Would You Accept an Airbnb Booking Knowing the Guest Will Die During the Stay?

Visit the Snowball Rentals website 👉🏻 snowballrentals.com

Hosts, today I want to share an Airbnb experience that we still cannot forget.

Over our years operating and managing short-term rentals, we have met guests of every kind and encountered plenty of situations that left us unsure whether to laugh or cry:

Someone paid US$30,000 a month to stay in our lake-view villa without bargaining once—a truly wealthy guest;

Someone else dreamed of traveling the world but had no money, leaving a message asking, “Could you let me stay a few nights for free?”;

And there were slow-moving buyers who had just sold their homes and booked a short-term rental while looking for a new one, only to stay for half a year and nearly spend their down payment before finding a house…

But none of those was our most unforgettable experience.

She simply wanted her mother’s final days to be spent somewhere other than a cold hospital bed

This happened a few years ago. At the time, we managed a 1,300-square-foot townhouse beside a major Seattle hospital, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, modern finishes and a warm atmosphere. It was popular with both long- and short-term guests.

One day, we received a booking request from a woman. She was not booking for herself but for her mother, who had late-stage leukemia. Her mother was receiving treatment at the hospital next to our property, but the doctors had made it clear that nothing more could be done.

This daughter was deeply devoted to her mother.

She said she did not want her mother’s final days to be spent lying in a hospital, staring at a cold ceiling and smelling disinfectant.

She wanted to find a warm, beautiful home where her mother could complete her final journey peacefully and with dignity.

“This is the last thing I can do for her.”

She also told us the stay might last one or two weeks, or one or two months. Cost was not an issue; she simply hoped we would accept their request.

As Chinese hosts, we were torn

Her story left us with deeply mixed feelings.

We understood her wishes and were moved by her devotion. For a moment, we even felt we should agree without hesitation, allowing her mother to say goodbye to the world in a warm space.

But as Chinese people, we felt deeply uneasy about someone dying in the home.

Although the house was not ours—we managed it on behalf of the owner—we knew that if owners learned someone would spend their final days in their home, most would likely refuse, however moving the story.

We also had to consider every risk and subsequent impact from the owner’s perspective.

After days of struggling, we declined

Ultimately, we declined the daughter’s booking request.

It was not an easy decision. Many years have passed, but we still often think about that day.

We have asked ourselves countless times: Was our decision too unfeeling? Did we miss an opportunity to help someone?

We have carried this story with us ever since.

Today, we are sharing it to ask our fellow hosts:

If you knew a guest would spend the final stage of their life in your Airbnb, would you accept the booking?

Scan the QR code to join our “Short- and Mid-Term Rentals: Mutual Support Discussion Group”!

Owners, what do you think? Join our mutual-support WeChat group to discuss it together!

If you:

Hope to increase rental income through short-term rentals;

Cannot spare a great deal of time to handle the small details;

Occasionally need to use the home yourself, making it unsuitable to empty out the furniture for a long-term rental;

Then:

Snowball Rentals’ management team is your best choice.

From pre-launch vacation-rental styling, big-data analysis and online marketing to tenant screening, dynamic pricing, customer service and sales, cleaning and repairs, Snowball Rentals provides everything as one complete service for your home.

This Week’s Booking Results

Through long-standing relationships with insurers, assignment companies and technology companies, Snowball Rentals rents homes for medium- and long-term durations at short-term rates, then gives owners a rebate of 5% in management fees to maximize their income.

As April arrives and cherry blossoms begin to bloom, Seattle’s short-term rental low season is finally coming to an end!

Short-term rentals in peak season; mid-term rentals in low season.

This is a new strategy we have consistently followed since the low season began last September, supporting owners through the downturn together.

Looking back at earlier large bookings, this strategy has achieved some results, allowing us to retain confidence even in a cold winter!

Although peak season is approaching, we cannot let our guard down. Policies and the wider environment are still full of uncertainty and challenges. Pursuing progress while maintaining stability will remain the priority.

The detached Renton home below can be found on Redfin, where its estimated long-term monthly rent is about $4,155.

With the owner’s trust and support, we carefully furnished the home and immediately began short-term rental operations. Fortunately, because the home’s condition and location are both good, short- and mid-term bookings have continued to come in.

As shown in the booking screenshot below, a guest recently rented this home from April 19 to July 19, a total of 91 nights, at an average monthly rent of $10,778.

In summary, after Snowball Rentals began operating this property, its monthly rental income increased from $4,155 to $10,778, doubling.

For homeowners, combining short- and mid-term rentals in this way can earn more in peak season and help them get through low season smoothly. Even if the low-season rental figures look less dramatic, they still outperform long-term rentals and give homeowners a strong sense of financial security.

More importantly, the owner does not have to worry about maintenance or cleaning. When something needs to be discussed with guests, we also help with communication and oversight.

Here, we again thank the owner for placing trust in the Snowball Rentals team!

After nearly two years of Airbnb’s downturn, we at Snowball Rentals hope to help owners make steady progress in low season, navigate the challenges safely and lay a better foundation for next year’s peak season.

Once again, heartfelt thanks to our homeowners for their trust and support. Whether the market is strong or weak, Snowball Rentals will stand with you and look for ways to increase your income!

Some homeowners will surely ask the hard question: was a large booking like this just a stroke of luck? What if the home does not rent? A long-term rental is more stable—even earning less is better than earning nothing!

Our answer is: the outcome depends on what we do.

Vacation-Rental Styling

Competition on Airbnb is becoming increasingly intense. The days of piecing together secondhand furniture, taking phone photos and earning easy money on Airbnb are over. Airbnb hosts have moved toward professional operations.

Careful design and furnishing before launch, followed by professional short-term rental operations, will be the only choice for a rental that continues to generate high income.

Here is another of Snowball Rentals’ core services: vacation-rental styling!

After our careful furnishing, the detached home mentioned above looks like this:

When choosing a short-term rental on Airbnb, would this home’s appearance attract you?

If you would also like to make your home more attractive and earn more rent, please contact us at any time!

This Week’s Short Videos

We regularly update short videos every week.

The content you need is all here.

👇🏻 Homeowners are welcome to follow us 👇🏻

1

Snowball Rentals

We also share practical vacation-rental styling plans and creative ideas to help you achieve more with less spending!

Keep rental income growing!

Xiao An’s Vacation-Rental Styling

2

Referral Rewards

If you are already a Snowball Rentals homeowner, you receive a US$500 referral fee for each referral.

If you are not yet a Snowball Rentals homeowner, you receive a US$250 shopping voucher for each referral.

Snowball Rentals Management

1. Full service — We provide pre-launch rental design, furniture procurement, furnishing, professional photography, online marketing, copywriting, tenant service and sales, cleaning, supply purchasing and property repairs. You only need to be a hands-off owner; we handle the rest.

2. Multi-platform promotion — We promote the home on Airbnb, VRBO, HomeAway and other mainstream platforms for maximum exposure.

3. Dynamic pricing — Using big data, we adjust prices every day according to seasonal demand, holidays, last-minute vacancy offers, weekends and local activities, maximizing the owner’s income.

4. Income-improvement SOP — We follow 44 secrets for maximizing short-term rental income, optimizing each property’s online marketing, on-site operations and other aspects to work toward maximum income.

5. Flexible owner stays — Owners can flexibly choose when to stay themselves. This is especially suitable for owners with multiple residences around the world.

6. Terminate at any time — Management does not require an annual commitment. The owner can end the agreement with one month’s advance notice.

7. Corporate housing — In addition to nightly rentals, we work with insurers and assignment companies to provide executives with hotel-style managed accommodation for stays longer than 30 days.

8. Transparent fees — For rentals longer than 30 days, we charge 15% of accommodation revenue. For nightly rentals under 30 days, we charge 20% of accommodation revenue.

Author’s tip: Personal views, for reference only.