Critique my listing - Sonia in Den Haag, NL

[Sonia1891]

Hello, 

Does anyone have any tips on how to get more bookings? I am relatively newer to Airbnb and would like more frequent bookings but am not sure how to do so. I have just been betting on the algorithm but maybe there is something else I could do? Any tips would help.

Kind regards,

Sonia 

Rental unit in Den Haag · ★5.0 · 1 bedroom · 3 beds · 1.5 baths

Link updated by OCM

[Paula]

Hola @Sonia1891,

Congratulations on your beautiful property 🎉

I am reaching out to some of our experienced Hosts to ask for their opinions on your listing: @Jonathan2534, @Dawn241, @Guy991, @Karen114, @Karlis3, @Lorina14, @Shelley159 and @Kitty-and-Creek0.

Best regards,

[Sonia1891]

Thank you Paula! I appreciate you tagging other hosts for some advice. Helps me out a lot to hear from others what is best, what to do and what not to do, etc. 

Kind regards! 

[Shelley159]

Hi @Sonia1891 

Your place looks good! I looked through the photos. Some of them seem to be duplicates that you can remove and perhaps replace with unique photos. Some of the photos also seem to show unfurnished rooms - I'm not sure whether they were taken before the furniture arrived and can now be removed. I would recommend showing very clearly in your photos exactly where 5 people would sleep. Hope it helps!

[Sonia1891]

Yes! I removed all the duplicate photos and didn't realise how many there were so that probably helped a lot: as well as, I made sure to remove the stock photos and instead just keep furnished pictures. I also retook photos to update the spaces since I noticed I had pictures with clothes in them. Now I'm even thinking of doing some professional photos. Thanks for the advice! 

[Karen114]

@Sonia1891  Lovely space!  You definitely want better and staged  photos. Beds and sleeping area defined and made up nicely, shut the lid on the toilet etc.  

I noticed you have a lot of decorations or knick knacks.  Very cute but they will just get broken and or grow legs.  Guests want to have flat spaces to put their own things down while they are there. Less is often more when doing short term rental, less to dust and clean too 😀

[Sonia1891]

Thank you Karen! You are right. I cleared out most of the spaces and retook photos so that has helped since. And definitely true about less is more in this case and I've made an inititaive to start storing or taking out a lot of decor and trinkets. Thank you!  

[Lorina14 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sonia1891, @Paula,

You have a nice place and you seem to have great review so far! Here are some suggestions:

1) Reduce the number of photos listed, you have many duplicates and some do not have good lighting. Aim to shoot photos on a sunny day, with lights on, making sure the place is staged well.

2) Straighten the rug in the photos of the kitchen

3) Make sure the couch blanket is folded and presented nicely on the couch, pillows are fluffed 

4) Put captions to every picture to help the guest understand what you are trying to show, what is unique about the pic or part of your place you are showing (ie the view from the windows of the city is amazing at night; maybe you should include some night photos of the view)

5) I saw you had two listings but they look the same. Do you have two similar apartments in the same building? The other listing does not have a good write up though, the titles are different but the pics look the same.

6) You may want to consider writing in your listing the distance and approx walk/subway/drive time to attractions in your area

7) I would put some art on the wall in the living room, or a pop of color here and there

😎For photos ask yourself what purpose am I including this for, is this a duplicate, does it add value to the listing, are the lights and lightening good, are things organized and in order (are you highlighting the view, the art, the quirkiness of your space, the amenities, the ability to soak in a nice bathtub (you may want to take a pic of the bathtub with a bath drawn, candles and some towels nearby)). You may want to include more pillows in the bed (people love pillows - check out staged homes in real estate listings for some ideas).

9) For your guidebook, I would out your personal touch on the recommendations with a sentence or two of tips of what to order at the restaurant, highlights of what to see, or how to save money at the attraction, best time to visit, what to not miss, etc.) 

10) Use scheduled messages for a welcome when guests book, for check in a day after or midway through the visit and for check out instructions.

11) Have a welcome basket (if you don’t already provide one) of nuts, trail mix, bars, chocolate, and a couple water bottles or drinks in the fridge. Don’t list this in your listing as people will come to expect it and your selection may vary so I like to always include one and the contents are a surprise to the guests. 

Hope this helps!

[Sonia1891]

Hi Lorina! 

Wow, thank you so much for all the advice!  I will definitely be using it all moving forward. I have already replaced the photos with cleaner ones without as much stuff but will hopefully, be able to take more professional style ones with more attention to detail by the end of the month when I get a chance. Nonetheless, all this detailed concentration is very important to a space and something I will be noticing more in my area of a host. I also didn't even know you could put captions on your photos. I will have to figure that out later as well because that could help to attract certain rooms or amenities.

I will also make a point to emphasise the distance to attractions since the seller of my place is that it is in a city centre. I am learning so much through this post. I also didn't know about the scheduled messages and will definitely be looking into that so it is one less aspect of hosting I can focus less on and be able to put my time elsewhere more. I do have the same apartment in multiple listings since I saw some other hosts do that and needed more summer rentals: however, I should make a point to put more effort into making sure each one has a good write up that I personalised rather than automated. Same thing for my guidebook, I need to take the time to make it more personalised as well. And in regards to a welcome basket, that would be nice and I usually get the guests flowers which definitely makes their day. 

Thank you so much again Lorina! Will definitely be referring to your recommendations and advices in the future! 

Kindest regards,

Sonia

[Lorina14]

@Sonia1891 

You’re welcome! I hope you get the captions added as it can show why you are highlighting things and also give an opportunity for your personality to shine with personable descriptions. 

A picture is worth a thousand words. If we have attention to detail there, then it hopefully reflects our attention to detail with our listing and as a host.

You may want to take one listing down as I believe the terms and conditions are we are not supposed to have duplicated listings (although I know many people may do it). This could potentially allow Airbnb to suspend your account. I’ve seen listings where separate suites are rented but there is an opportunity to rent the entire home so that is why there appears to be similar listings. Having two listings also will split any reviews between them if they are one and the same.

Scheduling messages takes a bit to get set up but once you got it down, it is so helpful. Make sure you see how it shows up after editing as the formatting can be off.

You can update your listing and ask us to review it again after if you’d like.

All the best!

[Paula]

Hello @Sonia1891, I hope everything is going well with you.

There have been many great suggestions from our Hosts here. Have you had a chance to read them? What changes are you planning to implement?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Sonia1891]

Hi @Paula ! Likewise to you! 

Yes, I just got the chance to read them! So many great suggestions. The main thing was the photos which I made sure to change. They were outdated by a few months actually and I hadn't noticed but makes a whole difference. I even had photos with my clothes in the pictures which I am surprised hadn't come up sooner with guests. Nonetheless, they are new photos now and moving forward, I want to continue to clear the space and take more professional photos to enhance my apartment attraction. 

Thanks so much for tagging everyone and I appreciate all the advice, suggestions, recommendations, and help in general! 

Kindest regards,

Sonia