We are relatively new hosts (10 months) - our property is re...
Latest reply
We are relatively new hosts (10 months) - our property is rented about 2 weekends a month, but would like to increase the mid...
Latest reply
Luv your place! @Quincy asks me to take a look at your listings and provide some ideas as to why you’re not booked as much as you would like and some suggestions for increasing bookings:
Property Type & Price
A few things stood out to me as to why guests might not be booking. Calling this property an “Entire Home” is a bit deceiving. This is partially Airbnb’s fault for not having an option for Hosts that clearly indicate 2 separate dwellings in the same home (upper unit & lower unit) and that some guests will be in the upper unit and some the lower unit of the home at any given time. Guests booking “An Entire Home” expect no one else will be on the property and this is not the case for your listings. Even though you do explain the setup in Other Details, some guests will not find this acceptable and look for a home they can have to themselves. Your listings should also not be priced the same compared to other 3Bed/1Bath listings that don’t have an upper/lower unit and should be at a lower price point.
I usually suggest Hosts with these types of properties choose one of the following as property type to clearly indicate from the outset that other guests will be in another unit in the same dwelling (upstairs or downstairs). If you choose to keep it as "Entire Home" just be aware you may have a guest complain about that and ask for a refund, even though you explain it is an upper/lower level property:
Property Type
- Apartment
- Rental Unit
- Townhome
Number of Guests/Bathrooms
I usually suggest only a maximum of 5 guests per bathroom. It’s a bit of a stretch to have 6 people sharing one bathroom (even if some are children). Even adding a half bath would help. Your current 1bathroom setup could be turning some guests away from booking. Not sure you can do anything about that, but this could be a reason for guests not booking.
Barn Doors
One guest commented that there were barn doors on the bedrooms and maybe the bathroom? This is a turn off to many guests as barn doors don’t provide much privacy or sound reduction. Most Hosts reserve barn doors to separate a den, living space, or in a studio to provide privacy for the bathroom in a small space.
Title
You want the most unique amenities in the first part of your Title. Guests already know it’s a 3 bedroom and most homes will have AC. Only 35 of the 50 characters of the Title appear on your thumbnail, so make them count. Put you are in the Bayview area in description and in the neighborhood section but don’t use valuable space for that in your Title. Guests from outside the area may not even know that "Bayview" is a desirable area. If you think Bayview will get more interest, then use that, but leave out “Oasis”.
Current Title -
3BR Bayview Oasis| Park | AC| Deck| 5 mins to Lake
Suggested Title –
5mins to Lake! Deck | 10mins to Downtown | W/D
or
5mins to Lake! | Bayview-10mins to DT | Deck | W/D
Lower Price Using Custom Promotions
Lower price is also an important factor to get higher in search results. Use Airbnb Custom Promotions to get (4) free benefits and more eyes on the listing. You might need to take some short term "pain" by lowering your price below competitors for a short time to get some bookings. You can gradually raise the price as bookings improve.
Create a Custom Promotion
https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2982
Update the Listing
There have been several software updates and changes to the platform since last year and I see some areas where you are missing information. I suggest going to the Listing Editor and clicking each square on the left and make sure all the information on the right panel has been completed. For example, Airbnb added commercial photography allowed to House Rules and some of your amenities are missing the little pencil icon edits. Click the (+) sign at the top of the amenities list then ALL. For example, for parking, there is a pencil icon to indicate the number of spaces. Your upper unit listing seems to be more complete than the lower unit listing.
Property Info/Guest Safety Section
You say guests have 1 parking spot to use, but your Property Info Section says no parking on property? Also, only having one parking spot for each unit could be off-putting, even if there is on the street parking. Some guests will have 2 vehicles:
Noise & Shared Spaces
Both properties should have potential for noise in the Property Info section, as units share a common floor/ceiling and one guest complained about noise from upper unit. Technically, if guests are sharing driveway parking area, that is considered a shared space and should be noted as such in the Property Info section. I would just say the only shared space is the common driveway (if that is the case). Each unit has it’s own separate and private entrance.
Photos of All Amenities
You need photos of all amenities. You don’t show any photos of the deck? Exterior of the home? You mention a private entrance, but don’t have a photo of it? Knowing the setup for entry is important and a view of the stairs they will need to climb to enter. Yes, that is a negative for some, but best to show that up front. You mention a washer/dryer but no photo? Even if in a not so pretty basement and a shared laundry, you should have a photo of it.
Captions on ALL Photos
It’s important to have captions on ALL photos. Photos tell the story of your property visually, but guests still need to know what they are seeing in the photo and how they can enjoy the spaces.
