As Airbnb hosts it’s important to remember the standards of service in the hospitality industry. The biggest and most important standard in cleanliness. I can’t stress this enough. Forget what’s acceptable in your home for you and start thinking how each and every new guest needs a spotless space to be welcomed to. This means from top to bottom, every inch of your Airbnb space must be cleaned after each guest checks out. We call this “turning over”. It is an absolute necessity and not something that can be done poorly.
Airbnb hosts are competing with luxury hotels and brand name properties. We must be mindful of reasons a guest might complain and be proactive about fixing problems before they start. A 2012 survey released by J.D. Power and Associates found cleanliness to be the chief complain among customers when exploring customer satisfaction among the hotel industry. This is shocking, since cleanliness is such an easy challenge to resolve.
A strong recommendation from me is that you hire a professional. No matter how well you think you clean, it’s just not worth the risk of potentially missing something. Sanitation is very important, a professional has a trained eye and a checklist system of professional standards. Plus you can hold someone accountable if there’s a problem.
Where Can You Find a Pro?
You can start by using Google search in your area for house cleaners. Generally this will pull up a list of some moderately priced professional cleaners. If you’re looking for something a little less expensive, try asking a few large apartment communities. The leasing office usually uses an inexpensive cleaning company to turn over their apartments. You can also make a call to a few local luxury hotels and ask for their housekeeping director. Let them know you are looking for anyone interested in a side job to clean your space, leave your number and wait for a call. You’d be surprised how great of a job a hotel housekeeper will do for an extra $50-$60. Avoid sites like Craigslist as they are often full of con artists.
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