100 views and no bookings…

[Marta1757]

Hi everyone! 
We’re new to hosting and have put our beautiful home up for holiday rental - lots of views but no bookings. 
What are we doing wrong?

We’ve tried lowering the price and think it’s reasonable considering we can host eight people.

Is there a way to crack the algorithm?

Any tips are appreciated!

Thanks so much,

Marta

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Marta1757 

I would turn off the "Experienced First Guest" restriction you have on your listing. This prevents many guests from actually booking if they don't have at least 3 Airbnb trips in the area of your listing. I would still not turn on instant book so you can require the guests to send a request to book so you can check their reviews and ask questions:

Experienced Guests Only

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/3320#section-heading-1-0

To turn off this setting:

Click on your profile picture

Click on Account

Click on "Your first guest", then click "Any Airbnb guest"

[Marta1757]

That’s a really good point - thanks so much Joan!! Done.

[Paula]

Hello @Marta1757, welcome to our community 😊

There are many great suggestions from our Hosts in this thread ✌️. If you find any of their answers particularly useful, please don't hesitate to mark it as the best answer. You can do this by clicking the button below the comment as shown in the following image:

All the best.

[Helen3]

Did you check supply and demand for your sort of listing in your location before setting up your listing @Marta1757 

I would imagine many looking for a villa with pool summer holiday would have booked some time ago.

be patient if you have an in demand quality property bookings will come 

[Marta1757]

Hi Helen, thanks so much for your reply. I did and I saw a fair few booked already… I was hoping to come in and be an offer for last-minute bookers. Having said that, I’m also seeing a lot of last minute cancellations across the Algarve. It’s maybe not the best year for some, and people are looking for the lower season. Fingers crossed, anyway ☺️ thanks again!

[Bettye6]

@Marta1757 Best of luck to you. Just don't give up. Persistence pays off.

Reach back in several months if nothing changes and consider asking ask us to review your place. There is a lot of positive support in this community and tends to be my main go to.

Bettye6

[Marta1757]

Thank you so much @Bettye6 ! Really appreciate your kind and encouraging words. 🥰

It certainly is a great community and I must admit, I actually got our first booking yesterday! 🥳🥳

[Helen3]

Sorry I didn't mean how many were booked I meant have you looked at supply and demand for your sort of property in your location @Marta1757 

[Kia272]

@Marta1757 You're not necessarily doing anything wrong. The hospitality industry is all about supply and demand. Don't lower your price too much- it attracts bottom feeders, who are generally not good guests. 

A couple of suggestions:

Use the captions feature with your photos. It helps guests understand which room they're looking at and how the house flows. 

What you might want to do with the Annex, is set your price for 6 guests, and charge after that per guest for up to 8, so that the cost of opening the Annex is covered. I think that's better than refunding a small amount if it's not needed, but be absolutely clear in the listing about what the set-up is. Guests tend not to read very well, and then blame hosts for their "misunderstanding."

By charging for 6, that opens the market to you a bit more. Some might not want to pay the price for 8 with a smaller group. Get it? 

You may want to confirm this in your welcome message (which most hosts use). You can confirm their guest count and then confirm that they will or won't need the Annex. 

Your place is gorgeous. Good luck! 

[Kelley152]

Hello, @Marta1757 . What a beautiful place you have listed! My one additional piece of feedback is to not lower your price (as others have suggested), but to offer a new listing discount. The set up guide prompted me as a new host (of my very modest listing!) to offer this kind of discount. I think it really helped! Guests are taking a chance on a new listing, even one as truly amazing as yours, and on a new host. This "grand opening" kind of discount shows guests your desire to build trust. It could also be billed as a seasonal discount, since your summer season is already in full swing and bookings seem to be slowing for others as well. I couldn't tell when I quickly looked at your listing, but if you aren't already, you can offer other kinds of discounts. There are discounts for last minute bookings, longer stays, etc. As another said, patience also pays off! 

Warmly,

Kelley

[Marta1757]

Thanks @Kelley152 !! So I did do the discount and it worked, we just got our first booking! Thank you all so much ☺️

[Kelley152]

I am so happy to hear that, Marta! 😊