hospitality

When Airbnb first appeared as an alternative to hotel stays, it was revolutionary. Ordinary people could make some extra money renting out part or all of their property for overnight guests, and travelers could get a homey, more personal stay for often a lot cheaper than a hotel.

Times have changed, and so have many people's experiences with Airbnb. Prices are now on par with—or sometimes more than—hotel rooms. Fees have gotten out of control. Many properties are now run by management companies, removing the personal touch that defined the brand in the beginning.

And yet, some of us still love it because we know how good it can be. My family has had dozens of great stays at other people's Airbnbs over the years. My husband and I have also been Airbnb superhosts for close to 10 years, welcoming thousands of guests between our two rental units with near-perfect ratings across the board. We've learned a lot in the past decade about how to earn a 5-star review without an enormous amount of effort, partly through our experience as hosts, but also through our experiences as guests.

The truth is, it's really not that hard to create a good Airbnb stay. Here are eight things Airbnb hosts can do to give guests a 5-star experience without much heavy lifting:

1. Ditch the checkout chores

The No. 1 complaint I see about Airbnb these days is that hosts are asking guests do to a list of chores upon checkout, often in addition to charging them a cleaning fee. Strip the bed sheets. Start the laundry. Start the dishwasher. Sweep the floor. Take out the trash.

Don't do that. There's no reason to burden guests with housekeeping duties while they're trying to get themselves and their families packed up and out the door. It really stresses some guests out, and, honestly, it's not worth it. It doesn't really save much time, and in some ways, it makes cleaning harder. It's a lot easier to check sheets for stains when they're still on the bed, for instance. Garbage might need to go out if it's smelly, but most people will do that without being required to. Starting the dishwasher is reasonable and we suggest it to our guests, but it's not a requirement (and most people do it anyway). If a home is prone to ants or other critters and food crumbs really have to stay off of floors at all times, just communicate that. But don't leave guests a list of chores to do.

In our experience, if you treat guests with respect and genuinely communicate that you value them staying in your space, 99 out of 100 will return the favor and leave your place in good shape without requiring them to do a darn thing.

2. Consider ditching (or at least lowering) the cleaning fee

I know, it costs money to hire cleaners, especially if you're paying them what they should be paid. But people hate seeing a price listed for the space and then get the sticker shock of another $100 or more for a cleaning fee.

We clean our units ourselves, but we pay ourselves for it and just wrap the "fee" into our nightly price. Averaged out between shorter and longer stays over time, it adds something like $20 more per night total. Most people, believe it or not, would rather pay a little more per night to not have the "extra" cleaning fee tacked on at the end, when there are already service fees being added.

Nightly prices are arbitrary anyway. We have an automated pricing tool that sets our nightly price based on demand in our area, and there's a huge range in what it says we should charge. And honestly, when people pay a little bit more for the base price, they also tend to value the place a little more and treat it a little better. Wrapping the cleaning fee into the price and then not having one or just having a nominal cleaning fee is often a win-win for guests and hosts.

3. Write a personal welcome note somewhere

Each of our units has a chalkboard on the wall where we write "Welcome, [Guest's Name]!" It takes all of five seconds to write each time. Guests love it—it makes them feel welcomed and at home. It lets them know we see and value them individually, that they're not just another cog in the wheel of our business.

Personalize your welcome in some way.Photo credit: Canva

If not a chalkboard, any kind of welcome note will do. Even a sticky note stuck to the refrigerator that welcomes them by name is enough. We do it ourselves most of the time because we live close to our units, but we ask our cleaners to write the guest's name when we do hire them, and it's no big deal. It's quick and easy, and you get a big bang for your buck.

4. Don't underestimate how important good coffee and tea options are to people

You know when you stay at a hotel and you want a cup of coffee in the morning, but the Keurig with the nasty powdered packaged creamer just isn't going to cut it, so you have to get up and go search for good coffee and it sucks? (Maybe that's just me.)

Providing multiple ways to make coffee and multiple options for creamers and sweeteners is something guests really appreciate. Real half-and-half and non-dairy creamer. Sugar, Splenda, and Stevia. A percolator and a pour-over. People are finicky about coffee, so the more options you can offer, the more likely it is they'll have the cup of coffee they want, and as every coffee lover knows, that's huge.

Coffee and tea are comforts for most people.Photo credit: Canva

Same for tea. Provide a variety of black and herbal teas and a variety of sweeteners. Tea drinkers like kettles, so have a countertop or stovetop kettle for heating up water. Oh, and good mugs. These little comforts make a big difference.

5. Stock the kitchen with cooking supplies like it's a home

One of the advantages of renting an Airbnb is being able to cook instead of always having to eat out. Stock the kitchen like it's your house (or your friend-who-cooks' house if you don't cook yourself). All the possibly needed utensils. Some quality cookware. You can get pretty good items at thrift stores many times, but make sure they're decent quality. Include a couple of oil options and a basic spice rack. We don't provide food other than that, but just having those cooking basics is always really appreciated by guests.

6. Hooks, hooks, hooks

I know this is really specific, but it's my biggest pet peeve as a guest. If I can't find a place to hang my coat when I come in, my clothes while I'm taking a shower, or my wet towel when I get out of the shower, I get a little annoyed. Small annoyances add up when you're in an unfamiliar space, and there are already going to be annoyances you can't do anything about as a host. Hooks are something you can so something about. Place hooks on walls and doors in entryways, bedrooms, and bathrooms. It's a small detail that makes a stay much more pleasant.

The more hooks, the better.Photo credit: Canva

7. Give personal recommendations

Our Welcome Guide for guests tells them everything they need to know about the rental, where to find things, how to work the TV and thermostat, as well as recommendations for local things to do and places to eat in the area. We tell them our favorite restaurants, where to get the best ice cream in town, etc. Personal, thoughtful touches like that make guests feel like you really care about them having a good experience. It took a few minutes to create and print, and we get a huge return on that investment in terms of guest experience.

8. Be what each guest wants in a host

In our experience, there are three kinds of guests: one that wants to be left alone, one that is happy to meet you briefly, and one that would be happy to exchange life stories for hours We tell guests that we are available and accessible if they need us, but that we'll give them their privacy. We also share some of our story in our Welcome Guide, so it's clear that we're open to that personal connection if guests want it, but we also recognize that some people don't want that and will respect it. We take our cues from the guests themselves and strive to be the kind of host they want during their stay. As a result, we get lots of return guests.

There are a lot of little things that make an Airbnb stay one that guests will happily give five stars to. The bottom line is thinking like a guest about what you would want in a stay, and then providing that.