Superhosts roll out welcome mats as Airbnb builds presence in Wisconsin

Feel summer waning without even a weekend getaway?

Airbnb superhosts await guest arrivals at artists’ studios in the Driftless Area, lake cabins in Door County, city apartments across Milwaukee, farmhouses in Dane County — even two yurts on Bayfield County forest land and a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Two Rivers.

Renting vacation rental homes is big business in Wisconsin. Airbnb, the online hospitality service and marketplace that launched just a decade ago, has a sizable and growing presence in a state where hosts seem eager to make lodgers feel like family — if that’s what they want.

“Ideally I like to meet and greet people, that’s the fun of this,” Airbnb host Nina Cheney said of arriving guests. “But I play it by ear. You definitely want to give them their privacy.”

Cheney offers two Wisconsin lodgings on Airbnb. One rental is a private room in a stone house, and the other is a “cool, scenic country art studio” that’s 20 steps from the main house. The studio is a converted rehearsal space from when Cheney worked as a juggler.

Many of her guests are from Wisconsin or the Chicago area, but Cheney has welcomed people from around the world.

So has Neda Stevic, an Airbnb host offering a private room in an apartment in Milwaukee.

“I have had guests from China, Germany, Malaysia, Canada, France, India and Australia so far,” said Stevic, who began hosting in February. “This is a wonderful way to meet people from all over the world and learn about their cultures.”

Hosts with the most

Stevic and Cheney are superhosts, meaning they have five-star, 100 percent ratings on Airbnb from guests.

It’s important for hosts to be honest in their listings and also to exceed guests’ expectations, the Wisconsin superhosts said.

Another superhost, Michael Ditmer, easily exceeds guests’ expectations with a rare opportunity to stay in unique lodging — his Frank Lloyd Wright home in Two Rivers.

Tours of the architect’s buildings can be found across the country, but “a typical historic house tour does not allow you to sit on the furniture, linger and enjoy at your own pace or give one the experience of living in the house,” said Ditmer, who described a stay at Wright’s Still Bend house as “almost a time-traveling experience.”

Still, he said, it’s essential for superhosts to offer special comforts. “Do not skimp on anything, keep the house very clean, think about the details and treat all your guests as if they are visiting royalty,” he advised prospective hosts.

“Probably the one thing I do as a host that stands out is that the cottage kitchen is really well equipped, and I leave the guests breakfast goodies, so they don't have to forage for food first thing the next day,” explained Elaine Carmichael, who five years ago began offering a waterfront cottage in Door County’s Sturgeon Bay.

Cheney said she supplies fresh flowers and chocolates in the bedroom or bagels and coffee in her kitchen.

In her listings on Airbnb.com, she shares details of her properties — “lovingly restored” and “bucolic views” — and also her passions — bird-watching, skiing, kayaking and traveling “whenever I can.”

When Cheney travels, she’s partial to staying in Airbnb properties. In fact, she was a guest before she became a host three years ago.

“I stayed in an Airbnb myself and realized, I can do this,” she said. “And I just decided to try it.”

Carmichael travels a lot and likes the “living like a local” experience of Airbnbs. “One pleasure of travel is imagining what life would be like if you lived in the destination,” she said. “Living locally, instead of in a hotel, helps.”

Stevic stays in Airbnb places “for a more authentic and affordable experience.”

Living like a local in Wisconsin

About 210,000 guests stayed in Wisconsin Airbnbs in 2017 — 97 percent more than the year before. The guests found lodging with more than 4,000 hosts.

“I’ve just met some amazing people,” said Cheney. “It makes the whole world a lot smaller.” 

She mentioned four men from France who stayed with her while competing in the Ironman Wisconsin triathlon. “They were gorgeous. I just absolutely love being a host,” she said.

Other perks? Two big ones are the income from rentals and the tax deductions for home improvements.

For Stevic, hosting means her income exceeds her rent and utilities, and she can save to buy a home. 

“A lot of this has to do with where I am located, which is the middle of historic Brady Street,” she said. “People love coming here.”

Ditmer, who has been hosting since Airbnb’s early days, also says the income more than pays the mortgage.

Banking on bookings

For 2017, Airbnb estimated Wisconsin hosts earned a combined $25.2 million in supplemental income. 

Milwaukee hosts in 2017 earned $4.2 million and welcomed 40,600 guests. Madison hosts earned $3.6 million and welcomed 27,330 guests.

A typical annual income for a host in Wisconsin is $6,300, but some far exceed that amount.

Carmichael began living full-time in Door County in 2004 and built a home on the lot next to a summer cottage. Then the decision was made to rent the cottage on Airbnb to cover property taxes, improvements and maintenance.

“It turned out to be fun,” she said. 

And, it turned out to generate a good income. 

“We gross about $25,000 to $30,000 a year. … It’s 100 percent booked from April to November, roughly 60 percent the rest of the time.”

State and local governments also gain from Airbnb rentals, especially around university campuses and during big events — from Packer games in Green Bay to festivals in Milwaukee to commencement ceremonies in college communities.

Last summer, the state executed a model tax agreement with Airbnb. Effective July 1, 2017, Airbnb began collecting and remitting taxes to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue on all bookings, making the process seamless for hosts and the state. The agreement pertains to state sales tax, county sales and use taxes, stadium district taxes and some resort taxes.

Airbnb also has tax agreements with some municipalities. An early arrangement was reached with the city of Madison, which received about $324,000 in room taxes from May 2017 through May 2018. That amount exceeded expectations by $124,000.

More recently, Racine announced it would begin receiving an 8 percent tourist tax on Airbnb rentals this summer.

“Working with Airbnb to collect and remit taxes is a great win-win for the city and the Airbnb hosts,” Mayor Cory Mason has stated.