Critique my listing Eliana Edinburgh

[Eliana274]

Hello,

any advice on our new listing would be greatly appreciated. We have an apartment in the city centre near the castle on one of the most known and visited streets in the city. It is a tourist Mecca all year long particularly now and in august when the festival is on and we have gone for a very traditional style as the building is a listed building from 1861. The city is super busy already and we would love to rent our apartment out as soon as possible. Here is the link we are new to this and finding it a little overwhelming. Thank you in advance 😊😊

https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/607982085822103658?adults=4&children=2&check_in=2022-09-01&check_out=...

[Helen3]

Looks gorgeous but very expensive.  @Eliana274 

Is that the normal day rate for a two bed where you are?

[Eliana274]

Edinburgh is a crazy market, the old town is jammed all summer long and there are some not as nice as ours which are more expensive. Although how much occupancy they have is a mystery. There is such a problem with Airbnb let’s that they have had to bring in new legislation and everyone needs to seek permission for short term lets…

[Kia272]

@Eliana274  Your place is gorgeous! Very nicely done. 

My advice is to nix the bunk bed. One mistake that new hosts make is trying to maximize capacity. What you have to think about is who you are marketing to, and the likelihood that that group will be a party of six. 

It looks to me like your market is either two couples, or a family of 4 (plus or minus). You have the word "luxury" in your title, which is completely appropriate, but doesn't seem like a fit for someone who's going to share a bedroom with the kids. 

I, for one, can't imagine as an adult, sharing a bedroom with the kids, even on travel. If they're old enough to be traveling with mom and dad, they're old enough to sleep in another room. You do offer a travel cot/crib on request, which kind of solves that issue (perhaps a family of 5, or 4 with a younger child.) You can specify in your house rules that you can take up to five for a family unit only. 

I think your place is extremely well suited to two couples with money enough to book a very nice weekend getaway, or a well-off family on travel, that has the funds to book a higher-end place. 

I can't speak to your price, but I do firmly believe in deciding on the value of YOUR place, and pricing accordingly. Pay no mind to AirBnB's pricing suggestions, as they are way too low. Their only interest is in getting your place booked, and they don't care what kind of guests you attract. Pricing on the higher end will get you a better caliber of guest. Don't use smart pricing, or if you do, set the low end at your minimum nightly price. Don't let AirBnB set it for you. 

AirBnB automatically gives a 20% discount to your first three bookings unless you turn that off. I don't think the discount is a bad idea, just to get a few reviews up for your listing. With a place as nice as yours, people are likely to feel that they're getting a real bargain, i.e. it might be something they wouldn't book at full price. Use that to your advantage, if appropriate. 

Best of luck with hosting. Your place is so nice, I'm sure you'll get lots of bookings and great reviews. 

Cheers, Kia

[Eliana274]

Thank you so much @Kia272 @the process of getting to where we are has been quite long. We initially bought the property for my husband’s work to use when he is in the city we hadn’t thought about Airbnb but Cockburn Street is a tourist attraction in itself and the apartment was used as short term let for 20 years. New legislation is being brought in this year meaning you have to apply to short term let unless you have rented for over 10 years so everyone has encouraged us as it used only now and again for work to let it out the rest of the time. So the pricing for us has been tricky and your advice to not take Airbnb smart pricing has been helpful as I was like what the…?!?! Nobody in our area was renting so low and one’s of our similar style were so much more, even more than we have it on for. To give an idea, 2 basic double rooms with double beds (we have a super king and a king) are around £900 a night, in the likes of a Kimpton. Clearly we can’t charge as much as that but yeah you don’t know who your potential guests are and how much someone would be willing to pay. Great advice, we are going to remove the bunk beds and market it for 2 couples. 

[Huma0]

@Eliana274 

You have done an amazing job. Your listing is stunning. You clearly have an eye for design and for detail and there some very nice little touches that I hope guests will appreciate.

I will be adding it to my Wishlist although it's out of my budget I'm afraid. I assume that you have researched your local competition before setting your prices so perhaps they are spot on given the location and the quality of the apartment. @Kia272 makes some good points RE this, e.g. the discount for the first three stays.

I agree with her also about the bunk bed. It does seem a bit squeezed into the room and makes it seem less high end, but if you think your market is larger family groups, perhaps it makes sense. However, which such a lovely place full of nice fixtures and fittings, fancy bedlinen etc. I wouldn't necessarily want to target families with several young children or large groups. You may find the wear and tear a bit more than you are willing to stomach! Personally I would get rid of the bunk bed and set your maximum occupancy at four and continue to offer the cot for those with infants. I suspect the kind of people who would book your listing are looking for luxury, not wanting necessarily to squeeze in as many people as possible.

By the way, did you have any luck finding a co-host?

[Eliana274]

Thanks for your advice ☺️ As I said to @Kia272  we weren’t intending on letting it but because of where it is and it being a short term let for over 20 years before the renovation we thought it would be a good idea to keep it going as we use it only for my husband’s work. We furnished it for our family so there are 2 adults and our 4 kids, the oldest being 12 so we out the bunk beds in so we could all go and stay there but I get what you mean that if you target it at people looking for a luxurious let then they won’t appreciate the lack of space. We’ve decided to take the bunk beds out (the kids are over the moon they are getting the bunk beds at home 🤩)  and our couch is a sofa bed with a Hypnos mattress so the 2 youngest can sleep in that when we are at the apartment. 

[Huma0]

@Eliana274 

That sounds like the perfect solution. The sofa bed is there for your kids' needs (and additional guests should you choose to accept them) but that bedroom will look more high end in the meantime without the bunk bed.

Your location does look truly special, as does the apartment itself. I especially like the gorgeous decor in the master bedroom but the other areas, such as the kitchen and bathroom are rally stunning too and I love your small decor details. The Harry Potter-esque theme is cute and nicely done rather than cheesy and too themed.

Judging by the pricing you have mentioned for other listings, perhaps your prices are not too high. You are, after all, in a prime location and offering something really well presented and equipped. Only time will tell.

Do let us know how you get on with it.

[Eliana274]

We went for a bit of a Harry Potter vibe in the book room as we call it as Harry Potter ‘was born’ just round the corner…Cockburn street is fantastical, you can literally feel it’s history, with Fleshmarket Close running along side our building, Mary King’s Close across the street, the days of Burke and Hare are long gone but the attraction is still there as it was the centre of Edinburgh’s dark and murky Victorian past…we literally can’t step out the front door for the people taking selfies in the middle of the cobbled road 😆 last week they were filming for an itv drama…it has been used in marvel avengers movie…the most exciting part for us is being able to get a Deliveroo to our door as we live in the countryside city life does have it’s pros 🤩🤩

[Eliana274]

This is Cockburn Street on a typically wet Scottish evening 😊

[Huma0]

@Eliana274 

One small additional point...

I noticed  that you have a roll top, or similar, bath in the main bathroom. I didn't notice this the first time I looked at your photos because you can only see part of it in one and a glimpse of it in another as it is mostly hidden in the photos.

The bath is potentially a big draw (guests often comment on my roll top and several have said that is what sold the listing to them, even if very few guests actually use it and tend to use the shower instead) so I would include a clear photo of the bath. I find that visitors from the USA love a bath tub, especially a free standing or roll top one. You should feature this more prominently in your photos.

[Mark4281]

@Eliana274  wow your apartment is presented beautifully. Well done. I'm sure it will be very popular.

We have a place in Guthrie Street, Old town for over 10 years now. The Old town Location is loved by guests.

Here's to a busy Summer!

Best regards

Mark