You can hire a great photographer and take photos at the best time of the day, but if your furniture and stye is outdated and boring there is only so much a photo can do. If the idea of designing, planning, preparing and styling your Airbnb is overwhelming you, then it’s time to hire an interior stylist that works with Airbnb owners to help you make the experience a great one rather than an overwhelming one.
The short term rental and airbnb market is flooded with investors trying to get on the “holiday rental” income wheel. The industry is growing more than ever before and you should absolutely invest in making your property stand out from the crowd and the boring same old everything is white and cookie cutter generic stays that are available. What makes your property memorable!
While budgets are a big part of running an Airbnb, remember any design and styling fees are 100% tax deductible and getting it right the first time will save you time and money. Preparing and getting your property ready takes more time and $ than you think. Here are 5 reasons you need to invest in a Airbnb Stylist.
Guests Will Love Your Space.
If you’re investing in a property to make some extra income by renting out the space, then you need to consider how much work goes into making your place look appealing. Think comfortable, big fluffy beds guests want to jump into and stay in, grabbing a towel and picnic basket from the hall as the head out the door, great reviews and high occupancy….
Do you have the ability to make the space work? Do you have the ability to choose the colours scheme and style that will suit the property? Do you have the ability to bring it all together? Do you know what you need in an Airbnb per a guest? Do you have the time? A professional Airbnb stylist will take care of everything from the initial concept and design to the installation, inventory and reveal of the “wow” moment when it all comes together. You will find most stylist will work with you and you can be involved as little or as much as you like.
They’ll Be More Likely To Book Again.
This is a business not a hobby. You purchased this property or are renting a room in your property to make money correct! So your ultimate goal is to have returning guests, raving reviews and 100% occupancy. You want them fighting to book a stay.
Styling an Airbnb or short term rental is very different from styling your home and personal areas. It needs to cater to guests who have different needs from you. An Airbnb Stylist knows what your guests need, expect and will appreciate as extra touches to make their stay “memorable”. When a potential guest is searching for a property to stay there are so many “same same” properties. You know the ones – white on white on white with some dead palm leaves that cost $200 and some more white and then some white furniture. The type of places guests will be to scared to sit down in case they get something dirty! Hardly relaxing is it?
Using a Airbnb stylist, they will work with you to add all the extra touches that guests note as “wow”. The ones that make them think “I don’t want to leave and I will be coming back”. After all they are on holiday….
You’ll Earn More Money.
Obviously if you are fully booked you make more money. So while you and most people think “why would I pay someone to design and style my property” when you can have a go yourself, the reality getting is getting it right is never as simple as you think. If it was there would be no such thing as Property, Interior and Airbnb Stylist. 95% of our clients come to Stagency because they simply cannot bring it all together – they “need help”.
So while the initial outlay of using a stylist may cost you money, the ROI of being booked up is well worth it. If your property is professionally and thoughtfully laid out and styled to cater for your guests you can also charge a premium – again more money in your pocket.
Think about it this way. You walk into a property to stay. You pay say $100 for the night. It is full of Ikea and Kmart, a Super Amart bed and all the basics. It’s “FINE” clean and will do. Hardly memorable is it…Your not going to be rebooking anytime soon or leaving with a feeling of gosh I have to tell people about this place.
Yet you book another property that is $180 a night. You walk in the door and instantly feel relaxed, on holiday and happy. From the subtle smell of fresh linen (diffusers) and walking into the bedrooms with big beds that you want to jump into, masses of pillows and soft blankets. Little touches of a old book about the man who built the house to a basket of locally made coffee and sourdough bread with directions to the best eats locally! This is the difference. This is where a good Airbnb stylist is worth the money and then some – the ideas and guest experiences you don’t think of, not just the colour scheme, the whole.
You’ll Have A Better Experience.
I am not talking about you as a guest, I am talking about you as the renovator, the property owner, the stressed one pulling out your hair with 50 to do lists to get the property ready for your first guests…
If you are a first time short term holiday rental owner, then you will know (or maybe not!) that there is A LOT TO DO to prepare a property for Airbnb rental. From prepping the actual property (think cleaning, painting, light bulbs) to lists of what to buy to design to style to purchasing it all to keeping a inventory to deliveries, unpacking and installing it, picking a managing agent, photos – the list goes on.
This does not have to be a stressful, bad experience. It shouldn’t be. After all you purchased the property for a good reason correct? So why not enjoy the experience. Let your stylist take the whole process and turn it into something you actually enjoy because they know what they are doing. Take away the little annoying 3 million decisions you have to make and turn it into a process that is refined and easy. Yes there will be days that are pretty “full on” if you want to be heavily involved, but those days are also fun. They are also a reality check of what stylists really do and why they are worth paying the $ for. It is often when working with clients they come to the realisation that what we do is so much more than “shopping”. The level of planning and design that is undertaken before any purchasing and procurement of inventory is extensive and time consuming. It is why most people fail, lack of planning prior to styling.
We do all the “back breaking” work so you get to do the “fun” part of being a Airbnb host.
You’ll Look Professional.
They say you get one chance to make a first impression. I base my business on this and you should too. You are after all in business, you don’t want to look like the lady renting out a spare room do you? Otherwise why would you be googling Airbnb styling or stylist and landed here?
A professional Airbnb host will have everything in it’s place and a place for everything. They will have thought of all the little details and have a property for their guests that is not only an experience but also memorable. You want to look like you know what you are doing. Your Airbnb stylist can help you so this. You want your property to be personable but professional.
If you list on Airbnb as a platform your goal should be to be listed as a Superhost. A superhost according to the Airbnb website is someone who goes above and beyond in their hosting duties and is a shining example of how a host should be. They will have a badge on their profile and listing. They also offer an exceptional physical space – enter your stylist….
What next? If you would like a free 15 minute discovery call to see if we can help you anywhere in Australia (yes we can work remotely) feel free to contact us here – you never know what we may be able to create together for your space.
