How to List a Boutique Hotel on Airbnb

Over the past few years, Airbnb has significantly grown and evolved to offer travelers a number of accommodation options such as Hotels, B&B’s, Serviced Apartments and Hostels, etc. Considering also the growing customer needs and demands, it is safe to say that guests prefer to explore and experience properties that offer local culture and events, hospitality, personal touches, trendy interior/exterior designs, and a property that tells a story. This is probably why Boutique Hotels have become increasingly popular as of late.

By listing your boutique hotel on Airbnb, it opens doors to a new market segment creating a win-win for all parties involved. Now before taking a step further, here are some topics that will be discussed in this article:

• 3 tips to know before you get started
• Pros of listing a Boutique Hotel on Airbnb
• Reasons to list on Airbnb

3 Tips To Get You Started

Here are some outline tips that will help you get started:

Know the Guidelines

Airbnb has strict guidelines on properties allowed to appear on their listing. Here are some of the qualities required:

• Lively common gathering spaces and/or events
• Guest rooms with personal touches that incorporate unique influences and/or local design
• High-quality Photography
• Accessibility features

Keep in mind, Airbnb triumphs on distinctive guests’ experiences by meeting the standards for hotels and unique spaces along with basic requirements for hosts. In achieving guests’ expectations, things for consideration are:

• Local or unique amenities such as local food, beverages, and features of the property
• Personalized recommendations with local maps and local tours
• Full-time availability of the owner/manager

If this sounds like your boutique hotel, then listing on Airbnb is a great fit for you!

Create a List

Ready to list your boutique hotel? If so, creating a listing is easy though do take the time thoroughly, making sure you don’t miss any details during the listing process. Just so you know, the listing may take up to 72 hours to appear after publishing your listing.

List Multiple Rooms

Airbnb’s unique feature is the ability to create separate listings for each space available. By doing so, each room will be given its own calendar and listing page reflecting the number of beds, amenities, and shared common spaces. Along with that, you are enabled to offer prospective guests discounts for multiple bookings using the platform feature ‘special offers’.

Advantages to Listing a Hotel On Airbnb

Airbnb listings offer flexibility with the potential to increase booking revenues. Below are some of the key advantages:

1. Direct Communication

After a confirmed booking, Airbnb hosts allow you to communicate directly with the guests’ valuable opportunities. Having that direct communication enables you to inquire about the guest’s preferences and needs before arrival, helping to improve their overall stay or experience. Additionally, this also allows you to collect guests’ pre-stay data on room upgrades, personalized tours, and additional services that can be recommended. This strategy is proven highly advantageous.

2. Lower Commission Cost

Unlike Online Travel Agency (OTAs), Airbnb gives a lower commission, with a service fee between 3-5% depending on the cancelation policy that the host chooses. Apart from that, the host can additionally charge guests a separate cleaning fee from their daily rate. During the search, this allows for the daily rate to be competitive and attractive.

However, take note that Airbnb charges guests with a service fee ranging from 5-15% depending on:

• the subtotal reservation
• length of reservation
• the listing characteristics

Bear in mind that in certain areas, Airbnb charges VAT that may also bring the guest service fee to more than 15% of the subtotal. Though fees are not known to the guest till he/she makes a reservation, included in the total price charged.

3. Reach New Audiences

Listing a Boutique Hotel on Airbnb allows you to reach a new demographic that didn’t think of considering booking, thus with that in mind, persuades travelers who prefer peer-to-peer accommodation to reconsider their point of view.

4. Cancellation Policies

When creating a listing, Airbnb created different levels of cancellation policies that a host prefers. Below are:

• Flexible
• Moderate
• Strict
• Long Term
• Super Strict 30 Days
• Super Strict 60 Days

Keep in mind, Airbnb service fee is non-refundable. This helps guests to limit their booking on multiple rooms and last-minute cancellations.

Reasons For Listing A Boutique Hotel On Airbnb

Airbnb is committed to working with hospitality businesses, offering guests the best experience, with its partnership with Hostway; the leading all-in-one vacation rental management software. Airbnb offers an opportunity for boutique hotels and B&B’s to have real-time connections, sending room rates between their Property Management System (PMS) and Airbnb via the Hostaway channel manager.

Hence, Hostaway should be your vacation rental software of choice; especially for offering boutique hotel features on Airbnb such as:

• Multi-unit listings -connecting multiple room types to single properties and assigning guests to units. It is designed, with its objective to increase occupancy and average daily rates. With that, property managers are offered opportunities in maximizing visibility on your website.
• Multi-Calendar - a feature where reservations for all your listings are viewable
• Cross-Listings - combine multiple listings into one with no chance of double-bookings

Besides that, the other reasons for listing a boutique hotel on Airbnb are:

• No long-term contracts
• A lower competition where boutique hotels are not competing directly against major chains
• Full control over when inventory appears on Airbnb

Not to mention, the innovative technology solution makes it easy to reach millions of guests while providing unforgettable experiences.