Post by peterblloyd on Mar 6, 2016 1:50:27 GMT
First of all, I take my hat off to Deborah for tackling the Herculean task of setting up this Forum and running it, and being so active in AirBnB discussions.
My introduction ... I first started using AirBnB as a guest in September 2011, when I travelled to Boston. And I started hosting in May the next year. I had left my contract job in the computer industry in order to focus on writing. At first I figured I could survive by homestay English teaching. So I did a four-week TEFL course, but I never got any students from the many English schools in London. I am guessing they have a policy of not lodging their students with lone males, and preferring family hosts. So ... having tidied up my flat that was overflowing with books, maps, and general-purpose junk, I decided to try hosting on AirBnB. One snag was that I was living in a one-bedroom flat. But I figured that I could rent out the bedroom while I slept on the sofa in the living room. As long as I got up early in the morning, it should work out. To my pleasant surprise, it did! The first few months were slow, but I soon reached almost full occupancy. As this area (London E16) is not a tourist area, I focused on providing above-average service to make up for the fact that I was 45 minutes by metro from the centre of London. I would often meet & greet people at the metro station, or at the airport, sometimes pick up the luggage from incoming guests so that they could use their first day in London for sight-seeing, allow any number of guests to use the room at no extra cost, and often gave guests a walking tour of central London on their first day. I really enjoyed it. During the gaps in AirBnB bookings, I also hosted guests from Couchsurfing. It was great fun, but I spent way too much time socialising with guests instead of writing. Big oops.
Well, the first volume of my history of the New York City subway map was published in December 2012, and I let go of the Couchsurfing hosting, and tried to discipline my use of time. But the cash flow from AirBnB (and occasional English teaching) was barely enough to survive on and not enough for my research trips to the USA. So I got work as a technical author, as a day-job in Canary Wharf, for a year in 2014. Then hosting became more complicated, as first Reka moved in, and then the two cats Artemis and Apollo. Running an AirBnB business in a one-bedroom flat is just about workable as a lone host, but with so many people and animals it was untenable. So, I sold my flat in May last year with a view to getting a larger two-bedroom place. But first I had to do some travelling - to New York, Paris, Hungary ... and now I am temporarily renting an ancient house in Wivenhoe, near London. Unfortunately the landlord has not allowed AirBnB hosting. So, for the moment, I am inactive host. But once I get the place I need, I shall be keen to start hosting again. I definitely get a buzz from meeting so many interesting people from everywhere!
While I was actively hosting, I started the AirBnB Group 'Writers, Artists, and Performers', which somehow acquired 24,000 members. With the advertised closure of all AirBnB Groups, I decided to use social media to keep people connected, on Facebook and a blog under the title of 'Staying With Art'. I am looking forward to developing this project alongside writing books.
My introduction ... I first started using AirBnB as a guest in September 2011, when I travelled to Boston. And I started hosting in May the next year. I had left my contract job in the computer industry in order to focus on writing. At first I figured I could survive by homestay English teaching. So I did a four-week TEFL course, but I never got any students from the many English schools in London. I am guessing they have a policy of not lodging their students with lone males, and preferring family hosts. So ... having tidied up my flat that was overflowing with books, maps, and general-purpose junk, I decided to try hosting on AirBnB. One snag was that I was living in a one-bedroom flat. But I figured that I could rent out the bedroom while I slept on the sofa in the living room. As long as I got up early in the morning, it should work out. To my pleasant surprise, it did! The first few months were slow, but I soon reached almost full occupancy. As this area (London E16) is not a tourist area, I focused on providing above-average service to make up for the fact that I was 45 minutes by metro from the centre of London. I would often meet & greet people at the metro station, or at the airport, sometimes pick up the luggage from incoming guests so that they could use their first day in London for sight-seeing, allow any number of guests to use the room at no extra cost, and often gave guests a walking tour of central London on their first day. I really enjoyed it. During the gaps in AirBnB bookings, I also hosted guests from Couchsurfing. It was great fun, but I spent way too much time socialising with guests instead of writing. Big oops.
Well, the first volume of my history of the New York City subway map was published in December 2012, and I let go of the Couchsurfing hosting, and tried to discipline my use of time. But the cash flow from AirBnB (and occasional English teaching) was barely enough to survive on and not enough for my research trips to the USA. So I got work as a technical author, as a day-job in Canary Wharf, for a year in 2014. Then hosting became more complicated, as first Reka moved in, and then the two cats Artemis and Apollo. Running an AirBnB business in a one-bedroom flat is just about workable as a lone host, but with so many people and animals it was untenable. So, I sold my flat in May last year with a view to getting a larger two-bedroom place. But first I had to do some travelling - to New York, Paris, Hungary ... and now I am temporarily renting an ancient house in Wivenhoe, near London. Unfortunately the landlord has not allowed AirBnB hosting. So, for the moment, I am inactive host. But once I get the place I need, I shall be keen to start hosting again. I definitely get a buzz from meeting so many interesting people from everywhere!
While I was actively hosting, I started the AirBnB Group 'Writers, Artists, and Performers', which somehow acquired 24,000 members. With the advertised closure of all AirBnB Groups, I decided to use social media to keep people connected, on Facebook and a blog under the title of 'Staying With Art'. I am looking forward to developing this project alongside writing books.