"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? 

[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.

[Lisa6993]

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

[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.

😂😅😁

[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  

[Richard531]

Oh no. . . Although the logic and reasoning are perfect above, I think we're still not on the right track. 

The definition of a "Rare Find" is right there when you go to make a booking at a would-be rare find.  The little diamond pops up and it says "This is a rare find.  XXXXX's place on Airbnb is usually fully booked."  So now we're back to wondering why listings that are WIDE OPEN say they are a Rare Find and "fully booked" when they are not 😞

[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.

[Sarah977]

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

[M199]

We are in almost the same situation as @Ann72.  Being closed for 6 months of the year due to winterizing the cottage.

Just food for thought, I was looking at similar listings in our area, no filters.  Within our area there are 300+ Airbnb's, however when I filter on Pet Friendly, that number drops significantly down to about 90 available.  So, then I started to ponder, is it possible that the "Rare Find" moniker is not based solely on bookings, but rather a variety of indicators.  For example, similar listings, confirmed bookings, availability & # of amenities, and overall ratings, and maybe even individual category ratings.  Of course, there is always past history that could be having an impact.  We may never know! But it does make a bit of sense to me.

@Fred13 - Keep your chin up, travel will change. There was a news article for Ontario, Canada, today where it was stated that the provincially run campsites are booking at 2X faster than the same time as last year.  Up from 30,000 to 60,000.  There is hope, travelling will be back, just maybe not in the same way.

[Ann72]

@M199  Good points, but I'm not sure.  One of my places is one of the few that allow smoking on the property (outdoors or on the screened porch), but it's not usually a rare find.

I think, as I noted to @Richard531, one factor is that a place might have a history of being solidly booked.  Another factor could well be that it's often booked on popular search dates.  For instance all three of my properties are booked for the 4th of July weekend in January.  That's a date that is going to be searched more often than many others.

[Inna22]

@Ann72 thats interesting about smoking. You think it actually helps you in search? How many people blur the line between inside and outside, smoke with the door open and stink up your place?

[Ann72]

@Inna22  No one ever.  Only me until I quit smoking last year.  I think I'm the only person I know who never, ever smoked outside.  I even smoked in my office and my landlord turned a blind eye (he's old school, plus he adores me because I'm never late with the rent).  I used to drive my housekeeper to distraction when I stayed.  She would be in fits wondering if she could get the smell out before guests came.  I know all the tricks, though 😂😂😂

I didn't say it helps in search - I said it doesn't.  The house where I allow smoking doesn't get the rare find thing.  It's a family house so it doesn't get as much off-season action as the cottage for two.  Someone here thought that if anything narrowed the search it would get the rare find.  But I don't think that's true.

[Inna22]

@Ann72 , I agree, I dont think its true. According to airbnb I am the property with a fire place in a surrounding area which would make it a rare find yet no one has ever used the fire place so I doubted anyone actually uses that filter. 

[Mary996]

@Inna22  Yeh but people just like looking at fireplaces....!!!!!! (I'm one of them. So think its cool that you have one).

[Sarah977]

@Ann72 Haha, me too. I smoke inside if I don't have guests in residence. Since it's warm enough here year-round to have doors and windows open, it doesn't linger, and I don't have carpets or a lot of things that retain odors.

[Ann72]

@Sarah977  Exactly!  We know all the tricks 🤣