Photos and reviews play a huge part in why someone selects a particular Airbnb listing. However, to keep customers coming back, Atlanta Airbnb "Superhost" Maria King recommends going beyond standard hotel offerings.
King is a designated Superhost based on five-star reviews, a 90-percent or better response rate and reliability. She rents out two bedrooms with a private bath in her home near Historic Marietta Square.
The luxurious accommodations feature access to a backyard hot tub and spa-like amenities in the bathroom. But the key to the many happy returns lies in the concierge-style service for which King is known.
"I provide bottled water, local magazines that have event listings and I will even print out directions to places they are going to," she said. In the guest's bathroom, King stocks baskets with extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, body soaps and shampoos. She stores extra blankets in drawers and offers free wi-fi. She also includes discounts on Uber, provides free passes for use at local gyms and a list of local restaurants and nightclubs.
Guests rave about her service. One guest who posted a review wrote, "Staying with Maria was fantastic! She was very welcoming, very friendly, and seemed to truly enjoy hosting guests in her home. The location is close to a number of amenities (restaurants, grocery stores, etc) while still quiet and tucked away. The room was very comfortable, plenty of room for personal items."
King considers complaints as opportunities to improve her customer service. "If someone thought the room was too cold or too hot, I go in and adjust it," she said. "When I first started doing this I didn't have a mirror in the bedroom because I thought, well they have a mirror in the bathroom. But a female guest said she wanted to put her makeup on in the bedroom, so I put a mirror in the bedroom. I added a small refrigerator because some people staying more than a week want to store drinks or snacks in the room."
Another key is being accessible but not intrusive. King goes over her schedule with guests when they first arrive. "The bedroom I rent out is on the same floor as my bedroom. But I am typically up and out of the house by 7:30 every morning. So I tell that to them. Most of the time guests sleep in a little later than that. I don't get home until 6 at night and a lot of the times they've gone out to dinner. So I don't even see them. "
Whether guests want to enjoy a glass of wine out on the deck or sit around and chat, King said she gauges their interest. "It just depends on the guest. Not everybody wants to talk to somebody. Some people come in and just want to go in and turn on their TV and really not have any interaction with me."
She recommends asking guest to leave positive reviews. "A lot of people read the reviews so I encourage people if they are happy, to write a review after they leave."
Of course the pictures are important too. One Atlanta property made Airbndb's most-desired rental list because of photos that showcased the unique treehouse accommodations.
"I think first off people want to see that the rooms look like what they saw in the pictures," said King. "People are always worried about that. I think just make sure your pictures are current and actually do look like the room."
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