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.

[Omar17]

Hi Timothy,

Congratulations on your second listing—that’s amazing! Your excellent rating clearly shows how much you care about your hosting and creating a great experience for your guests. 

I can completely relate to the challenges you’re facing; many of us in the STR community have experienced similar situations. In my area, we created a network for hosts to share ideas and strategies, and this has been a common topic of discussion.

One approach that worked for us was giving our listing a complete refresh. We rearranged photos, updated verbiage, highlighted key amenities, and adjusted our pricing—especially by lowering rates for midweek stays (Monday-Thursday). These changes had an immediate impact, and we noticed an increase in bookings. When we shared this strategy with others in our network, they saw positive results too.

The way the business evolves—especially with the internet—means we all have to stay flexible and adapt quickly. I’m confident you’ll find the right adjustments to keep thriving!

Wishing you all the best and continued success.

Cheers

[Rena3386]

Hi Tim -

Beautiful condo!! I would like to see a view off the balcony. Also the cover image I got was the overlook into the living room?

One other suggestion - I’m an artist and have pieces all over my home including the Airbnb side. I don’t state that they’re my pieces or creations on the listing. Some people might be worried about damaging non-replaceable artwork.

Other than that, I’ve experienced a slow down also. I’m pretty remote so it’s understandable, but I’m thinking that bookings might be affected because it’s a side-effect of a presidential election?

Anywho, hope I’m not being redundant to other comments.

Take care!

Rena

[Paula]

Hello @Timothy693,

I hope you're doing great!

Many of our hosts have shared their suggestions. Do you plan to implement any of their ideas? Are you considering adding more details to your listing description, or perhaps including a few pictures showcasing the view from the balcony?

We’re really looking forward to hearing about your plans!

Keep us updated. 😊

[Cherie138]

Hi There!

I would remove the word "renovated" from your title. You can see that by the pictures that it is renovated. Instead I would use that space to list an amenity or distance to a local hotspot. Something that would matter more to the guest.

I agree with another commenter about the living room seating. You need to maybe add some poufs or something to show more seating for up to 6 people.

Photos are good but I would add more detailed photos of what the kitchen offers in terms of small appliances.

In additional photos add photos of local attractions/activities.

Check to see if there are other new listings that are undercutting you. I am not sure what pricing is in that area so I can't say whether your pricing is too high or not. Usually if you're not getting booked its because you aren't being pushed in the algorithm. Airbnb's algorithm and what it shows the guest varies in every market. It is based on what it knows the individual guest that is searching is seeking. Make sure your listing is marketed to your target audience.

[Becky165]

Hi @Timothy693!

I love your space, its decor is very thoughtful, the beds look lovely, the amenities of the condo and area are easy to see, easy to imagine what a stay in this listing would be like.   In terms of pricing, there are pricing methods/apps, Price Labs  is commonly used in Canada, studying comparable listings in your area makes sure you are competitive.  Cleaning fee, this is always a tricky one, you might consider lowering it for short stays, if you want people to stop and reconsider, sometimes the lower cleaning fee might make the difference. Another host below mentioned that travel trends do change and sometimes we can expect slower seasons and that's when you might consider discounting Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday - tougher nights to rent out and perhaps people will have incentive to book.  It's better to have nights booked at a lower price than no nights booked.  I do see you have discounted your pricing, even in Canadian dollars, your listing is very affordable to tourists.  Overall, many things affect travel - economy, weather, the way the area is marketed by the chamber of commerce. I think incentives, considering experiences that can accompany your listing to entice travellers and be patient and enjoy the journey!  For your cover photo, I would show the living area and not the kitchen.  I think people want to see comfort first and then function!  I think you're doing great, all the best in the future! 

[Christine3680]

Looks fabulous , I don't see any need to give you any suggestions to improve. Just beware there are clients who will give you a low rating, just because they can. I learned the hard way not to let that deter me from trying my hardest to do my best for  everyone else. I had a 5 star rating for two years, and then I had a guest who gave me a 2 star rating  because I didn't have a trash can in the bathroom.  I do have a trash can in the bathroom now, I just wish people would send personal me suggestions , instead of sabotaging .  Best wishes on your listing!

[Ada4720]

Timothy we have found out there seems to be alot of people doing the Airbnb thing! I believe market is getting flooded. 

[Alexander185]

Mammoth is one of my favorite places to ski and I love your place. IMO The price is very reasonable and I would def consider your place for my next trip there.  I've been hosting for ten years in a ski village in North East and have observed reservations come in waves; nothing for month then all booked within a couple of weeks. I hope your calendar fills up quick. Best, Alex.

[Bhupendra-Singh0]

Hi Timothy,

I am Bhupendra Singh Ratnu from Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.

I have been on Airbnb for 5 years and all I can say is just believe 100% in your property and the guests will never forget how you make them feel. The most important thing according to me is to be very clear about what you are expecting of the guest and ensuring the guest feels safe and gets treated like an extended family. Be very clear, the guests generally forgets you the moment they are out of the property.

Happy hosting.

[Michael5797]

Well, I don't know about the prices because I didn't do any comparison. But from the photo stand point, which most people are visual, you have 3 photos that make the living room look very small and cramped. There are a couple that make the Kitchen look small as well. I would remove the two small chairs out of the photos. Other than that, it looks great! 

[Bradley181]

Hello, I really like how you are marketing your listing. I would suggest to give special discounts that might be significantly lower than you are use to just to keep steady business. But I personally have the attitude of quality over quantity. Use the unexpected slower times to freshen up areas that might not necessarily be addressed during your steady flow. We all put off certain items that you don’t realize the guests can see, and it is also good to let the house breath and get that clean house air flow.

[Colleen608]

Hi @Timothy693 congrats on your listing, it looks amazing. My suggestion would be to change the description of the rooms to mimic guest feedback. For example, instead of saying what furniture is in the room (this is already obvious), you could create an idea of what someone might be doing in that space. For the living room I would put something like "curl up on the couch to watch a movie and enjoy the fireplace." For the pool you could take some guest feedback and put what they loved about the pool "excellent time spent at the pool with the family" - Summer guest 2024 or Bob - OH if you catch my drift. I use my guest book to highlight what most of my guests love about my listing and then put that in the photo descriptions. "Huge kitchen island for a wonderful family buffet over the weekend" type of thing. 

Also, I have to agree with the others on pricing...sadly it's been a slow winter and reducing your price might be helpful. I recently decided to incorporate my cleaning fees in my price and take away any additional charges in order to bring in more people. Eventually I do hope to slowly add them back in but for now it's an attractive selling point. 

Good luck, your place looks like it could sell itself!

Colleen

[Ron8828]

Sometimes it is hard to be patient. Our property is located in Kanab, Utah (tourism destination) and our November was slow as well.  We take these slower than expected times to do small updates snd tweak our presentation. We don’t obsess about it (anymore), sometimes travel is just softer. You have a great product with great reviews, your share of the short term business in Mammoth will be just fine over time .  Ron

[Nick-And-Vanessa1]

Hey @Timothy693!! Your place is stunning! Will definitely refer your place to friends I know heading this way this snow season! Your photos are incredible and the entire esthetic the home captures an audience! Here are some small tweaks that may go a long way when it comes to standing out capturing during potentially slower seasons when you may need to focus on super local visitors for weekend trips:

- Compare pricing to your competitors! Creating a comp set can be incredibly helpful and really analyzing what rates your comps are showing so you can adjust and even run promotions accordingly. I use PriceLabs for this. 

- From briefly reviewing your listing, it seems like you are targeting groups of all adults, perhaps some families, though mostly those coming to ride/ski, especially for this season now (I  have a client who has already gone to Mammoth once this season!) Adding some photos of what guests would be able to do and have access to when staying at your place would be great, sell the mountain, it's already there for you! Snowshoeing, sledding and other activities that may be happening locally in the month (when bookings are slow) may be helpful in increasing views and short term bookings.

- Add some fun emojis to your description! These seem to make people feel a little more relaxed, excited and they do a great job with breaking up the text with some color and fun. 

- You mention in the photo the table that can be used for family game night, do you all offer any? Have those out on the table in the listing photo. Anywhere you can do more staging, the better so the family can feel what they will experience there!

Your place is wonderful and truly looks like a family/friend perfect winter getaway! Have a great season! 

[Nick1711]

Greetings, lovely listing:

I like that you immediately listened to the advice from many of the hosts by changing the profile picture from the kitchen. Here are some of my current suggestions:

1. Change the listing title to something more catchy and marketable for someone clicking through your area. For instance. I live in Augusta, Georgia home of the Masters Golf Tournament. A title for one of my listings could be "Spacious Masters Golf Condo."
2. Add a short-term stay and long-term stay discount to attract visitors during the downtime seasons. Also, consider offering military, law enforcement, and educator discounts with verified I.D.s sent through Airbnb messages. That discount can only be used by the person booking the place. So, in other words, their I.D. must match the booking. 
3. For the down season, provide a check-in incentive such as bottled water, toiletry basket, laundry detergent basket, and goody basket. Place a blurb in your listing about this incentive, listing the dates that these incentives are available, and place pictures of those incentives in your marketing pictures.
4. Create a local online Airbnb guidebook with links to fun things around the area. Also, partner with local eateries and attractions for discount codes, coupons, and specials for your Airbnb guests.
5. Lastly, add more pictures of the surrounding area, including eateries, attractions, and the property. I always like to look at the photos to get a vibe of where I am going and would like to see my parking space, the entrance and road leading to my booking, and the surrounding area, as well as detailed inside pictures of amenities and incentives.

You are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the outstanding work! I aspire to regain my Superhost status and update my two new listings!