Getting AirBnB-Ready
After spending many weeks on-and-off at the ranch, we decided it was time to monetize it when we weren't there. Always better if the house can pay its own mortgage, right? We knew when we bought it that we wanted to list it on AirBnB eventually, but I don't think we had really thought too much about what would be required to get the house ready.
Here's a recap of everything we learned, in three simple steps:
1) Furnish to sleep the maximum number of guests
In the county of Mariposa, Bed and Breakfasts are allowed to host a maximum of 10 guests. Look up the tourism and hospitality laws in your area to find out what your regulations are, and furnish to sleep as many as possible. I once stayed in a one-bedroom cottage that had been ingeniously engineered to sleep a miraculous ten people, and you better believe we packed ten of us girls in there for a bachelorette weekend to remember! Keep in mind that your guests are on vacation, just looking for a good time--which doesn't have the same requirements as a full-time living space. Vacation and crazy sleeping arrangements go hand in hand!
A word of caution: If you're going to use AirBnB as your advertising platform, their listing do distinguish between actual mattresses and airbeds. So if you plan to cram a lot of sleeping options into a small space, you'll have to get creative. We absolutely love our Alenya Sleeper Sofa with a pull-out queen mattress
. We also decided to go with an additional chic white bunk bed
in the bedroom that already had a Murphy bed, to incorporate more sleeping options.
2) Keep your décor understated
Think minimalism. If blank walls interrupted only by a few simple accents isn't your style, spend some time on Pinterest getting inspired by minimalist decor. The reason for this is simple: you want your guests to feel like your home is their home for the duration of their stay. They'll arrive, unpack all their gear, and start having fun in your space. Their colorful belongings will be scattered around the living room and countertops in no time, making the area feel comfortable and familiar to them. The more your taste disappears into the background, the more they'll feel right at home among their own tastes.
A word of caution: Minimalism doesn't mean empty. This is not license to rent out your vacation home in the same naked state you bought it in. Instead, find a few sleek & simple pieces that add interest and show you've been intentional with the space. These pieces should be be unique (Ikea decor gives your rental a factory-produced feel!) and most of all, they should complement your location.
For example, if your property's in a beach community, you might decorate with an authentic-looking piece of White Finger Coral
, a few neutral-colored Ramosus Shells
, some driftwood you collected yourself, and a single focal piece like this Ship Wheel
. And then stop. Nothing more.
In our case, we have a mountain ranch nestled in the forest of the High Sierras. We opted to reflect the beauty outdoors, mingled with the relaxed elegance of country living. We kept it simple with two elements: Reclaimed wood and copper. I found some beautiful copper skillets
to hang in the kitchen, I recreated this reclaimed wood "gather" sign
for the dining room and kept the living room minimal with nothing but these sheer white linen curtains
.
3) Be your own first guests
When you think you have everything in place, stay there for a few nights. And don't treat it like a hotel where you just sleep there in between outings and meals at restaurants; treat it like a home where you cook all your own meals, play games around the table, enjoy a long conversation over drinks in the living room, and star-gaze out on the lawn.
You'll be surprised what you've forgotten--even when you thought you had everything! For us it was bathroom trash cans
, extra throw blankets
for the lawn, a pizza cutter, and an ice-cream scoop! Oops! Better that we figured that out on our own than our guests wishing we had it. Comfortable guests are happy guests. Luckily we were able to order these things on Amazon (follow the links to see which ones we went with!) and they arrived before our first guest!
Happy AirBnB-ing!
Here's a recap of everything we learned, in three simple steps:
1) Furnish to sleep the maximum number of guests
In the county of Mariposa, Bed and Breakfasts are allowed to host a maximum of 10 guests. Look up the tourism and hospitality laws in your area to find out what your regulations are, and furnish to sleep as many as possible. I once stayed in a one-bedroom cottage that had been ingeniously engineered to sleep a miraculous ten people, and you better believe we packed ten of us girls in there for a bachelorette weekend to remember! Keep in mind that your guests are on vacation, just looking for a good time--which doesn't have the same requirements as a full-time living space. Vacation and crazy sleeping arrangements go hand in hand!A word of caution: If you're going to use AirBnB as your advertising platform, their listing do distinguish between actual mattresses and airbeds. So if you plan to cram a lot of sleeping options into a small space, you'll have to get creative. We absolutely love our Alenya Sleeper Sofa with a pull-out queen mattress
. We also decided to go with an additional chic white bunk bed
in the bedroom that already had a Murphy bed, to incorporate more sleeping options.2) Keep your décor understated
Think minimalism. If blank walls interrupted only by a few simple accents isn't your style, spend some time on Pinterest getting inspired by minimalist decor. The reason for this is simple: you want your guests to feel like your home is their home for the duration of their stay. They'll arrive, unpack all their gear, and start having fun in your space. Their colorful belongings will be scattered around the living room and countertops in no time, making the area feel comfortable and familiar to them. The more your taste disappears into the background, the more they'll feel right at home among their own tastes.
A word of caution: Minimalism doesn't mean empty. This is not license to rent out your vacation home in the same naked state you bought it in. Instead, find a few sleek & simple pieces that add interest and show you've been intentional with the space. These pieces should be be unique (Ikea decor gives your rental a factory-produced feel!) and most of all, they should complement your location.
For example, if your property's in a beach community, you might decorate with an authentic-looking piece of White Finger Coral
, a few neutral-colored Ramosus Shells
, some driftwood you collected yourself, and a single focal piece like this Ship Wheel
. And then stop. Nothing more.In our case, we have a mountain ranch nestled in the forest of the High Sierras. We opted to reflect the beauty outdoors, mingled with the relaxed elegance of country living. We kept it simple with two elements: Reclaimed wood and copper. I found some beautiful copper skillets
to hang in the kitchen, I recreated this reclaimed wood "gather" sign
for the dining room and kept the living room minimal with nothing but these sheer white linen curtains
.3) Be your own first guests
When you think you have everything in place, stay there for a few nights. And don't treat it like a hotel where you just sleep there in between outings and meals at restaurants; treat it like a home where you cook all your own meals, play games around the table, enjoy a long conversation over drinks in the living room, and star-gaze out on the lawn.
You'll be surprised what you've forgotten--even when you thought you had everything! For us it was bathroom trash cans
, extra throw blankets
for the lawn, a pizza cutter, and an ice-cream scoop! Oops! Better that we figured that out on our own than our guests wishing we had it. Comfortable guests are happy guests. Luckily we were able to order these things on Amazon (follow the links to see which ones we went with!) and they arrived before our first guest!
Happy AirBnB-ing!
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