Ok… so the first thing is yes you can do this. I understand you are busy, so busy, so very busy….But honestly, you can do this while practicing medicine full time.
How?
First, you need a smart phone…. And you must be capable of texting….
A computer will help but is not 100% necessary
Here is the step-by-step guide.
- Set up your Airbnb account. This can be a little time consuming 1-2 hours but then you are done.
- Buy the Your Porter application
The Your Porter program is great and will allow you to set up auto-messaging. This part is crucial for improving your Airbnb ranking and for reaching Super Host status.
All joking aside, you are truly busy so responding immediately to requests or bookings will not be possible.
Your Porter via Auto-messaging allows you to respond immediately to guest inquiries and bookings. This feature will automatically respond to your guests while you are seeing patients and allow you to meet the 90% response rate required by Airbnb. Just as important, your guests will have an improved booking experience by receiving quick responses (even if they are auto-messages)
In addition, Your Porter Auto-messaging is completely customizable so your responses will not sound robotic and Your Porter allows for PDF attachments.
I think the ability to attach PDFs to messages is one of the best features provided by Your Porter.
We created a welcome packet using Word and added images to make check-in smooth. From Word we were able to save this document as a pdf and attach it to our automated check-in message. This message is sent 5 days before check-in.
By creating this packet we have prevented calls about TVs, heaters, power etc because instructions for all these devices are included in the PDF. We also provided a list of restaurant recommendations and “things to do” with this document to improve our guest’s stay. (Yes, this took some upfront effort but has paid off).
We also, have an automated check-out instruction message sent the day before check out.
This all increases your chances of reaching Super Host status because your guests will know that you care about their stay.
Here is a timeline example of our auto-messaging:
- 2 minutes after booking: Thank you for booking message.
- 5 days prior to Check-in: Welcome Message with Guest Check-in packet
- 3 days prior to Check-in: Keyless access code message
- 1 day before Check-out: Check out message and instructions
To reach Super Host status you need to meet the below requirements:
- 10 visits in one year
- Average 4.8 out of a 5 star review
- Greater than 90% host response (You will reach 100% with auto-messaging)
Airbnb will reassess your Host status every quarter.
The auto-messaging feature of Your Porter is crucial but not the only factor to reaching super host status. You will need to send some individual messages that can not be automated but I have found that it is no different than sending a text. I try to be flexible with early and late check outs and have received great reviews from guests.
Bottom line: Communication and treating your guests like friends staying at your home will result in good reviews and help you reach Super Host status quickly.
How to Improve your Airbnb Ranking
First, you need to set up your auto-messaging as described above.
After, that you want to set up the Airbnb ranking booster provided by Your Porter.
This program works by automatically making changes to your Airbnb listing to improve your listing rank by demonstrating increased activity.
The Your Porter app will change the photo order and adjust pricing as two examples. When you combine this feature with Pricelabs you can greatly improve your ranking.
Below are some pictures of our STR ranking. When we listed our property we were on the 8th page and ranked 142. After one month our STR is on the 3rd page and ranked 32nd. I will keep you posted on our progress.
Pricelabs is a service that automatically adjusts prices based on an algorithm. I was skeptical at first but have found the program useful and it integrates seamlessly with Your Porter.
In summary, we use the Your Porter auto-messaging, Airbnb ranking booster and integrate Pricelabs to manage our short term rental.
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