What is a critical factor for guests when searching to book an Airbnb? Are they passing you by?

Clara116
Level 10
Pensacola, FL

What is a critical factor for guests when searching to book an Airbnb? Are they passing you by?

Why are some hosts booked, same price, near by but you aren't? 
 

Many hosts might immediately say Price is the critical factor for booking!  I don't think this is really what's happening a lot of the time. There has been so much focus and importance on health and safety for the past 3 yrs and families are looking to make sure that where they bring their families  are safe. So much news of Fires, deaths from CO poisoning, and falls, slips, poisoning accidents at STR's and many of those at Airbnb's unfortunately.  So many / most events can be avoided - like no matches, or candles in your STR. (children will find them in a minute and have such fun playing and accidentally burn the place down.) 

 

So when you think you have to keep lowering your prices - first, make sure you take a look at the Safety in your rental. 

It's important that you take Safety seriously for your guests. They expect that you have done that without saying it. And  these days I think they are looking, and checking and when safety features are at all in question.....its NEXT Airbnb for them.  You have to make it very obvious on your listing that you have given as much thought to Safety as your Boho/Shabby Chic/SteamPunk designs and cool furniture. There's a list of things you need to think about: fire extinguisher and its best location and the safety card with all the critical information for them, Smoke alarms, CO detectors (not combo smoke/CO)  and the numbers outside/ 4" and reflective so its easy to find the place, for guests and emergency people. 

I know areas are saturated but how you set yourself apart from other hosts with Safety does count. 

Once you learn about the safety things that matter you will not ignore them! You don't want your Airbnb and guests to be the next news of disaster that we all read and hear about. 

 I got my certification as a Short Term Rental Safety Inspector and it changed how I host and think about the safety of my guests. That little rug that you think looks so cute in front of the sink (that's not fully anchored down) could be a terrible slip and fall and injure your guest. You get to decide -- Are guests not booking because of your price or your minimal safety features?

 

#safety @safety 

#Breezeway.io

 

8 Replies 8
Pat271
Level 10
Greenville, SC

@Clara116 

 

I just looked at about 8 sites (including Airbnb) that has prioritized lists of what Airbnb guests want in terms of features and amenities, and not one of them mentioned safety as one of the top 10 priorities.

 

Although safety is of the utmost importance because of what can potentially go wrong, and it behooves us all to insure that we provide a safe environment, this tells me that, in general, guests are not looking for specific safety amenities when they book. This is easy enough for these sites to verify by looking at the number of people who set safety amenities in their search criteria, or by scanning reviews for positive comments about safety.

 

Safety is of the utmost importance, and I know it seems extra-critical right after you’ve taken a class on it. I appreciate that you are bringing up how important it is. But I don’t think guests should be led to believe that the mention of safety equipment is making a significant difference in the amount of days their properties are being booked.

@Pat271  I appreciate your comment. I do think that Hosts do need to look at their safety standards. I am simply striving to remind some that there are other factors that might be considered. I personally think safety is one. We will differ with what we think. 

 

Fred13
Level 10
Placencia, Belize

For us since we are considered a  ** to many, safety must be foremost in their mind for they bring it up often. I mention we are close to a coast guard station in a neighboring island and have internet and direct phones and only 18 minutes by boat from the mainland upfront.

 

I wonder why countries are never considered '**', they must leapfrog from ** over night. 😉

 

**[Content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

@Fred13  So much of your post has been bleeped out, I have no idea what it says.😉

Paula
Community Manager
Community Manager
Port Moody, Canada

Hello @Clara116,

 

Thank you for sharing this with us, and congratulations on earning your certification as a Short-Term Rental Safety Inspector 😊! It's fantastic to see your dedication to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for your guests.

 

We would be delighted to hear about how your certification has enhanced the guest experience and if you've received any positive feedback from them.

 

Paula

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Thanks for your encouragement and positive comments Paula. When I became aware of the extremely high percentage of STR'S short term rentals in the USA that don't have smoke alarms or fire extinguishers it was clear as a community leader I would work to just bring up awareness of the importance of those things. And also reinforcement that guests assume we are taking care of safety for them. There are a huge number of people traveling with carbon monoxide detectors and smoke alarms due to the alarming number of deaths and accidents happening. We don't see all those happening because many don't get major press. 

It matters to guests as many have thanked me...I don't require a CO alarm since there's no gas and no stove but I still have one and have received thanks for it. The Emergency Safety Card is critical to have posted...with all numbers and the address clearly posted. If the only place the address is seen is online and there's an urgent situation there's big problems. Why is that? If a guest is having an emergency and needs an ambulance they want the address NOW. It's things like this that matters and I know hosts don't want to think about it..." Hasn't happened here" The other thing I haven't mentioned is liability....if we can prevent it from happening why not do that? If hosts offer things to guests and they get hurt or injured (unless the guest has signed a release for using item) guess who is most probably held liable. 

I just want all Airbnb host to thrive and that means bringing standards up for many and spreading the word that we do care. 

Thanks for your support,

Clara

Paula
Community Manager
Community Manager
Port Moody, Canada

That's amazing, @Clara116 ! To be honest, this is the first time I've heard about "The Emergency Safety Card", and I think it's an incredibly useful resource to have in case of an emergency.

 

Thank you so much for sharing this with us 😊.

 

Paula

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Please follow the Community Guidelines // Por favor consulta las Normas de la comunidad

Clara116_0-1683751389789.png

@Paula  here's a good example - I made mine with Red Card Stock and most put them on the Refridge. I have a metal stand that I have mine on  - so it could be moved around, placed anywhere. A host can put their Logo and name of their property and personalize it also.