Seeking advice on my listing, Looking for your expertise

[Qing117]

Hi, my name is Fay and my guess room has been listed since July 2024. I'm seeking general feedback and advice from new hosts regarding my space (i.e., pictures, house rules, listing, fees, etc.)

Villa in Gymea Bay · ★5.0 · 1 bedroom · 1 bed · 1 private bath

Thanks a lot

[Content edited by OCM]

[Valda35]

I am quite new to Airbnb so I am still learning.

The pictures shared shows quite a lovely and welcoming environment.

It is important to let prospective guests know the shared area(s)  and those that are not prior to arrival  and on arrival . The latter just to ensure that there are no misunderstandings or embarrassment on either part if the guest wanders where he or she should not be.

Some guests may just to unwind at your place. For example, watch TV, read, play board games (which cater to adults and children). Your space should therefore provide such essentials  and others may just prefer to be out and about, and just want some place comfortable and cozy to relax after. It is difficult to determine guests' needs and wants. 

Whatever you do, just make the space that is available to them, a place that they would want to return because of their desired experience.

Hope this response helps.

[Razvan46]

Hi Qing!

Everything is related with your target so be the design and all house's arrangements.What tipe of guests are you targeting and what the purpose.

General design make the room spacious and airy.

The colour of the sofa is not fitted with the rest,în my opinion, but as I told you above, depend of what kind of guest you target.

All the best and good luck.

[Pedro2032]

Having spaces with light are nice, the combination of the walls look good, I think the armchairs should not all be aligned, maybe another design would help

have a good day

[Penni18]

Hi.  The light in the room is Iovely.  I would suggest arranging the furniture conversationally rather

than theater seating.   Good luck !

[Sussy0]

Hi @Qing117 I loved the reviews guests are already leaving you, you're doing great in terms on hospitality, you get the concept, I love the pictures and te complements you are getting about how clean your house is!

I agree that having a lock (smart lock) for guests at their door will be better so they feel their belongings are locked away, as an ambassador I advise my new hosts to add some entertainment for guests to unwind like a nice TV/cable, or a desk in case they need to work on their laptops. You are in your way to become a super host pretty soon! 

[Rose422]

Hi Fay, 

What a beautiful listing you have and congratulations for being such a wonderful new host who puts so much care and effort in their listing!

Here are my suggestions: 

1. Open up your calendar if you wish to get more bookings. At the moment you have a few dates open in September and about a month into the future. It's great you have 5 star reviews, but if dates are blocked, guests won't be able to enquire or book; 

2. Put a lock on the bedroom door. As it is a private room you are hosting in, it would be very helpful and certainly appreciated by the guests if you put a lock on the bedroom door; 

3. Emphasize the private room aspect. I see that the description and most of the pictures do not reflect what the private space has to offer, a couple of pictures are blurry, such as the bathroom and kitchen (or it seems so on my screen), add some bathroom towels and take some close up pictures of the bathroom sink and the shower/tub; add some throw pillows or decorative pillows to the queen bed to make it look more appealing maybe. 

4. Change the profile picture and update other pictures. I see that you have a plain pool picture on profile, I would say pick a better picture either to show the bedroom or the living space in a better light. Travelers looking to book a spare room do not necessarily look for a pool;

5. Update your profile - it seems that either some of your profile description is lost in translation or it is not translated in English properly. You say you want to share a cup of something in your profile and I would want to know what it is you specialize in as it just has three dot in my screen like its a mystery;

6. Fix some unknowns in your profile and picture descriptions. There is a picture showing Ray something, I am not sure what it is. While it is a good areal picture, you can clarify if that's the name of the real estate company or your House name, etc. There are some descriptions that are not correct in English, some distance measured in metrics only and some travelers like Americans would not know what they are. 

7. Once you put a lock on the door, please make sure to update that in your profile in the amenities as you will get much more bookings when guests see a lock. I can't emphasize how important this is for travelers. 

8. Take a picture of the house entrance if possible. Your place is so big and gorgeous but when I look at the pictures, there are so many areas I get confused what is where. I believe guests want to see what they will see when they arrive, i.e. front door entrance area, etc. Then take a picture of the living space with the front door open, then take better pictures of the kitchen area, coffee maker, toaster, fridge etc to be seen in pictures. People looking for private rooms really want to see basics and not a whole lot of the villa like a golf course in my opinion, but I may be wrong. 

9. Check how many extra guests can you allow. The space looks huge, maybe a couple is travelling with a young child and you don't mind if they use a floor mattress or inflatable to have the child stay in the room, or maybe some travelers are looking for an extra friend to join them, if you could add an extra optional mattress to your room, that can be a game changer. 

Other than this, if anything else comes to mind I will get in touch. 

Good luck and congratulations again for being such a great new host. 

Rose. 

[Sophie2600]

Hi @Qing117 I think your listing looks beautiful - I would definitely stay :).

Maybe change the main feature photo from sitting room to another that stands out as a feature.

Also, as I am not familiar with the area I initially got a little confused between the Gymea Bay and Cronulla locations. Cronulla featured in heading and Gymea Bay in listing.  Obviously not far when you look at map - however maybe a consideration.  Hope these comments helpful.

I have found that some people read and follow the rules and others do not.  Great to have everything there for the ones who Do read the rules. 

\Enjoy..

Sophie

[Raelene14]

Hi Fay,

I have not rented a room only in a shared family home on Airbnb, however I have been a guest at several of then and the underlying sense for me was 'privacy and safety' 

From a guest perspective I require it to be clear from the get go thst it is a room and not the whole house/unit...

Perhaps the listing could have the bedroom as its main photo (the pool could be another option rmto attract guests) 

Wording in the listing needs to be relevant 'Single/Couple' 'relaxing room in a shared home' 'private room with private bathroom' 

I like the description of the room overlooking the pool... well done

I really love the photos too... again well done 

Is it possibe for the guests to have a private entry access?  Even if it's the easily access back door, through side gate or something that tells them they won't be walking past the family with their belongings etc.  (For the times the room is booked,  can family members use the back door only thus allowing more privacy to the guests to use the front door ??... I don't really know the layout and functionality of your place.

Is there a shelf in the fridge that is best only or a cupboard that is specifically for there use?

🤔

My best advice is to look st it as though you know nothing about your place and follow your own instructions/read it as a guest

...

you will automatically know what to change so it is clear and offers 'the experience' you want it to...

I hope this has been helpful or offered some food for thought at least.

The reality is you can change photos and words and some of the rules too... 

Be proud of getting started.

That's just what I did and I have listened to feedback from guests and made changes along the way 😀 

Good luck

Raelene

[Sylvia946]

Hello, I think you have done a fabulous job and your reviews are wonderful.  Always checking in with your guest are key.  Ensuring their comfort and if they need anything.

I always have treats for them when they arrive, some water as well.  Maybe even a little note or fresh flower are a nice addition.  Its the little  things that your guests will remember!!!

Keep rocking, you got this.!!!

[Robert8341]

Hello. Personal I don’t like the couch. I think should  be one in the corner or to find something from textile and with a different color…not dark!

[Sheila262]

HI I think your listing is great. I would add a photo and description of where guests would park. I think it is alway great to include a short description under each photo caption so guests know exactly what they are getting. Hope this helps. Happy Hosting!

[Oleksandra9]

@Qing117 Outdoors pictures, extras and backyard ones are spectacular-they really grab my attention! Nice work.

Bathroom only has one picture-can you take more from different angles and different views? Maybe some close ups of the decor in there or towels or other attractive details? It should look like pictures in interior design magazine, or magazine that sells stuff for bathrooms/kitchen/ets..)  Overtake pictures and keep the best ones, but I would have at least 7 for each room of the house. 

I would also take more pics of the front of the house as it was mentioned by other ppl here.. Imagine you are giving a guest a tour starting from the street when they are coming out of the car and through the house (picture tour step by step).. Again overtake pictures-professional photographer takes hundreds of shots and chooses a dozen from those.. Mix overall view pics with close up views and just boring big view after big view and big view... 

Description under every 3rd pic would be nice too.. Like: "Enjoy your fresh cup of coffee in the morning lounging on the back terrace or a yummy dinner that you can enjoy making in your fully stocked kitchen at the end of long but adventurous day.."  

I hope this helps

Happy hosting!