When I listed the first apartment, I figured the work was done once the renovation was finished, the keys were in the lockbox and the calendar was open. I was wrong. That is where it starts.
Speed beats everything
One thing comes up in the reviews more than anything else: messages get answered quickly. It is not a trick. The phone is in my pocket anyway, and a guest's question is usually small: where is the remote, where do I park, does the door code work. A small question is worth answering before it grows into a big one.
The lockbox was the single best purchase. Nobody wants to schedule a key handover around a train timetable, not the guest and not the host. Clear instructions ahead of time, and everyone arrives whenever they arrive.
Reviews are a to-do list
I read every review. The compliments are nice, but the remarks are more useful. One guest pointed out that the bathroom has no bidet shower. Notes like that keep the to-do list alive: small things somebody else noticed before I did.
I do not compromise on cleanliness, but a home does not need to look like a hotel. The bed is made properly and the surfaces shine, but the shelf can hold books and the kitchen real knives. Guests write about the place feeling like a home more often than about any single amenity.
Two of the eight homes host guests. The rest teach the same lesson more slowly: a building stays in good shape when you look after it before you have to.
Two of the homes are open for guests. See the homes