What can we improve.

[Antonella829]

Hi there.

We listed our home on September 1st and since that we got only two booking request of which one got cancelled after few days.

I'm wandering if there is something wrong with our listing, or it's just a matter of low demand in this period.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or recommendation you will provide.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/964551785487726230?check_in=2023-12-01&check_out=2023-12-06&guests=1&ad...

Thanks

Antonella

[Joelle43]

Hello @Antonella829 

Here are some things that I would change:

==>Provide a photo of yourself to give guests confidence in you and fill in your profile information

==>Retake all of your photos in landscape mode rather than the current portrait mode and comment the photos with useful information.  Guests tend to look at the pictures rather than read the description.  Zoom out for the larger rooms and picture of the house

==>The first five photos that are presented to our guests are the most important and you have 3 of the house so that's a shame and then you have one a door.  This is not the best choice.  Pick out the best photos of your listing that are going to want guests to click on your listing to see further

==>The photos of the three bedrooms should be showing up in the "Where you will sleep" section that hasn't been filled in.  You don't see this section until after you have posted so you should find it when you go back to edit your listing.  There are other sections too that need to be completed.

==>Have you filled in the house rules?

==>Am I right in thinking that you have a short term cleaning fee of 91$ and another for a slight longer stay of 229$?  This is quite a jump and bumps up the price considerably so this maybe putting people off?

Hope this helps,

All the best

Joëlle

[Antonella829]

@Joelle43 Sorry for the late response and thanks for all your advice. Unfortunately I am live in Michigan so I can retake the photos at December when we came back to Florida during the Christmas holiday.  I will change also the cleaning price, and I hope the new patio will be finish so I can add more photos and more amenities.

[Antonella829]

Thanks a lot for your help,

All the best

Antonella

[Kia272]

@Antonella829  As @Joelle43 suggested, retake your pictures. Use the captions feature to explain to guests what they are looking at, and how your house is laid out. 

Your cleaning fee is very high- you should absorb some of that cost into your nightly rate, which is very low. You'll attract bad guests with low rates. 

Also, it says your response time is within a day. I'm not sure if that is a statistical anomaly, but you should respond quickly to inquiries about booking. People don't like to wait if they are ready to book. 

Good luck. 

[Antonella829]

Thanks for all your advice, I will change the cleaning price. I put this nightly rate price because I used the smart pricing for airbnb, because my house is new in the market, but I think to need update the price.

Regards Antonella

[Cheri354]

Hi @Antonella829 ~

I have to say, your listing has a nice, fresh, beachy feel ! I love that 🙂

We are new to hosting as well so I understand wanting to know where you

stand and why you're not getting solid bookings. I just wanted to offer that as it's almost

Christmas, many are scrambling to shop for gifts, re-arrange their calendars for family

get-togethers and working extra for those overtime funds so they can afford to take off those Christmas days and not feel guilty 🙂

If you're concerned about photos, maybe take some time to sit down and look through some photos of similar listings in a beach area (near you, yes; but check out a range of cities/beaches to get a full load of ideas).

~What photos do you see that are most helpful ?

~What photos make you say, "WoW !" ?

~Does a certain angle of the camera make a photo really PoP ?

Then as far as written details: everyone will have a different opinion on this topic ! Many would say

that we should be brief in describing as most people are intimidated by lots of data (tends to be true) and stop reading when they've 'had enough'. Hubby and I are detail oriented and love those extra details so we tend to read it all like a novel 🙂 I'm not saying there's a right or wrong way, just be open to ideas and post how it would appeal to you. Then, have a close friend or family member read through your listing and see if they agree that it accurately described the property. Yes, they might be biased, but more to the point~ they are familiar with you and perhaps with the property so can give good feedback. Maybe even help with adding details 🙂

While you wait for a reservation, you've got some time to do some reading and tweaking with your photos and written details. But trust yourself. You know the property. Describe what you like about it. I think the process can evolve and you can always add or subtract info later.

I will share that we also had a few queries that were leading to bookings but for different reasons they backed off. Sometimes it's for something you can't change (for example; one was concerning a very long trailer and the angle of our driveway). Another wasn't able to fit into our schedule of open dates while they were in the area. I suspect that sometimes a guest will send several of the same "queries" to potential hosts hoping to find a quick match 🙂 In the meantime, we did have a few 'dry runs' from friends-of-friends and then a local acquaintance was led to us as their place was sold very quickly and they needed to stay for a while.. So far, we've had all our 'bookings' by word of mouth !

Sooo~ be sure and let friends/relative know about your new venture. Post something on social media. Stick your house photo or business card with contact info on the community bulletin board at work, the library, Chamber of Commerce or college. It could be your own neighbor will need a place for their Auntie Matilda who's just announced she's coming to their Christmas celebration !

Another local idea: are there other nearby hosts ? Yes, it's competition, but if you're new and they're full-up, introducing yourself (and your host-house) might get you a referral from them 🙂

Best wishes~

[Antonella829]

@Cheri354 Thanks for all your advice. The fact of being new in this big market doesn't help, plus we live far away. We have already had to refuse a request because we weren't sure about the person who had requested the booking. I have already placed the listing on several online sites, and I hope this leads to some results. As you say, people currently still think about gifts and how to organize themselves, so patience is needed. Fingers crossed