Create The Space You Want To Be In
“Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use – do the work you want to see done.”
Let’s talk about space. Let’s talk about Airbnb space. One of the biggest gaps I see in the Airbnb market is design. That’s why I created my own. I wanted a place I want to stay in.
Let’s get take a closer look at what I mean about design in relation to a short term rental. It’s more than you think.
Location - This is the number one mistake when looking for places (as hosts). I know because I have two in the same market. One is right downtown Harrisonburg and one is in Mt. Crawford. Harrisonburg is twice as busy without putting in any more effort than the other. This is one of the main issues with short term rentals. Do your research. Do a lot of research.
Interior Design/Architecture - This is very important. The flow should be thought out and the space used to the best it can. There’s the saying “Form follows function.” Sometimes it seems that neither form nor function had a part in the creation of a space. I may love pretty things. But I hate bad function. There’s functional. There’s pretty. There’s pretty functional. And then there’s functional that’s pretty. The last is the best. A good designer (and we are all designers, by the way) first finds out how space should work and then makes the best of both.
Interior Decorating - This step is often missed completely. People are not good at this. My friend, Karen Callahan of Joyful Homes is phenomenal at this. If you need help, hire her. Hire someone. Consider this my impassioned, soap box speech. Airbnb is a business. Treat it like one. Spend the money and it will pay off. Interior design and decorating should be a TOP PRIORITY. Think of your space like a one-of-a-kind boutique hotel. No one else has your exact space or location. Make it unique. Make it special. That’s the beauty of short term rentals.
This may get too long, so I’m going to do a little series for the remainder of August on my Airbnb & space philosophy. I’d love to hear your feedback. Favorite stays? Horrible stays? Hosts, what do your guests love? What do you love about hosting?