How to get your Airbnb listing business ready

When we think of Airbnb we often think of tourists going on holiday, ready to live like a local for the weekend. But a surprising number of Airbnb guests are actually visiting for work, not pleasure - in fact, roughly 15% of bookings are business travellers, and over 700,000 companies have booked Airbnb’s work collection since in launched in 2014.

Businesses are willing to a pay a higher price than regular guests, and with such large numbers of guests travelling for work, you should aim to capture this market if you want to make the most of your hosting. But what is the work collection? And what are the requirements to join?

What is the work collection?

The work collection (previously called Airbnb for business) are homes that Airbnb has recognised would be great for business travellers to stay at. They have extra amenities and requirements, but meeting those requirements can mean more regular bookings and extra profits. Airbnb for work also has options for business trips to team-build at Airbnb experiences and book meeting places with Spaces.

What’s so great about it?

A lot! Businesses are prepared to pay more than regular guests, so you can increase your rates to reflect the effort you’ve put into meeting the requirements. The fact that businesses can now filter for business-ready listings means that you’ll show higher up in the search results and should get more bookings. 

Business travellers are also more likely to travel alone than tourists, and they probably won’t stay up as late - so there will be less noise and less fuss. Plus they won’t be travelling with kids, so there won’t be so much wear and tear on your home.

How do I join the work collection?

You don’t actually need to to apply to have your listing put into the work collection - you just need to meet Airbnb’s criteria and you’ll be added automatically. Work collection listings show up on the regular Airbnb website but they’re also shown on the dedicated Airbnb for work website. Regular work listings are displayed alongside boutique hotels and Airbnb Plus homes.

You can check your progress towards becoming work-approved by going to your Airbnb profile and clicking on the progress tab - you’ll then see your progress towards getting into the work collection along with indications of what you still need to do. You can also see your progress towards the family collection and becoming a superhost. 

Property type

Your property needs to be either an entire property or a private room with en-suite bathroom facilities. The idea is that business travellers will likely need to work and rest while staying in your home, so they’ll need some privacy from their host. Business travellers will often arrive outside of regular check-in hours, and as their stays are often shorter, they won’t need a full introduction to the property. Being able to check in 24/7 is one of the reasons business travellers have traditionally opted for hotels rather than Airbnb. Because of this, a self check-in solution like KeyNest is one of the requirements for getting your listing into the Work Collection.

Your listing also needs to have a laptop-friendly workspace like a private desk or table, so that your guests can work during their stay if they need to.

Amenities

It’s important to have amenities for your business guests like a hairdryer and an iron, and essentials like towels and bedding. 

You’ll also need WiFi, in case your guest needs to work on their laptop or just wants to spend some downtime online. WiFi in hotels often adds a significant extra charge onto a stay for business travellers, so free WiFi is definitely something that businesses will appreciate.

Business guests will probably be travelling light, so you’ll be required to stock essential toiletries like shampoo and soap as well as towels and bedding. You aren’t required to have ingredients or food available for your guests, but business travellers are less likely to have time to go out shopping. Keeping a kitchen stocked with basics like coffee, milk and bread will go a long way and can make your listing stand out from the rest.

Your guest will likely want some time to wind down and relax, so a TV is also a requirement. If you want your listing to be more eye-catching though, go the extra mile and get a Chromecast or a Fire TV stick with Netflix to give your guests more choice over what to watch

Reviews, response rate and cancellations

You need to have good reviews for a business listing - 4.8 or higher over the past year. If your reviews have fallen below the 4.8 threshold, check out 10 things that Airbnb guests love to wow your guests and bring up your rating.

Meetings and conferences can be cancelled last minute, so Airbnb requires a flexible or moderate cancellation policy in case of last minute schedule changes for your guest. You’ll also need to have responded to 90% or more of booking requests over the past year, as businesses won’t want to be left in the dark about their booking and have to make another last minute.

Unlike regular listings, work collection listings can be booked by third parties. The Airbnb for work website lets bookers at companies make reservations on behalf of their colleagues. In the communications you’ll see the guest and the booker listed separately. 

Airbnb hosting tips

This guide should have given you an idea of what the work collection is and how and why you’ll want to get into it. If you want more Airbnb hosting tips, make sure to check out the rest of our blog.

About Us:

We’re KeyNest and we help Airbnb hosts save money on their check-ins and key exchange with guests and contractors. If you’re keen to give a try to less-time consuming solution than the meet and greet or want something more transparent and safe than key safe (=key lockbox), find out how we can help you here. Our plans start at £5.95.