We’ve been active for a few weeks and not feeling like our l...
Latest reply
We’ve been active for a few weeks and not feeling like our listing is getting the bookings it could. Where have we gone wrong...
Latest reply
Your place looks amazing. A few suggestions I have:
#1 Most important! Change your number of guests. You have 2 guests, though state 2 king size beds but show 3 bedrooms. It confused me but forget about me but as a traveler the 2 guests limit may induce you into not having a lot of searches going into your direction.
Minor though get some outside pictures of your place and what your guest will be looking at if they were sitting out, etc. I from Chicago, if I travel to Florida I think pool. As you have no pool, your prices seem reasonable but figure out a way to market your place without a pool. I once stayed at a place in Florida which had no pool but there was a free HUGE public pool was just 1/2 block walk.
Look at your competition and see what they sat about their space. Maybe snag a few ideas from them as well.
The best of luck!
Bettye6
Thanks for your comments. I have not been able to fix the bedroom numbers . On the third bedroom I have no bed but instead a game room. If I don’t put a bed the app does not let me list that room. Been trying to figure out who to contact to help with that. I don’t have a pool in the home but several pools nearby. Thanks again for your suggestions.
@Janice-And-Jonathan0 @Jesse-and-Joanna0
Very nice listing with a lot of nice features.
I agree, though, the bedroom count and the bed count needs to be accurate. As it is now you have 4 guest, 3 bedrooms and 6 beds, (a king and queen in each of the three bedrooms).
If it's two bedrooms with a bed in each need to change it to that.
The risk is that a guest could leave a one star review and get a full refund because the listing wasn't accurate. Maybe they will ask but what if it's four men on a business trip and they each expected their own bed and 3 bedrooms? Or maybe two moms who each have two kids and they all expect to have their own bed, and have priority on who has their own bedroom.
Can just add pics of the game room with more info in the captions. "The game room is in the 3rd bedroom that doesn't have a bed." Then call CS to see if you can add a game room.
It's your choice, just be aware that customer service does go by the accuracy of the listing. If a guest showed up, called customer service, and said it wasn't accurate because it listed 3 bedrooms and 6 beds, but only had 2 bedrooms, and 2 beds, it would meet both the review and refund policy, meaning they could cancel, get full refund and leave 1 star review.
Maybe that will never happen but a lot of guest are on their phone, they see a great price, lovely pics, 3 bedrooms. Check, check, check. Book. They don't bother to read any messages or even check in instructions until the day of check in. This happens all the time.
Hope that helps and good luck!
Thank you so much @John5097 for your information. I did not know how to list the game room without it being a bedroom. I’ll call cs now to assist with the changes. Thanks again!
@Janice-And-Jonathan0 Your home is gorgeous! A couple suggestions: mention how close you are to the beach since most want to visit the beach when visiting Florida. If no beaches nearby, list some outdoor activities, other water options (lake or river), pools, etc. The other thing is the bedrooms are confusing.. it looks like you have a queen and a king bed in all three rooms. Good luck and welcome!
Great suggestions. We actually have over 115 pools including neighborhood pools, sports pools and community pools for families including children. Made some changes and hope to speak with support to get help listing the game room just as a game room not a bedroom. Thanks again.
Your listing is so beautiful - the colour scheme in particular is right up my street! I hope you don't mind, I shared the link to make it easier for other Hosts to critique! ✨
Have you seen some of the comments below that could help clarify your listing?
Hi @Janice-And-Jonathan0
Your home is super lovely!
We also live in The Villages and have a rental near 466 north of Lake SumterLanding
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Living in The Villages!
Maybe change the £ to $
I am pretty new with listing here as well,
but I am happy to help and send guest your way.
Welcome! You have a beautiful home! Here’s a few suggestions:
1) I agree with the others that you need to fix the number of bedrooms, types of beds included in each bedroom (there is a king and queen in listed in each bedroom?) or you will face potential negative reviews.
2) Pics 5 & 9 appear to be the same picture.
3) For your write up, I suggest the following:
Welcome to Paradise! Location! Location! Location! Your Village, Cason Hammock, is located just across the road from Sawgrass Grove Town Center, McGrady's Pub, The Marketplace, Clifton Cove Putting Course and Ezell Recreation. You'll have nightly, live entertainment at Sawgrass and the three other squares in The Villages.
Relax on the patio, with a drink of your choice in hand, explore the various nearby beaches, take the golf cart to the pub/marketplace, unwind in our Florida themed rooms (The 3rd bedroom is a game room with many activities!) or take a stroll on the x acres of the Villages. Explore the many amenities that feel like you’re living in a 5 star resort!
4) On the section where you’ll be: this is where you would list how many acres of trails/paths they can explore and other attractions.
-List the closest beach names, with the distance, as well as how long it takes to walk or drive to each.
-List the closest grocery store with distance and time to get there
-List local attractions of interest with distance and time to get there
-This area doesn’t have a character limit so you could add some other things such as;
parking - garaged or street (it would be a plus is there was a covered garage) I saw parking on premises and on street but it didn’t say is there was garage use available (this is totally up to you as some hosts do allow it and others don’t).
-You may want to elaborate on the potential for dangerous animals here, something like: There are over x acres in the villages so there may be a potential to encounter a dangerous animal that belongs to another visitor or homeowner or local wildlife. The pet policy is all pets should be leashed unless in designated off leash parking areas. We also have some ponds and being Florida, we have local alligators or crocodiles that could be in the water. Please use caution when walking near large areas of water or waterways.
5) I would show some pics of the amenities: the marketplace, the pub, a few beach pics, a couple of golf course pics, a sunset or sunrise pic, maybe a drone shot of your property (if available).
6) I would detail how many cars are allowed to park on the property (if there is a limit) and if there needs to be a visitor pass or anything.
7) I would make sure to include a pic of the bathtub with flowers, towels or LED candles for ambient lighting. Some people really love baths for a relaxing vacation.
😎 What is the ac usually set at, what do you ask them to keep it at? Maybe something like please don’t leave the ac on if you have the doors or windows open would be nice in the house manual. Do you have a house manual? I didn’t see it or I could have missed it.
9) You may want to consider having security cameras on the outside of your premises just in case. It can help deter potential parties, as well as people who may sneak in extra people not on the reservation (which by law you usually need all names of all occupants for short term rental insurance; aircover also requires all guests be listed on the reservation or they may deny an aircover damage claim). Also since you have so many beautiful furnishings, it could potentially deter people from taking things that are not theirs. I don’t like to think that way but I have read stories of guests taking objects from their hosts (more than just all the drinks/snacks/toilettries, extras of paper towels and tp; actual furniture or other objects were taken). So I guess the rule would be don’t put anything sentimental or valuable that you wouldn’t want to lose in your rental.
10) You can do a speed test through Airbnb for the speed of your wifi. You could also do an independent one and list it in your listing for those who like to stream or need to work from home.
Hope this helps!