It only took Luke Richardson six months to make a splash in the short-term hosting world: Airbnb just named him their best new host in Oklahoma.
It sounds quick, but he came to Airbnb with a few years of long-term rental experience. He and his wife, Joni, now own 28 “doors” – this is the language of real estate for rental housing – after buying the first in 2017.
Its Airbnb unit, called Walk to the Paseo / Western Districts, is one side of a duplex built in 1924 and renovated with a mid-century modern feel at 1013 NW 33. It has two bedrooms and one bathroom and can accommodate up to four people.
Criteria for being named the best new host included becoming an Airbnb host in 2021 and achieving a certain number of guest registrations. Its list has around 100 reviews and it maintains a high rating as an Airbnb “Superhost”.
Feel welcome in Oklahoma City
What made it such an immediate success?
Airbnb says its best hosts “work hard to provide their guests with the best travel experience possible (and) to make their guests feel comfortable, cared for and truly welcomed both in the space they are staying in and the surrounding area. “
They also “anticipate customer needs, pay attention to detail and add thoughtful touches that surprise and delight.”
Richardson said he didn’t see the honor coming.
“It definitely took me by surprise. It’s really an honor, I appreciate it. I kind of take pride in the communication, be it my long term tenants or short term tenants, I treat them the same way, you know – how I ‘I want to be groomed,’ he said.
That kind of mentality in your service could come from the 20 years he worked in his family’s cemetery business: they own and operate Hillcrest Memory Gardens and Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Spencer.
But Richardson, who lives in Edmond, said something else was also at stake, the old real estate saw: location, location, location.
“The location is great, central to all of the main areas of the city,” said Richardson, who is 42. “You have Western Avenue less than a mile. The Paseo is less than a mile. The Plaza is a little over a mile. The Asian Quarter is half a mile and Midtown is one mile.
“So it’s a 10 to 15 minute walk to Western and Paseo, or a two or three minute drive to all the others. Since it’s not immediately in those neighborhoods, Paseo, Midtown, the price is quite steep. less per night. “
Since it started, he said, it has only had three nights of vacancy at $ 78 to $ 95 a night, and has averaged 16 rotations per month.
“We do a lot of overnight stays, people walking through town, coming to town for a concert, something like that,” he said.
Who stays ?
The guests went through the whole range.
“All ranges. You have young married couples looking for a night out, professionals coming to town, people traveling across the country,” Richardson said. “People stayed here for a week for the College Softball World Series. Rodeo events.
“I expected there would be more people working on contract for a week downtown, or (say) a traveling nurse. But that was anyone and everyone.”
The only issue he had with customers was whoever was smoking inside and who was staying two hours after checkout time.
Success breeds success. He started a second Airbnb a few weeks ago near NW 43 and Western. It was vacant one night.
With so many properties now, and likely more to come, and his wife with a career of her own, their Triple H Investments LLC could use a team – and they’re raising one: Holden, 15; Hayes, 10 years old; and Hollis, 7.
“The 15-year-old, as soon as he starts driving, he mows the lawns,” said Richardson.
Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at [email protected].
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