Hosting on Airbnb allows you to make money on a property or even a single room that would otherwise be vacant. More than that, you provide a place for someone to have a positive experience exploring your area.
For this to happen, however, you have to make sure people are booking your property. There are some factors determining how popular your property is that are outside of your control, such as location and seasonality. Bookings in some places plummet during the winter, and others in the summer.
As long as there is demand in your area, though, there are things you can do to keep the people coming and the profits soaring.
In general, getting more bookings is a matter of improving your booking platform profile, increasing your Airbnb activity, appealing to broader audiences, and encouraging positive reviews from past guests.
We've put together 10 Airbnb hosting tips that will help keep your property booked.
Probably the single most important thing you can do to keep your Airbnb property booked is to collect lots of positive reviews. After a potential guest takes a look at the amenities and confirms the location and living spaces are adequate, the next place they’re heading is the review section to see what past guests have to say.
Properties with a lot of good reviews are going to book faster and more often than those with few or none.
The easiest way to encourage guests to leave a review is by leaving one for them first. This takes the initiative and also reminds people to login and write something. With Airbnb's double-blind review system, where neither party can see the other's review until both have submitted one or the 14-day review period ends, guests often become curious about what you've written about them. This can motivate them to complete their own review.
You can also leave a little note card somewhere on the property asking for a review. Or, if you built a decent connection with particular guests, you could also just message them directly and ask. With Uplisting, you can even set up an automated message with this request that gets sent to the guest after check-out.
Always make sure to respond to reviews, especially if they are negative. People don’t expect perfection, but if you leave a negative review unattended, people will use their imaginations to guess what happened. What they imagine is oftentimes worse than the reality, and an apology and an explanation can go a long way.
This strategy has a little bit of a snowball effect. As you build reviews and your place starts booking more often, Airbnb will start to move you up in the search rankings so that more people see your property. They want places that book often near the top, and so they reward those who are active.
Get the ball rolling by making an active effort to encourage reviews from past guests.
Although the reviews are what really make the decision, no one is getting to the review part if your photos are bad.
The adage that a photo is worth a thousand words rings especially true in the context of short-term rental listings. People are usually booking an Airbnb to go on vacation, or perhaps even live somewhere temporarily. They're not going to reach out to you about booking if they're not able to see themselves in your apartment/house.
Help guests picture themselves in your space by showcasing the great features of your home, such as an outdoor area, a home entertainment system, or a great kitchen. The key is to help prospective guests imagine what experience is possible there, whether that's a backyard barbecue, a cozy movie night, or a dinner party.
Taking photos in the right light is essential. Dark, shadowed photos almost always look worse. No matter how many lights you turn on in the house, there’s nothing better than genuine daylight. Choose the time of day for your photoshoot carefully.
As a general rule of thumb, keep the number of photos of the surrounding area to a minimum. If most of the photos are of things not on your property, it’s not as helpful to guests and may come across as misleading.
Airbnb works much like a hotel search website. People list dates and locations and then browse from a number of options based on what’s available.
You need to have your calendar updated so that your property appears in results.
Keeping an updated calendar also means you will have to cancel with fewer guests. There’s nothing worse than receiving a booking request only to check and see that the place is already booked or otherwise unavailable.
Too many of these double booking incidents will drive your listing farther down in the search results. Airbnb keeps a close eye on host cancellation rates and penalizes you consistently inconveniencing guests.
Price is another huge factor that people consider when deciding whether to book. Typically, people want the cheapest place, but they'r'e willing to pay a little extra for what they perceive valuable: proximity to bars/restaurants, entertainment options, parking, etc.
Before setting your price, take a look at the prices of similar listings. Try to put yourself somewhere in that nightly rate range. Airbnb has a pricing tool you can use to help determine what’s right, but feel free to play around with it yourself. You can also integrate a dynamic pricing tool like PriceLabs with Uplisting, which automates pricing updates based on factors like market demand, local events, and seasonality.
Keeping your short-term rental booked is about pricing it competitively enough to represent the unique value of your property, be it views or another amenity, but not high enough to drive potential guests to explore competitor listings.
In situations where you decide to charge a premium because of something your home offers, make sure you're clear about why by including it in the title and description of your listing. People need to understand what their extra money is getting them before they go through with a booking.
Airbnb is big on community. Its whole business model runs on trust, and so it wants to promote hosts that are more active. Eventually, you may earn the title "Superhost," which allows you to stand out from the crowd.
To qualify as a Superhost, you need to meet specific criteria:
Airbnb evaluates these metrics quarterly, as detailed on their official Superhost requirements page.
Separate from Superhost status, Airbnb's algorithm favors "active hosts" in search rankings. According to Airbnb's search ranking factors documentation, these active hosts receive priority placement because they respond quickly to inquiries, keep calendars updated, and engage regularly with the platform.
So, if you really want to make your place fill up, start making it a habit to check in on your listing at least a few times per week if not more. Quick responses (within 24 hours) and regular profile updates signal to Airbnb that you're committed to providing excellent guest experiences. Uplisting supports quick response times with automated messages that address common guest questions without you having to lift a finger.
You get to decide what kind of Airbnb host you’re going to be. If you live close by or on the same property, you can be a bit more hands-on and interact more personally with your guests.
If you don’t live nearby, or are away during the guests’ stay, you still need to make yourself somewhat available. Things may happen throughout the stay, and responding to them attentively will help guests have a good experience and encourage them to leave a positive review.
It’s possible you yourself can't be available, and if this is the case, make arrangements to have someone local monitor your account and respond to any issues as they come up. If you don't live in the same area as your short-term rental property, this is when a local co-host can come in handy
As a guest, there's nothing worse than showing up to someone’s property, having trouble with something, and then never hearing from that person as you ask for help.
Some issues, like being locked out, need immediate attention. Others, like a request for additional linens, are less pressing. As a host, you need to have a system in place for addressing guest needs in a timely fashion, whether that means within 15 minutes or 5 hours.
Although most guests will be happy if you provide a clean, comfortable place for them to stay, you’re that much more likely to receive that positive review if you make the effort to go above and beyond.
Some things you could do:
Little details such as these don’t take much time or effort to incorporate, but they are often the things people will remember. The more they write about you in their review, the more attention and bookings you’re going to get.
The experience that people have at your Airbnb is connected to the experience they have in your town/city. If they love it, they’re going to love where they stayed that much more.
Of course, you’re not entirely responsible for making sure they enjoy their time. Any little effort you make to ensure that happens, though, is going to help you.
Some people go so far as to put together a little booklet that identifies things you can do in the area. A small list of local bars and restaurants and points of interest can be enough to get people going in the right direction for a good time and a positive experience.
Many people choose to book on Airbnb because it gives them the chance to meet new people and have a more intimate experience with a place they’re visiting.
Consider offering an Airbnb experience, such as a tour of the surrounding area, teaching a cooking class, or another activity that allows you to showcase your local expertise and personal passions.
Including these offerings on your profile doesn't mean that you're bound to do them with each and every guest. However, marketing them will help make your listing look more welcoming and will help you build a host reputation around the efforts you put into creating memorable guest experiences.
One last thing you can do to help your property book more quickly is to allow for instant booking. The alternative, in which people submit reservation requests that need to be approved, isn’t a bad option. If the goal is to keep the place booked, however, you want to make things as easy as possible for people.
For this to work, it’s imperative your calendar is updated. If you’re going to be out of town and can’t manage the place, make sure to block it off. Otherwise, someone may book the property and you will have to cancel. That's where Uplisting's multi-calendar tool is a lifesaver. Automatically sync calendar updates across all connected booking platforms.
If managing your calendar is doable, then enable this feature so that people book your place more quickly and easily.
Using a flexible pricing strategy can support higher occupancy and revenue. Carefully adjusting nightly rates based on seasonality, local events, and competitor data outperforms static pricing models. T
Third-party tools can set minimum and maximum rate thresholds, so you stay profitable without scaring away budget-conscious guests. Dynamic pricing also allows you to implement last-minute deals or longer-stay discounts, making your listing more appealing to a wider demographic.
While it requires regular attention, hosts who embrace data-driven rate changes often see an increase in both booking volume and average daily rate.
As a trusted Airbnb software partner, Uplisting has helped many property managers like yourselves automate their business listings, allowing you to focus on the big picture. From automated guest reviews and direct bookings, Uplisting can save you valuable time, which in turn empowers you to scale your business. For more information, check out our live webinars.
In many United States cities, Airbnb restricts entire home reservations for guests under 25 years old unless they possess a history of positive reviews. This policy aims to curb party-related issues and property misuse. Compliance with this rule safeguards your home and supports a more responsible community. Hosts can also set their own policies to reinforce Airbnb’s approach.
The 80/20 rule suggests that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. In Airbnb hosting, focusing on core factors—such as setting competitive rates and delivering consistent guest experiences—can dramatically impact your occupancy and earnings. Concentrating on the few essential tasks, like maintaining a responsive communication style or implementing dynamic pricing, helps optimize revenue. You’ll see noticeable improvements in reviews, bookings, and long-term profitability by zeroing in on these high-impact areas.
Success on Airbnb requires consistent attention to detail, from accurate listings to prompt response times. Keeping your property spotless, well-stocked, and as described helps foster glowing guest feedback. Adjusting your pricing or amenities to align with local trends can also increase your occupancy rates. Clear communication, timely updates, and offering thoughtful extras—like local recommendations—can further elevate a guest’s stay and earn you more positive reviews.
Hosts should be transparent about house rules and local restrictions, setting the right expectations from the start. Always prioritize clear check-in guidelines, maintain open communication, and respond to guest queries quickly. Avoid overpromising or listing incorrect amenities, as this can lead to dissatisfied visitors.
We’ve built an all-in-one property, channel management and automation tool to help property managers scale seamlessly.
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