How to start an Airbnb: 8 essential tips for first-time hosts
- Jul 31
- 7 min read
Thinking about listing your first property on Airbnb but not sure where to begin? In the debut episode of The Independent Host – the new monthly series from Host Planet in partnership with Lodgify – investor and content creator Lydia Patel shared exactly how she went from a spare tiny house in her backyard to running a profitable short-term rental business.
Lydia isn't a full-time "Airbnb guru." She's a pragmatic, everyday investor who started during COVID with a guest house she never intended to rent out, taught herself using free online resources, and listed in December 2021. That makes her advice unusually practical for anyone at the 1-5 property stage.
Below are the eight essential tips for first-time Airbnb hosts from that conversation – what to do from day one, what to spend money on, and the mistakes to avoid.
Key tips for first-time Airbnb hosts
Start with data, not a listing. Research comparable properties and projected revenue before you commit.
Get pricing right early and use dynamic pricing so you don't leave money on the table during high-demand events.
Professional photos are now the baseline, not a nice-to-have.
Start narrow on channels (usually Airbnb, sometimes plus Vrbo), master one algorithm, then expand.
Turn on Instant Book to reduce friction, with guest requirements as guardrails.
Respond fast – Airbnb rewards quick response times and so do guests.
You don't need a big budget to get guest-ready; spend where it counts and save on the rest.
A property management system (PMS) ties pricing, calendars, messaging, and direct bookings together as you grow.
1. Start with market research before you list
The very first thing Lydia did wasn't writing a listing – it was gathering data. Before committing any time or money, she looked at what comparable rentals in her area were charging and what kind of revenue was realistic.
"The first thing we did… was just get some data," she explained. "What else is available in town and what kind of money are we talking? Because if it's not a whole lot for a lot of work, that changes the calculus."
What to do: Build your own list based on property size (bedrooms and bathrooms), location, and proximity to landmarks. Tools like PriceLabs and AirDNA give you a starting dashboard, but Lydia recommends cross-checking their numbers against your own research so you understand what similar listings charge, how booked they are, and what a realistic year of revenue looks like.
2. Get your pricing right – and use dynamic pricing early
Pricing is where most first-time hosts freeze. Lydia's approach was to start from comparable listings, then lean on dynamic pricing from day one rather than setting a static rate and forgetting it.
Her reasoning is refreshingly honest: she knew she wouldn't have time to constantly monitor local demand, and she'd rather pay a small monthly fee for a tool that picks up demand signals she'd otherwise miss – a football game, a youth sports tournament, a nearby music festival.
The cautionary tale came from host James Varley, who admitted he priced his early listing by "guesswork, finger in the air." During a popular local music festival when he could have charged £200–£300 a night, his listing was set at around £60. "Some people got a really, really good deal," he said. That gap is exactly what dynamic pricing is designed to close.
What to do: Don't set one nightly rate and walk away. Use a dynamic pricing tool so your calendar automatically responds to weekends, school holidays, and local events driving demand.
3. Invest in professional photos – they're the baseline now
Ask Lydia how important professional photography is and the answer is emphatic: "I feel like now it's just a baseline."
There was a time when most Airbnb listings had mediocre photos, so it didn't matter much. That era is over. Today, nearly every serious listing has professional images, which means amateur iPhone shots don't just look average – they look wrong by comparison. "If you have kind of crappy iPhone photos, it just won't look right," Lydia said.
James was blunter: dark, self-shot photos are the number-one reason he sees new hosts struggle to get bookings, and upgrading them is usually "the first and easiest fix."
If you must shoot your own photos, both hosts shared quick wins:
Keep your phone level and shoot from a natural height, not looking down.
Make the space bright.
Remove trash, bins, and clutter from the background.
Stage the room so it looks complete – even a mirror or a small piece of décor helps a bare, all-white space feel considered.
Ask yourself the honest question: "Would I book this place?" If not, start again.
The only exception Lydia would allow is a purely functional listing – a remote, commuter-style stay where guests aren't choosing on aesthetics. For everyone hosting seriously, professional photos are a prerequisite.
4. Write a description that answers common guest questions
Your listing description should do more than describe the property – it should pre-empt the questions guests always ask. Lydia treats the description as a place to respond to the common queries that come up again and again, which reduces back-and-forth and builds guest confidence before they book.
5. Choose your channels wisely – start narrow, then expand
Where should a beginner list? Lydia's advice is to start narrow: usually Airbnb, sometimes plus Vrbo, depending on your market. Some markets are almost entirely Airbnb, in which case there's little reason to spread yourself thin at the start.
"The reason for starting more narrow is just so you can get the algorithm and get the learning of that specific OTA – how everything works – before you expand," she said. Master one platform, build a reputable listing with reviews, then add channels like Booking.com (which has a huge presence in Europe) and your own direct booking website.
The catch: the moment you list on more than one platform, you risk double bookings. That's where a property management system becomes essential – it syncs your calendars, rates, and messaging across every channel automatically.
6. Turn on Instant Book to reduce friction
Should new hosts enable Instant Book or approve guests manually? Both hosts landed in the same place: turn Instant Book on.
Lydia used more stringent screening for the tiny house in her own backyard, since it was on her primary residence – but for her beach house she enabled Instant Book right away, because manual approval is "a real friction point." Guests want immediate confirmation, not a three-to-four-hour wait to hear back.
The key is that Instant Book isn't all-or-nothing. You can set guest requirements – such as verified ID or a minimum number of reviews – and even offer discounts to guests with multiple five-star reviews to steer towards known, trusted bookers.
7. Respond fast – Airbnb rewards it
Response speed is one of the most underrated ranking factors for new hosts. Airbnb displays your typical response time to guests ("usually responds within an hour"), and it rewards fast, engaged hosts by pushing them up the search results.
Lydia cares "deeply" about response speed, and both hosts credit automated messaging – set up through a PMS – for keeping replies near-instant without being glued to a phone. Guests notice, too: knowing a host replies quickly is reassuring when something goes wrong mid-stay, like a broken fridge or air conditioning.
8. Know what to spend – and where to save
You don't need a big budget to get guest-ready. When Lydia set up her rentals (roughly four years ago, so adjust for inflation), she sourced furnishings affordably from thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace, and wasn't afraid of mismatched sets of cutlery and dishes to keep costs down.
The principle: spend where it directly affects the guest experience and your bookings – photography, a comfortable bed, cleanliness, thoughtful staging – and save on the items guests won't judge you for.
How a PMS ties it all together
A recurring theme across the episode: as soon as you're pricing dynamically, listing on multiple channels and trying to respond instantly, you need software to hold it together. That's the role of a property management system.
Lydia uses Lodgify, the sponsor of The Independent Host, which is built specifically for independent hosts. It connects listings across Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, and your own direct booking website in one place, with automated messaging, a unified calendar, and payment processing. She started using it to spin up a direct booking site she "didn't want to build from scratch" – it pulled her photos and details straight from her existing listing – and describes it as a tool that "just functions in the background" while adding a new revenue stream.
Host Planet listeners get 60% off Lodgify with the code HOSTPLANET60. Offer ends soon – click here for details.
Frequently asked questions
What's the first thing you should do before listing on Airbnb? Research the market. Look at comparable listings in your area, how booked they are, and what a realistic year of revenue looks like before you commit time or money.
Do first-time Airbnb hosts really need dynamic pricing? Yes. A static "set and forget" rate almost always leaves money on the table during high-demand periods like festivals, sporting events, and holidays. Dynamic pricing tools adjust automatically so you capture that demand.
Are professional photos worth it for a new Airbnb? For most hosts, yes – professional photos are now the baseline. Amateur, poorly lit photos are one of the most common reasons new listings fail to get bookings. If you shoot your own, keep the phone level, the space bright, and remove clutter.
Which platforms should a beginner list on? Start narrow – usually Airbnb, sometimes plus Vrbo depending on your market. Learn one platform's algorithm and build reviews, then expand to Booking.com and a direct booking website. Use a PMS to avoid double bookings across channels.
Should new hosts turn on Instant Book? Generally yes. Instant Book reduces friction and gives guests immediate confirmation, which they prefer. Use guest requirements (verified ID, minimum reviews) as guardrails.
How much does it cost to set up an Airbnb? Less than most people think. You can furnish affordably through thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace. Spend on what affects the guest experience – photography, bedding, cleanliness – and save on the rest.
Watch the full episode
This article is based on episode one of The Independent Host, featuring Lydia Patel, brought to you by Host Planet and Lodgify. Catch the full conversation on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple for the complete story – including Lydia's journey from backyard tiny house to beach house – and subscribe for a new episode every month, built for hosts at the 1-5 property stage.
Ready to simplify your hosting? Get 60% off Lodgify with the code HOSTPLANET60 – click here for details.
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