How to Be a Great Host
She has compiled a few easy steps that every host can follow to ensure that hosting doesn’t become more of a chore than a reward.
“Some of our most enthusiastic hosts are so dedicated to ensuring their guests have an exceptional stay that they struggle to find time and resources for themselves,” she says. “They are givers, and sometimes, givers go too far in this giving activity.”
Determine Your Goals
Are you hosting mainly to make money? For companionship? To create more art or share the meals you enjoy preparing? It is then important to recognize and feel good about how hosting aligns with and supports these goals. For her, hosting on Airbnb started as a way to keep her apartment. She says this initial goal has evolved into the opportunity to provide a nice and affordable place to stay in the highly sought-after West Village and give guests the chance to live like a New Yorker. “I am proud to be able to share this.”
Surround Yourself with Resources
And by resources, she means those you can “call upon in a pinch when, for example, “you need to hand keys to someone at 2 PM while you’re working in an office on the other side of town.” This includes a community of friends, like-minded neighbors, a cleaning service, or a few people willing to work part-time or on a day-to-day basis, barter or be paid for cleaning, key handover, and hosting when you are unable to do it yourself.
