Malaysia AirBnB hosting tips you should follow to increase guest experiences

In early of 2017, I was dedicated to step out my last job from IT professional to professional hosting as part of my making for living. Starting from professional hosting from a room in my small two bedroom apartment to multiple numbers of units and managing with my company staff, there is alot of Learning from my mistake and gain extra miles for hospitality experiences. While learn and do parallelly, there will be sure many of challenges I have face and its real hard for me  to find local blog post or solution who would willing to share his her professional experiences and problem solving in AirBnB hosting and things happening in Malaysia AirBnB. Nevertheless I dedicated to start a blog site to help all host all around Malaysia Airbnb host by sharing tips and experiences. Sincerely from me would to share 10 tips of hosting airbnb in Malaysia. I will provide a summary for you at the end of the blog.

1. Wifi or mobile wifi

In our modem day, internet has become part of our daily life necessity as we all are connected together. Majority of us has our own personal internet connection but not all of us are heavily depends on the mobile internet. Moreover foreign who came visit to the country are  temporary has difficulties to have sufficient internet quator to use while traveling. Additional, providing strong and stable internet is a great help for t  business traveler as he would need a stable and high speed internet for completing report after long sales journey outside. For business traveler, apartment that has strong and stable wifi is always the top search option.

2. Guest engagement.

Making an engagement with your guest is very important. Each of the engagement actions can make them feel warm and care for AirBNB guest. Engagement can be written in words and I am personally differential into two method which are  direct private message (PM) and hardcopy message feedback.

For direct private message, I have breakdown the engagement private message for my guest into 5 blocks as listed below
1. 3 days before
2. A day before
3.During check in/ first day
4.second day/ last night of the stays
5. During check out.
Below is the sample message I have wrote for guest, contain of the message subject to be change depends on various surrounding and event. Surrounding and event can be affected by  festive holiday in Malaysia or activities nearby airbnb unit.

Direct Private Message guest 3 days before check in

“Good day xxx, in 3 days you will be staying in our airbnb unit and we are certainly looking forward for your stay in our apartment. For your information, our check in instruction will be sent to you a day before the stays. Do drop us a message if you need any help in Johor Bahru. 

Cheers!
Jb Minsu”
Direct Private Message guest a days before check in
“Good day xxx, I hope you are ready for your tomorrow check in in our airbnb unit. In next message I will send you a short and brief check in instruction for you, I hope you will find it easy and helpful understanding the check in process for tomorrow. Do not hesitate to call us if you have trouble for check in tomorrow.

Cheers!
Jb Minsu”
Direct Private Message guest during check in & first day
“Good day xxx, I hope you found yourself fine with the check in process. Please do drop us a message if you have trouble with the check in and do enjoy the stay in our airbnb unit!

Cheers!
Jb Minsu”
Direct Private Message guest during second day/last night
“Good day xxx, I hope found the place comfortable for yourself. Drink more water as Johor Bahru are very hot for sure. For upcoming check out process , you may refer check out instruction I have wrote at the next message. Please do enjoy the rest of the day!

Cheers!
Jb Minsu”
Direct Private Message guest during check out
“Good day xxx, I hope you have a great stay in our apartment. Do have a safe trip back home/ next trip and if you like our place, please do drop us a 5 stars review for us. Thanks in advances!  

Cheers!
Jb Minsu”

Second type of engagement can be in hard printed piece of paper or decoration. Write and impress your guest with a welcome note with their name on it and let them know them know there is a freebie on top on the table. They will be feel warm welcome by you.

However this type of engagement message is not suitable for guest who book last minutes from airbnb. You will not have enough time to ready

3. Universal electric charge or usb charger charging cable. 

Your guest might coming from various of country globerly. There are at least 15 plug & socket types. The universal electric charge will might way helpful for them not to spend extra money to buy adapter. It will be small happiness for guest to be feel happy with your apartment when they have 1 less problem during traveling in our country.

4. Feedbacks or instructions label all around the AirBNB unit

Be details in everything. A simple wrote feedback or instructions label Its can reduce guest frustration of figuring out how your lighting works, you kitchen amenities located, direction of how your water paip operate and etc. The simple reason why you should label feedback or instruction of each section in your AirBNB unit is guest is definitely not familiar with your AirBNB unit, it is important to have clear instruction for guest to stay in your AirBNB unit to reduce unnecessary guest unfamiliarity stress and hassle free understanding to keep them happy to stay in your AirBNB unit. Moreover, Its will be a good way to reduces item depreciation and damage in the way that the labels educate the guest how should the amenities of the AirBNB be use correctly and carefully which lead to cost saving on maintaining the AirBNB unit .

5. More is better than one set of amenities.
   

For big groups who usually renting 3 bedroom and above, I would recommend you to get ready extra set of amenities such as hairdryer, mirror, dining table chair and etc. Extra set of amenities will reduce waiting time for them to getting ready to leave for their trip, cleaning up themself and extra seat for them to eating dinner together. It might not be  obviously or visually useful for them, but it will create a good experiences of staying in your AirBNB unit where time of waiting turn to use the amenities reduces and everything speed up of preparation.

6. Extra tissues plastic bags
   

For the nessarity , you should put extra stocks  and hide it under your kitchen cabinet. Extra nessarity can be such as toilet paper, rubbish bagges, body shampoo and etc. In many condition, those nessarity run out rapidly use by guest. It will be a bad experiences for guest if they were having temporary shortage of plastic bags or toilet paper, what in their mind was the AirBNB unit are not providing the best hygenic condition for the guest. 

7. Cleaning tools. 

I have an experiences where I have rent a 1 bedroom apartment in KL which located at Jalan Pudu has disappointed me alot. When we check into the apartment around 4pm. We were shock that the cleaner of the apartment were still in the apartment finishing up the final wave preparation. We enter the apartment then sitting at the sofa and wait for the cleaner to leave the apartment. The first thing we did after the cleaner leave the apartment is we do a hygienic and airbnb unit furnish cross check, we bit disappointed that some of the place in the apartment are not well clean. Then we are search for tools for us to clean, how ever the apartment cant found any of the cleaning tools in the apartment and we have request for the cleaning tools from their support but their only responds is the airbnb management company are not responsible to provide search tool for the apartment. We were mad about it and forces to stay in the apartment in such condition. From this long explanation, we can learn that cleaning tools inside the apartment is definitely very important for all the guest who matter about the cleanliness of the apartment. One simple tools can improve of their experiences .

8. Hidden backup house room keys in the apartment.

Hidden backup house room keys in the AirBNB are design to handle emergency and safety purposed. You never know when of your Airbnb guests toddler is self-locking inside the room without knowing by the adults. It’s dangerous for toddler be inside of the room without adult supervision. This situation can be solve immediately by retrieve the  hidden keys inside the AirBNB unit. This piece of emergency and safety information we can store it inside the house menu feature inside the airbnb application and we do have to mention guest must ready the house menu for general safety of the stays. Well not all guest are going to ready long and boring house menu in the airbnb, we can solve this problem by printing it out a summary of house menu in the living room where everyone read it. Safety first, fun come later.

9. TV box/ smart hub. 

Not getting restrict by entertainment channel limitation. After long run outside, Your guest likely to stay in your lovely apartment for the rest of the night. Aside limitation of your local channel, guest might looking forward to watch their country favourite entertainment or instant their favourite online TV show. By providing TV  box in the AirBNB unit, guest sure enjoy staying in your AirBNB unit comfortably without boundaries of entertainment channel limitation.

10. Welcome snacks and welcome drinking water

A warm guest welcome with snacks and welcome drinking water for guests coming from far do increase experiences of check in. Freebies does not need to be expensive or fancy, a sincere small mineral botol and a pack of instant coffee or tea for each guest in the AirBnB apartment works well increase staying experience with you. You may drop a written welcome text on top of table too where guest will feel you care for their trip.

Summary 

1. Wifi or mobile wifi.
   Increase your guest stable connection to outside world experiences.
2. Guest engagement.
   Getting in touch with your guest to make them feel care from you
3. Universal electric charge or usb charger charging cable.
   Allow every guest from various country connected and to be recharge without extra cost.
4. Feedbacks and instructions label all around the AirBNB unit.
   Reduces frustration and hasel for guest to learn how your amenities functionality. Additional good method to reduce depreciation and damage on your amenities. 
5. Welcome snacks and welcome drinking water.
   A warm welcome for guests coming from far do increase experiences of check in.
6. More is better than one set of amenities.
   Increase speed for getting ready for big group of guest. More is better than one set of amenities  
7. Extra tissues plastic bags.
   To allow guest to have immediate restocks to continue comfortability of stays. 
8. Cleaning tools.
   Allow self maintain cleaning for guest who stay in the apartment.
9. Hidden backup house room keys in the apartment.
   Hidden backup house room keys are design for emergency use purpose. Good for groups with children below age of 6.
10. TV box/ smart hub.

Enjoy entertainment all around the world just in one box. Good for groups of guest with families or guest staying long term in your AirBNB units.

Conclusion:  As seen in the summary, I have listed out the top 10 tips for airbnb host like you  to increase your guest experiences and in return you will likely get 5 stars review of their stays in favor return. More 5 stars review on your airbnb account can be generating booking from next guest. Moreover, you will likely get a superhost rewards from airbnb for acknowledge as one of the top host in your hosting area which kinda cool and feature host in airbnb.