Airbnb design Services

What story are your marketing photos telling potential guests about your Airbnb? What kind of reviews have you been getting? What are you doing to improve your position in Airbnb search results (or VRBO, or any other platforms your short-term rental is listed)? Is your Airbnb Instagram-able? Pinterest-worthy? How does it compare to your local competition? 

Maybe you're starting from scratch with a brand new Airbnb. Where should you start? What will you need? How much will it cost?

Whether you're starting from scratch or just looking for an Airbnb makeover, we can help you come up with a realistic budget, design plan, and shopping list. We also offer procurement, installation, and styling services, as well as hosting and marketing tools. Keep scrolling for a more detailed description of each package we offer.

AIRBNB CONSULTATIONS

A consultation is the first step and a prerequisite for any of Larimar's other Airbnb services.

A certified short-term rental consultant will meet with you either at your Airbnb or online in a Zoom meeting for up to two hours to answer any questions you may have and offer recommendations that will elevate the perceived value of your Airbnb in both form and function. Implementing our recommendations will improve Your Airbnb's aesthetics, functionality, and level of hospitality, therefore improving your reviews, which will bring up your occupancy rate and give you justification for higher nightly fees. All of this results in higher profits.

Your consultant will be addressing as much of the following as time allows in a 2-hour consultation (you will have the option of booking a longer consultation if you feel the extra time will be needed):

• Your Targeted Guests - Your Larimar Airbnb consultant will help you narrow down who your desired guests are (families? business travelers?...) and compare that to who your most likely guests will be based on the size and layout of the property, geographical location, local amenities, nearby attractions, etc. How many nights (typically) will the people most attracted to your Airbnb be booking? From there you and consultant will be able to create the profile for your targeted guests.
  
• Functionality - Your consultant will then assess the functionality of your Airbnb and determine if it adequately addresses the needs of your targeted guests, as well as the number of "heads in beds" (occupants) you're aiming to accommodate. We've encountered many Airbnb investors and hosts who aimed to squeeze as many occupants into their Airbnb as possible to collect the additional per-person fees, but only focused on increasing the number of beds without taking into consideration that those additional "heads" need more than just a place to sleep. More people in your Airbnb is going to mean more towels, more seating in the living and dining areas, more dishes, more silverware, more toilet paper, etc. Your consultant will also take into consideration the type of guests that will be and their needs. Are they business travelers in need a desk with ample workspace and a comfortable desk chair to do remote work? How fast is the internet speed in your Airbnb? How strong is the WiFi connection? Are your targeted guests families in need of a family-friendly Airbnb with things like child-proof locks on the cabinets, gates at the top and bottom of stairs, sippy cups, high chairs, and portable cribs? Is your Airbnb in the mountains where your guests are likely to expect you to provide sleds and/or toboggans, a fireplace, a snow shovel, etc? Is it located by the beach where guests will expect sand toys, beach towels, and boogie boards?  
  
• Aesthetics - Will the Airbnb appeal to your targeted guests? Does the decor fit in with the region? Is a fun and quirky theme a good marketing strategy for this particular Airbnb? Or will your targeted guests be looking for something more neutral or sophisticated? Are you planning to renovate and need help selecting paint colors, finishes, and/or fixtures? Do you know the proper height for placing artwork on a wall? Is the existing furniture in your Airbnb the correct scale for the proportions of the rooms? What about balance and symmetry? 
• Hospitality -  When you open an Airbnb, you're entering the hospitality business. Today's Airbnb guests are looking for equal to or more than what they would receive from staying at a hotel. Larimar's consultant will ask you about your planned or existing policies and the amenities you're offering and recommend ways you can improve these areas to earn more 5-star reviews.
  
• Marketing - Larimar's consultant will assess your current or planned marketing strategy, including photos, listing description, social media posts, etc., and offer suggestions for improvement in this area, as well.
• Inventory Checklist and Budget Worksheet - Either before or during your consultation, you will be provided with both a checklist (in pdf format) of everything every Airbnb should be furnished and stocked with, as well as Larimar's detailed Airbnb Budget Worksheet (in MS Excel format), which will help you come up with an estimated minimum expenditure to set up or refresh your Airbnb. The Excel worksheet is very comprehensive. It includes almost anything and everything an Airbnb could possibly need, including but not limited to furniture, bedding, kitchenware, coffee bar supplies, cleaning supplies, bath amenities, and much more. To come up with your budget using this worksheet, simply enter the quantities of the items needed for your Airbnb and leave the rest of the quantity fields empty or set to zero. If you would like additional assistance assessing the scope of work and a realistic budget for all the purchases needed, Larimar helps with that in our Design Planning Package described further down on this page.
  

Consultation Fee: $195 and up for the first 2 hours (the "up" will be an additional fee for travel time beyond 30 minutes)

Consultation Options: 

• On-Site Consultations - An in-person consultation at your Airbnb is ideal, since this will give your consultant the opportunity to get a close look at all areas of the property.
  
• Online Consultations - An alternative for those with Airbnbs more than 30-minutes from Larimar's offices who would like to avoid paying the additional travel fee. We can offer this consultation, as well as the first package listed below (Budget, Design, and Shopping List), for any Airbnb in the world. Our only limitation is language - our certified consultant only speaks English. 
• An Additional 1-2 Hours - Our basic Airbnb Consultation last up to 2 hours, but we also offer 3 and 4-hour consultations at a rate of $75 an hour. We recommend booking additional time for properties over 1,500 sq ft. 

Within a couple of business days after your consultation, you will be emailed a custom proposal for the Airbnb Design, Setup, Hosting, and Marketing Packages Larimar offers. Details on these packages are below. 

PHASE 1: PLANNING

Whether you're starting from the beginning with furnishing, decorating, and stocking a brand new Airbnb, or you're looking to give an existing one a makeover, the process happens in phases. In Phase 1, Larimar's Airbnb specialist will help you refine your budget, create a design plan, and compile a shopping list for everything needed.

Here's what included in this package:

• Budget - If you've elected to move forward with this package, your designer will work with you to further refine the budget you came up with using our Excel Budget Worksheet (which you would've received before or during the Consultation above), what your aesthetic and hospitality goals are for this Airbnb, and recommend any needed changes to your initial budget calculations to achieve these goals. 
  
• Design Plan - Once a realistic budget has been determined, Larimar's designer will move forward with a Design Plan for your Airbnb. Our basic Airbnb Design Plan will be illustrated in full color concept boards. 3D renderings will also be offered for an additional fee.
  
• Sourcing - Most items in your Airbnb Design Plan will be sourced from online retailers, so you will know exactly where to purchase these items. The only items that are difficult to source online are small decor pieces that are usually less expensive when purchased locally from stores such as Target, Home Goods, or At Home. However, the selections offered at these stores are constantly changing, and therefore hard to source in advance. Another one of the add-ons Larimar offers, if your Airbnb is in our service area, is procurement services for these decor items (see Add-Ons below). 
  
• Shopping List - After your Airbnb Design Plan is created, and all items in the plan have been sourced, a Shopping List will be provided to you so you know exactly where to purchase these items. Clickable links will be provided to make it even easier for you. From this point, you can either handle procurement (shopping, tracking, receiving, storage, and delivery) of all these items yourself, or you can proceed with Larimar's Procurement Services, which are described under "Airbnb Setup" further down this page.
  

Add-Ons: 

• Basic 3D Renderings
  
• HD 3D Renderings
  
• Shopping, delivery, and styling of small decor accents (already included in our procurement services described under "Airbnb Setup" further down this page, but offered separately for clients who commit to procuring everything else themselves. 
  

PHASE 2: AIRBNB SETUP

There's a lot of hours (accumulatively, we're talking days' or even weeks' worth), people, trucks, fuel, and other resources that go into setting up a new Airbnb (or any other type of furnished rental, long or short term). Here's a list of everything you'll either have to commit to doing yourself (do you even have this kind of time?) or hire Larimar to take care of all or some of it for you:

• Placing online orders and shopping at local brick and mortar stores
  
• Tracking online orders
  
• Receiving online orders and deliveries from local furniture stores (which usually have a delivery window of at least 2-4 hours, and someone will need to wait around to inspect and sign for these deliveries)
  
• Unboxing, unwrapping, and inspecting orders to ensure the correct items and quantities were delivered in good condition
  
• Contacting vendors to resolve any issues that occur with shipments or deliveries
• Re-boxing any incorrect or damaged orders that need to be returned to the vendor
  
• Re-wrapping items to protect them while in storage and in transit to the Airbnb (unless all items can be shipped to or delivered directly to the Airbnb and stored there)
  
• Storage of all items until the Airbnb is ready (storage units will be needed if the property is being renovated or it's already in use)
  
• Transport of all items from storage to the Airbnb
  
• Assembly of all furniture that arrived in boxes (which will be most of it)
  
• Placing and arranging the furniture (which may involve carrying items up and down staircases and other logistical challenges)
  
• Hanging artwork
  
• Washing all kitchenware (plates, bowls, cups, spoons, knives, forks, pots, pans, etc.)
  
• Putting away all the kitchenware in the cabinets and drawers
  
• Setting up a well-stocked coffee bar (a must for today's Airbnbs)
  
• Laundering all linens (blankets, sheets, towels, etc.)
  
• Making all the beds
  
• Stocking the bathrooms with towels, toilet paper, bath amenities, etc.
  
• Folding and putting away all the extra bedding and towels
  
• Stocking cleaning supplies
  
• Disposal of all packaging waste (cardboard, styrofoam, plastic... there will be enough to fill at least a 10' box truck)
• Professional photography for marketing
  

Whew! That's a lot of work! Here are the packages Larimar offers to help: 

• Full Service Airbnb Setup - This package includes everything listed above.
• Without Storage and Transport - Everything above except storage. This option is only offered by Larimar if everything can be delivered directly to and stored at the Airbnb being serviced, and Larimar will be given unrestricted access to the Airbnb so we can 1) wait for and sign off on deliveries; 2) spend time in the Airbnb assembling furniture (normally done at the storage units or our facilities before transporting to the Airbnb), and washing the kitchenware and linens. In other words, with this option, our team needs to be able to do the work we would do at the storage units or our facilities at the Airbnb instead.
  
• Installation, Styling, and Photography Only - You, the client, will commit to taking responsibility for all procurement steps: placing, tracking, receiving, and inspecting all orders, storage, and transport from storage. Larimar will arrive at the property when all of the inventory is there and take care of the rest, including furniture assembly, furniture placement, washing kitchenware, laundering linens, folding and putting everything away, hanging art, making beds, hauling away packaging waste, and photography. 
• Styling and Photography Only -  You will commit to handling all procurement steps themselves (ordering, tracking, receiving, inspecting, storage, and transport), as well as furniture assembly, washing all kitchenware and linens, and hauling away all packaging waste. After you've gotten all the inventory to the Airbnb, assembled and washed, and hauled away the packaging waste, Larimar will take it from there: putting everything away, arranging the furniture, hanging art, and making beds. As with all the other options, we will also take care of procuring your marketing photos of the interior and exterior of the property.
  

Both Larimar's Consultation and Phase 1 are prerequisites to any of the above Phase 2 packages.

Why do we include photography in our setup packages instead of our marketing package? We actually offer photography in both. If we design and setup your Airbnb, we're going to want those photos for our portfolio, and we're happy to get exterior shots, as well, and share all of these photos with you for your own marketing purposes. If you proceed with either our Hosting Package or Marketing Package below (or both), we will be providing additional photos. Read on to learn more. 

coming soon...

PHASE 3: AIRBNB CUSTOM HOSTING PACKAGE

This package will include:

- Custom Guest Welcome Book loaded with information such as...

• Information on the surrounding area (local restaurants, nearest grocery store, nearest pharmacy, local attractions, etc.)
• Detailed instructions and photos describing where to park, what entrance to use, where to find the lockbox for the key or how to use the keypad lock, how to operate the appliances, TV remotes, etc.
• Your house rules, cleaning requirements (if any), and check-out instructions
• Emergency information, including phone numbers and where to find the fire extinguisher, first aid kit, etc.
• An "About Your Host" section that describes you and/or your co-host(s)

We will offer the full version of this Guest Welcome book in a pdf format that can be shared digitally with your guests in a link, as well as used to create a printed, hard-copy version. You will be able to update this pdf as needed using Canva or a pdf editor such as Adobe Acrobat, or you can call Larimar for a quote to make those updates for you.

We will also upload as much of the text and images as possible to both your "Guidebook" (which is visible to the public) and your  "Guest Manual" (only visible to booked guests under the "post-booking details") in your Airbnb account. Of course, if you wish for us to add the Welcome Book information to your Airbnb account, you must be willing to share your primary host's login and password with us, which can always be changed after we've completed our work. Otherwise, you'll receive only the pdf format.

- Illustrated Turnover Manual for your cleaning crew that will include:

• Cleaning instructions and a checklist for making sure all cleaning tasks are completed properly.
• A checklist to track stock levels of cleaning supplies, coffee bar supplies, toilet paper, bathroom amenities, etc.
• A checklist to track missing or damaged items as well as damages to floors, walls, etc.
• Illustrated instructions (using photos) of how the Airbnb needs to be staged between every guest (how the furniture should be arranged, where the remotes should be placed, how the beds should be styled, etc. Everything in your Airbnb should appear exactly as it does in your marketing photos to avoid negative reviews.
  

- Custom Signs to place around the property, which might include instructions and information such as...

• WiFi login and password
• Emergency info 
• Checkout instructions
• Your most most important house rules, etc.
  

- Airbnb Income & Expense Tracker

coming soon...

DIY AIRBNB HOSTING GUIDES & TEMPLATE BUNDLE

This bundle is available to everyone, even those who haven't had a consultation with us or hired us to complete any of the phases described above, however nothing in this bundle will come customized. You will need to do that yourself, which will require Canva account (they have a free plan available) and basic Canva skills (it's pretty easy to learn). You might be able to edit some of the templates in a pdf editor. The Income & Expense Tracker is a spreadsheet that can be edited with Google Sheets or Excel.

• A Canva template to create your own guest welcome book
  
• Canva templates to create your own signs to place around the property
  
• A Canva template to create your own illustrated turnover manual
  
• Larimar's Airbnb Income & Expense Tracker
  

coming soon...

PHASE 4: CUSTOM AIRBNB MARKETING PACKAGE

Just as with the Custom Hosting Package, everything will be done for your by Larimar's Airbnb specialist.

• Photos of the exterior of the Airbnb and the surrounding area (in addition to the interior photos that were provided in the Setup Package)
  
• A custom marketing plan
  
• A compelling, SEO-optimized description for your Airbnb listing
  
• Compelling, SEO-optimized captions for the photos in your Airbnb listing
  
• 12 custom social media posts to get your social media marketing campaign started
  
• Social media templates so you can create more posts
  
• Only offered to Larimar's Airbnb Phase 1, 2 and 3 clients. Those who did not use Larimar for the previous phases are welcome to purchase the DIY Template Bundle described below.

coming soon...

DIY AIRBNB MARKETING TIPS & TEMPLATE BUNDLE

• A generic marketing plan
• Tips for writing your own compelling, SEO-optimized Airbnb listing
  
• Tips for writing your own compelling, SEO-optimized photo captions
• Canva templates to create your own social media posts
  

All packages described above except for our template bundles are custom-quoted after we've had the opportunity to assess the scope of work during a consultation.

We are more than happy to offer consulting, design and setup packages for all vacation rentals and furnished short-term rentals (such as corporate housing, housing for traveling nurses, etc) listed on all platforms, such as VRBO, HomeAway, Booking.com, Expedia, Furnished Finders, and TripAdviser. However, we do specialize in Airbnb and strive to meet the standards required by the Airbnb platform to qualify for the Airbnb Plus designation. If your vacation rental meets Airbnb Plus standards, your rental should also perform well on other platforms.

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