[When you book a space for a long-term or short term vacation, you expect the best experience out of it. This is the exact expectation of the guests who’ll book your listing on Zuru Life Africa.]
Now, you took your time to take great pictures of your apartment and did a great description of your listing on Zuru Life Africa, and now you just got your first guest booking. Now what?
Sometimes, it may be both intimidating and exciting at the same time to have your first Zuru Life guests confirmed and anticipating their stay at your place. The good news is that you don’t need to worry even a second because this comprehensive guide to hosting your first guests will not only make you well prepared but also wow them. Below are some steps ahead you can make as you expect your guest to arrive.
1. Make your place clean to a hotel standard
This may sometimes sound intimidating but hey, don’t you expect the same when you visit a b&b elsewhere? Someone’s standards shouldn’t drop just because they’re staying at a house rather than a hotel. They continue to want spotless bathrooms and sparkling beddings. That is our standard.
We have witnessed inspiring cleaning schedules from some hosts thoroughly dusting their guest rooms including inspecting picture frames for dust, wiping surfaces using particular cloths, and ensuring the room smells “neutral” before they let guests in. This is what will make you get more ratings by guests which in turn ranks your listing high among other listings.
Make a list of everything that has to be done before your visitors arrive. If you finish everything, you and your guests will both sleep well.
2. Check and resolve the minor issues you may have stopped noticing.
There’s a Luo proverb “wendo wang’e riek” meaning visitors get to notice little things with ease. Your guests will notice if there is a small patch of carpet that stubbornly stands up in the corner of the living room or a shoddy cleaning works of the room/compound plus any essentials. Even though minor inconveniences like this won’t necessarily ruin their trip, people may feel your hospitality abilities are weak and give you a bad rating which may affect your ranking.
To do away with that, always strive to ensure that despite the size or location of your listing, it can at least meet or even better surpass your guests’ expectations. Necessities that are simple to overlook can include:
Lightbulbs.
Security alarms.
Carpets and rugs are well dusted and tacked.
The oven is tidy and functional.
The appliances work properly.
3. Hire someone to do your cleaning
When your to-do list is too long, you can impose a cleaning fee on your visitors in your listing profile on Zuru Life Africa to cover the cost of cleaning materials and the services of your cleaner. This will make your space very presentable and ready for visitors.
4. Make a luxurious bed.
What do we mean with that? Choose premium linens for your bed, it makes a huge difference.
Have you ever slept on a sheet with a high thread count? We bet you can never go back to that hotel or property again. Invest in some premium cotton and wash them clean if you value frequent 5-star reviews. You can as well avail some extras just in case your guest may need to use them when it gets too cold.
5. Create written rules.
Apart from the house rules you have put on your Zuru Life listing, there could be other things you’d not accept in your listing. You can list them and politely guide your guests about them before they begin unpacking. These rules or guides could be about;
6. Go beyond with the supplemental stars
Your guests will find you and your space amazing when you can be even kind enough to make them aware of the maps and the nearby attraction sites.
Give your visitors suggestions for their stay by utilizing your knowledge of the neighborhood.
Go beyond by having extras of everything your guests may need such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, moisturizer, cotton swabs, phone chargers, and shampoo and conditioner. Even if your guests don’t require them, the thought is what matters.
7. Snacks in the refrigerator
This is the wow experience your guests can ever get. As you are aware, it’s not very inviting to walk inside an empty, buzzing fridge, right?.
An act of courtesy to put in bottled water (not tap water), milk, butter, and a few snacks won’t cost you much, but they’ll make a great difference. And if you serve breakfast, then make a mark out of that.
When you consider the above, be sure to scale up our ranking list. Of course, you know how that rewards.
Happy Hosting.
We seek to make Zuru a great space for all, whether you are a host, Zuru agent or looking for a place to stay, anywhere in Kenya and across Africa.
