Hi Shivansh, really sorry to hear that. We’re seeing the same thing happening on our side too. It’s hard to say how much is down to the current political climate versus shifting job markets, but there’s no doubt the market is being impacted.
I can only share what we’re actively looking into, in case it helps others.
Becoming more competitive
We’re benchmarking against hotels: what they’re charging, how busy they are, and whether there’s still demand in the area.
We’re also going deep on dynamic pricing. Pricelabs recently ran a masterclass that really unpacked advanced settings and customisation. If you’re using Pricelabs (or a similar tool), now’s the time to truly master it rather than running it on default settings.
Being seen (and bookable)
We’re rethinking our 2-night minimum and experimenting with 1-night stays. To support that, we’ve invested in more towels and linens and are aiming to compete more directly with hotels.
We’ve increased our 1-night ADR by around 40% to make the economics work and partnered with cleaning teams that can handle daily turnovers. Interestingly, they’re keen too, as they’re also feeling the slowdown in bookings.
See it through the guest’s eye
Go and stay in your own place. Experience it as if it wasn’t your listing, what would you change?
Retake photos if needed. Retell the story of your place: sell moments and experiences, not just a roof over someone’s head.
Share those stories on social media and link directly back to your listing.
Other ideas worth trying
Reach out to larger companies in your area. Speak to procurement or HR teams and offer a solid corporate rate for visiting colleagues or contractors.
Consider adding or testing “premium” amenities to stand out, fire pits, spas, saunas. Some of these can be temporary or low-commitment, like inflatable spas or pop-up saunas.
None of these are silver bullets, but they’re a few levers you can experiment with and adapt to your own setup. Hopefully something here helps spark an idea.
