6 Need to Knows as a Homestay.com Host

As a host you can run your own little mini business and make some extra money meeting people from all over the world.  Obviously, as a host it's important to ensure all your guests have a fantastic homestay experience. 5 Heart reviews will follow and then other guests will be eager to stay with you! We don't need to tell you how to welcome the guests in your home, we'll leave that part to you. But we can offer lots of advice on how to win over those guests in the first place. Remember, when guests are choosing a homestay they see your profile listed along with all of the other homestays in your area so, in order to get bookings, you need to stand out from the crowd. Here are our top tips to ensure your profile shines!

1 Price

Price is the most important part to get right when you're just you up and running on Homestay.com. We suggest that you review the prices of all the other hosts in your area and add a lower price for your first few bookings. Once you get some great reviews from your guest you can probably increase slightly.

Also many of our guests are travelling alone. So if you have a double room ensure you add a competitive price for 1 person. We recommend 60% of our your price for two people.

Are you open to taking guests long term? If so ensure you add weekly and monthly prices.

2 Photos

Your photos are the first thing a guest will look at when they visit your profile page so take the time to take some really good images of you and your home. You don’t need a professional photographer or an expensive camera, the most important thing is that the images are bright, clear, in focus and give a sense of your home and you as a host. Wait for a bright sunny day to ensure the rooms you’re photographing have lots of natural light. We still suggest to turn on lights to ensure it's as bright as possible. If you have a friend or family member who can take photos for you, include yourself in some of them!  Your profile photo is very important as it is the first connection guests will have with your as their potential host. Use a bright photo with a clear view of your face. Remember to smile!

Dublin Host Monica

3 Homestay Description

When you sign up as a host you'll need to enter details about your home, the guest bedroom and you will also be asked to enter some information about yourself. Homestays work best when guests know what to expect staying with 'you' in your home. Our "Meet your Host" section below lets you describe yourself quickly.  Tell us about your house on a typical day and what type of host are you? Hands on and like showing people around or do you prefer to let your guests do their own thing but are available if needed.

Host Pamela in North London

4 Respond to guests quickly

Our guests expect a fast response so the sooner you accept the more likely you are to get the booking. When you receive a request you will be notified by SMS as well as by email. Guests are advised to message several hosts when looking for accommodation in any area so you may lose out to another host who replies faster.

If you notice that several guests ask the same questions, such as the transport links to and from the airport, make sure you add this information to your profile. That said, don’t be afraid to ask your guests questions too to ensure they know what to expect staying with you. We want our hosts and guests to have a good experience, so don’t be shy- ask away!

5 Update your Calendar

I cannot stress this one enough. Calendar management is the most important way to ensure you continue to get guest requests. If you don't block out your calendar and continually decline guests your listing may be suspended. We acknowledge that every guest won't suit your home so it's fine not to accept every guest. Therefore, if you will be away or can't take guests in your home for a particular period of time, simply block the days off on the calendar. It takes seconds honestly!

6 Always set House Rules

As a host, you should set house rules so guests can clearly see what is expected at the outset. Until you've hosted your first guests you might not know what type of rules to add. Take a look at some other host profiles with lots of reviews. They have learned the best rules that suit their home, some might apply for you too. Ask yourself is your kitchen/bathroom off limits during certain hours? Are you available for late night arrivals? Will you allow them access to laundry facilities?

Have other questions? We are always here to assist

Email: support@homestay.com

Want to hear more about other homestay host experiences?

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