"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? 

[Richard531]

@M199  This is, by far, the best explanation that I have seen yet.  It's one of those theories that kinda checks all the boxes to explain almost everything we're seeing.  I think you are definitely onto something. 

The home may be "rare" in that it's booked a lot while also being "rare" in that it offers more/different amenities or better past performance/reviews then similar listings.  In which case the "rare" delineation may be a lot more sticky on a listing, even in the face of soft bookings.  Because even though it's not "rare" in the sense that it's heavily booked, it's very existence makes it "rare."  And I have been hating thinking that a listing would get the moniker from having an "in" over at Airbnb.  And this helps me not to think that nasty thought either 🙂

Of course, the whole thing is conjecture, but very well thought out and a big 'bravo' from me on this original (at least to me) notion!

[Amie20]

@Richard531 - i feel so seen!  😛  We have poured over competition (i dont like the term "enemy" research because we are all working hard similarly and trying to be successful - i don't consider all of us "enemies")... and am PERPLEXED how we can be booked for months with only a scattered cluster of days occasionally, not booked, dynamic pricing puts us well above the market rate on bookings, yet we have never earned the "Rare Find" badge.  This is one issue.  The more concerning issue, as you well articulated, is that when we look at the calendars of those that DO show in searches as a "Rare Find" - not only are they not booked as solidly, some have shoddy reviews compared with our 5.0 overall rating, and sometimes they are booked almost NONE for 3 months out (comparing bookings longer than a 3-mo-out period doesn't seem relevant since many don't book beyond that point). I have had to come to a similar conclusion - that the algorithm must be complicated, based on far more than actual bookings - past, present or future - and in some way benefit AirBnb financially by pushing those bookings.

This doesn't help one bit with understanding the algorithm for Rare Find, but I hope it gives you a little solace to know that others are experiencing the same frustrations for the same reason(s).  

[Stephanie2315]

@Richard531 sorry a bit of an old thread but, I came to search it after I realised I had this "rare find" moniker on my listing. I believe @M199 is on to something. My listing is only 4 weeks old. I was booked more or less solid after the 1st week of listing it so far & have 6 reviews 4.88 rating & 530 30 day views. But, my place is a "rare find" in that there really isn't another place like it nearby. It is just a very simple single camping pitch (no other campers) but, I offer foraging for fruit, mushrooms & herbs etc. & sell organic veg boxes & firepit & outdoor shower etc. So there are some unusual amenities selected for the listing including smoking & dogs allowed as mentioned earlier in thread. However, weather went downhill & as its a camping pitch it probably affected booking rates now & I actually don't have a booking for several weeks now & the rare find moniker just dropped off it as well. 

I also have noticed that over the years searching as a guest most of the places I see with the rare find moniker have some sort of quirk. They are almost always slightly unusual & different from surrounding listings. Its never on basic listings as far as I've seen. I think m199 is correct on amenity selections compared to other surrounding listings & also booking rate must have something to do with it as my rare find moniker just dropped off as I now have a gap in my bookings. 😄

[Fred13]

Oh come to think about it, I get it all the time, never thought anything of it this mentioned here. Yes naturally to wonder what the criteria is to be designated such.  Since before Covid, we were booked 3 years in advance and now not fully book this year -yet-, I guess I read it as 'rare' that you that the browser is even able to book it. But no, doesn't make sense in some of the examples given above.

[Ann72]

@Richard531  My cabin has had that rare find diamond a lot.  It's closed for 6 months of the year.  (And no, I don't cynically block the calendar to trick the algo into giving me "rare find."  It's an unwinterized cabin so it has to be closed for half the year.  Hosts who block their calendars usually have their reasons.)

It has been very heavily booked every year since I opened it, but this year is starting off a little more slowly, with plenty of nights still available between May and October.  Yet I still get the "rare find."  See below.

  

[M199]

@Dave52 

I would really like to hear what the case manager told you.  Maybe, between all of us on this thread, we will be able to fathom the logic.

[Dave52]

@Richard531   I see your point.  Never paid too much attention to this Rare Find moniker, until your post.  Thanks for that.  One of my listings got tagged with Rare Find, hooray, but as you point out it seems inconsistent looking around at other listings. 

For example, I see a brand new airbnb listing with only 1 review, fairly open calendar, and already it's tagged Rare Find!  How does this happen?  What's the algorithm?  Or maybe it's more than just an algorithm..... 

[Colleen253]

@Dave52 “A brand new airbnb listing with only 1 review, fairly open calendar, and already it's tagged Rare Find”. If the badge isn’t just a randomly assigned marketing gimmick, then I think this is just down to the imperfect, or possibly occasionally hard drinking, algorithm. It makes mistakes all the time, ie catching perfectly acceptable benign bookings in its “high risk” party-in-the-making net. 

@Richard531 

[Dave52]

@Colleen253   Anybody know an airbnb contact to discuss the Rare Find algorithm  ?  It would be nice to know.  Or maybe one of the moderators can chime in. 

Back in the day B.C. (before coronavirus)  a case manager gave me info on airbnb's secretive review sorting algorithm.  Long story short it was helpful.   Didn't change the algorithm, but was nice to know how it worked.  Perhaps there is a similar resource post-IPO to learn about listing sorting algorithms, Rare Finds, etc.  Not to argue or change the algorithm but to understand how it works.  As hosts desiring to maximize our bookings through airbnb, we can focus our efforts accordingly.  Seems like a win-win.

[Ann72]

@Dave52 @Colleen253  This is an old article but a pretty interesting and detailed one on the search algo.

https://medium.com/@childnick/hacking-airbnbs-search-rank-algorithm-8007a097382d

I too have wondered why they don't straight up tell us what goes into it.  We could then work on our listings to make them attractive to all the 100 or so factors that are at work.  If all hosts had access to the same information, there wouldn't necessarily be an unfair advantage.  The only unfair advantage would come because some hosts would be more on top of it than others.  And that's just the nature of the competitive marketplace.

[Colleen253]

@Dave52 Care to share what you learned about the weird review sorting business? 

"Anybody know an airbnb contact to discuss the Rare Find algorithm?" Perhaps @Scott could  explain how the 'Rare Find' badge gets assigned to a new listing with one or two reviews and spotty bookings. I'm sure he's a pretty busy guy though.

[Richard531]

@Mary996, @Fred13 , @Sarah977 , @M199 , @Colleen253 

I beg to differ that the Rare Find designation isn’t; a “marketing trick.”  Which, as I read it, has an implication of “ by chance.”  It’s on there for a reason and it benefits the hosts lucky enough to get it done.  I only see it at maybe 10% of listings when browsing (or less).  So even if it’s just for marketing, it benefits those PARTICULAR hosts. That's the crux of the question.  

My original question is more to @M199 said.  What are the metrics, how do they change, and what did the people that don’t deserve the designation do to get it done?

@Mary996, I never heard that story!  Will have to check it out!

[Dave52]

@Richard531 I think you are onto something.  Noticed a brand new listing with only 1 review.  Open calendar. 

 It is not a rare find. 

But airbnb gives it the Rare Find symbol.   Is hosted by a property management company with many airbnb listings.  Coincidence or connection?

Rare Find should be about the listing, not the host.  What's going on?

[M199]

@Richard531 

I wish  I had the answers.  All I can base my observations on are my listing performance.  From when I started last fall (2020), for about a month.  For that time period, I had consistent overall 5 star ratings and was booked pretty much 95% from day 2 of going live.  Since then, my listing had consistently shown up as this first in searches in my area.  There was only a 2 day period when my search results dropped to 3rd.  That was right after a guest who recentlybooked for September 2021 canceled because of COVID-19 fear.  

So that being said, I am left to the assumption, right or wrong, that the "Rare Find" Moniker must be some kind of analytic based on available days, booked days, and overall rating.  Just my thoughts.

[Fred13]

Ah ha, there is a M199. <waves>

[Stephanie]

@Fred13 

She was just M until the overseers of the CC granted her the strength of 199.

[Fred13]

🙂

[Dave52]

@M199   Good to know.  Sounds like your listing got off to a hot start with lots of bookings in the first month and it goes to top of airbnb's search list.  Was wondering if launching a new listing in the slow season with fewer bookings might demote it down the search list going forward.  Not because it's a bad listing, but the timing of the launch.

[M199]

@Dave52 

We took the off season into account when we listed.  Actually, we were terrified!  But, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Starting on the off season gave us just enough experience to learn the ropes and then take the winter to really reassess an re-evaluate everything learned.  Literally, summer/fall 2020, there was not a single rental available within 200 kms.  I had a friend calling me for her daughter, who was in tears, because she couldn't get out of the city.  I just told her to park a tent on our property.  That's just an indication of the demand in our area.  I only open from May-October, yet as of today, I am over 50% booked, with over 600 views on my desktop home page.  Also, based on similar listings, my daily rate is only about $30 lower.  I think it comes down to knowing your market, competition and clearly communicating the service/product you are offering.

Just to clarify, the money is not the major factor in my ventures on Airbnb, but rather more so, the excitement and pride in sharing the beauty of our area, which is the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, Canada.

[Fred13]

Nothing wrong with something having a marketing 'angle'. If it is charlatanism it will eventually show, if its for real, it will also eventually. After all, in the long run, life tends to follow mathematics with a high degree of probability.

Btw, who is M199?

[Colleen253]

Well @Richard531, if you ever solve this mystery, do come back and report! I'm curious now. Btw, when I was a brand new host I had the rare find badge on my listing for awhile. At the time it appeared, I had only had a sprinkling of bookings. I didn't have any secret 'in' with anyone at Airbnb who could have put it there for me. It eventually went away and I don't think it's been there since. I average about 50% occupancy, steady.