How to compete with 200+ other STR in my 30A area.

[Michelle4626]

Superhost for 2 years. Need help on maximizing my listing in an highly sought after area where I've got 200+ competitors in the same neighborhood. Any ideas on improving or outreach? 

www.Airbnb.com/h/good-vibrations-30A

[Nandini11]

Hi @Michelle4626,

Firstly, congrats on being a  Superhost for 2 years—that’s a great achievement! I had a look at your listing, and you're in an incredible location, which is a big plus, but I totally get the challenge of standing out in such a saturated market.

Your listing is just flawless. I dont think so you need to do anything but still here are a few ideas that might help maximize your listing and outreach:

1. Photo Refresh with a Storytelling Angle: In competitive areas, listings with photos that tell a “lifestyle story” (like morning coffee on the patio, beach gear ready to go, cozy evening lighting) tend to grab more attention. Maybe consider adding a few “experience-style” shots.

2. Offer a Limited-Time Deal: A slight drop in price for a few days or a special midweek discount could help you show up more often in filtered search results.

3. Guest Experience Add-Ons: Think about offering something small but memorable, like a welcome basket with local snacks or beach gear rentals—guests mention these extras in reviews.

Happy Hosting!

Regards,

Nandini

[Michelle4626]

Nandini11,

Thank you for the great feedback. I'm definitely thinking about storytelling ideas for the photos. And. I'm already doing the welcome and thank you gift ideas for returns and awesome guests. It's just tough in this market amongst other Stars in my area who offer just the same things just a different price point. 

Thank you 

Michelle 

[Nandini11]

You're very welcome!

It sounds like you're already doing a great job with thoughtful touches like welcome and thank-you gifts—that kind of personal hosting really stands out in guest reviews over time.

I completely understand how challenging it can be in such a competitive area, especially when everyone’s offering similar amenities. That’s where those small, authentic details (like photo storytelling or even highlighting your personal host style) can really help you connect with the right guests.

You’ve already built a strong foundation with 2 years as a Superhost, so you're clearly doing something right!

Keep going—you’ve got this.

Regards,

Nandini 

[Greystone0]

Hi @Michelle4626 ,

Good question and lots of competition out there and hard to stand out now-a-days. Our market has lots and lots of options, perhaps similar to yours in that aspect. If you aren't already, you should be mining your past guests for future reservations. Here's some thoughts:

- we have about 45% of our calendar booked with repeat guests at this point. Some come every year, some every other year. For reference we purchased in Aug 2020, went live the same month. We have one guest on their 6th stay with us, several on their 4th, and several on their third. 

- for our AIRBNB business, if it is someone we want to book again, we offer a 'great guest' discount of 'XX" off a future trip. We send this message after check out, once our cleaning crew has thoroughly been thru the home and verified all is well.

- if you haven't already been doing something similar, you can always go back and reach out to those that really stood out and had a great experience and invite back with whatever discount makes sense (waive the cleaning fee, discount of X, something else). 

- I am always surprised at who responds when I send marketing messages (if you have business thru other channels). We only send 2 or 3 times a year and sometimes I think it isn't worth it but sure enough a few new repeaters pop up re-affirming that it works, if that makes sense.

good luck!

[Fancy-Apartments0]

Hello @Greystone0 

Going back to your point of sending those marketing messages, how have you found your guests reaction in general? i have thought of maybe sending a marketing message to guests that have been repetitive for us, but it always kind of bothered me that those messages could be considered pestering, or might be delivered at not a very good time for the guest, and it might end up blowing back to an angry guest who might maybe cut all the contacts with us and not come again. it feels almost like those phone call marketing techniques that usually many scam companies do with peoples phone numbers and annoy people.

Would really like to hear on your perspective as a seasoned host i presume. ive been hosting since mid-march (4-5 months now) and this is something that kind of always stayed as a question mark for me 

Thanks in advance

[Greystone0]

Hi @Fancy-Apartments0 ,

Good question and certainly something to consider strongly - avoid too much marketing or spamming.

In our case, our marketing list is highly, highly curated. It is only made up of guests who have stayed with us and have been great guests.  Overall this is a small, easily manageable and easy to tailor messages. 

- for example: we have a regular guest who books a long weekend for a local winter festival.  I send him a message that the dates are available and if they are interested and add a blurb about anything new about our property or some such twist. He has always answered, one time they didn't reserve and three other times they did reserve.  I repeat a version of this for each repeat guest. NOTE: none of these are former AIRBNB guests in this case. For many reasons, our AIRBNB guests don't fall into this category, they seem more one-offs.

- AIRBNB guests: we offer a return guest discount for those we want back and we send a note in the platform about this. Alternatively, if an AIRBNB guest who stays in the summer, says something like, considering a ski vacation, then we will send a future note about our local ski resort and highlight some available ski dates.

- another example: when we installed AC units on our main floor, I reached out to each guest who stayed with us in a  previous summer month and sent a message about this update (previously we only had AC unit in upstairs bedrooms). This was a relevant upgrade and a nice way to get back in front of a former guest.

- a former guest only hears from us up to 3 times in a calendar year and all of it falls into some sort of highly curated messaging. We have not had any negative feedback and I am highly conscious of keeping the info relevant for the guest. 

- in many cases the emails that we have came to us with a request to be put on a list. For example, we have a large home and often occupied by two families. One family is the main renter or booker and the other family is their  guest.  It is this guest who reaches out and says, 'put us on your mailing list'. So it is highly curated. 

Good luck!

[Fancy-Apartments0]

Hi @Greystone0 

I really appreciate your insight.

Thank you very much!