How to keep your Airbnb ‘green’

You don’t need to own an eco-lodge in the forest to be considered ‘green’ on Airbnb. More and more guests are becoming selective with the type of accommodation they choose to stay in – ones that will reduce their own carbon footprint.

To do so within the city landscape can be a property situated near or in the city centre. The accessibility in cities like public transport and local amenities can put the eco-conscious mind at ease.  This also includes and is not limited to, booking properties that use chemical-free cleaning products.

1. Why choose Airbnb in the first place?

For many travellers, choosing to support businesses that actively consider and take action to support green travel through collaborative consumption is the first step in green travel. Airbnb has previously launched an initiative to promote local, authentic and sustainable tourism in countries and cities across the globe.

Since Airbnb has been founded, they have discovered that over 88% of hosts around the world now incorporate eco-practices into their vacation rentals. Hosts have been doing this by; using green cleaning products, providing recycling bins, encouraging guests to use public transportation, providing bicycles, and installing solar panels.

a. Eco-travellers want to:

• Reduce their carbon footprint
• Lower their energy and water consumption
• Use greener transport
• Continue their environmental practices while they are on holiday

2. Airbnb, going green

You don’t have to spend a fortune on organic cotton sheets and energy saving appliances in order to host and eco-friendly airbnb. Here are some relatively affordable ideas that can help you create a greener space for guests:

a. A recycling or compost bin

Depending on where you are in the world, you are likely to have a recycling service offered by your local government. Make this practice easy for guests by having different coloured bins in the kitchen (i.e. a brown bin for paper/cardboard and a blue bin for plastic and glass bottles).

Some owners will also set up a small compost bin in the kitchen that guests can put their food waste in. If you are going to do this, make sure guests know where to empty this or if you are listing your home be sure to empty them regularly so it doesn’t smell or attract insects.

b. Environmentally friendly lights

LED light bulbs are relatively inexpensive to buy. They are not only better for the environment (and cost effective in the long term) but also have a longer lifespan which means you won’t have guests calling you to replace light bulbs regularly during their stay.

c. Eco-friendly products

Eco-conscious tourists appreciate products that are chemical-free/plant-based because they are better for the planet and also can be better for people who suffer from skin conditions and allergies.

The good news is that most major supermarkets now stock a range of eco-friendly products, including everything from surface sprays to toilet cleaners. Soaps made from natural ingredients are also easy to find in most supermarkets.

d. Storage containers for food

It might seem like a simple thing but providing plastic or glass made containers to store food in, for guests, is another easy way to get the tick of approval from travellers who are conscious about sustainability.

They don’t necessarily want to use plastic wrap or tin foil to keep leftovers but they’ll be very happy to be able to use a couple of your little containers during their stay.

e. Provide canvas shopping bags

Help promote the reduced use of plastic bags by providing guests with canvas shopping bags during their stay. Some owners will actually purchase locally-branded bags (with their town’s name or some kind of iconic local image) and offer them as a welcome gift. Once again, for people who care about the planet, this gesture goes a long way as well as feeling more connected to the community.

f. Sell yourself

If you go to the effort of doing some or all of the above, make sure that it is known! Creating an eco-friendly space for travellers is something you should be mentioning in the title of your listing and in the first few sentences of your description.

We also recommend listing the specific measures you’ve put in place to ‘be green’ in a separate heading/paragraph in your listing.

To help get you started in creating your listing or if you’d like an end-to-end service that manages the property, guest communication and house maintenance, contact the GuestReady team today.

With a combined 50 years experience in hospitality and tech, your property will be in safe hand with the Owner Success team.