13 Tips for Airbnb Hosts to Be Successful in 2025 – Strategies and Real Examples to Get High Incomes

Do you have a free room at home, an independent apartment or a second home? Do you often go on vacation or business trips and always leave your home empty? Are you interested in rental property investment?

If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, becoming an Airbnb host is an option you should seriously consider, as vacation rentals are a particularly lucrative business. But becoming a successful Airbnb host isn’t for everyone. It takes work and investment. You derive financial benefit from it for what you put into it in time and seriousness.

Suppose you are considering becoming an Airbnb host or a professional Airbnb concierge. In that case, we give you 13 strategies and tips for Airbnb hosts to maximize your vacation rental business profits.

13 tips for successful Airbnb hosts

Seasonal rental is not an exact science. But if you want to become a successful Airbnb host, taking photos of your space with your smartphone and quickly adding them to an Airbnb listing will certainly not be enough to generate significant income for you.

To do so, follow these 13 expert tips for Airbnb hosts to make this business successful.

1. Always do your own research

Before becoming an Airbnb host, you should investigate to ensure that the effort you put into it will pay off. At this point, you need to answer two basic questions.

Does the location of your home or property have a potential?

When it comes to short-term rentals, not all pitches are created equal. Some cities have more tourists than others, and locations in each city are more popular than others. At the same time, many homeowners in lesser-known cities generate substantial revenue from their Airbnb rental business.

You must research by consulting the offers available in the targeted localities on platforms such as Airbnb. You can also contact local town halls or consult annual studies online.

Is it more profitable to rent short-term or long-term?

As the attractiveness of travelers is not the same from one place to another, this should make it possible to determine which approach is more profitable, between vacation rental and long-term rental.

For example, let’s say you have an apartment that can easily be rented out in a classic lease at €1,000 per month. At the same time, you could put it on Airbnb for 100€ per night. This would mean that, in theory, if you had an occupancy rate of 100%, i.e., your Airbnb rental was full every day of the month, it would earn you €3,000 per month, i.e., 3 times more than a long-term rental.

But if you only rent your accommodation for 8 nights per month on average, it would only earn you (8x €100), i.e., €800 in Airbnb rental, so a little less than you would earn with a traditional lease.

In both scenarios, you must deduct all the charges you will have to incur to run your Airbnb rental between Airbnb service fees, energy overconsumption (water, gas, electricity, etc.), consumables (toilet paper, soap, etc.) .), cleaning fees, etc. There is, therefore, no absolute logic to tell Airbnb rental and long-term rental which is the best option. You will only know after studying the matter on a case-by-case basis.

2. Set your prices according to the surrounding hotels

A good pricing strategy is the basis for becoming an Airbnb host and generating big income.

Many private owners define the night’s price in their accommodation in relation to the rent they would receive in the long term. Just as professional rental companies adjust their prices according to the prices displayed by competing Airbnb properties in the locality. Either way, it’s usually not the most cost-effective approach.

Indeed, when you are renting on Airbnb, your main competitors are, first of all, the hotels around you.

The right approach is to look at the price of hotels with a positioning equivalent to yours (sleeping point, entry-level, standard, premium, high-end, luxury) and offer a price above theirs by more than 15 to 30 %.

Balanced rate setting: hotel parity in Airbnb pricing

Positioning	Hotel Price	Recommended Airbnb Price
Entry-Level	$70 – $100	$80 – $115 (15% – 30% higher)
Standard	$100 – $150	$115 – $195 (15% – 30% higher)
Premium	$150 – $200	$195 – $260 (15% – 30% higher)
High-End	$200 – $300	$260 – $390 (15% – 30% higher)
Luxury	$300+	$390+ (15% – 30% higher)

The number of travelers must also be considered because a family of 6 would have to pay for 2 hotel rooms to stay there. Your price must therefore reflect the advantage you have of offering them accommodation with 3 bedrooms.

3. Study the local laws for renting out a property with Airbnb

This point does not help you earn money, but if you neglect it, it can make you lose all your money.

This is the case of Airbnb owners who invested in the area around Disneyland Paris only to find that the local administration had decided that from 2023, only a few rental companies would now be drawn by lot to put their property up for seasonal rental in the locality.

To avoid finding yourself in such a situation, we recommend to all the hosts to research the cities where you plan to invest. Look at their political color, current of thought, laws in preparation, circle of influence, news on the city, etc. When in a city you have:

• individuals who find it difficult to find accommodation because the rent has become too expensive;
• hotels that suffer from competition from Airbnb;
• leaders who have already made anti-vacation rental comments;
• strong tourist appeal.

This combination is explosive and risky for anyone wanting to become an Airbnb host.

4. Get ready to get involved in the process

We all know a landlord who wanted to become an Airbnb host for the promise of comfortable, effortless passive income.

While it is true that putting your home up for short-term rental can generate a lot of income, the reality is that they are not that passive, especially if you really want to make a living out of it.

Indeed, when it comes to Airbnb rentals, some advertise their house or property on Airbnb and expect the platform to do everything for them. Which it does well during the high season, bringing them many travelers.

Then comes the low season, and there the occupancy rate drops vertically, and these owners lose all the profit they had generated so far.

To avoid finding yourself in this position and have consistent and constant income throughout the year, our tips for Airbnb hosts is a list of actions that you must take without sparing your efforts:

• Publish your ad on several tourism platforms besides Airbnb (Booking.com, Expedia, etc.);
• Create your own website to generate direct bookings;
• Develop your own audience with social networks (Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin…);
• Carry out marketing campaigns with a higher budget during low seasons on the tourism side;
• Introduce your housing stock to prescribers (tourist office, town halls, companies, etc.)

And, of course, with all the customers you will attract and your price positioning in front of that of hotels, you must be ready to deliver a service as fluid as that of your prestigious competitors.

5. Equip your Airbnb home by staying smart

When hosts think about equipping their rentals for the comfort of travelers, they usually imagine all the new products they will have to order. And this new chair here, and this new appliance there, etc.

Put that idea aside. You are not here to just have fun. You’re doing business (not spending splurges) to become a profitable and successful Airbnb host, so be smart.

A traveler who makes a reservation does not expect to find anything new in your accommodation. They want two things: cleanliness and comfort… at least enough to justify the night’s price.

Smart equipping guide: enhancing your Airbnb property

Category	Equipment	Considerations
Bedroom	Quality bedding, charging outlets	Comfortable sleep, guest convenience
Bathroom	Plush towels, toiletries, hooks/shelves	Spa-like experience, organized space
Kitchen	Cookware, pantry items, quality appliances	Meal preparation, modern amenities
Living Area	Comfortable seating, smart TV, entertainment	Relaxation, enjoyable stay
Technology	Reliable Wi-Fi, smart lock, thermostat/lighting	Connectivity, security, energy efficiency
Safety	Detectors, first aid kit, emergency info	Guest safety, preparedness
Outdoor Area	Outdoor seating, lighting, greenery	Outdoor enjoyment, safety
Extras	Local recommendations, welcome items, chargers	Enhanced experience, guest convenience

To equip your home, buy simple and inexpensive, but high-quality furniture! You can even consider used, but make sure your purchase is in good condition.

This investment is important because its amortization must be counted in your expenses when calculating your business’s profitability.

If you want to know how to furnish a vacation rental home wisely, you should check our article on this topic. It is full of significant tips for Airbnb hosts that must be followed.

6. Your Airbnb listing must always be faithful to reality

The goal of a listing is to sell as well as possible without ever being misleading.

You can work on photo angles to make your listing look bigger than it is or make it a little brighter, but your Photoshop skills should never show up in an Airbnb listing photo. You should never edit your Airbnb photos to the point when your property is unrecognizable!

Whether in pictures or writing, you can insist on the qualities of the accommodation and highlight them. Still, you must be even more transparent about its weak points, significantly when they can influence travelers’ booking decisions.

Visual elements checklist: crafting an engaging Airbnb gallery

Type	Number of pics	Description
Exterior	2-3	Front view, entryway, exterior amenities (if applicable).
Living Area	3-5	Main seating area, TV setup, overall layout.
Bedrooms	2-4	Each bedroom, showcasing beds, decor, and storage.
Bathrooms	1-2	Primary bathroom(s), highlighting fixtures and space.
Kitchen/Dining Area	3-4	Kitchen appliances, dining space, cooking setup.
Amenities	2-3	Pool, garden, balcony, or any unique amenities.
View	1	If there’s a scenic view from the property.
Location	1-2	Nearby attractions, landmarks, or scenery.
Details	1-2	Unique or intricate features that make the property special.
Guest Spaces	1	Shared spaces if applicable (e.g., lounge, game room).

In addition, travelers will rate you at the end of their stay not only on the overall service but also on the conformity of your listing with reality.

If Airbnb sees reviews consistently indicating a mismatch between your listing and guest experiences, your listing will lose visibility in search results.

To learn more about Airbnb listing photo requirements, check out our article on taking the right photos of your property and 10 tips to prepare your property for photography.

7. Get as many good reviews as possible

Every time you host guests, you need to make them want to leave you a positive review on Airbnb. This depends on the quality of your services, but you must also learn to ask travelers to rate you.

The faster you get 5-star ratings on your listing, the faster your occupancy rate will skyrocket. Indeed, many travelers are wary of listings with no positive comments.

Collecting positive reviews should be your number 1 priority if you want to become an Airbnb host and prosper.

8. Control the cleanliness of your accommodation

Your listing can sell, you can offer an attractive price, welcome travelers like kings… But all they have to do is see a stain on a corner of the bed or dust forgotten in a corner of the living room for them until the moment to rate their stay. They make you pay for it with a bad review.

Except for all the tips for Airbnb hosts we mentioned above, to become a successful Airbnb host, you must make cleanliness your absolute obsession, knowing that it is one of the criteria especially noted on Airbnb.

If you do the cleaning yourself, make sure you are a true home fairy and that your days of fatigue (they always happen) do not affect the state of cleanliness of your home. Otherwise, it is always better to entrust the maintenance of your home to a professional service that would allow you to free yourself from this constraint.

9. Enable instant booking for your listing

It’s always the little details that make the difference. And instant booking is not a small detail, it’s a big option you should activate as soon as possible.

Instant booking on Airbnb means guests can book your place without you having to confirm. As soon as they book, they receive an automatic confirmation. This option has several advantages:

• You have more visibility in search results
• You get more reservations compared to the number of views of your ad
• Your planning management is automated
• You avoid being penalized by Airbnb in the event of multiple cancellations

These small differentiators will allow you to become a successful host. To find out more about the pros of this option and how to use it wisely, you should definitely read our article on Airbnb instant booking.

10. Respond to your Airbnb guests quickly

The quality of communication with travelers is a decisive element of their travel experience, so much so that Airbnb has made it a specific criterion that travelers evaluate at the end of their stay.

To succeed in this step, the principle is quite simple. As soon as the tenant writes to you, respond immediately. The ideal response time is less than 5 minutes, for the best possible experience.

But for Airbnb, the barrier not to cross is that of 24 hours. You must respond to 100% of the messages in less than 24 hours, at the risk of being penalized by the platform.

For more tips and strategies on properly communicating with guests to get more bookings, check out this article from Airbnb Superhost.

11. Leave a welcome guide for travelers

When tourists go to a hotel, they always have reception staff from whom they can obtain all the useful information to enhance their stay. When these people find themselves in an Airbnb rental accommodation, they particularly appreciate that the hosts leave them a guide that answers all their questions.

Here are some tips for hosts on Airbnb that could be put in a welcome book for the guests:

• Person to contact in case of emergency (phone, email);
• National emergency contact: police, firefighter, etc. (very useful for foreign travelers)’
• WIFI connection information;
• Use of keys (which key opens which door), check-out procedure;
• User manual for devices (TV, Hi-fi, household appliances, etc.);
• TV program;
• List & address of useful shops nearby (with opening hours);
• Pharmacies;
• Restaurant recommendations nearby and in the area in general;
• Reminder of the main current events and local attractions, etc.

No need to create the perfect document the first time. Start with the essential information and complete as you go.

12. Don’t leave the fridge empty for guests

Ensure you already have a kitchen equipped with the usual minimum in terms of household appliances: hotplates, fridge, microwave, oven, toaster, coffee machine…

Even if it is not an obligation, it is always more pleasant for travelers who have probably traveled a long way, to find some food in the refrigerator so that they do not have to go out shopping as soon as they arrive.

As food, you could think of fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, mineral water, coffee, sugar, salt, fruit juice, etc.

13. Be prepared in case of breakdown

With an activity that revolves around the house, it is always good to have in your address book a good repair service in plumbing, electricity, and various DIYs.

The nature of breakdowns is that they always happen at the wrong time. And even if it is your guests who notice them, you might as well make them appreciate your responsiveness in solving the problem.

Conclusion

No matter how many tips for Airbnb hosts we give. Everyone has individual situations and cases. The most important thing is to treat this business responsibly and always remember that you are working with people on whom your success as a host directly depends.

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tips for Airbnb hosts

Updated on: 2025-03-07. Author: Karina

Tags: Airbnb management