Do I Need a Private Transfer Service for my Airbnb Business?

With hospitality changing tremendously this last decade, the vacation rental industry developed into a mainstream lodging alternative for travellers around the world. In just 10 years, Airbnb has transformed from an aspiring startup to a worldwide phenomenon with listings now located in over 190 countries. The rise of properties offered on the platform leads consecutively to the industry becoming more competitive. Unless a listing is unique or located at a really top location, it’s going to be harder for the host to convince potential guests without compromising on the price. To set your property apart from the competition and attract customers to book it, you will need to go the extra mile to optimize the value offered, and by that we mean the services that you are willing to provide or suggest that will go beyond their expectations.

Consider your guests and bring in mind that they truly need to have an experience as stress-free as possible with minimum time spent on research. Does a pickup make their life easier? We totally bet on it! Travellers usually choose hotels that offer a complimentary airport pickup as it will make their arrival stress-free and more secure. They will avoid the hassle of navigation via public transportation or carrying over their luggage during the journey.

How to Sell it

Firstly, if you decide to go for it, be proactive and update your listing accordingly prior to the guest coming back with an inquiry about it. Business travellers will appreciate even more the fact that you made it convenient for them to get from and to the airport. Business or leisure travellers, you just need to highlight to them that a pickup service will save them time and money (you may even compare it with the rest of options available) resulting to a hassle. It’s now your turn to decide how to accommodate this service: Drive your Guests or Outsource their Pickup? 

Driving your Guests

To engage hosts more and improve its services, Airbnb has implemented changes on its platform so the formers are given the chance to charge guests for any additional services that they want to offer. Whilst there are hosts that are willing to go the extra mile and absorb the cost of their guests’ transfers, there is a chance that the airport or any hub that the guest arrives to is really far away, making their trip too expensive to be provided for free. For pickups and further services that you wish to provide, there are 3 ways to charge them on Airbnb. However, have in mind that as every charge through Airbnb, there is gonna be a percentage fee for the transaction. Even though raising your profitability might be a reason for you to implement, do think twice if you really can provide a great level of service, especially if there is an additional cost for your guest. Failing to be there on time or being unable to accommodate their request will end up to lowering your guest’s satisfaction score and potentially a bad review on Airbnb due to disappointment.

Outsourcing the Service

If you sense that you don’t wish to take over the responsibility of providing the service yourself, there is the choice of establishing boundaries from the start and assign their pickups to a third-party provider. With the rise of services required by the guest and the limited time of hosts, there are now Airbnb Management companies emerging to assist them in every single step of the process. This decision is usually driven by the desire of hosts for more freedom. With more freedom though, the host will have less control and here is the dilemma…will a professional full-service firm that takes over everything to maintain a great level of service quality in all aspects? Last but not least, it is important to mention that such control and management usually comes with a high commission on your revenues that takes out of your profits.

Optimizing the Service without Compromising your Profits

As a local, you definitely have a better knowledge of the area and you can share with your guest’s details of services. Going the extra mile, you can partner with local providers and create a win-win business relationship. We don’t doubt that you will need to invest some time into testing different providers who cover your area until you find the one that is aligned to the meticulous service that you would like to offer.

Win-win can be impressive, but the win-win-win is what really matters, especially when it comes to the hospitality side of the sharing economy. What do we mean by that? That you need to focus on building a relationship that is beneficial for you, your partner and has a tremendous impact on your customer base, a lesson from Hubspot’s partnership with Google and Redbull with GoPro.  All you need is to share the same philosophy of offering a high-end service that fits your guests’ needs.

Why Partner with Welcome

The win-win-win is exactly what we had on mind when creating our product for Airbnb hosts. Saving their time and minimizing their effort on bookings, whilst providing their guests with the best transportation option to your property. We automate pre-arrival for you by syncing with your Airbnb calendar giving you the ability to monitor the check-in time of your guests when they book with us. Knowing the exact arrival or departure time of your guests is definitely a bonus as it will allow you to plan your day to accommodate their check-in and check-out along to your operations.

We pick drivers that meet our high standards and train them to provide your guests with the warmest, most informative and personalized pickup. Taking away all the stress from them, we ensure the first and last moments of their journey are given a thrilling service that will in return enhance your review on Airbnb. Wanna hear the best of partnering with us? We reward you in return with a referral fee that gets an extra stream of revenue.

Can’t wait to sign up? We look forward to becoming your partner!

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