The Best All-Time Resources for Short Term Rental Hosts.

An Airbnb account. You should definitely list on multiple sites. But Airbnb is the most user friendly of them all and the best place to start. Create an account with this link to get started.

Determining how to price your property can be tricky. You want to be competitive but you also want to maximize your price point. Pricelabs analyzes, not just your city but also your specific neighborhood and optimizes for events, holidays and local ongoings on a daily basis.

A Minoan Account. There will always be updates to make to your property or items to replace. Minoan gives you discounts at a host of retail websites. It also gives you the option of getting affiliate sales for items your guests like at your home and then go on to purchase.

As you launch your space on multiple websites, you’ll need a central place to manage them all. There are many to choose from, and this may not be a tool you need right away. But if you do, we use Hostaway. It has a central calendar that can be synced with most OTAs, and one of the things I find most valuable is that it has a function that allows you to set up your own direct booking site. As your business grows, this is a valuable tool to have.

Finding a good cleaner is the most important piece to your success as a host. Word of mouth is great, but second to that we use a tool called Turno. They have ratings, a management system and payment system making it easy to select and work with your team.

Home owners insurance (that covers short term rentals). Hopefully you don’t need to use it, but don’t wait to find out that you aren’t covered because you didn’t get the correct insurance. I have used Proper’s Insurance exclusively for my personal properties. They are easy to work with and beyond your standard coverage they also cover you for loss of income if you do need to make a repair.

A business bank account. There are lots of different options to choose from. When possible I recommend banking local. If you ever need a small business loan, its much simpler when working with a local bank. As your small business grows, you may consider switching to Live Oak Bank. They bank entirely online and offer the largest interest rate for small business savings account that I have found. At the time of writing they are also offering a $300 cash bonus for opening a small business savings account.

What are our favorite furnishings? You can download our full list here. But the top three most important ones are listed here.

Schlage Lock Encode. You need a lock that is easy to change out the codes frequently. There are lots of options and all have their flaws, however Schlage is the most secure of all locks. The encode model also has bluetooth which allows you to change the code remotely.

Ring Cameras and Lights. Aside from leaving lamps on inside the house, I recommend exterior lights that automatically come on for your guests at night. This provides not just peace of mind, but for guests arriving late at night it’s critical they’re able to find the key, the lock or enter a code. And for your own peace of mind, it’s handy being able to count how many guests are at your home if the neighbors complain of a party.

Ecobee thermostat. Without fail, some guest, trying to be helpful, will turn off the air conditioning in the dead of summer in Texas (or turn off the heat in the dead of winter in Alaska). The last thing you need is a guest arriving to a sauna. In addition, should a problem happen with your HVAC, this can provide your hvac tech with valuable information. A lot of people like the Nest as well. Both are fine, however if you have multiple hvacs you need to control, Google Home (which operates Nest) will only allow up to five.

Will Guidara wrote Unreasonable Hospitality and is required reading for anyone in hospitality. As he says, “Service is part of a product, hospitality is how you make people feel.” His book will help you think through how to make your guests feel welcomed, wanted and like they belong.

Of everyone in hospitality and business, Disney wrote the book, literally. They have mastered creating positive emotions for each of their guests while making money. Their frame of mind is exactly how you want to think about providing hospitality for your guests.

With a motto, “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen” the Ritz-Carlton has found infinite ways to make each of their guests feel special. Full of stories of innovative and unique ways they serve their guests, you will be inspired to set a new standard for your own business.