Do you love hospitality and wish you could use your skills to make money on Airbnb? Or are you an overburdened Airbnb investor looking for a way to work less, and still take on new properties? Have you heard about co hosting, and wondered exactly what it is and how it could benefit you?

If so, don’t miss Episode 26 of the Host Coach Airbnb Investing Podcast, where Nancy-Paige shares how co-hosts can earn up to 40% of Airbnb stay revenue by taking over guest messaging and management responsibilities from busy Airbnb investors!

Read on to learn exactly what an Airbnb co host does, and how becoming one could either generate a revenue stream for you, or how employing one can save you time and stress managing your portfolio and guests.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• What an Airbnb co host is, and what they do
• The percentage pay range for co hosts (it’s pretty awesome)
• How co hosts different from traditional management companies
• Software tools to streamline guest and employee communication
• Backgrounds and skills that lend themselves to happiness & success as a co host
• How to find Airbnb co-hosts or investors looking for co hosts

Host Coach Airbnb Podcast Episode 26 Show Notes:

How did you get started down this journey of co hosting other people's properties?

I started in 2020 when a friend was running his three properties on Airbnb and he said, "NP, I want to expand past Airbnb. I want something else." I knew absolutely nothing about it. So I did some research and I said, "well, there's this thing called VRBO." And he said, "well, set it up for me." So I did.

Then my friend said, listen, I'm going to take care of Airbnb. That's my sweet spot. I've got that down you run the VRBO part. So I co-hosted in that sense, and I found that it came very naturally to me. So I was like, wait a second, I can do this. And then it just led from one property to the next, property to the next.

NP's Hospitality Background

And a little interesting part of my background is that I grew up at a resort my parents managed as a child, so I was around it all the all the time. And then as a teenager, I went back and I worked in the dining room, the kitchen, housekeeping, the office, the children's program. I did it all. And so I guess you could say it's in my blood.

You've just lived hospitality. That's fantastic. So how many listings do you currently co-host?

Currently it's eight.

Eight. Oh my gosh, that's fantastic. And has your background in real estate and media

helped you with co-hosting? On top of just living the hospitality lifestyle as a child?

Airbnb Design

Absolutely. I have a brain that's all about processes and systems and also a marketing mind. I also have a passion for interior design and decorating. It was one of those things that I wished I would have done. I wished I would have gone to school for interior design, and here I am, back to it, doing interior design, and I'm just having the time of my life, I love it!

Do you provide that design service for all your clients to somewhat more than others?

To me, it's a fundamental part of the setup. up. It's so important. As you guys know, there

are thousands and thousands of listings on Airbnb. I also know you guys are really great at design too. You know it has to pop. Okay, Danielle, it's like you say: There have to be colors or something interesting or eye catching. It's similar to that Facebook scroll when you're scrolling through what catches you and makes you stop. That's a marketing thing.

Well, it's also true for Airbnb when a possible guest is scrolling through what makes them stop. It's really important to figure that out.

What an Airbnb Co Host Does

So when investor and owner comes to you with a property, the first step is redesign or design from the ground up. If it's empty, walk us through the other responsibilities. What does the co-host do versus the owner? What are the responsibilities?

I am definitely full service, so I do all the ordering, the setup I hire and manage and fire. Not a fun word, but I hire and manage the cleaners, the maintenance people. And then I do all the guest communication right now as part of my service at this time. I also sometimes do epairs, like I'll change the AC filter and I'll fix this or that. That's possible under my scope of abilities. The only thing I don't do is clean.

You've got cleaners for that. You've got people to do repairs. And I imagine you have a preferred vendor list for the things that require a trade, right? You call the plumber?

Absolutely. And one of the things that I've done recently is I joined BNI, the business networking group in the area. And instantly I needed something the other day. Within ten minutes, I had a name and I made a phone call and had that person booked to come out and look at the tub. So that's going to be a great thing for my business.

Airbnb Co Host Compensation and Opportunities

Okay, sounds like you're doing just about everything for the owner. How does a co-host get compensated?

I am a licensed property manager, so under the laws of South Carolina, I must run a trust fund. So all the moneys money's come into the trust fund, and then I disperse them out to the owner. Once I take away the cleaning fee and any expenses as well. If I had to pick up supplies.

Okay. And then you retain a percentage of that gross income for someone in this field. What's the typical range for compensation as a percentage of gross income?

I've seen anywhere from 10% to 40% of the Airbnb's gross income.

Oh, wow. Oh, wow. So if you're listening in and you want to be an Airbnb investor, but maybe you don't have the cash and you're not quite ready to do the creative financing options we've talked about, co-hosting would be a great way to learn ground up, how to run and manage, and also at 40% on the high end. That's a great revenue stream to tuck awayto put it into investing.

So and the other side, potential investors that are thinking, I've got a great place or I really want to get involved, but because my day job, I don't have the time for day to day. Then a co-host is a great option to be able to let you get started. The old school, very large property management companies, they tend to be around that 40%, but a lot of them also will manage all of the bills.

So, for example, they may manage paying the AC and internet bill and things like that. So depending on what co-host or property manager charges as their fee will reflect often on what is involved in what they do for the owner.

And talking about these long standing management companies, which I had the very unfortunate circumstances of spending 46 hours negotiating a change of dates that should have taken 32 seconds. You push a request button as a host and it comes through.

The Difference Between a Co Host and a Traditional Property Managment Company

How are you as an individual different. So if an investor is listening and trying to decide, do I want the big traditional management company or do I want someone more like NTP? What's thevalue of having an individual as opposed to a larger company?

I really like being hands on. I like to visit my properties personally. I like to see what's going on and be able to make any changes that are necessary. I think that personal touch in being boutique makes me unique, and five star reviews are incredibly important to me. I work really, really diligently on getting reservations and getting five star reviews.

At the end of the day, when the owner makes more money, I make more money. Also, I have a reputation to uphold, so five star reviews are really important. Yeah, just being boutique, personal touch. That's the way that I like to do business. And the owners can reach out to me at any time.

So it sounds like you care. You want your properties to do well. You want your guests to love their stay. And that harkens back to the origin of Airbnb. People liked Airbnb instead of a hotel, not because it was less expensive, but because they got recommendations. They got connected with their hosts and they felt welcomed in. And so that's a really big difference, I think, from getting the sterile, "This is the message everyone gets" versus, "Hi, I'm NP if you need anything during your stay." That's what I'm looking for.

Are there any tools or softwares that you use to help run your business?

Yeah, Culin, you put me on to a couple that have been very valuable. Hospitable of course. PriceLabs couldn't live without them. They're both so amazing. And I'm about to take on Operto, which syncs with Hospitable. And it will be managing my cleaners, my maintenance people, and damage as well. So all the team will have access to that and get an overview of the bookings. And everyone can chime in about damage, and then I can shoot it out to a vendor directly. I can also send it to Airbnb Air Cover if I need to. So it's really cool software that I'm excited about.

Oh wow, that's super cool. I need to check that out.

You know, one of the tips I would recommend is I find a lot of great ideas through Facebook groups. I'm in about 4 or 5 of them, and I was looking for such a software and I just happened to be right time, right place in the scroll. And I saw Operto and I checked it out and I was like, oh yeah, I'm doing this.

What's Surprising as a Co Host

That's fantastic. So in this journey as a co-host and manager, what surprised you the most from your experiences?

I have been shocked about the amount of damage that can happen, whether it's a glass

breaking or a dishwasher. A guest recently filled the dishwasher with Dawn soap instead of the pods that we supply, and it was literally bubbling out of the dishwasher. So there's all kinds of ranges of what happens. That part can be time consuming as well.

The number of hours I would be working surprised me too. I didn't quite realize that it speed to lead. So I get it. I know what I signed up for, that's a huge part of it. And I embrace it. And I take it on because it's about getting to those guests and getting them to book with one of my properties.

Where to Look for a Co Host

Awesome. If our listeners are in a situation where they needed a co-host, where should they look for one?

As mentioned, Facebook groups can be a great place to look. LinkedIn as well. Realty offices and realtors themselves, as well as word of mouth or networking groups.

That makes sense. So once you've found prospective co-hosts and managers, do you have a sniff test that you could suggest or any particular questions they should ask to make sure that they're dealing with someone who's going to do the job exceptionally well, like you?

I would definitely find out their background, of course. For example, my background is marketing and media, so that applies really well to my properties. I am able to shoot my own video for my property, which is just a nice little advantage. I don't have to hire someone else to do that. I also have all of my marketing skills that I can apply. So, for example, someone might have a trade that is very applicable to co-hosting that could make them a good property manager. So I would say finding out the experience is really important.

How to Get Started as an Airbnb Co Host

Okay. On the flip side, I feel like some of our listeners are going to be inspired by your storyand your boutique take on property management. What advice would you give them about how to get into co-hosting or property management?

I think that if someone's going to be a co-host, they should definitely get their property management license for their state. I think it's really important to align with the laws around property management. I wasn't going to and then my gut said do it. And in hindsight, I'm really glad that I did.

Getting liability insurance is really important as a co-host. Make sure that you're protected and network, network, network. Really make relationships with realtors. They have clients who are buying investment properties, and they can be a great avenue for finding properties to co-host.

Wow. That's amazing, Nancy-Page. How can our listeners, if people have questions about co-hosting or need a co-host, how can we find you? NPRVacationRentals.com.

Thank you so much. Nancy-Paige, this was fantastic. Appreciate your energy and your innovation on the whole space of co-hosting. So thanks again for sharing!

So there you have it. You now know what a co host is, and the range of responsibilities they can take over from Airbnb hosts. You also learned that co hosts have the opportunity to make some serious money and which software tools Nancy-Paige is using to streamline her guest and employee communications.

Co hosting is an awesome way to get into Airbnb, learn more about the platform, and fine tune the skills needed to be a Superhost for a host or for yourself in the future.

If you want to be unchained from your desk, you need to figure out your path to financial freedom right now. Remember, our joy is in your success! Should you need personal online Airbnb coaching - that is what we do! Sign up for a free 30 minute Airbnb coaching call to explore your needs and how we can help you succeed as an Airbnb investor.