Tom is an Airbnb host in Seattle, a single-parent, marketing consultant, and a huge fan of neu. He opted to list his property as a short-term rental because it works well for his lifestyle and has been using neu for nearly 2 years.
Here’s what he had to say:
Tom, how did you first discover neu?
I heard about neu from a friend who had spoken to neu but ultimately couldn’t use neu because neu didn’t service their area. So, when I reached out to neu, I found out that they [did] service my area and I scheduled a consultation.
Why did you choose to use neu?
I had made this big investment in Airbnb’ing my house. I had not quite thought through how I would service it. I hadn’t really considered how I would be able to clean and provide a high-quality guest experience. Once I heard the breadth of services that neu offers, I signed up immediately. I chose to work with neu because I was impressed with the integrity of the staff, the rigor, and thoroughness of which neu approaches cleaning the unit, and the quality of the bedding and linens.
Since becoming a customer, what are some of the qualities that you appreciate?
One quality I [value] is peace-of-mind. 100% confidence that my guests will be taken care of between the critical time between check-out and check-in. As a single parent of a 14-year-old daughter and as someone who works during the day, knowing that the investment I have made in my Airbnb is well-tended to when I can’t personally tend to it is a huge benefit [and] peace of mind.
Second is predictability. I don’t have to think about not only each clean but each of the next several months of bookings. I know the cleaning component of that is taken care of. It allows me to focus on the things I need to do as a host: make sure I’m marketing properly, messaging properly, pricing properly. Making sure I’m filling up gaps in the calendar, which I have relatively few because I get so many ratings about how clean the place is and about how high-quality the experience is.
[The] third quality is that I get satisfaction out of knowing that I am providing an experience to guests that I would want myself, that I’m doing right by them. I’m expressing empathy for my guests by providing a high-quality experience. So, that’s maybe less quantifiable but just as important to me.
What would prevent you from using a service like neu?
In any service business, nobody ever nails it 100% of the time. However, if there is no accountability and problem-solving with a service, that would be an issue. Neu has shown that they have integrity and are willing to swiftly fix any problems that arise. I’ve had experiences where neu has missed an item in the clean or provided linen that was not on par with what I needed and I was able to notify neu and they were able to resolve the issue in 90 minutes. I had no problem that there was an issue in the first place, but responsiveness is uncommon in any service business so that was of huge value to me.
How would you describe neu to someone who has never heard of us before?
Neu provides a cleaning service that is turnkey and very lights-out -- you have to think so little about it because they are so organized and on top of your needs. Neu is the kind of company that makes an effort to provide you with a well-prepared cleaner who is familiar with your space, someone who understands what is needed in your space.
What would you say to someone looking to work with neu?
If you’re on the fence about using neu, try it your way. See if any of your other options will take the time to get to know you and your property the same way I’m benefiting from neu making that investment. I’ve tried to do the cleaning myself to the standards that my guests expect, to try to provide the quality of linens and service that they deserve. I found that I lacked the time and the ability to provide that high-quality experience consistently. Also, in my brief research, I have not found any other company that takes the time to get to know me, to work with me. Partnering with neu has allowed me to manage the cost-of-living in Seattle, pay for my daughter’s education, and given me some free time I otherwise would not have.
