Guesthouse/ BnB Hosting in a nutshell - Part 3 of 4
A quick lookback at what I’ve covered so far:
- Part 1 – Introduction, Viability & Demand as well as Legalities, check out my post:
https://steemit.com/guide/@lizelle/guesthouse-bnb-hosting-in-a-nutshell-part-1-of-4 - Part 2 – Facilities & Marketing, read more about that in:
https://steemit.com/howto/@lizelle/guesthouse-bnb-hosting-in-a-nutshell-part-2-of-4
RESERVATIONS
• Tariffs – setting the correct tariffs will determine the number of successful bookings.
Check online what other establishments in your area are charging; taking facilities, standards & services into consideration. Guests must feel they are getting value for their money, but at the same time ensure that your rates are not too low either, or you will be making a loss.
• Network – visit one or two local guesthouses and invite them to yours. This is great during peak season, as prospective guests always ask for referrals when your establishment is fully booked. We in turn get referrals from them, so everyone benefits from our informal referral program😊 Naturally you will only refer guests if you are happy with what you see or read in online reviews. Network with travel agencies, they can also be a very good source for reservations.
• Payment System – do not accept cash payments as this can be a security risk. Speak to various banks to see which type of credit card payment machines/ devices would suit your budget or requirements. EFT payments are acceptable.
• Booking Calendar – vitally important to keep this up to date online. One can link calendars on some sites. Keep your own online calendar & always carry a hard copy with you. Pencil in the bookings that are on hold, ink in once they have confirmed by paying a deposit.
• Terms & Conditions – There are many good examples online, but this will cover deposit payments, cancellations and no-shows.
Deposits – set a clear date and time for deposit to be paid for booking to be confirmed. Your terms & conditions will state if this is refundable.
Balance of payment should be payable on arrival, again be prepared for all kinds of excuses if you do not have credit card facilities.
Cancellations – This can be disheartening, but do not let this get you down and do not let your disappointment show. The reasons however vary from genuine to some weird stories!
No Shows – some establishments will charge the full booking value. One can also claim this from your insurance.
Number of guests –Set a clear policy that you will charge for extra guests should the number of guests be exceeded. This happens often, so be prepared! We turn a blind eye if it is sporting events, as we realise the cost involved with this.
• Online booking sites – covered under Marketing in Part 2, list your establishment with as many reputable sites as possible. Keep calendar, tariffs, facilities and photos up to date.
• Check-in – set clear check-in and check-out times. Ask your guest for their expected time of arrival.
• Important to get as much information about your guest beforehand; address, contact number, email address. Cell phone number vital especially once they have checked in, should you need to contact them for any emergency situation.
GUEST RESOURCES
• Guest Register – Indemnity at top of page (there are many examples online)
Information required: Check-in date, Full Name, Permanent Address, Home Telephone number, Cell Phone number, Nationality, Id or Passport number, Car Reg Number, Signature.
This is vital for insurance purposes, if they become ill or if they leave without settling the bill (known as bilking). Further, there is the possibility of you harbouring fugitives, it unfortunately has happened to some establishments!
• Guest Book – it is nice to read what your guests have to say about their experience at your establishment, makes for nice memories, also good to know where you can improve. Write down the names of everyone in the party and where they come from; nice to know when they return one day.
• Guest Information File – Welcome message, Emergency numbers, Rules & Regulations, Services & Facilities, Miscellaneous Information such as Laundry costs, Breakages Costs, Menu (if you serve meals), Places to visit, Local Restaurants & Take-away contact numbers.
• Tourism brochures – obtainable from tourism organisations.
• Local Restaurant/ take away menus – if you’re a self-catering establishment, guests often do not want to cook.
• Toiletries – Offer Shampoo, soaps, hand lotions, hand wash, tissues.
• Coffee & tea making supplies – one can offer welcome packs with little sachets, but a nicer touch to give them sufficient supplies for the duration of their stay (not sachets of course). When they leave, move the half empty containers to your own kitchen & replace with sealed containers. The cost is small and is a nice touch for the guests.
• Magazines – diverse and up to date copies.
• Books – offer a selection of good books from your personal library or buy from second hand stores, both fiction and non-fiction.
• Newspapers – leave a copy of the local newspaper in your reception area.
All images from pixabay.com
Thank you for reading, hope this will help someone someday; final section to follow & then you will have the know-how to set up your own guesthouse :)
Very valuable information... Do you think it is worthwhile when investing in property to consider its potential future airbnb value as a major factor in your decision making?
I also feel in future we will have decentralised forms of airbnb running on a blockchain... No middle man! Just people providing necessary accommodation to other people in a totally fair system
That would be great! Must add though that airbnb's commission is super low (3%) compared to most other booking sites (15% upwards)
Thank you for the comments, and yes I would certainly take a prospective property purchase into consideration for airbnb'ing as I now know the rewards, both financially and the experience of meeting people from all over the world! Location obviously being the most important criteria. I would go further and say I am sorry I only started doing this now, have considered buying property purely for that purpose!
Probably one of the most important questions to ask before delving into the hospitality industry (you won't know unless you've tried it) is do you truly enjoy it. You didn't know before the time and hence the reason you probably didn't go down that path earlier :) Sometimes risk can be rewarding, other times it won't. Were you able to take that risk then? I don't know. All I know is that I can see you are truly enjoying it and you have been doing a bloody good job at it. To take the time to actually put it all down on "paper" shows the love you have for it all. Btw, I hate typing on my phone, it's easy whrn operating on my laptop. I have to stall all the time else it ends up like this: thetbt lhsbgi got to be sjko go and i cant sertj the phi e to touch typr properly :) Great work agai !!! N. Upvoted and resteemed :)
Very well said @therneau, so right, not sure I could do it all those years ago hey! And thanks for the encouragement. I do believe things happen for a reason, all I know is it has been an amazing experience. Gets hectic some days....like today...so will work on my final part of Setting up a guesthouse later, hope it can help someone :) BTW I also hate touch tuping on mythe phone dtibes ne nutty ;)