Categories _ Summer Release

[Mark-and-Gabriela0]

The worse nightmare ever for hosts!!!

from 97% occupancy to ZERO!! Nothing

[Louise0]

I have to agree.  I accept that Covid's impact on travellers from China is a big part of the downturn, but I'm still fairly shocked at the lack of domestic bookings.  August used to be my second busiest month.  I have NOT ONE SINGLE BOOKING for the entire month of August and only two days booked between now and mid-December.  The update blew my business up overnight.  It's a trainwreck.

[Jodi372]

TOTAL TRAINWRECK! 

[Wende2]

@Mark-and-Gabriela0   Same here, I had all but 1 night booked in July for months.  I got a booking for Oct 2 days ago, I'm just thankful the girl found me on here.  I'm going to look into other platforms myself, I can't afford no bookings.  This is usually my best time of the year.  I was getting 2 - 3 in 48 hours, that hasn't happened since early June.

[Z-2]

@Mark-and-Gabriela0 I think Airbnb prefer new listing than superhost from this release. One of my listing only have 7 views last 30 days and 15 views in previous 30 days. No booking from end of Aug (most of current bookings booked before summer). All Aug after bookings are from VRBO. My neighbor (new listing from this May), similar house similar size but no swimming pool (we have heated pool without any extra charge), about $30-$60 cheaper, but have higher clean fee ($200, we only have $110) have much better bookings than mine even though they only have few reviews and below 4.8 stars reviews. Also they are little farther away from beach (But in the Airbnb map, they mark the location wrong and showing they are closer to beach than us, don't know what's happen). But anyway I am happy for them. Just want to point out  summer release is purposely support new listings and unique listings.

[Huma0]

@Z-2 

That's interesting. Does your neighbour's listing show up higher in the search results?

[Z-2]

@Huma0 

Yes. Most of the time, it’s on top. But I just checked their prices again, seem it cuts a lot. I checked yesterday and once in a while before it was higher. Now the difference is like 60-100. Seems like they give much more discount when stay one week that’s Airbnb shows when search, also strangely, when searching, my listing always shows dates for next summer which at higher price, but theirs is for Oct (which is low season), also closer. But I am confused is that how Airbnb mark their house location wrong but in fact  we are in same street as they are farther away few houses from beach. We both use the house as vacation home so both of us never meet or talk so I don’t know how it works that way.

[Huma0]

@Z-2 

I have three rooms listed in the same house but one of those listings shows up on a different spot on the map (actually in the middle of a council housing estate rather than my rather lovely Victorian terrace). To see the other two, you pretty much need to zoom in over my house. Then one listing is right on top of the other so the second one is hidden from sight. 

So, that makes sense RE the weekly discount if the search defaults to 'any week'. As for the availability, I have no clue how the algorithm is set up but it throws up completely random dates, sometimes very far in the future, for some listings and then nearby dates for others, within the same search.

If a guest searches for 'any weekend', 'any week', or 'any month', it should show them the first available options for each listing rather than these random dates, otherwise it's a totally uneven playing field. Of course the guest is going to assume that the dates shown are the first available ones and therefore dismiss any listings showing availability in a year's time!

[Z-2]

@Huma0 seems the dates is not really random, I search many time yesterday and today, my date always show End of June next year, I have tried to advance 6 months only and now it display Nov to Dec. it’s better 

[Huma0]

@Z-2 

Sorry, by random I meant that, in the same search, it will show some listings with dates in say November 2022, for example and others with dates in May next year. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason to it as those aren't necessarily the first available dates for the listings. So, why does the system choose to do that? I don't understand it. Unless it is programmed to give preferential treatment to some listings over others...

[Z-2]

@Huma0 Yes, you are right. I think it is a way to give preference. Mine is always have later /farther date. 

[Z-2]

After I adjust my dates back and forth for my advance date (now I put in 9 months, now it shows Sep5-12 now which is great. Hope it keep that.

[Huma0]

@Z-2 

I guess it just depends on what guests put into their search criteria.

I don't think these 'random' or 'preferential' (whichever they actually are) are fair for hosts or guests.

When I was searching recently to book an Airbnb, I almost missed out on the one that I wanted because it was showing me dates in November and I wanted to go much sooner than that. Luckily, I already knew about the problems with the Summer Release, so I went to the listing and scrolled back on the calendar to find that there were dates available in July, August and every month before November. I then adjusted the dates and booked for August, but really no guest is going to do that!

[Rhonda301]

I’ve been hosting since 5-13-22 and I got a good amount before June filling up July. None since.  One in august and that is it but that voting booked in late may. 

[David8879]

On a positive news - my website I build when airbnb bookings stopped coming in after only 1 month of uptime gave me two bookings total 17 days