Are you thinking about staying at a bed and breakfast (B&B) rather than a traditional hotel on your next vacation? Well, you are not alone.

Creature Comforts

Another major benefit of staying at a B&B is that you can explore areas off the beaten path. Hotels are frequently located in busy, central areas of town. It’s more likely you’ll have a routine tourist experience if you stay at a hotel. Bed and breakfasts are often located away from the central area of town, allowing you to explore and really get to know your surroundings.

Also, travelers who stay at a hotel can complete their entire stay without saying a word to the other guests, who are total strangers. B&Bs are a different story. Thanks to the cozy, homelike environment B&Bs offer, guests can make new friends in the common areas. By staying at a B&B it is more likely you will get to know other travelers, and they could become lifelong friends. Finally, when you stay at a hotel you typically have a single, small room with one or two beds, maybe a desk and a chair or two. It can quickly become claustrophobic. As a result, most people spend very little time in their hotel room–which is unfortunate since hotel rooms can be very expensive.

The amazing growth of Airbnb, the B&B industry leader, is solid evidence that many travelers have become addicted to the B&B experience and may never stay in a traditional hotel again.

What is Airbnb?

Airbnb is a home-sharing site that offers you someone’s home, instead of a hotel, as a place to spend the night. Airbnb does not own properties but is an intermediary between those who are looking for a temporary place to stay and those who want to temporarily rent out space in their home. Airbnb is an increasingly competitive alternative to traditional hotels.

How Did Airbnb Start?

Shortly after moving to San Francisco in 2007, roommates Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were having difficulty affording the rent on their loft apartment. They came up with the idea of putting an air mattress in their living room and turning their loft apartment into a bed and breakfast. The initial goal was simple: Make a few extra bucks to help pay the rent. Less than a year later, Brian, Joe and a third friend decided to found a new venture. The three partners put together a website that offered short-term living quarters and breakfast. It was an alternative to booking a hotel in the expensive and frequently fully booked San Francisco market. As of August 2016, Airbnb was worth $30 billion!

How Do You Become an Airbnb Host?

Becoming an Airbnb Host is simple. You just need to set up a free account at www.airbnb.com. After entering basic information (name, email address, birthday, etc.) and agreeing to the terms and conditions, you become a registered Airbnb Host. Airbnb has three main Hosting options:

• Rent out extra space in your home
• Host for others iin your neighborhood as a neighbor Co-Host
• Host a local Experience

Renting Out Space in Your Home

After setting up your Airbnb account, you’ll need to create an Airbnb Profile Page for the space you want to rent out. The more enticing your Profile Page, the more potential guests it will attract. So it’s a good idea to show flattering photos of the space and highlight any special features, such as a Murphy Bed or other space-saving or multifunctional furniture. The Airbnb Profile is an extremely important element of your Airbnb listing. The Profile Page is the way you provide a description of what your guests can expect. In addition to information describing your space and what’s special about it, the Profile Page should list personal things about you, such as:

• Your hobbies and interests
• Where you grew up
• Your occupation
• Your favorite books
• Where you like to travel
• What music you like

When booking a stay at a hotel, guests can be sure there will be 24-hour access, that certain accommodations will be available, and that there will be someone available any time–day or night–to answer questions and help resolve any issues. When booking a stay at an Airbnb, guests rely on their host to provide for their basic travel needs. Guests don’t want to risk arriving at the location to find the door locked and no one available to welcome them. Airbnb guests want to know exactly what to expect before booking their stay. That’s why the Profile Page is so important.

Hosting for Others in Your Neighborhood

As a Neighborhood Co-Host, you talk to neighbors to find out who wants to earn some extra money and who has extra space to rent out. You then recruit them and help with all the details of listing their space and booking reservations on Airbnb.

Hosting a Local Experience

Hosts can also make money on Airbnb by hosting a fun or educational experience for their guests. Basically, the guest gets access or entry to something, participates in something, and is offered a distinctive perspective. You are required to design your experience and submit it to Airbnb for approval. Once approved, you can advertise and host your event.

For example, a host in El Segundo, California might coordinate a walking tour of the interesting downtown area and a visit to the famous Old Town Music Hall where guests could attend a matinee of black and white comedy movies and then sing-along to old favorites from the 1920s.

Space-Saving, Multi-Functional Furniture Can Make Your Space Special

Many Airbnb Hosts have limited space. One simple solution for creating space is to install a space-saving Murphy Bed. Wilding Wallbeds’ Murphy Beds, also called wall beds or wallbeds, take up as little as 16” of depth into the room when the wallbed is in the “up” position. Wilding Wallbeds’ Murphy Beds are all wood and come with a lifetime warranty. They are available in twin, full, queen or king size and are safe, easy-to-operate and extremely beautiful pieces of furniture. There are also many options for style – traditional, elegant, modern, etc. – and a choice of several types of wood and color. Sheets and other bedding can be left in place when storing the bed away, so the bed is ready to use whenever needed, adding to the convenience. Side cabinets, including wardrobes that function as mini-closets, are also available.

In addition to its extensive Murphy Bed product line, Wilding Wallbeds offers several other space-saving solutions, including:

• Disappearing Desk Bed

  The beautiful and extremely useful Disappearing Desk Bed by Wilding Wallbeds is another solution to the problem of limited space. The Disappearing Desk Bed allows you to turn any space into a bedroom and home office simultaneously. There is no need to clear the desktop of anything less than 17” high in order to convert the desk to a bed. The Disappearing Desk Bed by Wilding Wallbeds is available in twin, full or queen size.

• Sofa Murphy Bed

  The Sofa Murphy Bed by Wilding Wallbeds is another brilliant way to optimize limited space. The Sofa Murphy Bed enables use of a comfortable sofa during the day and a spacious king or queen size bed at night. Wilding Wallbed’s Sofa Murphy Beds use exceptionally high-quality Serta mattresses and are a great alternative to traditional convertible sleeper sofas with their uncomfortable mattresses and scissor-like retractable frames.

• Bookcase Wallbed

  Wilding Wallbed’s Bookcase Wallbeds are another way to make the best use of limited space. B&B guests get the convenience of a space-saving Wallbed plus built-in shelving for books or other useful items.

• Bunk Wallbed

  Wilding Wallbeds’ Bunk Beds are also a great space-saving solution. The Bunk Bed Wallbed comes standard as twin-over-twin, but is also available in twin extra long for taller guests. Not just for kids, Wilding Wallbeds’ Bunk Bed systems can accommodate adults in comfort while freeing up valuable space during the day. Wilding Wallbeds’ Bunk Beds are only 17″ deep. Like all Wilding Wallbeds’ products, Bunk Beds are sturdily built and will last a lifetime.

For more information about Wilding Wallbeds space-saving solutions, please call (866) 877-7803.

Written by
Rich Peck
Chino Hills Showroom Manager
Phone: (909) 680-4141