With the summer just around the corner and a bigger influx of foreign tourists expected in Dubrovnik than ever before private renters throughout the region are busily preparing for a hectic season. There are around 14,500 private beds in Dubrovnik, which when you compare that to a population of only around 40,000 shows just how many people use Airbnb, booking.com and Expedia to fill their household coffers.

So with so much competition how can you stand out from the crowd and make your Airbnb listing the most attractive.

Ten top tips to make your Airbnb listing number one 

1 – Be a Superhost - although this list is in no particular order becoming a Superhost would probably be in number one position anyway. Superhost status means that when potential guests filter down their choice of holiday accommodation they quite regularly only choose Superhosts. The become a Superhost you need to do some basic things correctly – respond to guests quickly, get good grades on price, location and cleanliness and host a certain number of guests.

2 – Use Airbnb verified photos – you can spend time and money getting the perfect collection of photos from your sun washed apartment but there is a cheaper, and much more effective, way of highlighting your letting. Airbnb has its own photo service and its free! Simply apply online for a free photo session. And the added bonus is that you’ll have Airbnb verified photos which will raise your ranking.

3 – It’s all in the details – avoid any religious icons or pictures on the walls, you don’t want to upset your guests. Be artful yet discrete with your wall furnishings, don’t hang tacky “stock” photos but get creative. Guests are more likely to want relaxing and simple decorations than heavy “over the top” paintings.

4 – Be honest – Airbnb is set up very much as a social media style booking agency, if you lie you’ll get found out very quickly. Bad news spreads faster than good news. If you are miles from the beach then don’t say “front line to the sea.” Be as honest as possible even if you think it will put off some guests. Basically highlight the good points but don’t avoid the traps.

5 – Get catchy with your title – with such a huge offer of accommodation units in Dubrovnik you are going to have to stand out from the crowd. All things equal, an Airbnb listing with the better, more attention grabbing title will a higher click through rate from the search results. Don’t be boring with something like, “Studio Apartment Dubrovnik.”

6 – Reviews are the key – without any reviews, if you have just started your Airbnb journey, it is hard to get noticed. However, once you start hosting and getting those guests through your doors hopefully the positive reviews will flood in. Begging for a review is never a good idea, you’ll just appear desperate and needy, so it’s all about offering a top service and keeping your fingers crossed. A little tip is too leave a review for each guest immediately after they have checked out. They will then get an alert that you have left them a review and are more likely to write one back. You’ll also need reviews to get that Superhost status.

7 – Be price sensitive – be realistic with your pricing. Do research by looking at properties in your area and what they have to offer and fix your prices around those. Airbnb has its own pricing system, smart pricing, which will take all the parameters into account and suggest a price that is right for you. However, this price is often lower than it needs to be so although it pays to check out their recommendation it is also a good idea to do your own research. And a tip is to keep prices lower at the beginning until the reviews come in and then adjust according. Of course your prices need to reflect the time of year.

8 – Don’t be lazy with your description – the description is the key, don’t be lazy and write three sentence and on the other hand don’t write a novel. Accuracy is extremely important. The best method for writing a good description is to put yourself in the place of potential guests, what information would be important to you if you were travelling.

9 – Answer those questions – you have to be responsive with all inquiries not matter how weird and wonderful the questions might be. And Airbnb will even rank you in accordance to your response rate, so don’t put it off till tomorrow. Don’t forget that Airbnb makes money when you make money so they want you to be quick with your replies and they want you to reply to all of your booking inquiries as fast as possible.

10 – Check out your calendar – Airbnb will see how active you are on your own site, so be active! Make sure that your calendar is up-to-date and of course accurate. By just opening your Airbnb site every day you will slightly improve your overall rankings, for if you can’t be bothered to check your own site how can you expect guests to take a look. Click your app or site every day and watch your ranking improve. A busy host is a good sign for Airbnb.