9th September 2026| 3 min|

Ten ways to get off to a flying start

Your first weeks as a host, and the things worth getting right early.

Starting out as a host can feel like a lot at once. There is the listing to build, the pricing to work out, the platforms to manage, and then the property itself to look after. While we aim to handle the technical side for you, we understand that managing the property, the turnovers and the experience a guest actually has when they walk through the door, is still no easy feat.

The tips below are for that side of the partnership. None of them are complicated and none of them cost much, but they are the things experienced hosts wish they had sorted in week one rather than month six. Get them in place early and the first few months are far calmer than they might otherwise be.

  • 1

    Stay a night before your first guest does. Sleep in the bed, use the shower, make a coffee. You will find the things no checklist catches, like the bedroom that gets light at five in the morning or the kettle lead that does not reach the socket.

  • 2
    Line up your cleaner, and a backup. Turnovers are the part of hosting that cannot wait. Have a second cleaner you have already met and agreed a rate with, before you need one on a Saturday morning.
  • 3

    Buy three sets of everything. One on the bed, one in the cupboard, one in the wash. The same goes for towels. It costs a lot more at the start and saves you a great deal of stress later.

  • 4

    Learn the property inside out, then write it down for guests. Work out how everything actually operates, from the shower to the oven to the heating on a cold morning. Turn it into a simple binder for the property so guests can find the answer themselves, and send us a copy so we can build it into your listing and messages.

  • 5

    Make the arrival effortless. Arrival sets the tone for the whole stay. Test the entry yourself in the dark, check the lights work, from the door, and make sure a tired guest with a suitcase can get in without thinking.

  • 6

    Share the local knowledge only you have. The bakery that opens early, the walk that is worth the detour, the pub that takes dogs. This is the part of hosting that no software can produce and guests remember it.

  • 7

    Decide when you are contactable. Being available at all hours is not sustainable. Pick your hours, tell us what they are, and we will build the guest messaging around them so nothing falls through the gap.

  • 8

    Get a plumber and an electrician before you need one. Find them now, when nothing is broken and you can choose properly. A saved number is the difference between a small problem and a ruined stay.

  • 9

    Treat your first few reviews as the priority. Early on, a strong review is worth more than a strong nightly rate. Be generous with those first guests, fix anything they mention quickly, and the rest follows.

  • 10

    Tell us what you are seeing on the ground. You are the one at the property. If guests keep asking the same question, or something is not working, let us know. It usually means something in the listing or the messaging needs to change. Get these right and the rest gets easier.

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