Feedback on my listing!

[Alisson30]

Hi everyone!

I’ve been working on hosting in a 5-unit building located in the countryside of West Puerto Rico.

For some reason, this particular unit has the lowest occupancy rate compared to the others, and I’d really appreciate your insights.

Could you please take a look at the pictures, description, and overall presentation of the listing and share any suggestions on how I can improve it?

airbnb.com/h/casacarnaval1b

Thanks so much for your feedback!

[Bec3748]

oh golly - I wish we were travelling to Puerto Rico and staying in your lovely unit... very nice! I would definitely reduce the photos... plus you need to leave your guests some pleasant surprises to discover. 

Also, your rules could come across as a lack of trust in guests, with too much focus on discipline and liability. Could be making potential guests feel overwhelmed. A shorter, friendlier, and more hospitality-oriented version (with only the essentials) would probably feel more welcoming. 

Start with improving the tone and length of the rules as it reads more like a contract than a welcome guide. Leans heavily towards what not to do rather than setting a positive, guest friendly atmosphere. 

Some rules are standard and common sense ie 'no urinating in the pool'. Stating them explicitly may come across as condescending.

The emphasis on penalties and charges may discourage guests when you should be reassuring them. The COVID mention also... guests may perceive this as an unnecessary leftover restriction.

The bedding configuration also seems confusing... I like the suggestions around this from Karen114. That makes very good business sense also.  

Good luck!

[Emilie]

@Bec3748 Thank you for the additional suggestions! What do you think is the best way to craft a hospitality-oriented version of rules, are there any tidbits of advice you can think of on that front?

[Bec3748]

I think they need reframing to guide the guest rather than sound so draconian... and balance some of the rules with Welcomes.

Instead of writing from the hosts's perspective ("we don't allow..."  or  "we will charge...."), phrase things as what helps the guest have the best experience.

Some examples:

Quiet hours are from 10pm to 7am so all our guests (and neighbours) can get a great night's sleep.

Check-out is at 11am. If you'd like to linger a little longer, please us know and we will do our best to accomodate.

Instead of saying "taking items will result in a charge and penalty" you could say "please leave all items in the unit for the enjoyment of the next guest".  

Instead of saying "parties and events are strictly forbidden" you could say "our home is best suited for relaxing so we don't allow parties or large gatherings".

Putting things in context with a brief guest centred explanation also helps:

"We ask that children aren't left unattended at the pool so everyone can enjoy the space safely"

You could also group rules under warm-sounding themes:

Comfort & Consideration - (noise, smoking, pets, etc)

Safety First - (pool, children supervision)

A Smooth Stay - (checkin/out, keys)

Guest rules need to be easy to digest and sound less like a legal document. When a guest stays at your place, you need to make them feel welcome, comfortable and cared for while protecting the property so future guests can have the same experience. 

When I have a guest checkin I want their first thought to be about how taken care of they feel, and not how worried they are about breaking a rule. 

I hope that helps @Alisson30 

All the best 

[Emilie]

Really appreciate that @Bec3748, it's much clearer with the extra examples I think! It should be useful to both Alisson and any other hosts who might come across this discussion, looking for advice too 😊 

[Emilie]

Hi @Alisson30, 

I see you've received quite a lot of advice in the past week! Have you had a chance to look through it all? 

I'd love to know if it inspired you to make any changes 🙂

Have a lovely day, 

Emilie

[Alisson30]

@Emilie Absolutely, thank you all for the great and super valuable feedback!

I'm already working on rewriting my house rules and some other descriptions. We'll definitely consider updating he bed arrangement - this is actually we had considered in the past and hearing this feedback made us think we are heading on the right direction.

Appreciate all the insights! ❤️