When it comes to accommodation services, the Airbnb marketplace is growing at a rapid rate. It’s becoming more and more important for Airbnb hosts to ensure their property stands out from the competition.

So how do you achieve that point of difference? Remember, it’s the small indulgences that leave a lasting impression and ignite that precious marketing tool, word of mouth.

Most guests will expect the basic amenities when renting a holiday house. Things such as towels, toilet paper and soap. Stocking your property with these simple items will keep your guests happy, however, if you go the extra mile and surpass their expectations, they will thank you with positive reviews, recommendations and repeat business.

Your budget, your customer demographic and the service you provide will dictate the range of amenities you should supply. It’s important to pay attention to the small details and identify what your guest’s needs are while staying at your property.

For example, if you rent out a property by the sea, what would a family holidaying by the beach need? You could offer hotel beach towels, or our South Pacific Soap Co Body Balm, both things that come in handy when spending time on the sand and in the saltwater.

If you’re leasing an inner city unit that’s popular for girl’s getaways, a wall-mounted hairdryer, Natural Earth makeup remover or The Therapy Range of hair and body care products will help your guests prepare for a night out in the city. These special little touches will wow your guests on arrival and make them feel welcome. They’ll know that you value their business.

Remember, your holiday house supplies should reflect the spirit of your property and the guest experience you’re creating. If your accommodation is advertised as an eco-friendly or sustainable option, all your amenities should reflect this eco-friendly approach with environmentally friendly hotel amenities and/or fair trade tea and coffee. If you lease out a luxury home, spend that little extra and spoil your guests with high quality, luxurious guest amenities that are opulent and indulgent, like our London Collection Vanity Pack and mini London Collection Lip Balms. These lip balms are especially great for alpine areas and ski resorts.

National Hotel Supplies is a popular choice when sourcing holiday house and Airbnb supplies and we’d love to help you deck out your property from top to bottom with a stunning range of amenities to impress your guests. Order all of your holiday house supplies in one place and know that you’re creating the perfect guest experience every time.

If you don’t know what to do with any left over bars of soap, we’ve got great news for you!

Soap Aid is a not for profit organisation aiming to improve health outcomes and save children’s lives in disadvantaged communities and reducing landfill in Australia.

Quite simply, they collect your hotel waste soap collection, reprocess and repackage it then redistribute these useful bars of soap to local and global areas that will help save lives.

To learn more about this organisation and how you can make a big positive impact with little effort, head to www.soapaid.org.

Not a hotel? That’s ok! You can still be part of this great program – call us on 1300 557 415 to discuss.

Raise your hand if you love to save money! A dollar here, a dollar there, we’ve been working in the hospitality industry since 1992 and we know that every dollar counts. That’s why we’ve created the National Hotel Supplies Loyalty Program.

Our customers always come first and we’ve found the perfect way to thank you for your ongoing support. The National Hotel Supplies Loyalty Program is simple. Sign up, and you’ll earn 1 point for every $20 you spend. Accumulate 20 points, and a $20 credit will be added to your account and taken off your next order. Easy!

How do you sign up? When you set up an online account with National Hotel Supplies and spend over $20, your NHS loyalty dollars will start rolling in. Not only that, as an online account holder you can:

•view your order history online,
•sign in via your social media account (Facebook or Google)
•save time by having your courier’s delivery instructions stored online,
•easily check the status of your orders,
•quickly and easily place repeat orders,
•and track your loyalty program credits.

Our online store is an easy way to shop for guest amenities, holiday house supplies, hotel linen, hotel towels and much more. Whether you’re looking for chic boutique accessories for your hotel or motel, searching for a resort supplier that has it all, or want quality hotel products for your own home, National Hotel Supplies has everything you need to impress your guests and our loyalty program is just the icing on the cake!

Many of you may already be practising this method, particularly if you run a large hotel or resort, as it has simplified and streamlined the bed making process.

So what is triple sheeting? It’s an easy method of creating a welcoming and luxurious bed with three flat sheets and a doona, quilt or blanket.

But why do it? This method not only allows you to easily freshen up your guest rooms by simply replacing or switching out the top sheet but it will also save you time and money purchasing and laundering expensive bedspreads.

However the main draw card, particularly from a guests point of view, is that you are providing a welcoming and sanitary environment for your clients.

Instructions on how to create the look (extract from Innstyle – 18 January 2012):

Step 1: Building the foundation – The Bottom Sheet – Lay a flat sheet on the mattress and tuck all the way around the bed – or use a fitted sheet to cover the mattress.

Step2: The Next Layer – The Middle Sheet – Place the top hem of the flat sheet so it is even with the top of the mattress.

Step 3: Add Filling – Place a doona or blanket on top of the middle sheet – 15cm below the top of the mattress.

Step 4: Top Sheet – Place the last flat sheet, or you could use a decorative top sheet, on top of the blanket. The top hem should be even with the top of the mattress.

Step 5: Fold – Fold both flat sheets down together about 15cm – to the top of the blanket or doona. Then fold the flat sheets and the blanket down another 15cm.

Step 6: Finishing Touches – Tuck in both flat sheets with the blanket beneath the foot of the mattress. The hanging fabric at the sides of the foot will have made a U-Shape. Turn back the U-shape along the length of the bed and pull towards the headboard – parallel to the mattress. Tuck the hanging corners of the sheet and blanket together under the mattress.

OR watch this YouTube clip!

Your guests will appreciate the hygienic appearance of the bed and with a few simple accessories like bed runners and coordinating cushions; your rooms will have a fresh modern look.

Do you have a problem folding and storing fitted sheets? Do you or your housekeepers waste valuable time ironing fitted sheets? There is a solution!

Check out this video on how to fold a fitted sheet effectively and save yourself time and money.

Do you have a handy hint of your own that might be useful to others? Let us know and we will include it in our next newsletter.

Do you have a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google + page for your establishment? Like, follow, connect or join our circle and we will do the same for you.

When we interact with each other via Social Media both our business’ benefit through achieving a higher ranking in online search engines such as Google. The higher your ranking the more exposure your business will gain.

Higher ranking = higher online exposure = more clients!

Are your rooms looking a little tired? But your budget won’t allow you to complete that long, overdue refurbishment?

Maybe it’s time to do a soft upgrade – replace a few keys items in the room to provide a new fresh look without spending big $$ on items such as carpet, furniture and window dressings.

Key items to consider: new bedding, runners, valances and coordinated cushions for the bed and upholstered items.

If your walls are in good condition then a fresh lick of paint on the walls goes a long way too – even if it’s just a feature wall.

How about table lamps?

Maybe a new modern canvas to tie in with the colours of your new bedding and cushions?

With a few changes and a third of the cost you will have a fresh new look.

You have just made the decision that you are going on a holiday. Lucky you!

What’s the first thing that you do?

Like the majority of travellers these days, the first thing you will most likely do is….research.

Which properties are recommended by other travellers? What sort of facilities does the property have? What star rating has it been given?

Research indicates that travellers find both official star ratings and past guest reviews helpful when selecting a holiday destination and property.

While star ratings provide an official trusted rating that makes the travellers decision easier, guest reviews on platforms, such as Trip Advisor, “fill in the gaps” with information relating to customer service and overall guest experience.

So what does this mean for you and your business? Do you want to increase your bookings?

Some simple steps to help you get there….

Have you got a listing on a travel review platform like Trip Advisor?

Apart from having a great website this is the next step. Make the most of the various review platforms that are available and create a listing.

Keep your listing fresh with current photos and up to date information. Travellers want to know the key features of your establishment and what it looks like now.

What sets your establishment apart from the rest? Why not change the photos with the seasons?

Encourage reviews and feedback and engage with your customers

Customer reviews and feedback are often more valuable than a blurb or product description. A recent survey revealed that more than half of respondents stated that they will not book a hotel that does not have any reviews. Reviews show that real people have stayed in your establishment and enjoyed the experience enough to review it.

Hopefully your guests will all have pleasant feedback but in the event they don’t make sure you respond positively – it shows you care and are paying attention.

Boost direct bookings and enquiries

Consider enhancing your listing to a paid listing that allows you to prominently display your web address and contact details.

Paid listings often have additional benefits such as allowing you to have special offers and listing minute booking specials.

From 23 October 2013 new mandatory bunk bed safety standards have been introduced for short-term rental accommodation providers.

Fair Trading executive director Brian Bauer has advised, “the key safety feature of the new rule is that top bunks must have safety rails and there must not be any gaps that a child’s body can slip through or trap a child’s head. Under the new regulation, it is illegal to supply or offer rooms in hotels, resorts, holiday camps or other short-term accommodation that have non-compliant bunk beds where persons up to age of sixteen are likely to stay. It is the responsibility of owners and property agents to ensure their accommodation is now up to standard.”

While the new standards have been phased in over the last two years, from 23 October 2013 they are now enforceable with penalties of a maximum of $200K for individuals and $1.1mil for a body corporate.