How Being Involved In The Airbnb Community Makes You A Better Host

Are you in Airbnb Facebook groups? Do you watch YouTube tutorials and read blogs discussing “The Top 10+ Airbnb Tips”?

If not, you should. If you do, you’re like me and thousands of others!

The Airbnb community is an amazing place that provides useful and actionable tips for hosts of any size. It’s where people share a laugh, vent their frustrations, and debate. It’s also a great place to help grow your vacation rental business.

Smart hosts have learned the value of joining the community, contributing to the conversations, and staying connected.

This article explores 8 ways that the community can be leveraged to make you a better host and develop your business.

1. Network With Hosts In Your Community
2. Learn Actionable Tips & Tricks
3. Stay Up To Date With The Industry
4. Build A Team Of Professionals
5. Gain A Larger Voice To Enact Change
6. Find Partnerships And Co-Hosting Opportunities
7. Build Up Your Credibility As A Host
8. Earn Additional Income With The Airbnb Community

1. Network With Hosts In Your Community

The community is a giant network of vacation rental hosts from around the world. Depending on your goals you can develop an international network of hosts or a small group from your home community.

As an example, I started a Facebook group “BC Short Term Rental Hosts.” The group is dedicated to developing a community of Airbnb hosts with properties in British Columbia, Canada. Through this group I’ve connected with fantastic local hosts, I even found an amazing cleaner for one of my properties!

I found a lack of an Airbnb community within my province, so I built one! Now we have a vibrant community of local hosts to share ideas and provide relevant information. If you notice your city or state is lacking an established community I suggest creating one,

Building a network provides a host of benefits such as gaining new ideas, new opportunities, building credibility, and allowing you to find answers.

2. Learn Actionable Tips & Tricks

The Airbnb community is a great way to gain fantastic tips. There are thousands of Facebook groups, YouTube channels, blogs, forums, and podcasts dedicated to helping hosts like you.

Are you wanting to deal with a needy guest in the best way? Learn how to write an amazing listing title? Find out what the quickest drying towels are? Get advice on where to find the best deals on toilet paper? Determine a methodology for picking a new Airbnb market?

You’ll find answers to almost any question within the extensive network of resources available to hosts.

Chances are if you have a question hundreds of other hosts have had the same question. The answers are most likely readily available within the community. If you can’t find the answer to your question, just ask. I guarantee you’ll find someone that will be happy to help.

Supporting fellow hosts is really what the Airbnb community is about.

3. Stay Up To Date With The Industry

An informed host is a good host. With the tourism and vacation rental industries evolving rapidly it’s more important than ever to stay informed.

The community is a great source of updates on everything Airbnb.

If there are changes to the platforms, changes in government regulations, changes in customer behaviour, you bet it’ll be discussed in detail within the community.

4. Build A Team Of Professionals

If you're looking to build a team that supports your short term rental, the community can help with that too. Simply ask for recommendations on cleaners, handymen, etc in your town and someone will be quick to help you.

Personally I’ve found it challenging to find great cleaners in some of my markets. When I notice this is a problem I try to reach out to local hosts. Often they provide fantastic recommendations and sometimes are willing to clean themselves.

I find hosts are frequently the best cleaners since they have a passion for hospitality that typical cleaners often lack.

5. Gain A Larger Voice To Enact Change

One host alone has little power but hundreds of thousands can make real world changes.

A great example of this is the compensation Airbnb provided hosts because of the Covid19 cancellations. Airbnb had provided guests full compensation which was a violation of the cancellation policies of many hosts. It was only after massive public outcry on the part of all hosts that Airbnb agreed to compensate hosts with $250 million in support.

The community has a strong voice that can bend the direction of businesses and policy makers. For example hosts frequently band together to protest government regulations that impact their business.

If you want a new feature on Airbnb, coordinate with the Airbnb community to request the change. Airbnb will take notice when hundreds of hosts request the change rather than just one.

6. Find Partnership and Co-Hosting Opportunities

If you’re looking to expand your portfolio of properties under your management, you can sometimes find those opportunities within the community. Remote hosts often need support in managing their properties and seek fantastic Co-hosts to help.

Although this is an opportunity I wouldn’t make this your only reason to be involved. You get out what you put in. If all you do is promote your property management company you won’t get much. Instead join the conversations, educate yourself, provide feedback, and be an active member of the community.

Being an active member builds credibility which can be leveraged into greater opportunities.

7. Build Up Your Credibility As A Host

Opportunities come more easily to those with credibility. A great way to build that credibility is by becoming a reliable resource of great information and advice.

Those in the community that provide support with no expectation of reward are often the ones that get rewarded with new opportunities.

Provide your help whenever possible and people will take notice. Once you do this your network will grow and be strengthened.

8. Earn Additional Income With The Airbnb Community

There are many ways to monetize a network but be careful to not come across as self-promoting or pushy.

If you provide amazing services or products that are relevant and helpful to fellow hosts it’s not wrong to market to the community. However I recommend focusing on helping rather than selling.

One of the not so obvious ways that fellow hosts earn additional income is through affiliate marketing. Many hosts recommend the use of channel managers, dynamic marketing tools, products, etc through the use of their affiliate links.

Summary

Airbnb truly has an amazing community. It’s incredibly supportive to new members and new hosts. If you’re a new host or have been a host for years I recommend joining the Airbnb community. Joining will inform you about the thousands of resources available to Airbnb hosts.

There are so many ways the community can be leveraged to make you a better host and build your business.

If you’re looking for new friends, tips, information, recommendations, support, opportunities, or expertise, you’ll find it within the vibrant community of Airbnb.