Well, this article is about Airbnb, because if you ask yourself how to rent an apartment online and with confidence, Airbnb is the best answer.
Here in Vela Stiniva bay we have very short season, despite the fact that are offered relatively cheap apartments . At best, the season lasts for 60 days, in the two summer months, July and August although it would be perfectly normal for the season to begin on June 20 and end around mid-September. As a rule at the end of June, the sea is already warm, the air temperature is high, no crowds have yet begun. Ideal for a pleasant and peaceful vacation. The same goes for the first half of September.
We have been doing this business for many years in our house in Vela Stiniva Bay. It started there in the seventies when a full board was offered and when it was possible to drink as much as anyone wanted. At that time, it was not so much running or stretching. It lasted until the nineties when it went to half board, breakfast and dinner. People have already started running, biking, swimming on long tours. We have been holding a half-board for a long time, and my wife was a very respected cook, while the circumstances have not changed. Now we rent the top floor of our house as an apartment. Our goal is to extend the season at least 75 days and achieved during this time 90% occupancy.
How to rent an apartment online? – Of course Airbnb!
And how to get guests? The best way is to have your old guests, guests who have been coming for years. They all know, you know them, there is no mistake. So they are also happy with the service because otherwise, they would not come back. The problem is that they want to use the vacation at the peak of the season, and they do not pay in advance, so they often stay shorter than they have booked.
The guest can also come through an agency that operates on the internet. There are a lot of such agencies, and we use a few of them. This review will devote to Airbnb, one of the world’s most powerful agencies, founded in 2008.
No matter what kind of space or room you dealing with, with Airbnb you can easily and safely accommodate your passengers. At Airbnb, you decide when your apartment is available, what is your prices and discounts, which are the rules of your home and how you make contact with the guests. Registration to Airbnb is free, and you can expect 3% of your prices to be paid to them for their service. This fee is one of the lowest in the travel industry. Airbnb takes between 6% and 12% commission of every booking from guests.
In order for Airbnb to provide its guests with a safe and comfortable stay, they require from their hosts to meet five basic requirements for each accommodation:
1.Provide basic facilities: This includes toilet paper, soap, bedding and at least one pillow and towel for each guest.
2.Quickly answer your guests: Keep a high response rate by making inquiries and booking requests within 24 hours.
3.Accept reservation requirements: Make sure guests feel welcome when accepting requests whenever your accommodation is available.
4.Avoid cancellations: We take the cancellations very seriously and we ask the hosts to avoid them whenever possible because their guests depend on their travel plans.
5.Maintain a high overall rating: It is important for guests to know how to expect a standard level of quality regardless of where they book accommodation.
Our rating
Our rating and guest’s reviews you can see here, and you can rent an apartment with great confidence. It is a great thing because guests can see with great certainty what they can expect. Airbnb follows your rating and can be circumstances if your rating is low. But you do not have to worry about some legal or technical issues, if you do not have a good rating you will not even have guests. That’s your problem!
For us, as a host extremely important is insurance given by Airbnb. In order for our home and our belongings to be safe, Airbnb covers each reservation with a value of $1,000,000 in case of property damage and another $1,000,000 in case of an accident.
The procedure at Airbnb is quite simple.
1) In the search box, you can type your destination, like country, city, place, region…
2) In Dates, you click on first and last day, the period you want to book and confirm with Apply.
3) In tab Guests, you should type a number of adult guests and number of children. Confirm with Apply.
You will get a pretty big list especially if you specify a broader geographic term for your destination. But if you click on Explore Destination Homes you will get a few more filters to refine your search.
If you want more help and explanations you can find it HERE.
Based on my experience so far, I highly recommend Airbnb to both, hosts and travelers. See you on Hvar!
Hello. impressive job. I did not anticipate this. This is a impressive story. Thanks!