where you will only appear to sleep.

Hostels are the other extreme: they are affordable, but you can forget about privacy. For every decent hostel, there are a dozen with terrible conditions in which you definitely won’t feel at home.

Let's look at the main advantages of booking through Airbnb:

• The service allows you to rent housing at a price that suits you.
• From the photographs you can study the situation in the apartment and understand whether you will be comfortable there.
• Hospitable hosts (they are also called hosts) will not only show you the apartment, but can also give you advice interesting places in the city, meet you at the airport, explain how to use local public transport.
• You can rent an apartment for any period of time: for a weekend in a neighboring city, for a week on vacation, and even for a month or more to live in another country.
• Payments go through Airbnb, which acts as an intermediary. This means that in controversial situations you will be able to get your money back.
• You can rent housing immediately for a group of friends or a whole family. It won't be that expensive.

All this is great, but it also has its downsides. You can rent a house located in an inconvenient area. Or encounter scammers who post apartments on the website with fake reviews and photographs that do not correspond to reality.

So that you can avoid such troubles, we have prepared a list of recommendations, following which you will find a suitable option for yourself.

1. Fill out your profile completely

To book a place through Airbnb, you must first submit an application. Confirmation from the owner is required: until this point, funds will not be debited from your card.

Some hosts provide an instant booking service so that an apartment can be booked without waiting for confirmation. Such advertisements are marked with a special lightning bolt symbol.

Sometimes hosts refuse to confirm a reservation. No, not because they don't need money. Imagine yourself in the shoes of landlords: they entrust their apartment to a complete stranger. A half-empty Airbnb profile without a photo or personal information will not help you establish contact with the host.

Therefore, add a photo of yourself (preferably you look friendly) and write a short story about yourself, indicate your age and occupation. If you have already rented apartments through Airbnb and have positive reviews from previous hosts, then this will be a big plus.

If you often receive rejections rather than positive responses, it's most likely your profile. Give the host a little more information about yourself and try to come across as someone who isn't out to destroy their home. :)

2. Explore the area

If you are traveling to an unfamiliar city in a country where you have never been before, look online for information about the areas. And be sure to check the location of the apartment on the map.

Usually people look at beautiful pictures of an apartment and completely forget to check the surrounding area. This is fraught with consequences: you can rent an apartment with a delightful renovation in a dilapidated house, which is located in an area where garbage is never collected and suspicious characters roam.

Therefore, check: go to Google Maps and turn on Google Street View: look at photos of the building and “walk” around the area. It's good if there is a stop nearby public transport, cafes where you can have a snack and drink coffee, supermarkets.

If you are traveling to a new place as a holiday, do not rent an apartment two hours away from the center: all the most interesting attractions are usually located there. Is it worth spending precious time traveling there and back every day?

3. Take advantage of discounts and promotional codes

If you are not yet registered on the site, ask a friend who has already rented an apartment through Airbnb to send you an invitation. This way you will have a discount of 1,500 rubles on your first trip, and your friend will receive a reward from the service.

Many Airbnb hosts are willing to offer weekly or monthly discounts. Usually they range from 3 to 50% (depending on the location of the apartment, season, popularity of the host). The discount offered is usually indicated immediately after the price.

But this discount does not in any way affect the service fee, which is not negotiable.

Some owners simply don't know that discounts can be set, or don't do it for no reason. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask the owner a question directly, even if on the site itself there is a zero in this field.

4. Compare your needs and what the host offers

I understand all the fascination with beautiful apartment photos. But you need to ask yourself not only how cool this place is, but also whether it's right for you.

To answer this question, you must have a clear idea of ​​what you are looking for. So take a piece of paper and a pen and write down your most important needs. If you need an apartment not just for one night, but to live there for a while, decide what amenities you need.

Do you mind living with a neighbor or don’t want to encounter strangers in the kitchen every day? Do you smoke? Do you want to invite guests? Do you need internet? Are you going to cook yourself or will you have breakfast in a cafe?

An apartment differs from a hotel in that it gives you the opportunity to feel a little like a local. Therefore, I want to see in it the same thing as at home: good internet, a kitchen with a stove, or at least a refrigerator and coffee maker. Having a washing machine is not a prerequisite, but all other things being equal, I would prefer an apartment with one.

Elena Khrupina, Airbnb user

Compare your needs with the list of amenities the owner offers. Read the list carefully and do not rush to ask questions. Hosts don’t really like to answer questions whose answers are already in the text of the ad.

Please note that Airbnb fees are non-refundable for any cancellations.

9. Leave feedback

After each trip, do not forget to rate and write an honest review. Describe your impressions of the apartment and the owner, cleanliness, renovation, location. Write about both the pros and cons. This will not only help the next travelers, but also you.

The more reviews a host has, the more trust potential guests have in him. The more positive reviews you have, the less likely you are to be denied a booking.

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

The post contains the largest database of hostels in the world, the largest service for renting accommodation from hosts, sites for booking unusual designer hotels, overnight accommodation in exchange for help around the house or looking after a pet - in general, options for every taste. Choose!

Classic: hotel aggregator sites

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

Aggregators compare prices, look for discounts and special offers, and there you can find not only hotels, but also hostels and guest houses - it’s 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, and even better, live with them for a while. International hospitality sites provide such opportunities when people invite guests to their home. Just don’t see them as just a free overnight stay, rather it’s a cultural exchange, interesting communication, an opportunity to improve your 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 to stay overnight for free, 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 idea is that you work several hours a day, and in return you receive room and board.

Source: GettyImages

Rental services for cool and unusual hotels

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

✔ and - here you can buy someone else’s reservation at a discount. Someone couldn’t go and is selling their reservation on the website. You get a good discount, and the person gets money for a non-refundable room.