10 Airbnb Inventory Mistakes Hosts Have Been Making!
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Without experience in the hospitality industry, many new Airbnb hosts are making the same inventory mistakes over and over again!
Read on to save thousands of dollars, get great reviews and more pleased guests!
StayPro has compiled a list of the 10 most recurring inventory mistakes they’ve seen Airbnb hosts make.
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No spare bed sheets
When you have a short-term rental property, turnovers happen regularly and often. For this reason, it is important to be prepared whatever the condition of the bedding because you cannot foresee how much laundry time will be needed. Sometimes an Airbnb host only has a few hours between guests to do all the necessary cleaning, including washing the bed sheets.
Having only one set of bed sheets is obviously inconvenient to the host who is limited in when they do laundry, but for most turnovers it could still be a sufficient amount of time to get the washing done. However, there are other problems: what if you have multiple bed sheets? Or, what if the bed sheets are not in their best form?
StayPro suggests every host prepare 2 sets of bed sheets for each bed, so your cleaner always has one spare set of clean sheets on hand when they show up to do a turnover. This will give the cleaner more flexibility for when they do laundry, and most importantly, this will ensure a short & smooth turnover process.
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Not enough towels
While you may only use 1 or 2 towels at home, this is not always the case for every guest, especially if they plan on spending more than one night on the property.
It is important to anticipate the needs of the guests and provide more rather than less of the essentials. For standard properties, a minimum of 2 towels and 1 face cloth is required per person per stay. For luxury properties, the number can be more than double.
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Not enough pillows for guests
Just like bedsheets, Airbnb hosts usually underdeliver on pillows. The number of pillows in the property should depend on the number of possible guests and not on the number of beds. Airbnb hosts need to be mindful of how many guests can sleep in their property and furnish it accordingly.
Likewise, Airbnb hosts must purchase the extra pillow covers knowing that they will need to be replaced during each turnover.
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Wasted shampoo and lotion
Another problem facing Airbnb hosts is offering and stocking shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and other bathroom amenities in huge bottle sizes. Bathroom lotion bottles like shampoo in short-term rental properties should always be mini sized. This is first and foremost to save on cost, as disposable mini bottles mean you can control each reservation’s consumption. So your guest doesn’t consume more than what they paid.
It is also crucial to consider where your amenities restockings are stored. For many Airbnb hosts, amenities restockings are kept on site to facilitate the turnover process, but this can lead to potential contamination and increase the risk of theft. Avoid unnecessary profit loss by buying mini bottles and simply let your housekeeper bring the small bottles during each turnover. Since they are small, it would be very easy for them to take it, bring it and replace it.
StayPro Property Management has a tried-and-true supply chain strategy to ensure a flawless turnover. You—the client—pick the miniature amenities of your choice remotely on your user account and have your selections sent to the partner housekeepers in charge of your property. For each turnover process, the housekeeper will bring the amenities restocking themselves to conduct the cleaning.
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Not enough / too much paper towel
Buying too little or too many paper towels is another profit drain for Airbnb hosts. By including more than is needed, Airbnb hosts lose money by having to throw out perfectly good supplies or more commonly, having them stolen. However, if there are too few, guests will likely complain.
For standard short-term rental accommodations, Airbnb hosts should provide no more than 2 or 3 paper towel rolls per bathroom. This does not apply to luxury properties who should always go above and beyond the standard model.
For StayPro clients, StayPro’s Property Management will always ensure that Airbnb hosts have the ideal quantity of supplies to suit the needs of their guests.
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No cookware for guests
For Airbnb properties with kitchens available to guests, providing cookware essentials is a must! There is nothing more awkward than booking a property that advertised a kitchen on the listing website only to realize that you cannot use it.
Airbnb hosts do not need to provide a fully-operational kitchen or kitchenette, nor should they provide food, but for standard accommodations, the most common equipment must be there. StayPro recommends providing cups, plates, a chef’s knife, a spatula, a medium-sized pot and 10-inch pan, among others.
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No expense tracking
It is essential that Airbnb hosts record all expenses, including their fixed variable, and periodic expenses, so that they can deduct it from GST, QST, and/or income tax depending on your tax structure. Monitoring your expenses will also help identify and eliminate wasteful spending habits that are cutting into your profits.
StayPro’s integrated user system tracks and documents all your expenses for you using regular video reports, pictures, and even written documentation. It allows you to know and have proof of the ever-changing state of your property. If damages are incurred during a reservation, StayPro will also bill the responsible guests. StayPro’s maintenance fee supports all payment methods, including VISA and Mastercard.
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Unsupervised housekeepers performance
A premium quality cleaning of the short-term rental is vital to the success of an Airbnb property listing. Especially during a pandemic, guests demand clean accommodations more than ever! With frequent turnovers, hosts must ensure that the short-term property rental complies with the current regulations and makes host, guest, and housekeeper feel safe.
However, it can be difficult to hire a housekeeper and oversee their cleaning standards, chiefly if you are not able to be always on scene.
StayPro’s online user system allows Airbnb hosts to monitor housekeeper performance without needing to be on scene. StayPro trains housekeepers to film and submit video reports after each turnover so that you can check the quality of the clean and make suggestions to the housekeeper any time, any where.
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Buying the wrong coloured bedding
Not only is the quantity of amenities and furnishings important to consider, but so is the material and colour. For many Airbnb hosts style is of primary importance, that is, making the accommodation look as appealing as possible. Although this is a vital step to making the accommodation more attractive, you shouldn’t neglect the practicality of the pieces that you purchase.
For instance, buying bedding that isn’t white means that it cannot be bleached. In a short-term rental where all stains are possible, it is easier to spot stains and blotches if the bedding is white.
Through StayPro’s user system, Airbnb hosts can rent a double set of bedding in a click! StayPro makes sure that the bedding is of top-notch quality, long-lasting, and easy to clean.
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No gift bags for guests
The last inventory mistake many Airbnb hosts make is not offering their guests gift bags full of sweets, treats, or useful items. Everyone enjoys receiving something unexpected when they arrive at a home-away-from-home. Gift bags do not need to include expensive gifts but they do need to show your appreciation for your guests. Chocolates, homemade cards, and small toys are always welcome. Simply order them on Amazon!
Depending on your property standard, StayPro experts recommend allocating a small amount of $0.75 per guest per stay and in this way, improve your guest experience and most importantly your reviews and rating!
Great! Now that you have learned about common inventory mistakes, you will need to learn more about how to correctly track the expenses. Check out An Airbnb Expense Tracker Guideline that will Save you Thousands!
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