Is there a way to convey the location details a guest wants without leaving the host feeling over-exposed? We think so. Let this checklist be your guide and everybody wins.

Tips

Provide recommendations early to allow guests to plan their trip.

Filling in your Guidebook on WP Rentals is a great way to compile your recommendations, and it makes it easy to grow and repurpose for future guests.

Personality is appreciated—recommend things you actually do yourself and places you like to go. A concierge might provide recommendations based on what they think an average tourist might like, but your tips can be more personalized.

Use the tips above and you’re bound to get great reviews and feedback like this:

“Our host’s tips about cheap food and other things to see nearby were right on. We’ll definitely be back again!”

“I am pretty widely traveled and fairly independent with it, meaning normally I like to figure things out myself, but there is no question: our host added great value to my experience.”

“The cheat sheet guide to the neighborhood our host sent to us in advance of our stay was great and we tried out a few of the recommendations on the list.”

As a trip approaches, anxiety increases for guests. Where do I need to go? How do I get there? How will I get a key for the space? How do I plan what to do on my trip? Put your guest at ease by giving them all of the info they’ll need up front instead of making them wait until the last minute. This establishes trust right away and will most likely garner you a great review, and great reviews lead to bookings.

The post What Guests Want to Know appeared first on Bali Icon Property.

“Some of our most enthusiastic hosts are so dedicated to their guests having an exceptional stay that they’re challenged to find their own time and resources for themselves,” says Elle. “They’re givers and sometimes givers swing too far into that giving activity.”

Determine your goals

Are you hosting primarily to earn money? For companionship? To create more art or share the meals you enjoy preparing? Then it’s important to recognize and feel good about how hosting aligns with and supports these goals. For Elle, Airbnb hosting started as a means to keeping her apartment. She says that initial goal has evolved into being able to provide a great, affordable place to stay in the highly coveted West Village and give guests the opportunity to live like a New Yorker. “I’m proud to be able to share that.”

Surround yourself with resources

And by resources, Elle means those you can “call in a pinch” when, for instance, “you need to get keys to someone at 2 p.m. when you’re working in an office across town.” This includes a community of friends, like-minded neighbors, a cleaning service, or a few people who are willing to work part time or per diem, barter or take payment for cleaning, key hand-off and greeting when you are unable to do it yourself.

The post How to be a Great Host appeared first on Bali Icon Property.

Focus on the trouble spots
First things first: Give extra attention to the most important areas of cleanliness. Those would be the kitchen and the bathrooms. If you offer your guests space in the refrigerator, give it a thorough cleaning. And if you make a point to keep all of the condiments and other items nicely organized, your guest will be encouraged do the same.

Make room for your guests’ things
We certainly love our tchotchkes, but too much of a good thing may look like clutter to a visitor. In addition to keeping your space clean, it’s important to keep it tidy. Your guests may not want to live out of their suitcase for their whole stay, so you can offer them space to put out their toiletries and personal items on a shelf or nightstand. You can also offer your guests room for their clothes and larger items in a closet or dresser.

Pay attention to details
Once you’ve gotten your space clean and ready for your next guest, check the details:

• Look for stray hairs on the couch
• Clean off dust on the edges of shelves, picture frames, and doorways
• Wipe down all the surfaces of fixtures and appliances
• Check the kitchen counter for crumbs
• Sweep or vacuum under the furniture

The post Offering a Welcoming Space appeared first on Bali Icon Property.

The post Best Beaches For Holiday appeared first on Bali Icon Property.

Column shortcodes have a unique feature: border. There are 4 different borders available to play with and create a unique design. Each border has a different color which you can change from Theme Options.

Other interesting shortcodes are: featured article, featured property, featured agent, slider, lists, tagline, recent items, icon content box, tabs, toggle and accordion, buttons, testimonials, video, Google Maps and tables.

Widgets give you freedom to design unlimited sidebars. Besides the standard WordPress widgets, we added 7+ custom versions: Mortgage Calculator, Featured Listing, Contact, Facebook Box, Twitter Widget, Social Links & Flickr Widget.

The post 10 Best September Vacations appeared first on Bali Icon Property.

After her parents’ stay, Dawn thought to herself: “Well, I’ve got this room that’s completely remodeled. What should I do with it?” She approached her husband about putting it on WP Rentals. He was hesitant at first; in part because in order to get to the guesthouse, you have to walk right by the couple’s own residence. So they started out with just single (one-person) bookings before allowing pairs. “Now he’s a bigger social person with my guests than me,” laughs Dawn.

The post 5 Best Budget Vacations appeared first on Bali Icon Property.