Smart home for holiday rentals

A long, long time ago, being an Airbnb host simply meant offering a mattress or a bed. The unstoppable growth of holiday rentals has been accompanied by an increase in related software and hardware. In addition, the quarantine period has once again taught us the importance of smart devices. Today we talk about smart home technologies for Airbnb or smart homes.

It is true that around 2010, offering a small bottle of water in your tourist accommodation was already a premium service. Things have changed for the better for guests. The professionalism expected from hosts –coupled with the increasing competition in the sector–.

What you will find in this post

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In the Tourist Rental Survey by Cohosting, more than 100 hosts and managers of tourist apartments were asked what elements of their business they automated with technology. Only 5.8% of them used nothing.

On the demand side, according to a study by August, 60% of guests would be willing to pay more if the accommodation includes smart home technologies for Airbnb.

It seems that the question is clear: how can you incorporate this information to become a more profitable host? That is, how can you use these tools to make your guests prefer you over the competition?

Easy! Incorporate the smart home technologies for Airbnb that your guests value most.

The August study asks guests how attractive they find each of the technologies. But first, let's describe what smart home technology is and then how guests and hosts of tourist accommodation value it.

What are smart home technologies?

You're tired of hearing the word "smart", aren't you?: Smartphone, smart lock, smart TV, smart home... In general, we can define smart home technologies or smart homes as those devices for the house connected to the internet –and therefore, operable remotely (con una aplicación móvil, ordenador o navegadores web).

In the study, the definition of smart home included:

• Smart TVs or smart televisions
• Smart security systems
• Connected tablets
• Smart locks
• Media and entertainment centres
• Smart doorbells or peepholes
• Internet-connected thermostats
• Smart light bulbs
• Connected cameras

It's a pretty long list. However, you probably already know some –or even have some smart home technology already installed in your Airbnb. If so: Very good, we're on the right track!

If not, perhaps you are reading this because you are thinking of incorporating some in the future –especially because your competition is already doing it...–.

So...

What smart home technology to buy for your Airbnb?

In the tourism sector, which includes holiday rentals, you must understand that there are two types of capital to work with: financial and emotional.

As a host of tourist apartments, your goal is to make the most of the time and money you invest in your business. You must follow a certain methodology to verify that your ROI is positive –that is, that the investment produces income greater than its amount–.

As for emotional capital, we refer to how you delight your guests –making their stay as comfortable as possible–. Starting with the Airbnb listing description.

Take advantage of the space provided by the platform to detail what smart home technologies are in your Airbnb. The August study indicates that 82% of guests are more likely to book if there are smart home technologies in the tourist apartments

The August report included a comparative table of smart home technologies for Airbnb and what position they held according to their value for hosts and guests.

The specific questions were:

• To guests (in grey): How attractive do you find each of these technologies in the accommodation you rent?
• To hosts (in red): How attractive do you find these types of smart home technologies for your tourist accommodation?

The best smart home technology for tourist accommodation

As you can see in the graph above, some technologies such as smart TVs have the highest perceived value, both for guests and hosts.

Others, such as smart light bulbs, are the most overrated for guests.

In conclusion, the best smart home technology for Airbnb –that is, for guests– are: smart TVs, smart locks and smart alarms.

Noise sensors

One of the main sources of conflict between neighbours and guests of tourist accommodation is the noise from the latter. In today's post we talk about how hosts can control it using smart home noise sensor solutions for tourist accommodation or holiday rentals.

Noise, a source of conflict with neighbours of tourist accommodation

Undoubtedly, noise is one of the main coexistence problems that holiday rental hosts face in their day-to-day business. In fact, avoiding parties in your accommodation is critical to maintaining a good relationship with the community of neighbours. A separate mention if you allow pets in your accommodation –Woof! Woof!– Your guests' dogs barking can be annoying for neighbours.

Even Airbnb, on its responsible hosts portal, recommends that if the property is in a shared building with residents, you include in the house rules the prohibition of parties or noise after a certain hour.

Noise sensors for tourist accommodation or holiday rentals

Even those hosts who choose to prohibit parties must ensure that their guests comply with the noise regulations. In fact, according to the legislation, the guest is administratively responsible for this –and not the hosts–.

To monitor the noise that your guests may generate and take action to solve it, there are technology options that will allow you to do so. Noise sensors for tourist properties are devices that are installed inside the property, usually in areas where the possibility of noise is concentrated. For example, the living room or the kitchen.

You can buy two Raixer Mini devices and use one as a smart lock and place the other in the living room and use it as a noise sensor. Isn't that great?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xy3B4u8tI28

Do Raixer devices serve as sound sensors for tourist properties?

Correct! The new version of the Intercom smart lock hardware allows you to open the portal and the property remotely and also incorporates a sound sensor. This way, you can use one device to forget about handing over the keys to the portal and the property and connect another to a socket in the living room and use it as a noise sensor.

The €9.99/month subscription to activate your smart lock includes unlimited noise sensors for your tourist property. For example, in your accommodation you can have:

• 1 Raixer device to open portal and property (€119 and €9.99/month)
• 2 Raixer devices as noise sensors for tourist properties. One in the living room and another in the kitchen (€119 x 2; included in the subscription)

Smart TV for holiday rentals

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Let's look at the growing trends in Smart TVs and video games today, to assess whether it is a good option to include these Smart Home features in your holiday rental as an extra service. Shall we begin?

The great trend of watching series on streaming platforms with Smart TV

More and more people are enjoying streaming platforms like Netflix, HBO or Rakuten. And it is that, since there is the opportunity to watch the content and series we want, when we want, where we want and, most importantly, without ads, there is no going back.

Just by turning on our Smart TV and opening the Netflix application, we can enjoy series and movies without interruptions, of our choice, with a huge catalogue to choose from. We have gotten used to afternoon and evening marathons with sofa and pizza and, although we don't believe it, many times we also want this on our holidays.

That a holiday rental offers additional services such as Netflix or HBO is ideal for a group of friends, because during periods of rest they can always count on that option that we have become so accustomed to.

What about couples? Doing tourism during the day is great, but if they are on holiday they will also want to rest and, let's not kid ourselves, we all know that watching series on the Smart TV from the sofa or bed is a perfectly valid way to rest and take a break. In addition to the smart TV, a smart speaker is also a good complement for your tourist apartment.

The world of video games is in fashion

And when hasn't it been? Since video games emerged, consoles have evolved at great speed to those we know today: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and so on.

Today, e-sports are more on the rise than ever: official video game competitions of great calibre. But it's not all about competing at a high level, video games are for having fun, for playing with friends and enjoying them.

For these reasons, having a console like the PS4 and several video games is a great option, especially in family rentals with children or aimed at groups of friends. It is another form of entertainment and having fun together, which is basically the essence of holidays. Keep in mind that these types of extra services can be highly valued by your target guest –and will help you position your tourist accommodation.

Smart TV, streaming platforms, video games and consoles: what to include in your holiday rental?

You are probably wondering: so do I have to buy a Smart TV and a subscription to services like Netflix and HBO? The answer depends on you. The ideal option would be to buy a Smart TV (or several) for your holiday accommodation, on which the Netflix or HBO application can be downloaded.

This way, anyone will be able to access the different platforms with their own account, and you won't have to invest in a subscription. It's the best option since each person has an account with personalized options, with different series started or halfway through and thus they can resume them from their holiday rental.

Regarding consoles and video games, keep in mind that you should choose video games that are very well known and that offer the option of playing with several people, for example, Fortnite or Mario Party. The most common consoles today are the Xbox One and the PS4.

In conclusion

Of course, any additional accessory to these video games is a superior touch that will make guests feel more exclusive and have a better experience –and you, to get a five-star rating–, such as including microphones for certain games, steering wheels for Mario Kart, guitars for Guitar Hero, etc.

How much money will I have to invest in a Smart TV and video games? You can get a good mid-sized Smart TV from €180, so it will pay for itself quickly. Regarding consoles and video games, a new PS4 from €250, although there is also the option of buying a second-hand one, cheaper, or buying a PS4 pack that includes several video games and controllers.

Smart speakers

Alexa and Google Mini are the devices of the future that already control our homes. They allow us to know the latest news, listen to music, turn devices on or off (such as lights, Wi-Fi plugs, control the air conditioning unit) and more and more options are being implemented. In today's post, we tell you how you can integrate these smart speakers into your tourist accommodation.

But their functions are not relegated only to the private sphere, but more and more providers are discovering their great possibilities at a professional level. For example, they could reinvent the tourist experience.

The number of companies partnering with Google and Amazon to improve the user experience is constantly increasing, adapting content according to the house. Given that there are already more than 100 million people who have one of these devices, and that by 2020 this figure will rise to 225 million, we are sure that they are the virtual agents of travel in the coming years.

How can a smart speaker improve the holiday rental experience?

Amazon, through its Echo devices, already allows customers to order Room Service or any in-room service simply by making the request to Alexa. That is, what has always been calling for service, only now we can do it more comfortably just by talking to the speaker.

Alexa, I need to rent a car

Similarly, some companies allow booking a hotel or renting a car thanks to Alexa. For example, the car rental company Avis has already developed the skill for Amazon.

The Google Home smart speaker is not far behind in this area. Through the Google Assistant platform, the user will be able to control any price changes that have occurred in flights, know the location of the nearest restaurant or restaurants to their location, get directions, make conversions between different currencies, and even gives us the possibility of booking a flight just by using our voice.

Google Mini or Alexa for my tourist apartment?

As a curiosity, in Spain there is already a hotel that integrates Google Home in all rooms. This is the Hotel Vulcano and it can be found in Arona. Through it, the client can request information on the weather, use it as a translator, book hotel services such as the spa, listen to music, control the home automation of the room, or receive data on any point of interest in the area.

Although the evolution of the smart speaker is very positive, at the moment they are only in an initial phase. We can conclude by saying that it is the beginning of what will be a new era of tourism.

Are you curious about how to open the door of your tourist apartment with a smart speaker? Take a look at our posts about locks for Google Home or locks for Alexa.

Those brands that have not managed to establish themselves as market leaders now have another opportunity, an option to extend their brand image, to personalise the user experience, and to take advantage of resources that, without a doubt, other brands will not miss.

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