Critique My listing - The Mammoth Meiner 2bd, Mammoth Lakes, CA

[Timothy693]

Hi all-

Hoping for some constructive criticism here. 🙂 Don't pull any punches. This is our second listing. 

airbnb.com/h/themammothmeiner

Entering our second winter up in beautiful Mammoth Lakes, CA. Condo is a fully remodeled 2 bed, 2 bath, sleeps 6, 69 reviews with 4.96 rating. We had a great first year (placed it on market in December 2023). November has been our slowest month ever and the first time we've been lower occupancy than the market. 

Not sure what is going on! Plz do your best (or worst!)

Thanks in advance- 

Tim

Our latest cover image. Changed to stand out from all the other listings.

[Emilie]

Hi @Timothy693, 

Welcome to our community! I love how private your condo feels, with all the gorgeous trees surrounding it. 😌

Did you check other properties in the area, to see if things were also quiet for them at the moment? Regardless, I wanted to tag in a few other hosts who might be able to take a look and share suggestions with you: @Mary1523 @Sandra856 @Nash-Cottages-LLC0 @Marina481 @Andrea6232 @Marisa182 what do you think?

Thank you everyone for your help!

Emilie

[Mary1523]

@Timothy693 Super nice place Tim! You are doing fabulous with that rating! I wish I was sitting above 4.9 but it will never happen for me...😁

I'm not sure you really need to do anything different. You clearly know what you are doing and been doing this for more years than me.

I've only got 4 thoughts:

1. it could be just the market at the moment. Check other competitor calendar availability.

2. it could be there are some new entrants who have gone cheaper. I had a sudden drop in bookings and i realised there was a new competitor who undercut me by $100/night. I had to temporarily drop my rate but within a few months or so, I put it back to where it was. 

3. Make it clear your differentiators in your headline. I think its wasting characters to say 'guest favourite' - most airbnb users don't understand what that means/how it happens anyways vs superhost. So use it differentiate ie you have a hotub, balcony, some type of location advantage? Use the guest reviews to find the key words that you could incorporate into your headline and header paragraph. 

4. I'm not convinced kitchens get people in as the cover photo unless the rest of property is older, I actually liked your photo that looked down into the living area. Encapsulates the coziness of the apartment.

As an aside, I've been running a survey for nearly a year that I ask guests to fill in (just a google form) on why they chose my property. I'm trying to build some more insight into what drives their decision making and why. Plus I ask whether additional features that i'm thinking of would influence their choice even more so.

good luck with it all from Australia! would love to visit one day in the winter!

Best, MK

[Kia272]

@Timothy693 Two things I can think of:

First, when I look at your living room, I don't really see seating for six. 

Second, would you benefit from pricing for 4 guests, and then charge for an additional one or two? That would allow you to lower your price a bit to get you into competition with other listings, and attract two couples. I'm assuming that two couples or a small family are your target market?

The eye candy should do the rest. Your place is gorgeous.

*The only reason that I think having the kitchen as your primary photo doesn't work, is that most people aren't focused on cooking for a weekend or short stay. Yes, they may cook, but a gourmet kitchen may be overkill.  

STRs are all about supply and demand. Travel trends change all the time. It may just be slow right now and there's not much to do about that. 

[Roberto2890]

Hi @Timothy693 , congratulations on your accommodation. I think that if in November you had a lower occupancy than the market, this is significant only if the difference with the market is significant. Otherwise I think it is physiological to have temporary moments of decline in bookings, perhaps due trivially to new offers in your area perhaps at lower prices. Then there is the factor of the increase in travel costs that could partly influence your bookings if your potential guests this year have not booked in advance. They could then choose a less beautiful but cheaper accommodation, so as to mediate the expense.
All the best

Roberto

[Candace241]

I’m very new to listing properties so I’m not sure if I can really help but I think the shot of the living room from above should be your cover photo. 

Your place is nicely decorated. I would also add a few pops of color to your bedding. You have an orange headboard in one room maybe a few printed pillows with a bit of orange would be a nice addition. 

The winter months are normally slow from what I’ve been told. Hopefully things will pick up soon.

Best!

[Emilie]

That's lovely insight, thanks @Candace241 for chiming in! I wanted to tag @Timothy693 here for you to make sure they get a notification of your response. 🙂

Quick tip: To tag someone, tap "@" and select the host's username from the dropdown menu.

[MichelleandAndy0]

Hello @Timothy693,

Your place is beautiful and has many options.  Your rating is excellent as well.  I found that new decor monthly(holidays and seasons) and featuring those pics made for many more guests.   I had guests come for holidays and special occasions that specifically asked me to keep the decor and table settings in place.  I had a solid 5.0 rating and always got excellent comments on the special decor. 

Hope this helps.

Michelle

[Caroline2992]

Hi Tim, the place is gorgeous as are the photos. I’m not a fan of the first picture from a photography POV. I understand wanting to stand out, but the photo itself has too much glare and contrast for me. 

[Bryon48]

Timothy,

Your place looks fantastic to me. Photos look great, reviews are almost all 5-stars, and you have lots of amenities. The decor looks good to me, and even though there are not a lot of bold colors, I can tell someone put some thought into the interior design. We actually just started our first AirBnB listing, so I'm probably not the best person to give you advice. Just wanted to say it looks like a very comfortable place, and I hope things pick up again soon.

-Bryon

[Mia1090]

Everything about the listing looks amazing! From the photos and detailed descriptions to the positive reviews and discount offers. However, the cleaning fee being nearly half the nightly rate might seem off (at least for me). You could consider reducing it and embedding the difference into the base rate or creating a lower cleaning fee for short stays.

Regularly updating the title, pricing, photo order, description, and amenities could also help in the algorithm and visibility in search results. Lastly, replying to all reviews, both positive and negative, adds a nice personal touch. Just my thoughts and hope this helps!

[Ahmed1023]

Hi Timothy, 

Thanks for asking. Your experience shows that you have all the basics covered however, I'd like to share a few thoughts. 

I'd suggest to monitor the pattern and compare what has been booked last year at the same period. Also, since this seems to be a drop never experienced, check around you and the competition whether the % of occupancy has also dropped. It seems there is a change in the market that made an impact. The reviews seems to be great therefore, I believe your guest did have their expectations met. 

Also, if you can allow more flexibility regarding pets, that might help you capture more market share.

Quick note, it is best not to assume that all audiences understand what you mean with "BTC 277333" or "WFH". Although, I believe it is largely understood, I am not sure to understand these.

[Nancy-and-Bill2]

Here is my input:

1.  I would get rid of the word "Meiner" in your listing because it sounds like "minor", ie, less than other listings.

2.  I would not post a kitchen photo.  When I see a kitchen I immediately think "work".  Typically, people do not want to work or cook on vacation, they want to relax and not work.  Unless you are catering to chefs, I would choose a more relaxing scene.

Hope this helps!