Cork's oldest Airbnb 'superhost' shares his secret

Ian Stretch, 85, was only vaguely aware of Airbnb when a friend suggested he and his wife could put their one-bed annexe on the Airbnb platform.

Ian and retired veterinary nurse Jeannie live in a farmhouse —the deeds go back to 1745 — on 10 acres, and the separate guesthouse with bathroom/shower used to be a turf shed until an artist turned it into a studio 40 years ago.

“It was rented out by agents in London — Alec Guinness stayed, as well as The Who and, someone in the news recently — Frances Fitzgerald,” says Scottish-born Ian, none of whose five children and 10 grandchildren live in Ireland. “It’s had quite a history.”

Located 10km from Bantry, the area is remote. “So it’s interesting to meet people from other countries. And it tops up our pension. It’s useful income.”

As seniors, Ian and Jeannie, 68, are part of the fastest growing Airbnb host demographic in Europe – the number of senior hosts in Europe almost doubled between July 2015 and July 2016.

In fact, senior host growth outpaces every other demographic by nearly 10%. In Ireland, 13% of Airbnb hosts are seniors.

Ian and Jeannie, who retired to West Cork from Isle of Wight — Ian worked as a vet in Bandon during the 1960s — have been given Superhost status on the Airbnb website. “We’ve got 100% five-star reviews,” he says.

Which fits with the trend: hosts aged 60 and over are consistently the best rated Airbnb hosts in Europe – they get a higher percentage of five-star reviews than any other age group, with 70% of trips hosted by them resulting in a five-star review.

Hosting on Airbnb for three years, Ian has plenty stories to tell. A favourite is the one about the German couple who helped him dig potatoes.

“We’re pretty self-sufficient in vegetables. They saw me digging potatoes and asked if they could give me a hand. We got a whole lot done in one afternoon.

"To thank them, I invited them to have a few pints of my home-brewed beer.”

Living on a fairly steep cliff with a path down to the shore that gets overgrown, Ian says some guests have volunteered to clear it.

And there was the Dutch couple staying for four days, who helped out when he had to go to hospital overnight.

“They suggested Jeannie stay overnight in Cork rather than having to make two journeys — they’d look after the place. They fed the hens, checked the sheep had water, checked the greenhouse wasn’t too hot and fed the donkey — they did a perfect job.”

Not that it’s all been plain sailing. There was the “pleasant but thoughtless” couple who went off for the day, leaving clothes drying on a heater turned up high.

“Jeannie went over to check the towels. If she hadn’t, the place could have gone up in flames.”

Practically all guests are from abroad. Most are touring the West of Ireland and are always amazed by Ian’s favourite spot, the Beara Peninsula.

Most are couples. “We had one solo guest for a week during the West Cork Literary Festival. We tend to get people aged from mid-20s to 60s, though we had a couple of South Korean girls at university in Paris.

“I picked them up in Bantry. They stayed three nights. The weather was dreadful and I took them back to

Bantry, they got the bus to Cork, the train to Dublin and flew back to Paris. Sheep’s Head was the only part of Ireland they saw.”

Ian charges €55 per night for the room, which includes breakfast. “We’re so far from a café here — we provide a very good cold breakfast, which if wanted includes our own home-produced eggs.”

Almost half (45%) of senior hosts in Europe say the additional income they make by sharing their homes helps them afford to stay in their home.

One quarter say hosting has directly helped them avoid foreclosure or eviction. The typical senior Airbnb host in Europe hosts guests for roughly 23 nights per year, earning just under €3,000 annually.

In 2015 in Ireland, a senior Airbnb host earned €2,514.

Ian and Jeannie operate between May and September. “We’re not working at full pitch or taking it all madly seriously. We leave a day between bookings to clean the accommodation.

"We’re not looking for every last euro. We enjoy what we do — if it became a burden we wouldn’t do it.” The couple don’t display a sign on their road — they’re not looking for passing trade.

Bookings are through the website — potential guests have profile and past history and you can hear from other people who’ve put them up. “So if they’ve had a problem with them, they’re possibly troublemakers.”

Ian can think of only one slight disadvantage. “Some people want to leave early in the morning, so you have to give them breakfast at 7am, but never mind — that’s not too bad in summer.”

Has he tips for other would-be senior hosts? “Get your wife to do most of the work,” he quips, though acknowledging Jeannie actually does the bulk of the work.

First impressions have to be spot on, he says — so a friendly welcome and clean fresh-smelling accommodation. Leave a break of a day between bookings, he advises.

“Don’t overdo it. Take it steady. Then just go for it — and enjoy it.”