How to ask for listing critique on the Community Center

Stephanie
Community Manager
Community Manager
London, United Kingdom

How to ask for listing critique on the Community Center

Stephanie_0-1628688524539.png

Hi everyone,

 

Welcome to the "Ask about your listing" board – I hope you’ve been finding lots of useful information, insights and advice from our community. One of the amazing things about this space is that those starting out on their Hosting journey can get a keen eye on their listing to work out those little niggles and considerations they may not have thought of just yet. We’re more than happy for you to share your listing for this purpose - here’s a guide on how you can do it in a way that makes it easier for your community to find and offer critique:

 

  • Start a conversation to create a topic.
  • Name your topic “Critique my listing - (your name and where you’re from)” for example “Critique my listing - Stephanie in London, UK”.
  • Include your favourite listing picture in the post. This makes the topic stand out more, gives viewers a sense of the type of listing you offer and means your Community Management team can more easily highlight it to the rest of the community.
  • Share something about what your trouble might be at this point in your journey. This might be a lack of bookings, missing house rules, or even your custom URL.
  • Finally, post a link to your listing and add the tag on the thread “listing feedback” and anything else you think is suitable, like the example below:

Stephanie_1-1628688520380.png

 

You can always ask any of your Community Management team myself, Quincy, Bhumika, Jenny, Breanna and Paula if you need help. And you can share a link to your Critique my listing topic in the comments section below too!

 

What’s your biggest worry with your listing at this point in your journey that you want help with?

 

Thanks,

 

Stephanie

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Please follow the Community Guidelines 

172 Replies 172
Vivek69
Level 2
Louisville, KY

Critique my listing - Vivek in Louisville, Kentucky/Cayman Islands.  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3996192?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=8ba39694-1527-4ae3-8017-...

Vivek Sarin
James3326
Level 2
Portland, OR

Hi,

I am new to hosting and was suggested to ask the community to review and provide comments on my listing.  I had one booking but nothing has come in.  Please help.  Thanks.

 

My listing is below for your review and comment.

https://airbnb.com/h/aplacearoundthecornerincentralbeaverton

Beautiful home you are offering with bright, professional photos. The main link always highlights 5 photos, then the browser can open more photos if the first 5 grab their attention.  I'd reorganize the photos so the first five are the highlights; kitchen, common area, dining area, master suite.  Your description is super detailed and I found myself not wanting to read it all.  I'd reorganize the descriptions to note the most important areas of the home first. It's a large house, but I had sticker shock with your cleaning fee, wow.

How much was the cleaning fee?  Is it $169?  Is that a lot?  I pay my cleaner $150 each time to clean a 2bed2bath, and that is basically what I charge guests.  How does anyone clean a whole house for less?!

I charge $160 for the entire house.  It is over 3,000 square feet with 3 bedrooms.  She washes the sheets and changes the beds, cleans out the refrigerator, dishwasher, etc.  I don't do any upcharge on the cleaning fee, it's just what she charges me.  I thought it was a reasonable fee.  No way someone is going to get their personal house cleaned for less than that, especially with all the extras they do.

Patti120
Level 5
California, United States

Your fee is more than reasonable. You haven't counted carpet and couch cleaning, supplies, and everything else you pay for to keep the home looking in tip top shape. 

 

Patti120
Level 5
California, United States

I pay my homekeeper anywhere from $150-$250 depending how long she works. All the laundry is done in advance. It's impossible to have affordable per night rates and free cleaning. I would go in the hole and have to discontinue hosting. 

Same problem I am facing 

Trude0
Level 10
Stockholm County, Sweden

@Stephanie : It looks like many are misunderstanding your instructions, and asking for critiquebin this thread, instead of starting their own thread. Gillian is doing a good job trying to help them. But maybe you could edit your post, to make it even more clear that every host wanting critique, should start their own thread?

Cameron-And-Nicola0
Level 2
Paradise Point, Australia

Hi Stephanie,, my biggest worry is getting more bookings especially for this month and I want to offer pet friendly for cats and every other pet possible but I don’t want to keep any dogs on the property and not sure how to advertise this without upsetting guests and not to come across racist by not wanting dogs to stay at our house. Also how much extra can you ask for in the pricing bracket so to speak when accomodating pets, I also wanted to make it clear that I have the space to look after furry friends ie cats rabbits hamsters Guinea pigs etc just solely for stays if other people in the community need there pets taken care for per day or few days or weekly if they are going on holiday like a kennel I suppose it would be referring like, are we allowed to offer something like this on our listing 

 

My apologies to everyone here Cameron and I are very new to hosting and I just briefly came across for the first time to read more information so I can try and pick up useful tips etc from all other long existing hosts and I am sorry I did not read everything first correctly and just saw a post sayimg “ what’s our biggest worry with our journey so far” etc and I just sent a reply to that question to Stephanie so sorry to you all and I will try to read things first so I don’t annoy people by responding like I just did in the future.

Hi ,

It's great that you want to make your listing pet-friendly while addressing your concerns. Here's a comprehensive response:

To attract more bookings, particularly from pet owners, and ensure you're transparent and respectful to all potential guests, you can follow these steps:

1. **Pet-Friendly but Dog-Free Policy:** To accommodate various pets while excluding dogs, you can highlight that you are pet-friendly but prefer not to host dogs due to specific property constraints. You can explain this as a measure to maintain a peaceful atmosphere for all guests.

2. **Pricing for Pet Accommodation:** Determine a reasonable pet fee to cover potential extra cleaning or maintenance costs associated with accommodating pets. You can base this on the type and size of the pet. Research what other hosts charge for pet fees in your area and adjust accordingly.

3. **Detailed Pet Information:** In your listing description, clearly state that you welcome cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, and other small pets. Mention that you have the space to accommodate these pets during guests' stays.

4. **Pet Sitting Service:** If you'd like to offer a pet-sitting service for the local community, you can create a separate section in your listing or a separate listing specifically for pet care services. Make it clear that this is an additional service you provide, just like a kennel or pet daycare.

5. **Avoid Discrimination:** Ensure your communication doesn't come across as discriminatory. Emphasize that your intention is not to exclude any particular pet owners but to create a comfortable and peaceful environment for everyone.

By following these steps, you can effectively make your property pet-friendly, cater to a wider audience, and offer additional pet care services without upsetting potential guests or appearing discriminatory. This approach should help you get more bookings while providing a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for everyone.

Roberto
Patti120
Level 5
California, United States

Hi Roberto, In the USA Service Animals can only be dogs. Assistance Animals can be anything. Dogs free statement could be problematic indeed. 

Best, Patti

Breanna
Community Manager
Community Manager
Pontefract, United Kingdom

Hi @Patti120 

Just wanted to stop by and drop the link to the Airbnb Accessibility Policy, which, interestingly, also says that a service animal can be a dog or a miniature horse.

I learn something new every day!

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Please follow the Community Guidelines

Patti120
Level 5
California, United States

Hi Breanna, The Airbnb rules are painfully out of date and sync with the Federal Regulations under the Fair Housing Act and HUD (the regulating agency for the Fed). The Federal Regulations in the USA. I understand why you have the position you do given the way Airbnb has written its rules, but they are incomplete at best. They have a legal department with an expert in Fair Housing and Discrimination in the San Francisco office. It would be great if she would help get the company current so hosts do not run into issues with the Federal Government, which they already are. Fines and penalties are stiff. Cheers, Patti