Is there anything missing on my listing?

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

Hi guys, could you take a look at my listing and see if there are any flags?

We usually have a hard time getting bookings (usually we get same-day bookings, it seems when all the other places are taken).

We offer tons of amenities, our apartment is in a good location (close to tech companies in silicon valley and restaurants/stores are within walking distance), and price is similar to nearby places. I'm wondering if there is anything we are missing?

There are rooms that seem to offer less stuff, had worse reviews, and they are more expensive. They get more bookings than us.

Any feedback will be appreciated. 

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

This is a very good point @Lisa723, we'll change our cancellation policy to flexible. We get a lot of same-day bookings so it shouldn't be hard to get a booking if someone cancels. 

I agree that most of the business travelers stay in hotels because the company pays. Our guests are business travelers from startups or smaller companies that are more in a limited budget. We also get business travelers that want a more "homey feeling". Guests coming for interviews or conferences is also common. I think our price is comparable to similar listings nearby. 

We tried to get more leisure travelers but didn't work out. Those are the kind of guests we'd enjoy the most because we love traveling and sharing experiences. However, South Bay attracts mainly business travelers. That's why we emphasize it more (flexible check in, parking, coffee, iron....). Do you have any other idea of what guests might appreciate besides of what we offer? 

[Lisa723]

Well, I completely hate and hesitate to say this, but... if you are trying to attract low-budget business travelers I do think it might help to make your listing more "impersonal" i.e. as others have said reduce the LGBTQ signalling. This is obviously a very personal/social decision, and there are many very good reasons to leave that aspect of your listing as-is. Maybe you don't want guests who would either consciously or unconsciously be deflected by it. (I probably wouldn't want them, but OTOH I don't know if I get them.) Or, maybe by leaving your listing more neutral in that respect you might gain an opportunity to educate/disarm with personal interaction.  All of this is of course purely speculation on my part. It might just be the kitty litter. 🙂

[Lisa723]

 You might also try airing your listing on other media. Another host told me most of his bookings come from Instagram, which astonished me, but I’ve started an account there and have got bookings from it, as well as Facebook. OTOH these are for vacation rentals, which is a different market. Are there sites frequented by the kind of travelers you’d like to attract, where you could post?

[Lisa723]

PS Airbnb says updating your listing/calendar has no effect on placement.

[Rebecca160]

@Bruna-and-Siana0I just reviewed your listing and bio. It is quite clear from your bio that you are a lesbain couple, so I do not see why you feel the need to say that you are LBGQT friendly. That  statement, plus the three pictures that show the Hosting with Pride pillow might lead one to think that you prefer to have only guests who are LBGQT. Really, just seeing you two together (and you are a totally cute couple!) would probably only attract those that are in or friendly to the LBGQT community.  You could try taking out 2 of the pictures featuring the pillow and that one statement and see if that makes a difference or not.

Overall, your descrition is great and the photos are wonderful. I kind of like the quotes from guest beneath the photos.

One thing I did note was that your dining table appears with only 3 chairs. Do you have a 4th? If so, you might want to include it, in order to attract more twosomes. Right now, it seemed to me like you were subtly pushing for only one guest. 

Is your pricing competitive? I do not mean the lowest, but competitive with similar listings in your area?

I love how you have described your cat. You might want to include at least one photo with your cat lounging in the space, for those who do not read the listing.

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

I see your point @Rebecca160. You'd be surprise that most of the guests don't get we are a lesbian couple until they arrive. Most of them don't ever notice when they are in our apartment, I think a lot of them think we are roomates (we even had people asking where is the 3rd room!). I'll try removing 2 of the pictures, I also got the feedback that we might have too many pictures. I'll try and see what happens. 

We try to have a competitive price. We use beyondpricing so it adjusts to demand and events. We usually get 5* on value, I think our price it's pretty reasonable. 

[David2216]

@Bruna & Siana I think quite often one of the things we don't recognize as hosts is all the little things we do for our guests that are difficult to express in photos or descriptions. Everyone says they are friendly and welcoming. Think about all the things we do that you would never get at a hotel not to mention the incredible savings especially for larger listings. I believe the only way to show that is through reviews. I have a little note card in my guesthouse that asks for positive reviews. We only started in March but every review has been 5 stars except for one guest that didn't write a review. They ran over one of my rose bushes pulling in the driveway so I think they thought I might have left them a bad review which I didn't but now I always ask guests to please be careful.

We have 4 dogs. They are big and occasonally they bark. We thought at first it would be a problem but everyone loves them! I am actually thinking about adding a photo of them to my listing!

I think it's ok to ask your guests what I can or could have done to make things better. Our very first guest mentioned privacy. Our guesthouse has french doors that have small side lights. At first we did not have them covered. After they left I bought blinds for the windows based on their suggestion. Now we have had a few reviews mentioning how much they our enjoyed the privacy we give them.

As I write this I can hear our current guests laughing while they are playing with their toddler daughter in the pool. This morning they were playing with the dogs. I chatted with them earlier and they mentioned how helpful the local guide I wrote was in finding a restaraunt last night. (Just like the one you have created) It gives me great joy knowing I am making their stay a positive one.

You have almost 100 positive reviews. I don't believe you are doing anything wrong.

[Sarah977]

@David2216  I also have a large dog with a very loud bark and while she isn't one of those neurotic barkers that goes on endlessly, she is a vigilant "alert" barker who barks at every car and person who walks by. I live in the countryside down a dead end road, so there isn't anything like constant traffic and as a single woman living alone, whose neighbors are not right next door, I appreciate having a vigilant watchdog. 

But I make all this clear in my listing and also have a bag full of new earplugs if a guest wants some. So far none of my guests has complained, and I make sure to ask them- "The dog was fussed about something last night- I hope it didn't disturb you". Most of the time they say they must have slept right through it, other times they say, "Yeah, it did wake me up (If she barks longer than a minute I always go quiet her down) but I fell right back asleep, she's a great watchdog, that's important for you out here".

And she's so friendly (to the point of being sucky) with people she knows are allowed to be here, that she wins them over right away. She has the oddest idiosyncracy of always picking up a leaf in her mouth when she's excited to see someone. There's nothing like being greeted every time you walk in the gate with unconconditional love. 

[David2216]

@Sarah0 We live in an older part of Phoenix and our area used to be orchards. We still get flood irrigation and the local utility company that handles it has a woman that goes in out of backyards and opens the irrigation valves. Sometime she comes during the day but often it is the middle of the night. Needless to say, a stranger in the backyard with a flashlight at 3 a.m. can get the dogs a little excited. What makes matters worse is not only do they bark when she is in the backyard but also when she is walking around out front to the other houses. No one gets any sleep on those nights.

I warn my guests and I have apologized to them about it but mostly they say they didn't hear anything. 

[Sarah977]

@David2216   Yes, my dog normally doesn't bark at night at all, as it's pretty quiet out here then, but unfortunately I have a rather recent neighbor who lives just past me who works as a bartender and often comes home at 3 in the morning 😞

[Bruna-and-Siana0]

@David2216 I agree on everything. We put a lot of effort on making our guest stay comfortable and easy: flexible and self check-in, printed local guide with our suggestions, lots of amenities... We try to always be helpful and available. Most of the guests want privacy and stay in the room. But sometimes there are guests that like to hangout or engage in long conversations. I think accomodating to each type of guest is key.  Unfortunately hospitality is difficult to capture on pictures. 

We had a similar experience with our cat. Originally we tought it would be a problem (for certain guests they might not be comfortable with a cat), but lots of guests loved him. At the beggining almost every review mentioned how friendly and lovely the cat was but no one said anything about the hosts being friendly or caring! I was kind of upset of our cat getting all of the attention!  

I hope we start getting more bookings soon. I think there are a lot of new ABs nearby and they all get featured. Some are just priced ridiculusly low (I think new hosts might use smart pricing and AB suggestions) and that might also impact our bookings. 

[David2216]

I love it that your cat got all the credit!

I am certainly not getting rich and I am getting a little tired of washing shower doors, sheets and towels but sometimes it's just the joy of meeting new people and hoping they have a good time. I don't know how long this ride is going to last as there are more and more listings in my area every time I look.

[Natia22]

Can anyone help me i just have started using this program and i dont know after reservation how can i get money or when program will send it if host spleated payment and paied only part of full payment thanks a lot