Host Inspections
In 2007, Brian Chesky devised an ingenious way to rent his San Francisco apartment, offering three airbeds, breakfast, a work desk and wifi to conference attendees in need of a place to stay.
Dubbed ‘air bed and breakfast’, Chesky would go on to expand his idea globally as Airbnb, becoming a dominant force in the short-term rental space and expanding its product offerings into experiences and luxury stays.
Airbnb has since become a term synonymous with short-term stays. As of December 2021, the company manages almost 13 million listings worldwide, operating in over 200 countries and generating $48.9 billion in gross revenues for its hosts.
Although the pandemic hampered sector growth, Airbnb’s IPO in 2020 proved that it wasn’t, and isn’t, going anywhere. In fact, it’s getting stronger thanks to its consistently high standard. So, how does Airbnb maintain that standard across such a vast portfolio of rental accommodations?
Well, the secret lies in the way it uses technology to conduct property inspections.
How Airbnb is taking luxury to new levels
Now in its 12th year, Airbnb has significantly upped its levels of luxury. But luxury doesn’t stay luxurious for long unless it is maintained to such a high standard. Short-term rental inspections are playing a significant role in this, enabling hosts to deliver those luxury experiences time after time.
For example, in 2018, the company launched Airbnb Plus. Airbnb Plus included stays personally inspected against a 100-point checklist. According to Airbnb, approximately 2,000 homes across 12 cities are now available as part of this verified selection of well-equipped and high-quality short-stay properties.
One of its latest takes on the luxury stay market, Airbnb Luxe – which offers the world’s most extraordinary homes with the highest standard of service – sees hosts adhere to an uncompromising 300-point inspection checklist, which includes checks for a range of amenities like water pressure, furnishing, air conditioning and decor, delivering an even better short-term stay experience for both hosts and guests.
Since astutely identifying that a certain level of quality assurance was essential for maintaining the brand’s appeal, Airbnb has placed an increasing emphasis on personal inspections. Technology has become a cornerstone of this process. Not only does it protect hosts against false claims, but it also gives Airbnb inspectors and hosts a way to manage their short-term rental properties more efficiently.
Airbnb Luxe, for example, harnesses mobile inspection software to deliver exceptional, palatial stays. Teams of inspectors across the world provide real-time feedback on the cleanliness, safety and overall quality of the listings, using apps like Property Inspect to conduct everything from pre-stay walkthroughs to a full property onboarding. Gathering documentation for cleanliness and amenities is now quicker than ever. But why is it so important?
The importance of short-term rental inspections
Whether you host a single listing – perhaps your own home – or you’re a small, medium or large rental property management company, inspections have become crucial to maintaining and delivering an exceptional service on the Airbnb platform.
The guest is king and any negative review can severely damage your reputation. With over 90% of consumers reading online reviews before using a service or buying a product, those five-star reviews are essential. The only way to consistently deliver a five-star service is to ensure that inspections are immaculate.
But beyond reputational damage, inspections also protect Airbnb hosts from financial loss. Claims are common and any mismanaged listing is prone to a claim being filed against them. Adding inspection documentation to your usual host duties is the only way to protect against wrongful claims.
Videos and time-stamped photos leave no room for doubt in what your property looked like at a specific point in time, dispelling any disingenuous claim against you should that happen. A full timeline of all inspections, including multimedia evidence and completed Airbnb host inspection checklists, affords hosts with a watertight counterclaim.
Of course, the most sensible route is to maintain a stellar reputation by inspecting short-term rental properties before and after each stay, strictly adhering to an all-encompassing short-term rental inspection checklist. However, if it ever comes to a claim, with an app-based inspection software like Property Inspect, hosts can rest easy knowing that they’ve got a full timeline of evidence.
The power of Airbnb inspection software
The best report host software: In the last 3 years, over 25,000 Airbnb inspections were conducted through the Property Inspect app, showing that short-term rental inspection software is playing a vital part in the continued success of Airbnb and its hosts.
With Airbnb stays growing in number and even more people using them than ever before, it’s vital that hosts continue to maintain the high standards that Airbnb is known for. Technology is enabling this continuation, empowering hosts the world over to deliver exceptional stays wherever they are.
Airbnb home inspection checklist
For more information about inspections in the short-term rental and hospitality sectors, with expert commentary from industry-leading voices, download the free Property Inspect white paper, The Tech and Trends Driving Hospitality.
Data Source
Airbnb Statistics: Airbnb Stats For Your Market [2022]
