Guests make their decision on who to choose for their homestay experiences based on what they see on your host profile, so it needs to be welcoming and full of useful information. Here are 7 top tips to help you create the best profile, stand out and ultimately attract more homestay guests.
1. Use Quality Photos
As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words. So the last thing that you want on your homestay host profile is poor quality, dull looking photos. Take photographs of your home in natural light, make sure your spaces are tidy and maybe even redecorate the guest room.
The snaps of your family should capture you all at your best, make sure your faces can clearly be seen and include a few of you having fun, laughing and enjoying your hobbies too. Also try to keep your photos as up to date as possible, especially if you have children.
2. Give Lots Of Detail
The more useful information that you can provide on your homestay profile the better. Remember your potential guests don’t know anything about you or your home and may not even know much about the area or country you live in. So don’t make the mistake of not providing information that you think is obvious.
What specific aspects of your culture will you be sharing? What are your hobbies and how can your guests get involved with them? Be sure to include all of your family's interests.
3. Get Your Prices Right
Set your prices based on other popular homestay hosts in your area and regularly review them. If your prices are more than the average for similar homestays be sure to state what extra value you are providing. Similarly if they are lower state why. You don’t want potential guests looking at your profile and thinking ‘they look nice, but what’s the catch?’
4. Be Friendly and Prompt
When potential guests contact you about a homestay be prompt in your responses and respond in a friendly, clear and helpful tone. Also make sure that you thoroughly answer all of their questions. If they have never experienced a homestay before they will probably be a little nervous so ask some questions about them too to create a conversation.
5. Highlight Additional Benefits
Detail any additional opportunities that could be available to your guests. For example, if you don’t provide the option of structured language lessons, is there somewhere nearby where they could do this? Can you collect them from the airport? Could you or a family member offer work experience?
6. Encourage Reviews
Having detailed evaluations from previous homestay guests is really valuable for your success as a host. This is because it gives your profile more authority. If lots of people similar to them are saying how great you are and how much they enjoyed the experience guests are far more likely to choose you over another host.
7. Cater for Special Diets
Even if none of your family members are vegetarian, wheat intolerant or have religious based needs, can you cater for them? For people with specific dietary requirements, being in a new country surrounded by a new culture can be concerning for them so being able to accommodate that can go along way to attracting more homestay guests.
