Airbnb Virtual Assistant: What They Do, What It Really Costs, and How to Hire the Right One

When I hired my first virtual assistant for my Airbnb business, I didn't have some big master plan. I had one wish: to eat dinner with my family without my phone in my hand.

So she covered 3 to 7 p.m. That one shift turned into evenings, then mornings, then a whole team. Today Simply Stay runs 50+ properties across Texas and New Mexico, and I'm not the one answering the 2 a.m. "the hot tub is cold??" message.

If you're managing 5 or more properties and you're still the one answering every guest, this guide is for you. Here's what an Airbnb virtual assistant actually does, what it really costs, and how to hire one who makes your life easier instead of harder.

What is an Airbnb virtual assistant?

An Airbnb virtual assistant (VA) is a remote team member who runs the day-to-day parts of your short-term rental business: guest communication, reviews, scheduling and admin. Most work from the Philippines or Latin America. And yes, you can even find one who's already familiar with the tools you use, like Airbnb, Hospitable, Turno and Breezeway.

The difference between a VA who helps and a VA who creates more work for you isn't talent. It's leadership, training, support and, of course, systems. More on that below.

What does a virtual assistant for Airbnb actually do?

A great short-term rental VA owns whole areas of your business, not random tasks. Here are the areas I see work best:

• Guest messaging. Pre-arrival details, check-in questions, late-night texts, answered fast and in your voice. And when I say this, I'm not talking about the automated messages you set up on Airbnb. I'm talking about all the one off questions that come in at the most inconvenient times. (You already know what I'm talking about :) This is almost always the first area.
• Reviews and listings. Thoughtful review replies, listing updates and regular audits. Do you know you need to optimize your listings, but you're not sure where to start, and honestly, you just don't have the time? Yep, I know this one all too well. This is something your Airbnb virtual assistant can handle for you.
• Cleaners and maintenance. Scheduling turnovers and repairs, following up until it's actually done, and then checking photos, inventory and making sure the house is guest ready.
• Owner communication. They can help with owner communication so you don't lose track of the things you said you never would. Owner stays, ordering, the thing this owner does differently than that owner, and all the little things only you know? They can help with that too.
• Admin. Email, calendars, data entry and the hundred little things that eat your day.

As you grow, one VA can become your lead VA: the person who checks everyone's guest messages, builds out your checklists and keeps the whole team consistent. I break this down more in what an Airbnb VA should do.

How do you know it's time?

It's not about hitting a certain number of properties. It's when the business starts taking the hours you swore you'd protect. If guest messages follow you to dinner, the carpool line or your vacation, you're ready. (Here's my full answer on when it's time to hire a VA.)

Here's the math that finally made it click for me. If your time is worth $50 an hour and you spend 20 hours a week on messages and scheduling, that's about $48,000 a year of your time going to work someone else could do.

How much does an Airbnb virtual assistant cost?

The VA's actual salary is something to consider, of course. But before we get to that, there's something soooo important that so many operators miss... how they're actually hired. And truthfully, getting that wrong can cost you a lot more in the long run. There are three main ways to do it (and I break down the real numbers in how much a virtual assistant costs):

1. Freelance marketplaces (Upwork, Fiverr)

This is the cheapest option upfront. But you do all the vetting, interviewing and training yourself, most candidates have never touched a short-term rental, and turnover is high. If you've ever hired three VAs in six months, you know.

2. VA agencies

Someone else recruits and manages for you, which feels easier. But this also comes with high (and hidden) agency fees. The agency quotes you a rate for your VA, then keeps $400 to $600 or more of it every month for "managing" them. Some agencies require VAs to time track with tools that are always breaking down, so your VA can't even work because they're stuck in those rules. And the VA doesn't really belong to you. The hosts I work with tell me the worst part: an agency can swap your VA out without warning, right when you'd finally found your groove.

Honestly, this is the saddest way. Less pay for your awesome team, you losing money, and little to no control over raises, email addresses, pay, or even how they do things.

3. Direct placement

Someone reviews, vets, interviews and prepares the VA to meet you, then places them directly on your team. You pay once, the VA works for you, and you decide their pay and their raises. It's how I built my own team, and it's why I started SimplyVA. I want VAs to earn every dollar they should, and I want operators to keep the person they've invested in.

How to hire the right Airbnb virtual assistant

This is where most hosts go wrong. They hire a great person, hand them a login, and wonder why the questions never stop. Here's what actually works:

1. Pick one area and one block of hours

Start with guest messaging during the hours you want back most. Teach them how you talk and sound, what you say and what you don't. Teach them about your brand and your culture. Once they're good at this, move to the next area.

2. Write down your answers before day one

Your top 10 guest questions and exactly how you answer them. Wi-Fi, parking, early check-in, the hot tub. If your VA starts with nothing written down, every question comes straight back to you.

3. Hire the person, not just the resume

Contrary to popular belief, I don't think experience is king in hiring. It's the right person, the right culture and the right leader. You can teach someone Hospitable. You can't teach them to care about your guests the way you do, to show up to work on time, or to think critically when there are no resources. That's what I like to hire for.

4. Give them a decision guide

Tell them what they can decide on their own, what they can decide and tell you after, and what has to come to you. Add a dollar amount they can spend on a guest without asking. This one step removes a huge chunk of questions overnight. Here's how to set that up.

5. Plan their first 90 days

Start with a team meeting and a list of things you want them to work on. I like to give every new VA a 14 day training plan, with what each task looks like when it's done, so they know exactly what I'm looking for. By the end of the first month, they own their area. By day 90, you should be checking in, not checking up.

The mistakes that make hiring feel like more work

• Hiring to fix a problem that's really a systems problem. A VA can't follow a process that only lives in your head.
• Throwing random tasks at them. When they own a whole area, they take ownership. When they get your leftovers, they're always asking "what should I do next?"
• Answering every question in 30 seconds. You're training them to ask you. (More on why your VA keeps asking questions.)
• Not letting them in. The right VA isn't a task-doer. They're a partner. Mine know my business and my personal life so well they remind me about my kids' appointments.

You can build a business that runs without you

Hiring an Airbnb virtual assistant isn't about doing less. It's about finally doing the part only you can do, and being fully present for the rest. The birthday parties. The dinners. The vacation where you don't look at your phone one time.

If you're ready for your person, that's exactly what we do at SimplyVA: trained, ethically employed VAs placed directly on your team. No middleman. No markup. Your VA belongs to you.