The First 5 Minutes: How Guests Decide Whether Your Airbnb Is Worth 5 Stars

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Within the first few minutes of walking into your Airbnb, your guests have already assigned it a score. They've already made up their mind what type of review they'll give, and whether your Airbnb is worth 5 stars. Guests do this even before they've unpacked. In this post I'll break down the things that guests instinctively observe which gives them the first impression of your home.

If you're new to my site, good day! My name is Sam, and I'm a top rated Airbnb and VRBO host, with three properties in the great states of Maryland and West Virginia.

When I first started hosting at Mountain View I was determined to make it not just an Airbnb, but a place where guests would walk into and feel like they were either at a friend's house or perhaps even in their own home. We wanted people to say in their minds "Gosh I could live here". 

I'll start with the most obvious. 

The Look

The look of your place says volumes. From the entrance, is there any kind of warm welcome, or welcoming signs. Is it cluttered? Are there tons of personal items and sentimental artifacts all over the house? Do things feel organized, like they have a home? Is it clean? Are all the rooms arranged neatly and easy to get in and out of. Are the linens arranged and clean?

Pro Tip:
Even very subtle greenery without welcoming signs can add a warm welcome vibe to the entrance of your Airbnb. I like the faux kind because they are low maintenance, don't require any watering, and they look great all year round.

Temperature

We've walked into an Airbnb and the temperature was set to 100 degrees. We often wondered whether saving on a few degrees on the thermostat was worth having a negative first impression from a guest. Guests notice drastic temperature changes when first entering your Airbnb. A warm and cozy house on a winter's day or a cool and comfortable one on a summer's morning can make or break your reviews.

At Mountain View we use this thermostat. It's pricey but it can literally pay itself off in one night's guest stay. We love it because you can set the temperature controls when you do not have a guest to save on energy. What we like to do it have it set to a comfortable temperature at check in, then our guests have the option to set it to their preferred temperature. A good rule of thumb is to pre-set the temperature on the thermostat in your Airbnb to 75 degrees on a hot summer day and 68 degrees on a cold wintry day.

Smell

When a guest walks in the smell of your Airbnb works in tandem with the look. This doesn't necessarily relate to bad smells, it relates to pretty much any smell. Any smell of overpowering cleaners or bleach subliminally may signal that they house was just cleaned and this could be interpreted as a rush job. It could also make the guest think that you are trying to cover up smells. Overpowering room sprays can also be off putting. I always err on the side of caution and go with the notion that "not every one will like every scent". It's just best to keep the scents in the room odorless but "clean". Air purifiers like this one are your best friend.

After a check out, if there are lingering cooking smells or odor, purifiers like this help to neutralize the air. Opening windows and doors, if you are able to, is also effective. If you absolutely want a smell in your Airbnb, I highly recommend these scent diffusers from Pura. They are subtle scents, which can be controlled remotely, you can turn them off or on, or set them on a schedule. The Volcano Blue Capri smells amazing; think Anthropologie store.

Lighting

I think the power of lighting in Airbnbs is under rated. The lighting in your home is the most effective visual tool for welcoming your guests. Walking into a nicely lit home sets the tone for the stay. We have a rustic chandelier light in our entrance at The Mountain View Cottage. We keep this light on for guests especially in the late fall/winter, or on dark rainy days. It's an awesome way to welcome your guests to strange surroundings by keeping at least one entrance light one.

Layering your lights also has a strong effect on how guests perceive your home. Having overhead lights, and night stand lamps or sconces is an effective way of doing this. It makes the home look and feel opulent when there are multiple sources of light.

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The Feel

What is the "aura" of your Airbnb? Making sure it feels light and airy is ideal for making the Airbnb feel like a five star location. Clean lines, no unneeded clutter, dust, or unused items stacked in corners. In my post 25 Most Overlooked Airbnb Essentials Every Host Needs, one of the things I talk about is having a basket with cozy blankets rather than having them folded away. Having the blankets out and displayed this way makes the guests feel that cozy vibe.

Ease of Finding Wifi

Ahh yes... the eternal "what is the wifi password?" question. After visually inspecting your home this is undoubtedly the next thing that guests want to see. Yes, most hosts add it to their house manual, but we take it up a notch in two ways. We provide the Wifi password BEFORE the guest arrives so there is no fumbling to find it WHEN they arrive. We send it out in our arrival guide via Airbnb, so they are able to save it or write it down even before the visual inspection of the Airbnb.

Next, we also leave it out in plain sight. Leaving these magnets on the fridge, or any high touch magnetic kitchen appliance works. It is a bit old school in that you have to write the actual wifi name and password with a marker. We've also had a lot of success using this type of scannable glass block wifi displays. The key is to have the wifi password highly visible and easily accessible upon check in.

Coffee Set Up

Having a well thought out coffee set up in your Airbnb in itself is like extending an olive branch. It signals to your guests that your home is ready to receive them and ready to make them comfortable. We usually set ours up with some clean mugs, coffee packets in both instant and decaf, sugar cubes, creamer and assorted sweeter packets. No frills. Just an easy welcoming set up that the guests can see upon arrival.

It truly does not take much to earn a guest's five star rating the second they enter your Airbnb. As long as you focus on the guest's senses when they arrive, the sense of touch, smell, feel, as well as providing convenience. You always want to make everything easy for your guests. This is how you secure the five-star ratings within the first five minutes!

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If you want to take the guest experience a step further, the words you send before arrival matter just as much as what they walk into. Check out my Airbnb message templates on Etsy — written from real hosting experience.