If Airbnb is possible in your area, get ready for guests

You’ve read the law and figured out you’re in the exception area in Clark County — North Las Vegas or the city of Las Vegas — and you’re ready to rent out that spare room for some gambling money.

You’ve photographed your space and created an Airbnb account.

Now what?

“The best way to market your home on Airbnb is to offer a complete and exact listing to users,” advises Christine Marron, an Airbnb spokeswoman. “Hosts should make their title and description both informative and detailed — clearly explaining the unique features and amenities offered.”

So while Las Vegas is known for it’s skimpy attire, laissez faire rules and turning a blind eye to certain activities, don’t relax too much on your listing. Attracting guests requires giving up all the little details of your spot.

What do you need to note?

How many beds are available: Some guests are looking for a quiet retreat away from the hotels and ka-ching of the slot machines, so they want to hear about the large, pillowy king bed tucked away in the casita. Others want to pack as many people into a room as they can to save money and afford more drinks at the club. Know your audience and market it. Have a set of bunkbeds in one room? Make sure you note it for families with kids looking to maximize the space.

Don’t forget to note the pullout couch — some spouses suffer with a snorer and want to know there’s an escape from their retreat.

■ Amenities: Airbnb supplies a list of possible amenities a host can offer. It’s always best to offer the most amenities possible to set your home above the rest. It classifies the “essentials” as towels, bed sheets, soap and toilet paper.” (If you’re not willing to supply the basics, you might want to rethink your plans to host). The extras range from a lock on the bedroom door, to Wi-Fi, shampoo, TV, meals, coffee and tea, a fireplace, hairdryer or iron. This section also lets you alert guests to pets in the home — and be honest to avoid issues with allergies.

■ Shared spaces: Think about your boundaries and what you’re willing to share. Shared items like a washer and dryer or a kitchen can make or break a listing when it comes to families with small children. Willing to share the pool? That’s a big seller right there. Make sure you include if the pool has a hot tub, too.

■ Photos: Share photos of your space, including shots of the bath, beds, living area and general decor. According to Airbnb, most hosts post at least eight photos of their space to set a good scene.

“Uploading high-quality and well-taken photos offers your guests a great first look into their potential temporary home,” Marron said.

■ Description: Marketing is a skill and a talent. Make sure you use great descriptions of your joint if you really want to match the person to the location. Share your ideas of how you’d describe your place with a few friends to see if they have better adjectives that bring it home. Airbnb offers a spot to tell the world why they would love your place — so take advantage of it and go beyond the defaults. This is also where you can suggest your spot for couples, solo adventurers, business travelers, groups, families and guests with pets.

■ How far you are from the action: Distance to the Strip can be a major selling factor for guests. And if there are shuttles nearby, on a bus route or in walking distance — let the world know, and keep track of how and when your guests can get around. This makes for great Welcome Book information.

■ Title: This is the first impression, your book cover (yes, everyone judges a book by it, even if they shouldn’t). Use the best quick-hit words you’ve got to sell your place fast. “Hosts can use specific keywords within their listing that best reflect their home and highlight its top offerings. Listings can appear on search, so it’s a good way to optimize with keywords that travelers might search for such as ‘lakeside retreat’ or ‘dog-friendly log cabin,’” Marron said.

■ Create a calendar: You can choose when and how often guests can book your place. This lets you set the limit.

“Hosts can track the availability of their rental through their account,” Marron said. “By going to manage listings on Airbnb.com, hosts can view their calendars and see which dates have been booked and which are still available. Dates for pending requests and confirmed reservations will be automatically blocked on your calendar.”

■ Pricing: Airbnb helps hosts get a sense of what they can charge and offers two choices — a set price or a flexible price that adjusts to demand. Either way, the price is up to you.

Airbnb’s advice: “To encourage longer stays, some hosts set a weekly or monthly discount. If you want your listing to appear in searches for reservations of 28 nights or more, set a monthly discount. Weekly discounts will apply to any reservation of seven to 27 nights.”

The most important parts of marketing your home?

Be responsive, be ready and ensure great reviews.

Get your house ready before anyone rents. Make sure you have enough beds, seating, hang out space, a fully prepped bath and all the essentials.

To make a guest feel more comfortable, consider a couple of extras: really nice linens, an oversupply of pillows, and some wonderful shampoos, soaps and lotions to make it feel like a luxury escape.

If you’re allowing fido to come along, consider an extra leash, a set of dog bowls and a couple of treats to set the dog at ease. Find a cheap dog bed? Add it to the foot of the bed to give it that extra touch.

And a Welcome Book can really help guide tourists

■ Getting around: Let them know about the monorail, the buses and the shuttles on the Strip and provide taxi service numbers.

■ Things to do: It’s Vegas, there’s always things to do. But consider slipping the newest Neon into the book, add maps and info about Lake Mead, Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Death Valley and then add in some culture with info about the Smith Center,

■ Dining: Again, there are so many options it can be overwhelming. Suggesting a few favorite restaurants (and maybe even your favorite dish) from several types of fare can really take the guesswork out of eating out in a new city. Bonus points for inside tips about each place.

■ Things you shouldn’t miss: There’s never time for it all in Vegas. Be the ultimate guide and suggest your Top Five or Top 10 things you’d tell your best friend to do while they were in town. This can be a great jumping-off point for visitors.

■ Emergencies: Give information on the local hospitals, medical clinics, how to reach you, veterinarians if you’re hosting dogs, and local police and fire stations. And clearly include the address to the home they are staying in on this page so if they call, they can read it off.

Now you’re about ready for your first guest.