Home Sweet Airbnb

Two Local Airbnb Hosts Open Up About Converting Their Homes into Unique Travel Destinations

By Caroline Tremblay

Fletcher

to the bed and breakfast until last year,” he says.

The small-scale attachment is now listed on both Airbnb and Vrbo, and during its inaugural season, Cline had 72% occupancy from May to October. Though he’s never directly asked anyone, he guesses that the historical nature of his place, the off-grid intrigue, and of course, the alpacas, all likely play a role in his stay’s allure.

His property features three miles of trails, a 10-acre beaver pond, alpacas, chickens, and cats. It’s the perfect setting for slow living, not to mention the hundreds of books Cline has shelved throughout the home.

Many of his guests are people seeking a getaway from the speed of city life.

“They don’t realize how much their body is really off-kilter from being constantly bombarded by light and sound,” Cline describes. They often remark with surprise about how well they slept.

As an educator and environmental planner, Cline has added interesting tidbits about nature throughout the property, from info sprinkled along the trails to labels within the house marking the various species of trees used to build it. He has worked to make it clear in his rental listing that all are welcome and has had quite a number of people from overseas.

“It lightens my heart and makes me feel good about the world,” Cline says.

One family turned out to be arriving from Yemen after their son received his cancer treatment at Children’s Hospital in Boston.

The father shared Yemeni coffee spiced with cinnamon with Cline and later politely asked how to turn the heat on. Though it was July and nearly 80 degrees, Cline understood it must have felt chilly compared to home for the family. “I lit the woodstove so they could be warm that night,” he recalls.

“Whether it was all my planning or the way the Airbnb site is designed or my silly personality or whatever, it was sort of immediately a hit,” he notes about the success of his farm stay.

As someone who considers himself a “steward” of the land versus an “owner,” it’s satisfying for Cline to see other people enjoying his home.

“It’s a way for me to make a little bit of money, have people from other ways of life visiting, and introduce them to an alternative lifestyle,” he explains.

Sharon Myers, a Brattleboro, Vermont artist who has been hosting in her home since 2010, is big on the people part of it, too.

“It’s a really wonderful way to meet people from around the world,” she says.

Last year, when there was a big storm in Brattleboro, a former house guest from Luxembourg reached out to make sure she was OK. And on the flip side,

Myers recently sent an email to a previous guest from down South because she knew his community was experiencing terrible flooding.

Some visitors are passing through, but others come for trainings held in the area, and during summer, many are in town to attend The New England Center for Circus Arts or the nearby Marlboro Music School and Festival.

“They come from all over and have all different backgrounds. You never know who’s going to be here,” she describes.

When Myers first started, she had one guest bedroom with a private bath and a loft space upstairs with a private bathroom on the main floor. She just retired from years as a has now converted her downstairs into a more private stay, which she also offers on Airbnb.

She provides breakfast, and it’s usually easy to tell if someone wants a chat or their own space.

“I have a deck and a big yard, so if they want to get food and eat outside, they’re welcome to,” she says.

She gets along well with pretty much everyone who stays and even has guests who come back annually. “For those, we’ll sit and chat in the living room,” she says.

While some guests may be keen to share crackers, cheese and conversation, both Cline and Myers agree that one element should be exclusive — the bathroom.

“A private bathroom is key,” Myers says. Her home came with three full baths, “so I’m taking full advantage of it,” she says with a laugh.

What’s the first thing you do when you arrive at a stay?

“I look in the bathroom,” admits Cline. “Is it nice and clean and sparkly?” For him, the pictures on the wall and the books on the shelves don’t matter as much as the state of this essential room.

He says for his stay, “I very carefully disinfect everything in the bathroom, and I make it as spotless as it can be. It’s that first impression.”

Also on his list is the bed, another spot you’ll likely check out soon after arriving. A comfortable bed makes a big difference.

He recommends investing in a new mattress and quality sheets that are always washed between guests, tucked in tightly and replaced every three to four months depending on wear. “You should feel like you’re coming in and not sleeping in someone else’s germs,” he says.

It’s the details that help achieve “Super Host” status, which Airbnb awards when hosts receive five-star ratings, respond to requests within 24 hours, and avoid canceling on people.

“I’ve talked to a number of people who said they’ll only go to Airbnbs with a Super Host rating,” Cline notes.

He also goes out of his way to make the reservation process as easy as possible, even offering a 100% refund to anyone who cancels at any time.

“If you’re a good Airbnb or Vrbo or hotel, you’re going to fill up right away anyway,” he says. He’d rather not lose a potential customer who may reserve another time.

Myers has similarly tried to align with what’s most helpful for guests. She allows dogs at her place, which has mostly worked out, though a guest or two have had to clean the carpets. “I have a dog, and there are places I can’t go because of him, so I wanted to make it available to people,” she says.

While some aspects, like the bathroom, are ones not to compromise on, the other nuances are the things that make each stay unique.

Whether it’s being able to walk out the door and hike or travel with a canine companion, these are the sweet spots that make a stay somewhere people return to.

***Please come see the new expansion of country and primitives antiques at Fairgrounds****