How to Use Airbnb
Airbnb state they provide “a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world ….” Airbnb hosts list their properties – which can be a variety of things from penthouse suites to a houseboat to even a castle. The benefits to Airbnb is that it’s a free platform to create the listing, host and how much to charge per day. The host can even set different prices for each day, giving them total flexibility. Each listing allows hosts to promote properties through titles, descriptions, photos with subtitles and a user profile where potential guests can get to know a bit about the hosts. Once the host is happy they can click submit and their advert is live.
How to search:
‘Guests’ have an extensive list of search filters available to them all they need to do is input the details about when and where they’d like to travel. Travellers can further refine searches by making selections for:
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Room type – entire place, private room or shared room
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Dates – How many dates you would like to stay for
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Location – Airbnb pops up with a map so you can pinpoint the exact location you would like to stay
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Price – range from minimum to maximum
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Size – number of bedrooms, bathrooms and/or beds
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Amenities – wireless Internet, swimming pool, sky view
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Property type – standard properties such as apartments, houses and bed & breakfasts, as well as non-standard accommodations such as castles, caves, igloos and tipis
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Host language – What language you would like the host to speak
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Keywords – if the traveller is looking for something specific, such as “Seaview” or “close to Eiffel Tower”
The Fees:
Before using Airbnb property guests need to create an Airbnb profile to book reservations and message the hosts. Guests can contact hosts using an online form that appears on each listing page and can submit a reservation request by clicking the “Book It” button and entering payment details via a secure payment system. Guests pay a guest service fee of 6-12% on top of the reservation to cover services such as customer support and the Host Guarantee. On occasions, there are also cleaning charges, which are well recommended if you are a host. Once a traveller pays and the host confirms the reservation, Airbnb holds the payment for 24 hours after check-in before releasing the funds to the host. This fee is in addition to the 6-12% paid for guest service fees.
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