Host Academy

 

1. Welcome to The HostsRooms Academy

Tap to open → Overview of hosting, expectations, and how the platform works.

2. Preparing Your Home

Tap to open → Room standards, safety checks, cleanliness, and listing tips.

3. Hosting Minors (Under 18)

Tap to open → International safeguarding best practice, supervision rules, and transport permissions.

4. Communication & House Rules

Tap to open → How to set clear rules, communicate effectively, and manage cultural differences.

5. Managing Bookings

Tap to open → Confirmed bookings, pre‑bookings, cancellations, and check‑in rules.

6. Problem Solving

Tap to open → How to handle issues, report concerns, and understand platform responsibilities.

7. Professional Hosting Tips

Tap to open → Ratings, visibility, reliability, and earning potential.

 

 

1.Welcome to the HostsRooms Academy

The Host Academy is your dedicated training space. Its purpose is simple: to make hosting easier, clearer, and more enjoyable for hosts worldwide.

Here, you’ll find:

  • Practical tips
  • Step‑by‑step guidance
  • Hosting standards
  • Safety and communication advice
  • Best practices used internationally
  • Clear expectations for welcoming students and guests

Whether you are hosting for the first time or refining your approach, the Host Academy gives you the knowledge and confidence to welcome guests into your home successfully.

 What Hosting Involves

Hosting means providing a safe, comfortable, and welcoming home for a guest. You offer:

  • A private room
  • Access to shared household spaces
  • Meals when included in the booking
  • A respectful, supportive environment
  • Clear communication and predictable routines

Hosting is flexible as the HostsRooms Platforms allows you set up your preferences of:

  • When you host
  • Who you host
  • How long you host
  • Your pricing and availability

Why Hosting Matters

Guests often arrive in a new country or city for the first time. A good host:

  • Helps them settle
  • Provides reassurance
  • Offers guidance when needed
  • Creates a positive experience that shapes their entire stay

Your role is important and our aim is to support you every step of the way.

Types of Guests You May Host

You may welcome:

  • Adult students
  • Students who are Minors (under 18)
  • International guests
  • Language school students
  • College/university students & guests
  • Internship or placement guests

Each group has different needs. The HostsRooms Academy explains how to support each one confidently and safely.

Your Core Responsibilities

Every host is expected to:

  • Provide a clean, safe room
  • Maintain clear house rules
  • Communicate openly and respectfully
  • Follow safeguarding rules (for minors)
  • Report concerns promptly
  • Support guests in settling into local life

2.Preparing Your Home

Room Standards

Every room should include:

  • Bed + clean bedding
  • Desk + chair
  • Wardrobe or storage
  • Heating or climate control
  • Reliable WiFi
  • Adequate lighting

Cleanliness Checklist

  • Fresh bedding before arrival
  • Clean bathroom
  • Dust‑free surfaces
  • Empty bins
  • Tidy shared spaces
  • No strong odours

Safety Checklist

  • Working smoke alarm
  • Clear exits
  • Safe heating
  • No exposed wires
  • Window that opens
  • Secure locks

Photographing Your Room for use on the Platform

  • Use natural light
  • Show the full room
  • Include desk + bed
  • Add one photo of shared spaces
  • Keep photos tidy and uncluttered

Writing a Strong Accurate Listing

  • Describe your household members clearly
  • Showcase the room and house facilities clearly
  • Mention transport links
  • Highlight host experience
  • Add house rules
  • Keep tone warm and welcoming

3.Hosting Minors (Under 18)

Hosting minors is a position of trust. HostsRooms follows international best practice and global safeguarding standards to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every minor placed in a host home regardless of country or local laws.

Safeguarding Principles -Global Standard

  • Protect minors from harm
  • Ensure appropriate supervision
  • Maintain clear boundaries
  • Provide a safe, respectful environment
  • Communicate openly and appropriately
  • Report concerns immediately

Daily Expectations

Hosts should:

  • Know the minor’s daily schedule
  • Ensure they return home safely
  • Maintain appropriate supervision
  • Enforce curfew or agreed return times
  • Communicate with parents/guardians or the placing organisation
  • Provide calm, respectful guidance

Communication Guidelines

  • Keep communication clear and age‑appropriate
  • Avoid private closed‑door conversations
  • Maintain appropriate physical and emotional boundaries
  • Use platform messaging for important updates

Safeguarding Red Flags

Report immediately if a minor:

  • Goes missing
  • Appears distressed or frightened
  • Reports bullying or inappropriate behaviour
  • Shows signs of injury
  • Breaks curfew repeatedly
  • Expresses fear of someone

What Hosts Must Not Do

International best practice and safeguarding standards require that hosts must not:

  • Share a bedroom with a minor
  • Leave minors unsupervised overnight
  • Smoke inside the home or in front of minors
  • Allow minors to smoke
  • Consume alcohol with minors
  • Transport minors without prior permission from the parent/guardian or academic provider
  • Invite unknown adults into the home without supervision
  • Use aggressive, inappropriate, or discriminatory language
  • Ignore or fail to report safeguarding concerns

Transporting Minors Global Guidance

Hosts may transport minors only when permission is granted by:

  • The parent/guardian
  • The placing organisation

4.Communication & House Rules

House Rules Should Include:

  • Quiet hours
  • Cleaning Schedule
  • Bathroom schedule
  • Kitchen use
  • Laundry rules
  • Visitors policy
  • Curfew (for minors)

Rules should be:

  • Clear
  • Short
  • Consistent

How to Communicate with Guests

  • Be friendly but firm
  • Use simple language
  • Avoid assumptions
  • Respect cultural differences
  • Encourage questions

Cultural Sensitivity

Guests may:

  • Eat differently
  • Communicate differently
  • Have different expectations of privacy
  • Be nervous or shy

Your role is to guide them calmly and respectfully.

Handling Misunderstandings

  • Stay calm
  • Clarify the rule
  • Explain the reason
  • Offer a solution
  • Contact support if needed

5.Managing Bookings

Accepting or Declining Requests

On HostsRooms, all bookings arrive as either Confirmed Bookings or Pre‑Bookings, depending on the guest type and the host’s verification status. Because only Green Light pre‑verified hosts are eligible to be booked, hosts do not “accept” or “decline” bookings in the traditional sense.

 What Hosts Should Do When a Booking Arrives

Please check every booking immediately. If you cannot honour the booking for any reason, you must cancel it through the platform as soon as possible.

This helps:

  • Guests and institutions plan safely
  • Avoid last‑minute disruptions and potential penalties
  • Maintain trust and reliability across the platform

 Important Notes About Cancellations

  • Late cancellations may result in penalties for the host.
  • Frequent cancellations may lead to account suspension.
  • All cancellations follow the HostsRooms Cancellation Policy.

We encourage all hosts to familiarise themselves with the Cancellation Policy so you understand how cancellations work, what timelines apply, and how to avoid penalties.

This ensures a smooth experience for both you and your guests.

 Booking Types

Confirmed Bookings

These apply to:

  • All adult guests
  • Minors placed with hosts who have completed full safeguarding verification

Confirmed bookings are final and ready for check‑in.

Pre‑Bookings (Minors Only)

These apply when:

  • A minor is placed with a Green Light host
  • Additional safeguarding checks must still be completed by the academic institution

A pre‑booking becomes confirmed once all verification steps are completed.

Check‑In Process

For Confirmed Bookings

  • Welcome the guest
  • Show the room
  • Explain house rules
  • Share WiFi details

For Pre‑Bookings (Minors)

Check‑in can only occur after

  • The academic institution completes safeguarding verification
  • The booking status changes to Confirmed
  • You receive a confirmation notification

This protects both you and the minor.

 

Check‑In Process

On arrival:

  • Welcome the guest
  • Show the room
  • Explain house rules
  • Share WiFi details
  • Confirm check‑in on the platform

Payout Frequency

Payouts are:

  • Processed securely
  • Released bi- monthly after check‑in
  • Tracked in your dashboard

Extending Stays

Guest extended stays must be booked through the HostsRooms Platform

Handling Cancellations

The HostsRooms cancellation policy applies in all cases:

Refunds are managed automatically.

6.Problem Solving

If a Guest Is Unhappy

  • Listen
  • Ask what’s wrong
  • Offer a solution
  • Contact support if needed

If You Are Unhappy

  • Document the issue
  • Communicate clearly
  • Contact support early
  • Request relocation if necessary

Emergency Situations

Connect with the emergency contact and or local emergency services immediately if:

  • A guest is missing
  • A guest is injured
  • A guest feels unsafe
  • There is a household emergency

7.Professional Hosting Tips

Hosting is a skill that improves with experience. These tips help you build strong relationships, maintain excellent ratings, and increase your visibility on the HostsRooms platform.

Getting Strong Reviews

Guests value hosts who are:

  • Responsive
  • High standards of cleanliness
  • Organised
  • Welcoming
  • Respectful of privacy
  • Clear with communication

You can also help guests feel comfortable by:

  • Providing a welcoming atmosphere
  • Offering simple gestures such as sharing local tips or helping them settle in during their first days

Small, thoughtful actions often make a big difference in how guests experience their stay.

 Maintaining Strong Host Status

To remain a reliable and visible host on the platform, we recommend:

  • Completing all verification steps
  • Keeping your profile accurate and up to date
  • Responding promptly to booking notifications
  • Maintaining positive ratings
  • Following platform guidelines and safeguarding best practice

Consistency builds trust with guests and institutions worldwide.

 Visibility on the Platform

Hosts who demonstrate:

  • Green Light verification
  • Strong ratings
  • Reliable booking behaviour
  • Clear communication

…are more visible to guests and institutions and are more likely to receive booking requests. Visibility is based on performance, reliability, and verified status.

 Increasing Earnings

You can increase your earning potential by:

  • Offering longer stays
  • Improving room quality (desk, lamp, comfortable bedding)
  • Providing clear, well‑lit photos
  • Maintaining high ratings
  • Ensuring your availability calendar is accurate

Guests and institutions naturally gravitate toward hosts who provide a comfortable, reliable, and well‑presented environment.

 Building Long‑Term Success

Professional hosting is about:

  • Reliability
  • Respect
  • Communication
  • Cleanliness
  • Safety
  • Cultural sensitivity

By following these principles, you create a positive experience for guests and strengthen your reputation on the platform.