Private Room Rental Guest Confusion

[Chad320]

I am looking for advice on making it very clear to guests that they are booking a private room rental. In the last month, I have had 3 reservations that have booked and cancelled because of them (one of them was a month-long stay). To date, I have always approved a full refund (even though I have a strict cancellation policy) because the mistake is corrected on the same day, and I don't want people in my house that feel financially forced to be there.

My listing is classified as a private room rental (so they can filter based on this, and it says it on the reservation page). I also mention this fact TWICE within the listing description, though I know guests frequently don't read the entire description. I believe it's also listed under "Things to keep in mind" during the booking process. To me, I think this makes it pretty obvious, but I still frequently get guests that did not realize they were booking a private room and not the entire house. I have literally thought of uploading an interior layout diagram of the house with color-coded legend of guest private space, common space, and off-limits/owner areas, but then I have to assume guests will look at that photo, and if I do too much, other potential guests may be deterred from my listing. 

To head this off, I send them a welcome message over AirBnB and a welcome email that both mention the fact that it's a private room rental (this is where guests always catch their error and contact me immediately). I am not one to simply take someone's money because of a mistake, and like I said earlier: I put a lot of time and care into my house and don't want people that feel forced to be there.

Here is a link to the listing if it's helpful to see it (though I just added the wording "Private Rooms" to the title today in hopes that might help):

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/31343328?s=67&unique_share_id=75ae4ec5-2d92-497c-ba1c-28ad78c06a38

[Pat271]

Is Instant Book turned off?  If so, you can mention it, and get confirmation that they understand before booking.  I would also be more specific than “private room rental” - they might just gloss over that.  I’d say something like “single room in a shared 3-bedroom house”, or whatever it is.

[Mark116]

@Chad320  Do you mention private room in the photo captions?  You could try that, and you could also rewrite the paragraph about the house to state 'room within a house'.  

[Debra300]

@Chad320,

I recommend do that you do something that I read another host had posted. They provide detailed description information in each of the photo tags, because people don't read the listing description.  The pictures of the rental room clearly stated guest's private room, the living room picture said shared space and detailed which items were off limits to guests, and the, and the bathroom said shared with another guest room.  

[Ann72]

@Chad320  Super cute place!

Let's assume people don't read much.  The first paragraph needs to say everything.  Yours is this:

"Experience the Disney magic at home in this beautifully designed, secluded house. Located in a quiet, single-family neighborhood, this house is perfect for families & people seeking a special, magical vacation."

You say "at home," "house," and "house."  That's three times in one paragraph you allow the casual reader to think they're going to get the house to themselves.

"Two rooms and a private bath in this magical house close to Disney are perfect for a budget-minded family seeking a special, magical vacation."  Something like that might work.

Then let's assume that after they read the first paragraph, they flip through the pictures.  Therefore you might want to rewrite the captions as @Mark116 suggested, making every one of them a quote from a review. 

For instance, this would make a great caption because it underscores that you live there, but are the perfect host:  "This was my first time renting an Airbnb and all I can say is Chad’s place was wonderful! We didn’t see him much but when we did, he was very friendly and welcoming." - Isamar

Every picture should have a caption that is a quote from a review followed by a dash and the reviewer's first name as above.  Take a look at one of my listings to see how this can be done:  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23646613?s=67&unique_share_id=6531ec5d-0df2-4cdc-94ab-7b461b44b3d6

Give it a try - you've got a great place!

[Sarah977]

@Chad320  I absolutely agree with @Ann72, you have to change that wording in the first line which keeps mentioning "house" and "home". I'd also suggest you change "You will have 100% private usage of...." . People are not thorough readers- what jumps out at them is what they want to believe. It isn't necessary to emphasize that the guest bedrooms are 100% private. That's a given.

Having now added "Private Room" to your listing title I'm sure will help, but also change the other wording.

I've had a private room listing for over 3 years and never had a guest arrive or even book, thinking they were getting an entire house.

[Chad320]

@Pat271 @Mark116 @Debra300 @Ann72 @Sarah977

Thank you so much for the advice! I was racking my brain for solutions. Your suggestions are great! I'll be rewriting my listing description, changing my photo captions, and making adjustments to my booking settings. Hopefully that will alleviate the problem. Much appreciated!

[Sarah977]

@Chad320  You're welcome, hope it helps. I find you have some strange wording in general- like saying that "the host lives in the master bedroom". Although you say that the living room, kitchen, etc are shared with the host, "the host lives in master bedroom" makes it sound like you're shut away in there and that guests might likely never see you. It's far better, with a shared home listing, to market towards the type of guests you would feel comfortable sharing your home with, and make it sound like an enjoyable home-share experience with a host they'll have the opportunity to interact with and get the lowdown on things in the area that tourists wouldn't necessarily ever find out about.

Also important to mention your pets in more areas than just under "Other things to note. have photos of them in your photo gallery, mention them in the listing description. You don't want guests arriving who haven't bothered to scroll down and read that info, only to say they're allergic to animals or scared of them. 

Your larger bedroom photos are redundant-all three of them just show the bed and the decorations. Is there a closet? A dresser? A chair, a desk? Also advisable, when you have a bed that sleeps 2, to have a bedside table and lamp on both sides of the bed.

[Tueykay0]

@Chad320 : I'm also a private room but I make sure to include in the description  '...furnished room in a shared home...' This makes it clear that they are getting a private room and not the whole space.

Then I briefly describe me as to who they are sharing the space with.  Hope that helps.

[Victoria110]

@Chad320A remedy ( of course not 100%) to the problem of people not reading is to embed a secret word somewhere in the text that potential guests must quote back to you in their request to book. I learned this from an experienced host in Hawaii . The issue of people not reading has been a real challenge for me, this has greatly helped.

[Debra300]

@Victoria110,

You have a wonderful space, and it makes me a bit homesick.  I used to live in the Temescal area many years ago, and lived in the Dimond District for over 18 years.  I was often on Telegraph Ave. or San Pable Ave. going through North Oakland.

I really like the introduction for your listing.  It's clear, concise, and inviting.

"Please be advised that you will be staying in my home not a hotel. Be so kind to tell a bit about yourself if you don't have a profile, something about your visit here to the SF Bay Area and acknowledge you've read the entire listing. Extra credit for quoting the secret word embedded in the text ."

[Victoria110]

Debra... just now seeing this . Thank you ! How lucky of you to live in Saint Lucia! Feel free to use any part of my listing and when we’re finished with this horrible pandemic come visit. 

[Debra300]

@Victoria110,

I am going to nab some more of your listing content regarding water conservation, and use it for my guesthouse listings.  Water is a very precious and expensive resource on the island.

We're hoping to make our way back to The Town this year.  I truly miss it.

[Anonymous]

@Chad320   You've already got some great advice. What I would add is that for a Private Room rental, your ideal guests are sociable people who really appreciate the experience of in-home hospitality. So you have to lean really hard against the tendency of Airbnb listings to look like real-estate brochures. 

As a guest, when I'm looking for a shared-home listing I like to see some of the host's personality and get an idea of how interactive the experience will be. I'm more interested in the common areas than the bedroom, and as an animal lover I'm easily sold on pictures of the pets. So as a host, I try to make my listing exactly the one that would attract a guest with similar inclinations. Feel free to look at my listing as one example of what clicks with guests who like the homestay experience.

But there will always be inattentive people making dumb choices. If you'd like to avoid the hassle of cancellations and refunds, turn off Instant Book.

[Yadira22]

@Chad320 please add photos of your pets- this would be a huge selling point to animal lovers and keep guests who have allergies or are scared, away. Good all round. 🙂