People who shouldn't use Airbnb: Craig

Every now and then I browse through the other Airbnb listings in my area.  It helps me make decisions about what to charge and is just a good way to see what guests like (or not) in other places.  Occasionally, you read a review that seems completely out of line.  Here's an example.

Meet Craig, who's description reads "My wife and I divide our time between Kent, CT and Greenwich, CT. We are semi-retired investors with a great love of travel. We are devoted parents of a 12 year old girl and 15 year old boy."

Okay, good.

Now here's his review of Affordable, Cosy and Private Escape.

"I was not going to leave a review at all because I didn't want to mess up Alicia's business, but then the requests for money for broken items started arriving. That was odd since we decided not stay in the apartment at all.

As we approached Alicia's townhouse, my son noticed signs in bodega windows notifying customers that the police would be called immediately if anyone entered the store while wearing a hood or mask. The R.I.P. gangster wall murals also created quite an impression.

Top 10 lists

Top 10 lists can be fun to read.  These two offer advice for both guests and hosts.

1. 10 Ways To Be A Terrible Airbnb Host
2. 10 Ways To Be A Terrible Airbnb Guest

I don't agree with everything in there, especially providing food and (especially) liquor for your guests, but that's a subject for another post.

Here's something I really don't care about - 

Airbnb Launches Celebrity-Themed Promotion In LA

And here's something that has the potential to turn hosts into real hospitality professionals.  In my mind, that is the real threat Airbnb poses to the hotel industry. 

Back from summer hiatus

No, I wasn't away on vacation.  I was just super busy with my full time job and having my best 2 Airbnb months ever. And by best I mean the most lucrative.  Also the busiest.

Many of the guests stayed the minimum 2 nights.  That meant cleaning every other morning.  But one great thing - 2 solid months of really excellent guests where nearly everyone exceeded my expectations. Also, at least 70% of our guests were from France.  Not sure what that's about but it's definitely been a positive experience.

I caught a break for the month of September, with a 2 week stay at the beginning of the month and a 3 week stay starting a week after the that. I've used the extra time it's given me to do some sprucing up around my own place and get some projects done.

Check out this story from Nashville Ledger correspondent and Airbnb host Jeannie Naujeck,
Want to rent your space through Ainbnb? Some tips for success
My project for the upcoming months is to download and analyze my Airbnb hosting data.  I'll be presenting that towards the end of the year when it's ready.