STR cleaning / STR service includes washing, scrubbing, dusting, vacuuming, sanitizing, and disinfecting a vacation or short-term rental. STR cleaning is also referred to as “Short Term Rental Turnover Service”. A reputable turnover service also offers stocking and staging of your STR or vacation rental.
Typically, STR cleaning does not include any cleaning or restocking services during your guests’ stay. Savvy Vacation Rental hosts and managers do provide cleaning products for their guests for any spills or messes (Get our recommended list by clicking here). Depending on the average length of stay, additional cleaning supplies or equipment (Get our list of “Guest Supplies” for essential supplies to have on hand) or amenities such as a washer and dryer may be expected.
STR Owners Wear Many Hats …Including “Hospitality Manager”!
With the availability of websites such as AirBnB.com and VRBO.com, many property owners have transitioned their homes, cabins, condos, or apartments from traditional rentals into the short-term rental market.
As the owner of a vacation rental or STR, cleaning is paramount. You are no longer "just a landlord"; you are now a host in the hospitality industry! Your guest’s first impression always includes how clean the space is.
In addition to cleaning, considerations unique to short-term rentals include organizing, prepping, maintaining, stocking, and staging. Oh, then there’s marketing, booking, check-in / check-out arrangements, repeated cleanings or arranging turnover services, inspections, permits, taxes, and customer service to manage too.
For regulations that apply to your STR, you should review your state, county, and local municipality’s website for any laws specific to your city. In addition, if you are in an HOA, review your CC&R to confirm your ability to rent out your unit on a short-term, mid-term, or long-term basis.
For specifics to review and decisions you should make prior to booking your first guest, check out our “Things to Consider”.
Understanding what’s important to your guests will help you provide amenities and benefits that will earn you 5-star ratings. And we know more top reviews lead to more guests!
Why is STR Cleaning / Short-Term Rental Turnover Service So Important?
How clean your STR looks and smells is the biggest factor in that all-important first impression! “According to Airbnb data, a lack of cleanliness is one of the top reasons guests leave a negative review. On the other hand, a spotless space can lead to positive reviews…”
In the Traveler Value Index 2023 report on VRBO.com, “heightened cleanliness standards” is one of the trends that showed a significant upswing in the responses. VRBO.com also found that over 50% of travelers choose “properties that have environmentally friendly and inclusive policies.”
In our cleaning division, Caravel Cleaning Company, we have refined the Turnover Service and can help you Wow your guests.
Thorough, meticulous, environmentally friendly turnover cleaning is just the first step. The Caravel Cleaning Crew uses a 110-point cleaning checklist, and they are also trained to re-stage after each guest. We use marketing photos to maintain consistency in the appearance of each property. Not only are pillows fluffed and placed just so, every detail is covered every time.
Turnover Cleaning Meaning…
Turnover Cleaning in its simplest terms is cleaning a room or property and making sure that it is fully stocked with any incidentals a guest may need. For hotels, this would be considered maid service after check-out. For Short-Term Rentals, an STR service will have several additional details to take into account, and way more rooms to clean. Cleaning isn’t the only priority. Taking inventory, restocking, arranging, and staging are additional particulars that need attention.
AirBnb’s “Enhanced Clean” includes 5 main points: prepare, clean, sanitize, check, reset.
VRBO’s Cleaning checklist is far more detailed, with 79 points to cover. Just reading it will take an “average reader” 10 minutes!
Most STR owners find that using a professional turnover service alleviates a lot of headaches. To ensure you get consistent results, get your Turnover Checklist by following one of these links:
Short-Term Rental Turnover Service
Grand View Research found that short-term rentals accounted for 99.5 million nights booked in the US in 2021. Globally, they project a compounded annual growth rate of 11.1% from 2022-2030. In USD, that translates to 109.76 billion in 2022, with the projection for 2030 coming in at 256.31 billion!
Can you imagine how many hours of cleaning that will take?
According to AirDNA’s 2023 US short-term rental outlook report, “The many upward trends in the vacation rental space paint a picture of an inspiring future, particularly as consumers’ appetite for travel shows no signs of slowing.”
Your property may be perfect for a vacation rental, it may be better suited to serve business travelers’ needs, or as a mid-term rental for traveling professionals. Maybe your STR is ideal for a family vacation with pets or a relaxing ‘girls’ weekend getaway. It could be located near adventurous excursions, or off the beaten path to provide guests with much-needed peace and quiet. For any type of STR, creating an environment that welcomes your guests and makes them feel at home will help you increase bookings and revenue.
If you are looking for ways to make your STR stand out from the crowd, at Raini & Associates, Inc, we offer on-site and virtual design services. Let’s see if we can help - Click here to book your 15 minute discovery call.