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[Mohammed523]

Hi everyone!

I hope you're all doing well. I’ve been listing my villa on Airbnb for a while now, but I’m not getting nearly as many bookings here compared to other platforms like Booking.com and Agoda, where it performs much better.

Has anyone else experienced this? Do you think I might be missing something or have overlooked an important detail? I’d really appreciate any insights or tips on how to optimize my listing on Airbnb to improve its visibility and bookings.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Thanks

Mohammed 

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Mohammed523 I assume your pricing to the customer is the same on all platforms.

If you are taking bookings elsewhere then there is every likelihood that your placement in Airbnb searches is lower.I assume your pricing to the customer is the same on all platforms.

You could increase Airbnb bookings by dropping the other platforms but this would be a high risk strategy. As long as your occupancy is decent I would stay as you are.

[Mohammed523]

Thank you for your insights and for pointing that out. The pricing is indeed similar across platforms, but I’ll review it once more before making any changes. I appreciate your advice and will consider it carefully.

[Joan2709]

@Mohammed523 

Agree with @Mike-And-Jane0 ...

Airbnb gives new Hosts a temporary "boost" in search results the first 1-3months (depends on number of listings/area). It's critical for new listings to get 3-5 bookings during that period with good reviews. This is because with 3 bookings your star rating appears on the search thumbnail and you are eligible for guest favorite after 5 reservations (with good reviews). The algorithm places listings higher for "popularity" and "recency" of bookings.

I usually advise my new Host clients NOT to list on other platforms until they get those important 3-5 reservations on Airbnb. This is because if you list on multiple platforms at the same time, your bookings on other platfoms will naturally block your Airbnb calendar as @Mike-And-Jane0 pointed out. That opportunity to attract those all important first 3-5 bookings on Airbnb may be lost due to this. Your listing will not even appear in a guest search by dates, as your Airbnb calendar is blocked by reservations on other platforms.

You'll have to work hard on Airbnb now to get reservations, since your "new" boost in search results has past. One way to do this is lower your price below your competition and/or offer amenities that others don't. Using a custom promotion to lower your price, rather than just manually lowering it, will give you more visibility and you can track the number of potential guests viewing the promotion. If you see a low view rate, you can increase the discount on the promotion. You can always gradually raise your price as you get more bookings.

How to Create Custom Promotions

https://www.airbnb.com/help/article/2982