Black-out blinds and Union Jack kitsch: how to transform your London house into an Airbnb goldmine

An interiors expert shares her tips for creating an Airbnb goldmine
Tips from the top: John Lewis home interiors expert Tony Berardis with Airbnb host Renee Lacroix. The department store is offering masterclasses in attracting renters
Mikael Buck / John Lewis

An interiors expert says Londoners need look no further than good bedding, black-out blinds and a few London-themed accessories to transform their homes into an Airbnb goldmine.

A high-quality mattress, cotton sheets and, for an extra touch, pillows and posters with pictures of London buses and black cabs, are key to a good rating on the DIY rental website, according to John Lewis’s Tony Berardis.

“It does not take a lot of money to transform your room in to a great Airbnb booking,” he said. “From our feedback and research, having a comfy mattress with a mattress topper is essential, plus nice, clean sheets, ideally Egyptian. A black-out blind is also a must.

“Then there are the small things. We found that making a room look like it is very London — with a red-white-and- blue theme or with pillows and cushions with London buses or black cabs on it — appeals to people.

“We also suggest prints of maps or providing guidebooks and notebooks too. And finally — an umbrella.”

Airbnb, which was founded in San Francisco in 2008, is now in more than 34,000 cities and 191 countries. It has reported a 73 per cent increase in the number of rooms in London since April last year.

The firm also revealed the number of people looking to book Airbnb rooms in London is up 86 per cent over the same period. It means the capital is now the third most-visited Airbnb city in the world, behind Paris and New York, with 983,000 visitors in 2015. The average room rate in London is £79 a night.

Research conducted by Mr Berardis’s team revealed that the biggest barrier for Londoners signing up to be an Airbnb host is the potential impact on their daily routine, with many citing getting the room ready for the next guests as their biggest issue. This month, Mr Berardis is hosting masterclasses in John Lewis’s flagship Oxford Street store to teach users how to attract more guests to their home.

The masterclasses, which run from May 19 to 22, will be led by Mr Berardis and other experts and will cover topics such as how to get started, room essentials and turning a room around in 30 minutes. John Lewis is also selling a £925 starter pack with a double mattress, sheets, mattress toppers and curtains.

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...But location is key

For the past two years, Renee Lacroix has been letting her room in Hackney while she goes abroad.

The fashion designer, 30, earns between £1,000 and £1,500 a year from Airbnb, which pays for her holidays as she is self-employed.

Her housemates all also rent out their rooms in the three-bed flat. She says that at peak times such as Christmas, she can get up to £50 a night for the double room, which has a shared bathroom, but more commonly earns £25 to £30 a night.

She said: “I think the flat is popular due to its location. We are a five-minute walk to Hackney Central Overground which means guests are about 25 minutes to Oxford Circus.

“In terms of the room, it is quite large for a double so we always get couples. The essentials of a good room are a comfy bed and it being clean. I always get a cleaner in before someone stays. Also small touches like guidebooks, Post-It notes and an umbrella are good little touches that people notice. Basically, anything you can do to make it feel like a hotel experience.”

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