Preparing for Guests

Everyone’s talking about smart homes these days.  To find how smart home technology can help those of us who swap or rent out our homes, we talked with someone who knows: Smart Home Expert Dana Young, Founder of the Virtual Concierge Service.

Thanks for talking with me, Dana.  We hear the term “smart home” all the time.  For tech newbies like me, please explain what a “smart home” is.  

A smart home system includes a number of devices that “talk” to each other and take direction from a central hub. Common devices include thermostats, door locks, light switches, appliance modules, video management devices, and water leak detectors, but there are more. A smart home setup may also include a ”virtual concierge,” using Alexa or Google Home to provide guests a valuable resource for their stay.

Why should I use these devices?  How do they help me as a host? 

For hosts, one of the most compelling benefits of a properly designed smart home system is that it is all managed through a calendar. [Read more…] about Interview: How Smart Home Tech Helps Hosts and Guests

What’s the difference between a good short-term rental host and a great short-term rental host?  The best way to find out is to be a guest yourself.  We’ve stayed in many short-term rentals over the years, and here are some of the lessons we’ve learned.

Lesson #1.  Make sure guests know what to expect

[Read more…] about Want to Be a Great Short-Term Rental Host? Here’s How.

Many thanks to for Candace Quinn of Guest Outfitters for this post.

As a chef and frequent traveler, I often get asked to share what I think would serve as a great home-away-from-home, perfectly stocked kitchen.  When I travel, I want to experience the local cuisines and I love to try to create the same.

Part of the excitement for me is to visit the grocery aisles and delis of the local destinations where I travel.  However, it is nice to never have to buy the basics…as long as what is in the very clean pantry has been stored properly and has not reached its expiration date.

These handy checklists can help you greet your guests with what I consider to be a well-stocked kitchen.

Essential Appliances

Your well-stocked kitchen should have at least these appliances:

• Toaster
• Coffee maker
• Microwave
• Stove top or free-standing burner
• Oven or toaster oven/convection oven

[Read more…] about Greet Your Guests With a Well-Stocked Kitchen

I have special fondness for short-term rental hosts and exchange partners who anticipate what my husband and I might need to know about their home. Too often, we’ve been left on our own to figure out how to coax warm air from the heater or use the fancy new appliances, where to put the garbage, or what to do when the toilet makes that terrible coughing sound.

Be the kind of host we love by writing a great home user guide.  A user guide not only helps guests enjoy their stay, it conveys a clear message:  “We want you to enjoy your stay!”  It has the added benefit of helping to keep you from being bombarded by texts and phone calls while you’re exploring the Galapagos or touring the lights of Paris.

Here are 3 easy steps for creating a great home user guide.  Once you’ve written and assembled the guide, all you’ll need to do is update it when something changes. [Read more…] about 3 Easy Steps for Creating a Great Home User Guide

I find that the most time-consuming part of planning a trip isn’t deciding where to go, finding the best airfare, or deciding what to pack. It’s finding a great place to stay.

As soon as we decide to take a trip, I scour short-term rental listings for homes that are in the right location, are the right size, have the right amenities, and are within our budget. But what I can’t tell from the descriptions, maps and photos is whether a home that looks like perfect for us will be comfortable, clean, and in decent condition. In other words, whether the host cares about making us feel welcome.

Here’s an example. For a trip to Santa Fe last spring, 4 or 5 short-term rentals seemed to meet our basic criteria. But when I read the reviews, one home stood out. Several previous guests had lavished praised on the host for going out of her way to make sure they had a great stay. After a conversation with the host that confirmed the impression we’d received from the reviews, we booked that home, and we had a wonderful stay.

Your can help your home stand out from the competition in the same way: by doing what you can to make your guests feel welcome. Here are 10 steps you can take to do just that.

Step 1. Make sure guests know what to expect in your short-term rental

I have nothing against surprises. They add some variety to day-to-day routines. But surprises can be annoying, frustrating, and sometimes very unpleasant in a short-term rental.

Make sure your guests have a good sense of what your home is like. If the rooms are small, don’t use the word “spacious” in your listing. Tell guests ahead of time if the stairs are unusually steep or the bedroom lacks a window. In conversations (which you should always have with guests, if possible before booking, or at least before they arrive), tell guests about the unusual layout, the crotchety elevator, or the curious neighbor who’s always peeking out his front door.

Step 2. Greet guests with a home that’s safe, clutter-free and sparkling clean

Most short-term guests will not expect your home to be hotel-room perfect. Otherwise, they’d opt for a commercial rental or a hotel. In fact, many people choose homes over hotels precisely because they want a more home-like feel.

But all your guests will expect your home to be safe, pleasant and comfortable. Take the time to fix anything that might be dangerous, such as a broken stair tread. Clear away excess clutter from counters and shelves. Make room for guests’ clothes and personal items in closets and drawers and on bathroom counters. Before guests arrive, scour everything so it’s clean enough for a visit from your mother.

For more: “Prepare Your Home for Short-Term Guests”

Step 3. Provide the basics guests need for their stay

The only negative during our stay in Santa Fe is that we arrived late at night to find only one almost-empty roll of toilet paper. That’s happened to us before. Too often, we arrive late and exhausted from travel to find a meagre supply of toilet paper, a sliver of soap, and a bare pantry, forcing us to use our valuable travel time and dip into our budget to buy very basic supplies.

Like most travelers, we have a special fondness for hosts who are thoughtful enough to provide the basic supplies and other essentials we need for daily living. Think about what guests might need during the few days or few weeks they’ll be staying in your home – paper goods, cleaning supplies, hand and bath soaps, and some kitchen staples like salt, pepper, and cooking oil. Then stock up.

For more: “Provide the Basics for Your Short-Term Guests”

Step 4. Think about what else might help guests feel welcome and enjoy their stay

One reason we stay in short-term rentals instead of hotels is that we really like to feel at home when we travel. But in one otherwise beautiful home, we shivered under the only two thin blankets when the temperature dropped during the night. In the same home, there were only two bed pillows, both hard as rocks, and two almost threadbare towels. We seriously considered moving to a hotel and asking for a refund of our rent.

That situation was extreme. Most places are sufficiently furnished for us to be comfortable. But the hosts who make us feel the most welcome are thoughtful enough to provide a selection of bed pillows, good sheets, fluffy towels, some toiletries, good reading lamps, the right blankets for the season, and a well-stocked pantry. Other welcome extras might include books, games, kids’ toys, a DVD library, umbrellas, and sports equipment such as tennis racquets.

Step 5. Welcome guests with a friendly note and a gift

Help your guests feel welcome as soon as they arrive with a little gift of food and drink and a nice note saying that you hope they enjoy their stay. The type and amount of food is up to you: guests usually appreciate some fruit, crackers, cheese, cookies, bottled water, sodas, wine or beer, and perhaps some bread, eggs, butter, jam, cereal, and milk. At a minimum, coffee, tea, milk or cream and sweeteners for the first morning are a must!

Step 6. Give guests a “user guide”

We’ve spent a lot of our vacation time trying to figure out how to use heating systems, fancy new stoves, and washing machines. Guests like us always appreciate hosts who give us a “user guide” with clear instructions: how to turn on the heat or air conditioner, where to put the garbage, how to keep the toilet from overflowing. Not only will a user guide help guests enjoy their stay, you’ll be less likely to be bothered by frantic emails and phone calls when they can’t figure something out.

Step 7. Have someone on the ground in case guests need help

While we were overseas a couple of years ago, I woke one morning to this message from our guests: “Sorry to bother you, but there’s water leaking from the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom.” Not news you want to hear when you’re an ocean and a continent away.

Fortunately, we’d planned ahead, just in case. We asked our guest to get in touch with Jim, our wonderful fix-it guy who has seen us through many emergencies. By the next morning, he had come by the house, reassured both her and us that the ceiling was not about to come down, and arranged to have the leak fixed.

It’s a fact of traveling life that all kinds of things can happen while you’re away. So plan for them. Make sure guests have contact information for people you trust who can step in when a pipe bursts or the furnace goes out.

Step 8. Be a virtual tour guide

One of the best parts of staying in short-term rentals is the chance to see and experience things that tourists might never know about. Put together a “welcome packet” of tips and information to give your guests a virtual tour of your area.

Your welcome packet might include maps;  directions to grocery stores and outdoor markets; where to buy bus and train tickets; locations of parks, gyms, beauty salons, and pharmacies; menus of restaurants you recommend; suggestions for places to shop, bike, walk, hike, golf, or play tennis; and brochures for interesting places and sights known only to locals.

Step 9. Check in with guests after their arrival

Unless you’re halfway up a mountain with no cell phone service, give guests a call a day or two after they arrive to make sure they are settling in and answer any questions they may have.  That personal contact reminds them that you want them to have a good stay in your home. Knowing that guests are happy and everything is okay will help you enjoy your trip as well.

Step 10. Follow up

After you’ve unpacked and are over the worst of your jet lag, send your guests a friendly note. Thank them for taking such good care of your home (if they did) and say that you’d be glad to have them as guests again (if you would). Ask for suggestions for changes that would make future guests more comfortable. If they enjoyed their stay, ask them to write a review for your listing. If you’ve been successful at making them feel welcome, the review should be a good one!

Have you ever stayed in a great short-term rental? What did the host do that helped you feel welcome and enjoy your stay? We’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below or on our Facebook page.

Versions of this post appeared on the Guest Outfitters and KeyCafe blogs in August 2017.