The head of our housekeeping services, Jing and her team are responsible for over 25 luxury holiday properties in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast – they prepare every single rooms to our exacting standards, which includes stocking them with fresh sheets (from commercial laundry in Southport) and toiletries ready for guests.

Jing would be the best person to ask for some tips on making your home spick and span!

1One thing at a time:: It’s often more efficient to complete all the tasks of one type throughout a property, rather than cleaning room-by-room.

2Top to bottom: Start high up, if you vacuum first. You might have to do it again once you’ve wiped the surfaces down.

3Don’t mop yourself into a corner: Begin on the area furthest from the door. It is a common sense that no use making a kitchen floor sparkle if you’ve got to walk over it to get out.

We have put together some easy steps that every host in Surfers Paradise Gold Coast can follow. These steps would prevent hosting tasks from becoming more of a chore than a reward.

Some of our most enthusiastic hosts in Surfers are so dedicated to their guests. They wish them to have an exceptional stay however they are challenged to find their own time and resources for doing this.

Determine your goals

Are you hosting primarily to earn money? For companionship? To create more art or share the meals you enjoy preparing? Then it’s important to recognize and feel good about how hosting aligns with and supports these goals. For some hosts, their hosting work started as a means to keeping their apartments. Thus the initial goal has evolved into being able to provide a great, affordable place to stay in the highly coveted Surfers Paradise apartment and give guests the opportunity to live like an Aussie.

Surround yourself with resources

Talking about resources, we mean those you can “call in a pinch” when, for instance, you need to handle keys to someone at 2 pm in Sun City Apartment Building, when you are working in an office in Sydney, This includes a community of friends, like-minded neighbors, a cleaning service, or a few people who are willing to work part time.

At hostkeeping, we are the hosts ourselves, and this is why you can reply on our available resources...

Additional Readings

Host Blogs:: How Do You Distinguish Rental Scams?

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 1 of 2

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 2 of 2

Host Blogs:: Making More Appealing Properties

Host Blogs:: What Are Guests Thinking Of?

Queensland Beaches in the northern part of Australia rank among the best in the world for all seasons. The large selection of beaches along the 3000km coastline covers all environments from exciting large surf beaches in Gold Coast to relaxing calm water beaches in Cairns. The water temperature is comfortable, the sunshine is all year-round, and facilities at Queensland Beaches are convenient and useful.

Ready to explore the myriad beaches throughout the Queensland coast? Choose one from the list below, or use the links to your left:

Burleigh Heads

Coolangatta

Surfers Paradise – Main Beach

Broad Beach

Maroochydore

Noosa Heads

Noosa Main Beach

Fraser Island

Airlie Beach & Whitsundays

Hinchinbrook Island

Mission Beach

Kurrimine Beach

Flying Fish Point

Fitzroy Island – Nudey Beach

Turtle Bay

Cairns Beaches:

Cairns Esplanade

Machans Beach

Holloways Beach

Yorkeys Knob

Trinity Beach

Kewarra Beach

Clifton Beach

Palm Cove

Ellis Beach

4-Mile Beach (Port Douglas)

Daintree Rainforest Beaches

Additional Readings

Host Blogs:: How Do You Distinguish Rental Scams?

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 1 of 2

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 2 of 2

Host Blogs:: Making More Appealing Properties

Host Blogs:: What Are Guests Thinking Of?

The latest Hotels Price Index report based on bookings made through Hotels.com, showed the average price paid to stay at Uluru was $300 a night in the first six months of this year, up from $287 in the same period last year.

On a global scale, only New York City ($316) and Rio de Janeiro ($302) were more expensive.

The Whitsundays off Queensland’s central coast came in second to Uluru at $232 a night — down from $254 last year — followed by Darwin at $212 and Sydney for $199 a night.

At the other end of the scale, Alice Springs offered the cheapest hotel stay at an average $106 a night, followed by Launceston in Tasmania at $141, up from $136.

A spokeswoman for Ayers Rock Resort questioned the methodology used by the price index, pointing out there were only five hotels listed at Uluru compared with 354 in Sydney.

“Every guest who stays at any accommodation at Ayers Rock Resort has access to a comprehensive suite of free daily guest activities which adds significantly to value for money,” she said.

“These include guided garden walks, a daily cultural dance performance, didgeridoo lessons, spear and boomerang throwing lessons, yarns and traditional weapons talks.”

The report found American and Chinese tourists tended to pay the most for accommodation in Australia, spending an average $192 a night followed by UK visitors ($188) and the Swiss and South Africans ($187).

The weaker Australian dollar was credited for a shift in Aussie travelling habits, with more of us opting for pocket friendly destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.

“Asian cities made up half of the top 10 overseas destinations for Australian jetsetters so far this year,” said Hotels.com regional director Katherine Cole.

“The top five destinations providing Aussies with the best value for money were Pattaya in Thailand for an average $70 a night, Hanoi in Vietnam ($71), Phnom Penh ($71) and Siem Reap ($72) in Cambodia, and Cebu ($74) in the Philippines.”

American destinations lost ground in the popularity stakes with Australians as the dollar weakened against the greenback.

Los Angeles fell six places to 12, and Las Vegas slipped four places to ninth.

Even New York lost its top spot to Bali, which offered a four-star room for an average $150 a night, compared with the Big Apple’s $348 price tag for the same standard.

“The weaker dollar has also seen Aussies travelling more at home with many popular holiday spots across the country offering very affordable accommodation prices,” said Ms Cole.

Dearest Australian holiday destinations – average room prices

1. Uluru $300 (up from $287 last year)

2. Whitsunday Islands $232 (down from $254)

3. Darwin $212 (up from $195)

4. Sydney $199 (up from $190)

5. Perth $193 (down from $200)

6. Canberra $189 (up from $188)

7. Sunshine Coast $184 (up from $166)

8. Byron Bay $182 (up from $169)

9. Blue Mountains $178 (up from $161)

10. Port Douglas $177 (steady at $177)

Cheapest Australian holiday destinations

1. Alice Springs $106 (down from $114)

2. Launceston $141 (up from $136)

3. Cairns $144 (up from $132)

4. Adelaide $152 (up from $141)

5. Melbourne $168 (up from $163)

Cheapest international holiday destinations for Aussie travellers

1. Pattaya, Thailand $70

2. Hanoi, Vietnam $71

3. Phnom Penh, Cambodia $71

4. Siem Reap, Cambodia $72

5. Cebu, Philippines $74

6. Chiang Mai, Thailand $79

7. Manila, Philippines $84

8. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam $86

9. Bangkok, Thailand $87

10. Hoi An, Vietnam $89

Dearest international holiday destinations – average room prices

1. New York $316 (up from $281 last year)

2. Rio de Janeiro $302 (up from $291)

3. Cancun $294 (up from $236)

4. Boston $282 (up from $239)

5. Honolulu $278 (up from $248)

6. Venice $274 (up from $233)

7. Paris $259 (up from $227)

8. Moscow $254 (up from $233)

9. San Francisco $253 (up from $215)

10. London $251 (up from $214)

Additional Readings

Host Blogs:: How Do You Distinguish Rental Scams?

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 1 of 2

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 2 of 2

Host Blogs:: Making More Appealing Properties

Host Blogs:: What Are Guests Thinking Of?

Renting out your holiday property on Surfers Paradise Gold Coast is not an easy task. There are more than 1000 private rentals available in additional to the brand hotel chain such as Mantra and Breakfree. So the renting process can only be a rewarding if you get everything right. After all only the top 1% of rental hosts significantly outperform the bottom 99% by earning 20% of the overall rental revenue.

Followings are the second part of our Rental Advice in Surfers Paradise Gold Coast, for 'How to Become a Top Hosts - Facts and Tricks'.

4Do Your Homework:Facts:: Make sure you spend at least 3 hours a week. actively managing and improving your listings (e.g. 5 edits or more every week).

• Select a Good Title:Play with your title. Make it eye catching to your potential guests around Australia and the world. Change your title every month or two may be a good idea too. Use keywords in your title that will come up in a Google search. Search engines can drive customers to your listings easily.
• Take Good Quality Photos:Always take good photo sets for your listings. Your listing’s views will increase by 50% if your photos have great ocean views etc in Surfers Paradise Gold Coast. You will easily earn back the $150 you spent with your first booking.
• Turn On Instant Booking:Enable the instant-booking button if you can on your listing. This would help you to reach the 90% response rate needed to become a Superhost in AirBnB. And in return, it will also give you more bookings.
• Improve Your Listing Ranking:Play with prices and update them at least once a week to improve your listing performance.

5Guests Reviews:Facts:: Only 38% of the listings have the rating of 4.5 or higher in Surfers Paradise. According to AirBnB blogs, listings can reach almost full occupancy when it getting 80 or more good reviews..

• Provide Good Amenities:Provide with good level of amenities to your guests in Surfers Paradise is vital. Parking is essential in big buildings. Ensure that you cover this problem for your guests, even if you need to rent a parking spot on a monthly basis. Wi-Fi is another must-have. Currently more than 92% of successful hosts in Gold Coast offer free Wi-Fi.
• Get More Guest Reviews:Studies show that 80% of online consumers read the reviews before making a purchase. In order to get more bookings in Surfers Paradise listings, review your guests first. It increases your chances of getting reviewed by 50%. Also verify your ID. Studies show that hosts with verified IDs have three times more reviews.

Based on the facts from Fair-tradings QLD, hosts in Gold Coast often become victims of the online scams. Followings are some of the most common red flags that would help you in identifying a scam inquiry before falling victim.

1Watch the Language:If the inquirer demonstrates a poor grasp of basic language ie spelling, punctuation, and grammar, then they could be scammers.

2Emails:Is the email coming from an email provider you’ve never heard of? Does the email address correspond with the name in your inbox? If the two don’t match, watch out! It could be a fake email.

3Too Much Information:Have they written above and beyond what normally be expected? Are they provided you with a life story? This is a big red flag when it comes to scams. The rule is: don’t believe everything you read.

4Occupations:Be a aware that, any potential guests that make a point in declaring their profession for one reason or another. Especially if they say they are a religious figure, sea captain, doctor or member of the armed forces etc.

5Surprises and Gift:If the traveler mentions that they are arranging a surprise trip for someone else - it can be an alarm bell. Surprise trips often can fall through at any time.

6Payments:Be careful if they offer to pay outside of AirBnB / HomeAway, e.g. by bank cheques or by Western Union transfer. These payments are not secured and won’t be guaranteed under the AirBnB or HomeAway policies.

Additionally, if they offer to pay more than your listed rate, this can be another warning sign. A classic 'overpay scam' involves guests sending more money than stated via cheque or money order, and likely enough, it turns out to be stolen. Before you can realize this, they’ll be sending you messages asking for the overpayment to be returned to them (many will use the excuse of travel departments making a mistake). Recently, this scam has come into play using credit cards, too: the scammer reserves a property, and (over)pays by card. They will then ask for the extra amount back via bank transfer, making up an excuse why it can’t go back on the card. Only once funds have been sent will it come to light that scammers had been using stolen credit card details.

Finally, if a guest provides you with unsolicited payment information in their initial inquiry, you should be immediately alarmed that this could be a potential scamer.

7Missing Profile:When it comes to inquiries, if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Trust your gut feelings! If the traveler doesn’t send any inquiry questions or have any phone number listed on their profile, raise your suspicions!

8Incorrect Property Details:Receiving an inquiry from someone who refers to your penthouse apartment in Surfers Paradise as a “cute cottage” should raise a few red flags. This could likely be a 'blanket message' they’ve sent to multiple owners, waiting for one unsuspecting host to fall victim to this scam.

9Date Inconsistencies:If you have a potential inquire about specific dates, then tell you their dates to rent your property are flexible, this could also be a scam too.

10General Perception:A lot of scams could be avoided if hosts truly go with their instinct. If it sounds too good to be true (ie. paying you extra money for a low-season period), it probably is!

Offering great hospitality can come through in a lot of ways, but it most definitely starts with a clean space.

While cleaning might not be the most fun part of hosting, it should not have to be very difficult! Here are some tips and tricks which may be of help to in setting up an effective and easy cleaning routine.

Focus on the troubled spots

First things first: Give extra attention to the most important areas of your property, ie kitchen and bathrooms. If you offer your guests to use a refrigerator, always give it a thorough cleaning. And if you make a point to keep all of the kitchen condiments and other items nicely organized, your guest will be encouraged do the same.

Make room for your guests

In addition to keeping your space clean, it’s important to keep it tidy. Your guests may not want to live out of their suitcase for their whole stay, so you can offer them space to put out their toiletries and personal items on a shelf or a luggage stand. You can also offer your guests room for their clothes and larger items in a wardrobe or dressing table.

Pay attention to details:Once you’ve got your space clean and ready for your next guests, remember to check the details:

• Look for stray hairs on the lounge suite
• Clean off dust on the edges of shelves, picture frames, and doorways
• Wipe down all the surfaces of fixtures and appliances
• Check the kitchen counter for crumbs
• Sweep or vacuum under the furniture

Additional Readings

Host Blogs:: How Do You Distinguish Rental Scams?

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 1 of 2

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 2 of 2

Host Blogs:: Making More Appealing Properties

Host Blogs:: What Are Guests Thinking Of?

We want you to take the rewards without the hassle. That’s why we are offering complete local property services in Surfers Paradise. Our prices are based on careful and extensive comparisons with services offered in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast area.

Whilst we have tried our best effort at providing you with the best value services, the listed pricing, however, may vary for different properties and locations. Additionally, one-off services or an ongoing support plan may incur different rates.

Key Exchange and Check-in

We offer two options to your guests:

• Pick up the keys by your guest: $25. 12:00PM to 6:00PM Daily (excluding public holidays).
• Deliver the keys by our staff: $45. 12:00PM to 8:00PM Daily

For our detailed rates and included services please read more

Professional Housekeeping and Cleaning

Our housekeeping and cleaning services are charged based on the bedrooms in the properties, the type of the properties and the locations. Small variations in prices may be applicable.

• 1 Bedroom Apartment: $85 double sheet (+$5 for triple sheets)
• 2 Bedroom Apartment: $110 double sheet (+$10 for triple sheets)
• 3 Bedroom Apartment: $150 double sheet (+$10 for triple sheets)
• Penthouse (up to 4 Bedrooms): $180 double sheet (+$15 for triple sheets)
• House (Surfers Paradise only): $200 double sheet (+$15 for triple sheets)

For our detailed rates and included services please read more

Repairs and Maintenance

Our licensed and fully insured Hubbies are here to help around your properties at your guests’ convenience. Our free, no obligation quote starts only from $45 including small parts.

We can provide one-off services, or develop an ongoing maintenance plan at a fixed annual rate to suit your property needs and budget.

Our team come with years of experience and skills in following areas,

• Flatpack Assembly
• Kitchen & Bathroom Fittings & Repairs
• Smoke Alarm Installations & Maintenance
• Light Fittings
• Tiling & Grouting
• Plastering & Wall Repairs
• Door & Window Repairs
• All Home Improvements
• General Building Works
• Rubbish & Waste Removals

For our detailed rates and included services please read more

Round-the-clock Support

If you are our existing customers, you can add a Guest Support Services for a small fee, starting only from $10 per stay.

We provide around the clock response for guest support and maintenance as needed. This can be that at the middle of the night that your guests or your properties suffer any emergency situations.

Additional Readings

Host Blogs:: How Do You Distinguish Rental Scams?

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 1 of 2

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 2 of 2

Host Blogs:: Making More Appealing Properties

Host Blogs:: What Are Guests Thinking Of?

We are the properties' hosts ourselves!

Renting out our holiday properties in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast on websites like Airbnb, Stayz can be a rewarding yet frustrating. We shared the same experience: leaving keys at a reception, asking friends to help, missing bookings because we are not around…

We then formed HostKeeping Group - we want you to reap the rewards without the hassle. That’s why we are offering complete local property services in Surfers Paradise - from key exchanges, cleaning to guest enquiries and support, we take care of it all, giving you a complete peace of mind whilst increasing your guest bookings and rental income.

Our team is dedicated to provide you and your guests with following services,

Key Exchange and Check-in

We offer two options to your guests,

• Pick up the keys: at one of our locations between 12:00PM to 6:00PM everyday (excluding public holidays).
• Deliver the keys: our staff meets and greets your guests and deliver the keys. This will include a short introduction of your property and shared local recommendations.

Our rates are starting from $25 including GST, read more

Professional Housekeeping

Our team of professional housekeepers have years of experience in hotels. You can expect your property is an impeccably clean place, each and every time.

Our changeover cleaning service also includes linen supply and change over, restocking essentials. From only $110 including GST for 2-bedroom apartment, read more

Repairs and Maintenance

From changing a lightbulb to small fixes, we’ll take care of basic property maintenance tasks and will be on call throughout your guest’s stay.

We are locals. For small repairs our charges only start from $45 including parts and GST, read more

Round-the-clock Support

We understand your guest’s satisfaction is important. So we always available to handle your guests’ questions and requests for an added cost of $10 per stay if you subscribe our Key Exchange service, read more

Additional Readings

Host Blogs:: How Do You Distinguish Rental Scams?

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 1 of 2

Host Blogs:: Holiday Rental Advice in Surfers 2 of 2

Host Blogs:: Making More Appealing Properties

Host Blogs:: What Are Guests Thinking Of?