Seeking Feedback on My New Listing – Villa Amarante, Benaulim, Goa

[Sandy1063]

Hello fellow hosts,

I recently launched a new listing — Villa Amarante in Benaulim, Goa (5BHK with private pool, lawn, and theatre room).

As this is my first Airbnb listing, I’d love to get your insights and feedback from experienced hosts.

Specifically, I’d appreciate your thoughts on:

Listing presentation (photos, title, and description clarity)

Pricing and value perception for the Goa market

Guest experience setup — amenities, check-in/out process, or small touches that make a difference

Any red flags or improvement areas you notice

Here’s the listing link for reference: Entire villa in Benaulim, India 10 guests5 bedrooms5 beds5 bathrooms New listing New

Your honest feedback will be immensely helpful as I fine-tune the experience for future guests.

Warm regards,

Sandy

[Content updated by Community Manager]

[Snehal1]

@Sandy1063 You can add food availability, near by sight seeing places, some interesting Places and shopping places. How far from Railway station and Airport. etc.

[Sandy1063]

@Snehal1 I'll curate this information and include in the listing. Thanks for your variable inputs 👍 

[Robyn555]

Hi @Sandy1063 

your place looks great, a small thing for me would be to have the bathroom photoes taken again with the toilet seat down, just a little thing - makes it look clean and ready for the next person.  Good luck.

[Sandy1063]

@Robyn555 Thanks for the valuable insight. Have revised the photos with seats down. It does look much more presentable than earlier.  Thanks 😊 

[Elisa]

Hi @Sandy1063 😊, 

Thank you for asking for a critique listing here, your villa is gorgeous!

How is it going so far? Have you received any bookings or interest?

I’m tagging more hosts to see what they think about it: @Michele-and-Dana0, @David11470, @Kirti18, @Kwabena9, @Evan1118, @Gunarto-0 and @Lin29864.

Thank you in advance, everyone!

[Sandy1063]

@Elisa I'm pleased to hear that you like the villa 😊 It's an exciting journey and lots of learning along the way.. With a community of mentors and experienced hosts, I'm sure navigating shall be easier. Received my first enquiry today !! 

[Elisa]

Hi @Sandy1063 😊, 

Congrats on your first enquiry, that’s so exciting!

How are you preparing to welcome your guests?

Don’t hesitate to let us know if you need any help.

[Sandy1063]

Hi @Elisa ,

I am setting up the house and ensuring all rooms and baths and beds are made and toiletries are in place. Any best practices or checklist for pre-check in or guest readiness 101 would really help !

[Elisa]

Hi @Sandy1063 😊, 

Thank you for your kind reply.

I wish you all the best with this, it’s so exciting!

Regarding your question, I recommend asking it again in the Community Center to get more visibility.

Here’s how to do it 👉 What do you want to talk about? 

[Kirti18]

Hi Sandy, 

Your property is very beautiful and it has so much potential, 

Being Airbnb Decor and stylists: what I can suggest is 

Add more greenery - indoor plants, Add more lights : floor lamps, hanging lights, some contrast carpets 

And some nice pillows , throws 

Corner for meditation setup with floor sitting with some dhhopdani, 

Some water body round container which you can keep in entrance 

It will add calmness and positive vibes 

Hope my suggestion will help you 

All the best for your Airbnb 

[Sandy1063]

Thanks for the ideas @Kirti18  💡 I like the inclusion of some indoor plants , throws and meditation room.  I have a diety room which could be utilised as a meditation room as well 🧘‍

[Michele-and-Dana0 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Sandy1063 ,

You have a beautiful home! The style is calm and quiet and feels relaxing. 

1. Listing presentation (photos, title, and description clarity) -
   1. I would add the Cinema Room as a Bedroom so it appears under "Where you'll sleep". As it is, I see 5 bedrooms and 5 beds - I had to search to find the other 2 beds (which I didn't find until the end of all the photos).
      
      
   2. I would also use the listing description area to highlight the location of favorite grocery stores, restaurants, and other attractions. Help your guests to know how far they are from all the things they want to do while they're there.
      
      
2. Pricing and value perception for the Goa market - Most of the homes nearest yours are 1/1 and 2/2 and are less than $100 USD / night. Yours is $525 USD / night but it's the only one in that particular area that sleeps 14. The end result is that, unless you prefer larger groups, you're missing reservations you could get from smaller groups that don't want to pay for 5 or 6 beds they aren't using.
   
   
   1. You could change your listing to a similar price for 2 people and then charge an additional fee per extra person. Of course, given the layout of your home, it may not be possible or practical to close off unused rooms / bathrooms.
      
      
   2. Also I saw a number of homes nearer to the coast that were 3 and 4 bedrooms, with 4 to 6 beds (sleeping 8 to 12 people) going for $350-$450 USD/night (sometimes less). Those areas seem to me to be quite close but I have no idea how that area  compares to yours so I can't tell if your nightly cost is too high or not. 
      
      
3. Guest experience setup — amenities, check-in/out process, or small touches that make a difference - I looked at a number of homes near yours and near the coast and I found a few interesting things:
   1. Long term stays: Other hosts that offer long-term stays (28 days or more) also offer "Cleaning available during stay"
      
      
   2. Pool: Your pool is only open during specific hours but you don't mention if there is someone that opens it, or how that works. 
      
      
   3. Security Cameras: I noticed that many of the other Villas have exterior security cameras but the wording for their descriptions was a bit softer which felt calmer to me. Your description came across very strong to me - like there might be some threat I should be aware of. Their descriptions were shorter and still clear without raising my threat response. For example: 
      
      "Security cameras are installed at the villa’s entrance gate and parking area. These are for safety purposes only and do not monitor any private or indoor spaces. No cameras are present inside the villa."
      
      I have no doubt that other people will prefer the stronger tone of your description and I really just wanted to give another POV.
      
      
   4. Your profile has no photo & no bio: I did see many other hosts with profile photos but not all. I would recommend that you post a photo and bio as this helps guests build trust. It may be a personal or cultural choice of course, so again, it's just something to consider.
      
      
   5.  No first aid kit - I would recommend getting one (or several). If you have them, make sure you check that amenity.
      
      
   6. No fire extinguisher or Smoke Detectors: In all the other homes I looked at, it seems no one has smoke detectors. That surprised me and made me quite curious about why that's the sace - and I discovered that, like several other countries, residential homes in India are not required by law to have smoke detectors. In the US, they are required by law in residential homes (though the location and number vary) and we're quite accustomed to them. To be fair, I doubt this is - or will - hurt your bookings since almost no one has them and now I'm curious if they're problematic in other ways?
      
      
   7. Check in / Check out process - I noticed that you don't have self-check in and looking at other listings in your area, that's quite common. It might be that everyone who visits expects to be greeted by the host and so I wondered if it would be worth it to say something about that - like that someone will be there when guests arrive to show them around and help them with whatever they need to get settled (forgive me if I got that wrong - I've never visited India though I would love to!). I didn't see any other listings mention anything but it might help guests set their own expectations about the check in and check out process.
      
      
4. Any red flags or improvement areas you notice - I didn't find any red flags 😃

I think you've got a wonnderful home to offer your guests and I hope you do well! 

Best,

Dana

[Sandy1063]

Hi Michele, firstly I would like to thank you for such a comprehensive feedback and valuable inputs. Really appreciate you taking the time !

Apologies for the delayed response, i was waiting to complete some of the actions you'd mentioned before responding 😀

1. Listing presentation (photos, title, and description clarity) -
   1. Made the changes and now 7 beds are visible. Thanks!
   2. I will work on curating this section
      
      
2. Pricing and value perception for the Goa market -

I am reading up further on the dynamic pricing and the per guest based additional costing structure. Personally, I prefer a decent sized group, say 6-8 and not a smaller group. So, the idea of pricing it for 6-8 and then setting a per extra guest cost seems practical and may yield better results. Thanks for the suggestion. I shall do some more research and set up the pricing accordingly

1. Guest experience setup — amenities, check-in/out process, or small touches that make a difference -
   1. Long term stays: I have included "Cleaning available during stay"
   2. Pool: There is a care taker who shall supervise the timings 
   3. Security Cameras: Thanks. I ‘ve reworded it now.
   4. Your profile has no photo & no bio: Bio is now updated!
   5. No first aid kit – First Aid Kit is placed in the villa!
   6. No fire extinguisher or Smoke Detectors: Fire extinguisher is available now.
   7. Check in / Check out process - I guess it is an Indian thing. I would love to host you!  You would get your first-hand experience of a meet-and-greet check-in check out process and get to explore India !😊

[Michele-and-Dana0]

@Sandy1063 ,

Thank you so much for your very kind reply. If I get the opportunity to visit India, and I would very much like to, I can't think of a place I'd prefer to stay or hosts I'd prefer to stay with! I wish you the best and I hope I get to meet you one day!

- Dana