Let’s add to that. What are some tips to set up your room or home for Airbnb? Is it right for me? How can I generate a following and start hosting? What should I know before I start up my Airbnb? Why is it so expensive? What is the difference between Vrbo and Airbnb? Which should I choose? How can I get better reviews? What are some creative ways to make guests feel at home in my space? How much time do you spend cleaning? Can I make money on my vacation rental? How much should I charge?
Hi. We are Jabel and Kristina Miller. We live in the beautiful northwest corner of Montana, along with our siberian husky, Bridger, and a large tabby cat named Oliver. If you vacation at our Lodge, you might also see our flock of 130 chickens that we keep as laying hens . Besides that, we manage the 4 acre lot that is otherwise known as Matthew’s Ranch or, as is most commonly known, The Legacy Lodge. Today I will sharing some of our tips and tricks of hosting and managing a vacation rental property.
We have been married for almost 6 years and have been managers of this vacation rental for 3 years.
This picture will give you a bit of the back story for the Lodge. On our end, it was a little bit different. We had been married for almost a year when this property came up for sale by the previous owner. Jabel always kind of had his sights set on this place and sometimes we would talk about what it would be like to live there.
In the fall of 2016, the Miller family, ( several of Jabel’s uncles and his aunt), along with a very generous friend of ours, purchased the property. It was all a dream come true for them and for a reason we couldn’t explain, we were just as excited as they were! We began to pray about it and through that we both started having dreams about living here. We began getting a clear vision of what this would look like and it all went down on paper. In communicating with Jabel’s Dad and uncles and his aunt, we discovered that what God was showing us in our dreams and visions was exactly in line with what they were seeing and desiring for the property.
The whole thing was just this beautiful redemption story. We were officially “hired” as managers and caretakers of Matthew’s Ranch and out of that was birthed “The Legacy Lodge. ”
When we moved into what is now, the Legacy Lodge in 2017, the place was a mess. Weeds everywhere, dead grass, overgrown lawn, and sad for me, no birds or wildlife around. The well that was there was a small well that spoke of the ancient strongholds over water wars in times past.
We immediately felt that our assignment for that year was to “reverse the Curse” on the land. It felt heavy and oppressing and many times that first year we had random appliances and things go wrong, including the well going dry a few times. We walked the land a lot, prayed a lot, and did everything we could to come in the opposite spirit of what was there.
Fast forward to 2018. We lived upstairs while the basement part was remodeled and rented out on Airbnb. We officially opened in September of 2018. The property today, as you can see in the picture above, is thriving with a beautiful, luscious garden, green grass, a new well with an over-flowing abundance of fresh water and a thriving vacation rental that has blessed many people. In 2019 we built our own little house on a plot of land that is adjacent to the Lodge property but still offers us privacy for our own life. In 2021, after lots of remodel work upstairs, we officially had the entire Lodge on Airbnb and on Vrbo.
The views, as you can see from this downstairs bay window, are absolutely stunning! In all season of the year, this view is truly worth taking in and experiencing. We feel blessed to be able to live here and provide this place for guests to come to for a true, Montana experience.
Here are some common questions that we have gotten that I will answer to the best of my ability. I will also cover a few things that are important to know if you are a guest in an Airbnb, how to choose the right one for your family, and how to best honor and respect the host property.
- What is Airbnb? Some people automatically assume that you will get served a large breakfast since “B n B” stands for bed and breakfast. The truth is, that the majority of places on Airbnb will have coffee, tea, and other little snacks like oatmeal packets that is referred to as “breakfast.” It varies greatly from place to place and we have stayed at airbnb’s that didn’t serve any of those things. We do a nice basket of snacks and breakfast bars, coffee, tea, and farm fresh eggs. Most people really love these things and will comment on a review or private message to thank us for it.
- Airbnb is a company that operates an online marketplace for lodging. You can rent out your room, home, or even RV’s and campgrounds as a way to make money and provide lodging for tourists .
- What is Vrbo and how is it different than Airbnb? While they are similar in that they are both platforms for making money off your property, Vrbo only offers entire homes for rent. On Vrbo you will find only the high end, immaculate type of lodging and will, therefore, be more pricey.
- Is Airbnb right for me? How do I know if I should be on Vrbo or Airbnb? Whether it’s right for you or not, is your choice. It can be tempting to do just because you see dollar signs. However, before you decide, there are a few important things to consider. 1. What is my vision for it? Did you write it down? If it’s just about the money than you should probably not do it. It takes more than money to keep things afloat and moving forward. 2. Am I willing to be available constantly to clearly communicate with guests and people who have questions or want to book my place via the app? 3. Who will clean it? If you decide to do it yourself, how much time do you have to clean it in between guests? Who will you hire to clean and is he or she dependable? 4. Do I have a good reputation for customer service and am I willing to provide the very best of myself and my property for the guest?
5. Why is it so expensive? Even if you think you are getting a cheap room, add all the taxes and fees on there and than you wonder if the original price is all a joke. First, renting a “cheap” room on airbnb is not usually the best idea. It depends on the area too, but as a general rule, the more you pay, the better quality you will have. And Vrbo is more expensive because of the types of homes they promote on their website. It really depends on what your mindset is when you book your vacation at an airbnb. Are you okay with spending a little more and getting a high quality experience or are you looking to be “cheap” and settle for a low quality experience. I know. Taxes are a bit ridiculous and noone likes the extra fees. But hey! It’s life. Basically, you get what you pay for. Another thing to consider is that your hosts spend large amounts of their time cleaning and from their perspective, it is not too expensive. Since I know what it’s like to manage a vacation rental, I also make a point never to complain about prices to other people. This, to me, from a host perspective, is disrespectful and dishonoring. When you book your property, just remember this.
6. How can I get better reviews? Simple. Step up your hosting game. Do some research and learn about ways that you can make your guests feel special. Give the best of what you have. Over-supply with amenities such as extra snacks, lots of extra towels, ect. Use nice furniture. Second-hand furniture and furnishings will get second-hand reviews. If you want 5 stars and gain a super host status, keep it clean, above and beyond with amenities, and communicate.
7. What are some creative ways to make guests feel at home in my space? Rather than tell you what to do, here are a few things I do. Provide fun a creative towels like swans on the bed, and towels and washcloths neatly folded and displayed. Roll extra towels very neatly and stack them somewhere if they are on display. Provide a nice and generous amount of coffee, tea, and snacks. Keep ample amounts of paper products like paper towels, toilet paper and napkins, have lots of extra trash bags, dish soap, and, dishwasher pods on hand. We provide a bottle of wine for Vrbo bookings. Provide extra shampoos, conditioners and body wash. And clean clean clean. A guest in a clean house is a happy guest!
8. How much time does it take to clean? That all depends on the size of you space. If I’m cleaning our entire Lodge, that would include 6 beds and 2 bathrooms plus the living and dining areas, it usually takes me at least 5 -6 hours a day. The upper level only takes about 4 hours and the basement level takes about 2-3 hours. So it really all depends on the size of your space.
9. Can I make money on my vacation rental? Yes you can. If you do it right.
10. How much should I charge? Location is everything. Is there anything special about the location? Does it have a mountain view? Lakefront? Is it minutes away from popular tourist hot spots? Is it in the country? In the suburbs? In the middle of a busy city? Is it private or is it a space with lots of other homes and rentals? Different types of locations will attract different types of people. The amount you charge for your space is largely dependent on the types of people you want to attract. When we first opened we had a vision for the more high-end type of people who are willing to pay for better quality. However, because we were not yet known on the marketplace, we had to start out with much lower prices. It took us about a year to really get the ball rolling. Also consider the competiton around you. What are other rentals in your area charging? Adjust your price accordingly. Another thing we consider is the seasons. In the winter, when it tends to be slower, we mark our prices way down. It’s always better to have it for a bit less and get reservations than have nothing. Since we live in a major tourist area, we charge way more in the summer.
11. What should I do about a bad review or complaint? Let’s face it. In every successful buisiness there are bound to be a few “Karens.” Fortunately, we have had very few bad experiences or difficult people to deal with. However, it has happened and the best thing you can do is, 1. Don’t take it personal. Be polite. Even if you did absolutely nothing wrong, how you respond to the guest is going to either make or break you reputation as a host. Listen carefully, acknowledge and validate their feelings and than move on. After you’ve breathed deeply and set your emotions aside, consider their complaints and decide if there is something you could improve on. For example, we had one customer who was extremely upset because we didn’t have a fire pit in place for them to use and therefore just didn’t want any fires on the property since we weren’t set up for it. Because of that one thing, she turned on us and complained about everything else on the property, and left us a very bad review. While we couldn’t do anything about the review, and it was honestly very upsetting for us, we chose to not respond until we could set aside our emotions, work through those negative feelings and respond kindly and without any accusations against her. Than we chose to take action and consider a fire pit, which we actually have in place now. Thankfully for us, this is not a usual happening and I would say that 95% of the reviews are very positive. The other 5%…well you just have to deal with it. NEVER respond to a complaint out of frustrating emotions!
Tips for guests…
- When booking your vacation, READ EVERYTHING ON THE LISTING. As hosts it can be difficult when someone complains about something that was plainly written out on the listing but you just didn’t read it. Feel free to contact your host if you have questions or concerns. A good host will communicate within the first 24 hours. The guest has a right to know what to expect upon their arrival and should have the full right to ask questions about things that concern them.
- Most Vrbo and airbnb hosts will require house rules and will have it typed up somewhere for you to read upon your arrival. These house rules are extremely important and will make your host feel honored and respected if followed. For example, if the host has an established curfew at night, don’t be up and partying all night. I am grateful that the majority of our guests have been very respectful of our house rules, making cleaning a much quicker and easier process.
- Do not arrive at your destination before the designated check-in. Most times the host will need all the time possible to finish the cleaning and preparation and check-in time is there for a purpose.
- Check-out is also there for a purpose. Be ready to leave the property at the correct check-out time. It is very difficult when guests do not leave at checkout , giving the host very little time to clean and prepare for the next guest. Be respectful and honoring of your host’s time.
- Be respectful of the property you are staying at. Put your garbage in the designated trash bins and do not leave the home and property in complete chaos. If you break something offer to pay for it or buy a new one.
- If you are concerned about something, contact your host or leave a private note, instead of leaving a bad review. Never assume something bad about your host without first contacting them and hearing their side of the story. If a host with good reviews and 5 stars doesn’t get back to you one day, usually there is a good reason for it and they are not just purposely ignoring you. For us, it’s usually because in our area that isn’t any cell service unless you are directly in town or in wifi range. Honor and patience goes a long way in these cases.
- ENJOY YOUR STAY! This is your special vacation and all we really want for you is that you are satisfied and comfortable and can enjoy your stay. The ultimate compliment you can give to your host is to let them know how much you enjoyed your stay.
In closing, it has been a tremendous amount of work to get where we are today. And we continue to make improvements every year and do what we can to give our guests the best possible experience. We find it very satisfying to see the fruit our hard work and see dreams become a reality. We don’t always get everything right, but we do our best. We look forward to continue serving people from all over the world and giving them the best possible experience!
You can follow our facebook page The Legacy Lodge for updates and news from our vacation rental. For information and booking look us up Vrbo.com or on Airbnb.com.