7 Ways to Attract Loyal Airbnb Users to Your Hotel

Posted on Jan 29th 2020 in Hotel Marketing

In little over 10 years, Airbnb has become a multibillion-dollar player in the online travel market, swaying travellers and holidaymakers in its favour with affordable short and long-term accommodation options and an overall unique experience that hotels and resorts simply aren’t offering their guests.

Here are 7 things you can learn from Airbnb that will attract loyal Airbnb travellers to your hotel:

1. Be a Helping Hand

Airbnb hosts go the distance to cater to guests’ needs, acting as an on-call companion throughout the experience for issues or just a little friendly help. Take it upon yourself to provide this level of 24/7 service - even playing the role of a personal tour guide giving suggestions for local restaurants, not to miss treks and must do attractions -so that your guests fully appreciate the holiday experience your location offers.

2. Make Guests Feel at Home

In addition to round-the-clock hospitality, Airbnb hosts provide a sense of homeliness with personalised touches in their properties - something that avid travellers, especially millennials, will value. For your guests, start thinking about unique welcome packs, personalised notes and local travel tips, edibles and small gifts on arrival plus stocked cupboards/refrigerators, as well as redecorating if your rooms look under-furnished - start making them feel at home!

3. Incorporate Self-Service

Hotel self-service is on the rise and Airbnb is already ahead of the curve, with many hosts exchanging keys in advance - even leaving keys in a discrete onsite location - which grants guests a smooth, straightforward and satisfying arrival. Hoteliers can imitate this by implementing self-service check-in, along with equipping rooms with all the necessities for a self-catering holiday or at least having the option for the guest to pre-purchase or buy on site as that added convenience.

4. Provide Affordable Long-Term Accommodation

Travellers have turned to Airbnb for its long-term rental flexibility, where hosts are more than happy to accommodate extended stays, often with explicit lower rates should the guest book for longer than a month. Think about your hotel and whether your rooms and rates are long-term-friendly - if not, it’s time to change…

5. Bring Diversity

Airbnb’s home-sharing marketplace is diverse in terms of its accommodation options and this is where travellers are spoilt for choice - with both long-term and short-term holiday rentals. To appeal to more Airbnb users, rearrange your rooms in a range of layouts and bedding arrangements, making sure that your hotel caters to a wide customer audience.

6. Be Upfront with the Details

Airbnb guests know what to expect before arrival because hosts fortify their online listings with assorted photos and all the property details guests love to know. Even if your accommodation is 5-star-rated or basic in what it has to offer, being genuine and unambiguous with the details leaves no room for disappointing “reality vs expectation” scenarios, which almost guarantees a bad guest review.

7. Gain Trust with Your Reviews

With clear reviews on all property listings and Airbnb Community acting as an online forum for users to share honest information, Airbnb has become one of the most trustworthy marketplaces for travellers and holidaymakers to research and book their ideal holiday. By simply providing the best guest experience possible, your hotel can rack up a stream of positive, trustworthy reviews to sway customers in your favour and keep business booming.

What’s your hotel offering to compete with Airbnb? Let us know in the comments below!