Define: "Return Guest"

[Richard531]

I have a belief (based on zero facts, 100% intuition) that the Return Guest metric is one of the strongest attributes tied to SEO. 

My question: what exactly defines a Return Guest?  Obviously, we know a Return Guest is a guest that comes back to your listing at a later date.  What about guests that stay at one listing and then stay at another down the road weeks/months later?  Is that still a "Return Guest?"

Anyone know for sure and/or can point me in the direction of documentation that illustrates what a Return Guest is?

[Gillian166]

the definition is on the page:
Returning guests is the percent of your guests who have previously stayed at any of your listings.

We divide the total number of returning guests by the total number of all guests for each listing and average that number based on how many listings you have.

mine is 0% cos i've only ever had 1 person stay twice. 

[Huma0]

@Gillian166 

I can only see the percentage of return guests for a limited period of time. Is there a way to see the percentage over the whole history of the listings?

[Richard531]

@Gillian166 Thanks so much!  I don't know how I missed this!  

@Huma0  I think they only give you the ability look back 2 years total.  You select going back 1-year in the calendar, and then it shows you his past year and the year prior to that. 

The way these graphs are presented isn't the best.  It shouldn't be % but rather number of guests.  That way you can tell "oh, I had 3 return guests, this month," etc.  

This is what I'm seeing.  

[Huma0]

@Richard531 thanks. Yes, I can see this, but was interested in seeing the whole picture (i.e. since I started hosting) and yes, number of guests rather than a percentage would be much more useful. The percentage means very little to me.

[Dana-and-Mary0]

Hey I did not know this feature existed... after some search I learned that I need to opt-in into Airbnb’s professional hosting tools

[Debra300]

@Richard531,

We will always have a return guest stat, because all of our returnees usually contact us directly to book.

[Huma0]

@Debra300 

I also have return guests who book directly with me, while others book on the platform. Just depends...

But, I think @Richard531 's question was related to his hunch about return guests and SEO, so that would only be relevant to return guests who book on the platform. Direct bookings are not going to give you any boost in the Airbnb searches!

[Debra300]

@Huma0,

I was trying to imply in my statement that there are hosts will not be able to make this assessment about the SEO placement of their listings, because returning guests don't book via the platform. 

[Huma0]

@Debra300 

True. However, if as @Richard531 suspects, it's one of the strongest metrics (no idea if this is true), is it not then worth insisting that guests book via the platform? After all, it doesn't make a huge difference to us in terms of fees. It's only the guest who is saving significant money.

I really have very little knowledge of SEO. However, one disadvantage I have felt in allowing guests to book direct is that you lose out on the reviews from guests who arguably would have left high ratings if they'd booked on platform.

The advantage of course is that they are more likely to rebook when they are saving money...

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Richard531 I hope this is not a key SEO measure! All out return guests come direct and save themselves the service fee.

[Huma0]

@Mike-And-Jane0 

I have a mixture of both, but I don't think that I have enough returning guests booking via the platform to benefit from this, seeing as I mostly host long term stays, so it's a bit depressing to me also! Even the last returning guests who did book on the platform are not showing in this metric because, the first time the guy booked and this time his girlfriend did! Had I known it would possibly give me an advantage, I could have asked if they rebook from his account instead. 

[Richard531]

@Huma0 @Debra300 @Mike-And-Jane0 @Gillian166   I'm confident that "Return Guests" really weighs positively on SEO for your listings.  It's also one of the toughest things to achieve.  Especially given how many listings are out there.  

To address the direct booking conversation.  I want to stand up straight and say that I strongly advise against it:

1. Let's not take "Big Brother" Airbnb for granted; if you do a direct booking and things get weird related to their behavior during their stay, you're 100% on your own
2. The good 'ol slip-n-fall (or worse); again you're 100% on your own (frankly, you're kinda screwed)
3. Payment - doesn't this get dicey?  I did a direct booking years ago and I was freaking out about getting my dang money!  It all worked out, but the stress wasn't worth it
4. Cancelation/no shows - here's a fun one related to the above; if they don't pay up front and decide to cancel, they just, ya know, don't pay!  Now what do you do?  Yep, hat in hand hoping Airbnb gets you booked 
5. Payment up front?  That's cool!  However, now the guests get entitled.  "You have my money already.  Can we check in early?  Check out late?  Can we drop off our luggage?  Can we park at the listing early and the go for a hike?  We know the area so well. . . And we've already paid for it. . .  You have our money. . .  Will you put balloons in the house for my BF's birthday?"  NEXT!  
6. TOT taxes?  Ours are serviced directly from the guest and Airbnb remits on our behalf.  Calculating these on the side would be a complete nightmare.  Or worse, you "forget."  Then you whiff on your audit that takes place years later. . .  FAIL
7. It's great to get that double review! "This is the 2nd  time I've had the pleasure of staying with XYZ" those go a long way (especially if your velocity of bookings is low and it can sit there for weeks on your listing for others to enjoy/encourage them to book
8. Having your calendar booked WITH AIRBNB RESERVATIONS makes you a little bit "more interesting" and pushes SEO also (blocked off days booked off platform obviously don't do this)
9. When thier booking comes around, all of your automated stuff still goes out (door code, directions, etc.)  When we did a direct booking, we fogot it was coming!  Phone was ringing that afternoon; it was a minor inconvenience, but it still threw us off. . . Se we could save the customer a few bucks. . 
10. What kind of money are we talking about here?  Maybe $100 depending on length of reservation and/or $/night?  I dunno, the only upside is more money for you/guest.  I just don't see it being worth the headache(s) above
11. What's the "right" thing to do?  It's to reward Airbnb for brokering your original meeting between you and this guest!  Even if they book again.  So let's pay Airbnb what they earned!  

Just my $0.02!  If a guest comes to your place and says "I want to live here for a month" then maybe make a standalone lease, etc.  If someone wants to buy the property from you outright (we've had this) then you don't need to kickback to Airbnb, obviously.  But for a return guest to spend a few days the following year at your place, we ALWAYS tell them to book via the Platform.  Tighter, easier, cleaner, safer.  Everything is better that way.  

[Debra300]

@Richard531,

I am a native Californian, and am aware of how litigious things are there, but there are many listings that are located in places which don't have similar legal systems or frame of thought.

1. Let's not take "Big Brother" Airbnb for granted; if you do a direct booking and things get weird related to their behavior during their stay, you're 100% on your own. A host has more autonomy to end a troublesome guest's reservation early without penalty from the booking platform.  Often, the host also has the guest's credit card info, a great incentive for guests to behave civilly, and can be charged for damages (this should be substantiated with appropriate evidence and documentation).
2. The good 'ol slip-n-fall (or worse); again you're 100% on your own (frankly, you're kinda screwed).  My guesthouse is outside of the US, and has a painfully long backlog of court cases (average is about 7 years).  My listings are covered by my home owner's insurance, and would provide the same level of coverage regardless of how the booking was made.  Air Cover is a joke, and should never be relied upon by either guests or hosts.
3. Payment - doesn't this get dicey?  I did a direct booking years ago and I was freaking out about getting my dang money!  It all worked out, but the stress wasn't worth it  We are listed on Booking, Expedia, and have our own website.  We have always taken direct payments from guests via Square, Stripe and PayPal with direct payment to our bank account, and have never sweated about getting our money.  As a fraud deterrent, at check-in guests are required to present their ID and the card used for the booking.
4. Cancelation/no shows - here's a fun one related to the above; if they don't pay up front and decide to cancel, they just, ya know, don't pay!  Now what do you do?  Yep, hat in hand hoping Airbnb gets you booked.  We require prepayment for almost all of our direct bookings via card or PayPal.  An exception may be granted during slow season when a reservation is made within 2-3 days of arrival, because it's unlikely that the no-show prevented another booking.
5. Payment up front?  That's cool!  However, now the guests get entitled.  "You have my money already.  Can we check in early?  Check out late?  Can we drop off our luggage?  Can we park at the listing early and the go for a hike?  We know the area so well. . . And we've already paid for it. . .  You have our money. . .  Will you put balloons in the house for my BF's birthday?"  NEXT!  This hasn't been my experience at all from visitors, but sometimes from locals who are celebrating a special occasion.  Most guests will inquire about early check-in and late checkout at the time of booking, and we let them know if their request can be accommodated.  We already offer luggage drop off, and most folks keep their rental vehicles.  
6. TOT taxes?  Ours are serviced directly from the guest and Airbnb remits on our behalf.  Calculating these on the side would be a complete nightmare.  Or worse, you "forget."  Then you whiff on your audit that takes place years later. . .  FAIL.  Currently, my listings don't meet the earnings threshold (approximately $150K USD) that's required for short-term rentals to collect VAT and the guest "head" levy, but for those who do, it's is self-reported and submitted.  Tax audit for individuals really isn't performed.
7. It's great to get that double review! "This is the 2nd  time I've had the pleasure of staying with XYZ" those go a long way (especially if your velocity of bookings is low and it can sit there for weeks on your listing for others to enjoy/encourage them to book.  I agree, a review from repeat guests are great.  I encourage direct-booking guests to leave a review on our Google business page.
8. Having your calendar booked WITH AIRBNB RESERVATIONS makes you a little bit "more interesting" and pushes SEO also (blocked off days booked off platform obviously don't do this).  If a property is on multiple platforms, synching calendars will also generate SEO activity.
9. When thier booking comes around, all of your automated stuff still goes out (door code, directions, etc.)  When we did a direct booking, we fogot it was coming!  Phone was ringing that afternoon; it was a minor inconvenience, but it still threw us off. . . Se we could save the customer a few bucks.  That situation probably could have been avoided by using the calendar function on your mobile phone or laptop.
10. What kind of money are we talking about here?  Maybe $100 depending on length of reservation and/or $/night?  I dunno, the only upside is more money for you/guest.  I just don't see it being worth the headache(s) above.  Our direct bookings from repeat guests tend to be at least two weeks in duration, and those guests often recommend us to their friends and family.  Often, these new guests are not familiar or comfortable with online transactions.  So, there is a level of comfort for them that someone they know had a familiar experience with us.  As the Mastercard ad says, "Priceless."
11. What's the "right" thing to do?  It's to reward Airbnb for brokering your original meeting between you and this guest!  Even if they book again.  So let's pay Airbnb what they earned!  IMO, the right thing to do is fulfilling the original reservation according to the ToS.  When I buy a product for the first time at Amazon (and leave a review) that doesn't mean that I can't start purchasing that product at my local Costco for a lower price.

[Ted307]

@Richard531 

All we have had this month is a returning guest, I do not see any boost in our (lately) terrible number of views. I can not see any boost!