"Rare Find" Moniker: How? Why? To what end? Cheats?

[Richard531]

There is no doubt that having your home designated as a “Rare Find” is a very good thing.  It gets guests more fired up to book your home (I know it does when I search as a traveler!) and it certainly indicates that your listing is popular in some way, shape, or form.  It publicly tells this to you (yay, validation!) and to your guests alike.  We have the designation on our listings because we work super hard to keep them booked 365 (like, literally, not one vacant day, ever, the entire year).  So this is not a conversation about my listings keeping/losing that designation.

Instead, I’m obsessing over competing listings in markets where we operate having the “Rare Find” moniker when they seemingly shouldn’t. I know, for a fact, that these listings are not running anywhere near the same velocity as we are.  I’m not going to stop obsessing about it, so please let’s not talk about how I shouldn’t care!  I care and it bothers me! 

OK, so then how do these guys accomplish this?  I’ve heard that they block their calendar in some way.  That’s not a Rare Find, then!  Could it be that guests all booking super last minute and there’s more people booking than I think?  But then when you look back at a month and see the number of reviews, it’ll be 4-6 per month.  A fully booked listing in pretty much any market, should easily have 10-15 reviews per month.  I mean, some listings in particular, you can look out several months and they have EVERY SINGLE DAY available between now and 3 months out.  The listing still says “Rare Find.”  Could they be in cahoots with someone over at Airbnb?  In some cases, you can observe these listings lose the Rare Find designation only to regain it several days later.  And their calendars remain the same as they were (from my overly obsessive observations).  What gives?  Anyone know anything more about this for sure?

If a place is hereby designated a “Rare Find,” it should be. . .  A Rare Find!  Anyone know anything further about this or have the same thoughts or observations? 

[Sarah977]

@Richard531  Maybe there's nothing to figure out. Maybe it's just some algorithm that assigns "Rare find" randomly.

[Ann72]

@Richard531  See my post above.  I believe it's because it has a HISTORY of solid bookings, even if they are not solid at the moment.

[Andrea-and-Glenn0]

I think @Sarah977 is correct and that the “Rare Find” is randomly assigned and not always a reflection of an incredible occupancy rate like you are achieving @Richard531 

For example, we are in a small town with a limited number of Airbnb’s available. A new listing (less than 1 month) with a grand total of 1 guest review was labeled as “Rare Find” and “Usually Booked”

Clearly not a “Rare Find” or “Usually Booked” = 100% marketing and promotional  

[Viktoriya36]

We are a new listing less than a month in a small town with limited Airbnb’s and with 3 reviews all 5 stars. We just noticed we got a “rare find” badge. You probably right but we are excited to get that 😇

[Fred13 · Accepted solution]

May I suggest yet another interesting theory - Rare Find sometimes it may mean that despite the fact Airbnb's algorithm has done everything in its power to bury the listing, the reader somehow found it by some miracle. The algorithm is congratulating the reader for finding it. Who knows what Airbnb's algorithm is 'thinking'.

Any other irrelevant dots you folks need me to connect for yas? (rolls eyes)

[Ann72]

@Fred13 

Three laughing-til-you-cry emojis would go here if they worked!

I definitely don't care what's on there as long as my numbers go up every year.

[Ute42]

.

@Ann72 

I'm more than happy to help out.

@Fred13 

😂😂😂

[Ann72]

@Ute42 

Thank you.

😂😂😂

[Ute42]

.

@Ann72 

Interesting. You ARE able to post smilies and me, the stupid German, fell for Your trick and did all the work for You. Unbelievable.

[Ann72]

@Ute42  I live to torment you.  It's my chief joy in life.

😂😅😁

[Sue2236]

Years later I ended up here wondering the same thing, just out of curiousity. I love this theory but it can't be correct because it actually says (at least now) "Rare find! This place is usually booked." So it straight up says its rare because it's usually booked. But I'm looking at a place with this tag on it that doesn't have a single booking for the rest of the year, or 9 months out. I don't get it.

[Lisa6993]

Very interesting! I have the rare find and am enjoying the comments before developing my very own theory!!

[Fred13]

Say, speaking of the 'Rare Find' feature, (someone bumped this old thread today). Today, I noticed it a tag on a listing (in place of the Superhost tag). It looks kind of cool.