By Emanuela Franchini via flicker photo cc licensed

As we gathered the last supplies for the beach house, we hit a wall. Or, in this case, a blow dryer. I added the blow dryer to an already-overflowing shopping cart of sheets, towels, and all the supplies this brand new Airbnb host needed to prepare her listing for guests. My client held the blow dryer up like it was a pineapple, asking “What’s this for?”

Me: “Well, it’s for guests.”

She insisted this was a beach house so why would anyone need to blow dry their hair?

It was a moment of reckoning that every Airbnb host must face.

So I shared the following mantra: “It’s not about you.”

Picture this: Your guests arrive. Maybe they’ve planned this trip for months and are about to enjoy a lovely evening out at a nice restaurant –  wine, appetizers, the chef’s special, dessert, the works. They step out of the shower and… cue panic. Looking like a wet dog or like they just got zapped by a light socket, they need to tame the mane and didn’t think to bring a blow dryer.

Maybe *you” don’t blow dry your hair on your beach vacation. But one of your guests might.

As hosts we need to remember our home is now a sanctuary for our guests who may be time zones away from their familiar territory. Sometimes a guest forgets suntan lotion, toothpaste, make-up removers… It happens to the best of us. And it’s a pleasant surprise for them to open the medicine cabinet and find what they need waiting for them. I frequently buy items for my guests that I never use myself, like washcloths. I have a stack of them in each listing and guests use them constantly.

Eventually my client placed the offending blow dryer back in the shopping cart. When a friend came by her place and she mentioned the blow dryer incident, they replied, “You have to have a blow dryer! What if they want to go out to a fancy restaurant?” She looked at me and said, “Okay, I got it.”

My point to this befuddled new host was: It’s your home, yes, but now it’s your guests' home away from home.

Which means it’s our job as hosts to go beyond giving them a place to sleep. We also help give them peace of mind by finding ways to show that we’re thinking of anything to help them have a more relaxing stay.

That’s why I created the ultimate room-to-room checklist. It’s an inventory to make sure you have everything your home needs, plus those little extras, that will make your Airbnb listing rave-worthy.

Did you start providing items for your guests that surprised you? Is there anything you just refuse to get? Let me know in the comments.

And if you want more tips and insight about hosting with Airbnb, sign up for my free webinar with Airbnb’s Head of Hospitality and Strategy, Chip Conley on Thursday May 21st. And when you subscribe to my newsletter, you’ll get the ultimate check list. Don’t host your home without it.

Until next time,

Happy Hosting.