Messages all day, then none all of a sudden

[Cindy1139]

I'm new to hosting. I barely listed my place and within minutes I was getting inquiries and requests for bookings. This lasted a week.

I changed a setting to need one day between guests in order to clean before the next guest and I have not received one message or text or inquiry or attempt at a reservation.

I called ABNB and they tell me they can see that I'm getting 400 views per day. Does not seem possible that not one person tries to contact me.

Help?

[Emiel1]

@Cindy1139 

You can see the amount of views yourself in the menu "insights", section "conversion"

You calender shows availiabilty from 5 march onwards.

Maybe give it some more time to get bookings.

Please note your weekly discount is set to 14%, but monthly discount is set to 50%

[Cindy1139]

Hey Emiel, thank you for the info. Do you think I am offering the wrong type of weekly discount?

I was getting several inquiries for weekly and monthly at first.  But like I say, I think for it all to stop between one day and the next is weird.  This area is exploding with people that are coming to try and stay somewhere while they look for a place to live, so its a little different right now. Not sure what to think. Cindy 😉

[Anonymous]

@Cindy1139  This is normal. New listings get a temporary, artificial boost in search results - a huge thumb on the scale. Your first week after going live, you got a lot of clicks attracted to the new listing discount. But that honeymoon period does expire after some unspecified period (perhaps 1 week in saturated markets, and more in developing markets). After that, it takes a bit more effort to stand out.

Presuming that you have some upcoming bookings confirmed, that should give your listing another lift. Savvy guests are reluctant to book an unreviewed property, but when your positive reviews start rolling in, each will boost your standings in Search, and help convert more views into bookings.

In the meantime, I'd recommend tinkering your listing a bit to stand out in search results - starting, first and foremost, with the lead photo. Think about it as the cover of a brochure: that little thumbnail on a screen full of other photos needs to inspire people when they're dreaming of a vacation in Florida, so that they'll actually click on it. Would you pick up a brochure for a holiday destination if the cover photo was just a picture of a sink and a pot? 

I'd move that image way to the back of the queue and replace it with the shot of your beautifully lit lanai - that better captures the vibe you're going for. Next after that, highlight some images full of color and sunshine - people fleeing grim winter weather do not want to see grey on grey. Show off more of that parrot to illustrate the quirky character of the home, and some images of the neighborhood that capture some of the interesting things people might be missing out on if they were staying by the beach. I'd take out the pillows that say the word "beach" if you're not a beachfront property - guests rate you on Location and Accuracy, so you don't want to trigger expectations that the location might fall short of. In the longer term, having something a little more lush going on in the garden will make the home more inviting as a getaway.

[Cindy1139]

Hey, thank you for the advice! Yes, I HAD the lead photo as the one with just the couch/table, inside shot. But I thought maybe it looked too drab (with the recent lack of responses), so I changed it to the outdoor kitchen shot. I thought about the lanai, but even the weather HERE has been so incredibly cold and grey, I agree, I have not been able to get a recent sunshine shot (and this is FL?!:0) As far as the pillow, I can remove it, but most decor in FL is beach related, no matter where we are located. And I also agree about the garden, but again....this cold snap is killing my little butterfly garden in the back yard, so I don't feel right advertising it.  I'm hoping come spring, to revive my dry garden affected by winter, here.

My place is not near the beach, but it is centrally located in the middle of Miami, Naples, Tampa, Sanibel etc.  Its a place where if people want to see not just one place but several in FL, that I am in the middle of all of them and offer good day trips! If you have advice for that, lmk.

Thank you! Cindy 😉

[Anonymous]

@Cindy1139  The diversity of possible day trip options is a great thing to highlight in your listing descriptions! Your writing style sounds very pleasant and welcoming; just make sure that everything comes across clearly to people who have never been to Florida and don't have an accurate picture of what's out there beyond beaches. Your listing isn't the right fit for spring breakers and beach bums, and it can't accommodate a family with kids, but it would be a great base for an active couple or solo traveler who plan to stay long enough to do not just beaches but also nature parks, city excursions, and more non-touristy offbeat stuff. That kind of traveler is happy to go out of their way to stay in a place with a really vibrant and unique personality, so you want to bait your hook with the same kind of color and charm you put into those descriptions.

You've got an awesome parrot, a butterfly garden, an outdoor kitchen, and a fire pit - all things that show you have a fun, passionate lifestyle and great hospitality to share. I think this shot has the best mix of elements that illustrate that:

What this shot shows so well is that even in cold and grey weather, there's a comfortable and funky semi-enclosed place with a lot of features to keep the vacation vibes going. I find it easy to imagine hanging out there with some BBQ and beers. In contrast, the indoor areas such as the one with the sofa and coffee table look clean and modern, but the pictures don't show any features that attract attention or help people envision  how they'd enjoy themselves in the space. Shots of large cabinets and closets look out of place because short-term guests don't bring so much stuff that needs storage, while the picture of the unmade bed makes guests think you're not providing pillows or bedding. 

There's plenty of time to develop more features in the garden as the weather improves, but for now I think you can get a lot more mileage by keeping the focus on your unique selling points. Don't let the current weather discourage you - your calendar is blocked until March anyway, so guests who find your listing now are looking for spring and summer, not tomorrow.

[Cindy1139]

Hey Andrew! Thank you for all the feedback! Wow! I really wish you were staying here lol. I think after reading everyone’s comments i really need to get a better pic of the lanai on a Sunny day and try to get a fish eye view including the bbq etc. That “closet” that you noticed is Actually a murphy bed that folds up into the wall😬… so I guess i better do a better job of identifying it! And I will retake the photo with the bed made. (Here i thought i was showing how new and clean the matress and cover looked🤦🏼‍♀️). And if i take a pic with the bed down, it fills up the whole room and would make it look more cluttered. Lastly the pictures of Mango… i had more and my friend told me to take them off because she wants to see more of the house, not the bird. So I’m getting mixed views on that. I thought of posing him in different areas but then i thought some people might think, ew I don’t want to eat there if a bird has been there lol.  And as much as i love the name Mangos parrot paradise, I’m thinking i better rename the place “ The Day Tripper” or “The Half Way House” which is a play in words here. I could better Marley that it is half way to Miami etc that way. What do you think?

[Anonymous]

@Cindy1139  Your place looks awesome and I'll definitely give you a shout if I'm ever in your area. I think your title is totally fine as it is, but of course you can always experiment with different variations to see what attracts the most bookings. Best of luck to your lovely and fun-looking space!

[Sarah977]

@Cindy1139 "As far as the pillow, I can remove it, but most decor in FL is beach related, no matter where we are located"

If you want to stand out, you don't want to have the same decor as everyone else. I remember a post here from a host who had an apartment in Hawaii. She said all the rentals there have wicker furniture, tropical prints, etc. and that wasn't a decor she liked- she wanted to decorate in a more modern and eclectic style. All the hosts who responded told her to go with what she liked, and not worry about the generic "Hawaii" look.

I'm quite sure there are guests who vacation regularly in Florida, as well as Hawaii and where I live in Mexico, who are quite bored with the "look" they encounter everywhere. Don't be afraid to buck the trends. One of the attractions of Airbnbs is that they can be quite unique, as opposed to generic hotel rooms.

[Cindy1139]

Hi Sarah! Thank you for your advice! Sea decor is so cheap and easy to find here. I would love more parrot related stuff but am having a surprisingly hard time finding it! Even on Amazon (at least something not cheesy). I wish i could make a side trip to Mexico for some beautiful ceramics that i saw there on a recent trip. 😉