critique my listing

[Belkis32]

Hello, this is my second year on Aibnb, last year my bookings went down tremendously, I would love you input on what I could do to make my listings stand out. I have a great location but there are just not enough bookings

1. Listing's link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/571281608208760382

2. Listing's link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/571955488790194993

Thanks in advance

[Hazel184 · Accepted solution]

Hello @Belkis32 

Your listing is indeed in a beautiful location. Destin, Florida is a very popular place and there are a huge number of available listings. To make your listing stand out from the photos, have you tried asking for a quote from a professional photographer? They highlight the best features of your listing to encourage guests to book. Those details are here https://www.airbnb.com/e/pro-photography

I recommend checking the full features of the recent system upgrades. As of the summer release, you can compare similar listings around you that offer almost the same amenities as yours. This is very helpful for comparing pricing so you'll be competitive.  Details of that upgrade are here https://www.airbnb.com/release/host/2023-summer

You may also consider setting a promotional discount for a certain date range to get these benefits:

√ New line item on your price breakdown

√ Strikethrough styling on search pages and your listing

√ Special callout on your listing page

√ Placement in emails to guests

All the best. 

[Desmond28]

The stock photos you uploaded are all blurry/low quality, I would get professional drone photos of the outside beach/ condo and reshoot everything inside.  The condo itself looks pretty drab, I would get some pops of colour with throw pillows, wallpaper, or colourful kitchen appliances. Your 2BR Condo does have some nice colour in the double room and I like how well the bed is made in the 1BR Condo. 

[Ann72]

@Belkis32  Almost every host who started hosting in 2021 or 2022 is seeing a decrease in bookings.  2021 and 2022 saw the world working remotely, which was a boost for Airbnb hosts.  But stricter back-to-the-office orders are going into effect, reducing bookings everywhere.  Booking patterns this year are actually back to normal.

But you can overcome this drop with steady work on your listing.  Edit your description regularly.  Move photos around and make sure each has a good, clear caption.  You can even use excerpts from past reviews as captions.  (See https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23646613?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=08b6f4f1-8581-4216-8173... for example.) 

Keep delivering value to your guests and you will build up again.  I saw the booking patterns for 2023 start to change in 2022 and got to work keeping my listings as fresh as possible.  For 2023, my booking income and nights booked are up about 12% over last year.