Short-Term Rental Operations Workbook: Listings, Pricing, and Guest Management

Launching a short-term rental requires more operational setup than most investors anticipate. A well-written listing, a calibrated pricing strategy, reliable cleaning logistics, and smooth guest communication are the operational pillars that determine whether a property earns five-star reviews or suffers from avoidable problems. This workbook course builds those operational competencies step by step. By the end of this course you will be able to write a compelling short-term rental listing with an optimized title, description, and amenity list, build a seasonal pricing calendar with base rates and adjustment rules, create a standardized guest communication sequence from booking confirmation to checkout, and design a cleaning and inspection checklist that ensures consistent property presentation. What you will learn: - Writing a short-term rental listing: title structure, description flow, and photo sequencing guidance - Pricing strategy setup: establishing base rates, minimum stay rules, and seasonal pricing windows - Building a pricing calendar: applying demand-based adjustments for weekends, local events, and peak seasons - Guest communication templates: confirmation, pre-arrival instructions, mid-stay check-in, and checkout message - Creating a house manual: check-in instructions, appliance guides, house rules, and local recommendations - Cleaning protocol design: room-by-room checklist, quality standards, and inspector verification process - Handling guest issues: a decision framework for common problems — damage, complaints, early arrivals - Review management: responding to reviews professionally and using feedback to improve the listing The course follows a fictional short-term rental operator setting up a two-bedroom property from scratch. Each module presents the operational challenge, provides a template or checklist, guides you through completing it for the fictional property, and then reviews the completed version with annotations. All templates are provided in editable blank form for use on your own property. This course is written for new short-term rental hosts, property managers expanding into vacation rentals, and real estate investors who have purchased an STR property and need operational systems. No prior hosting experience is required. This course is informational and educational; it does not substitute for platform-specific terms of service compliance guidance or legal advice on local regulations.