HONEST QUESTION, what is the challenge as a host?

[Mohamed242]

Hello everybody,

I hope everything is well. I am new to this platform and just wanted to know a couple of things. What is the biggest challenge that you face as an Airbnb Owner. Would it be dealing with clients? Getting bookings? Scheduling conflicts? Cancellations?

I Just wanted to hear it from you guys/gals since you have way more experience than me and actually have to deal with these kind of stuff.

Thank you so much!

Mohamed

[Matt596]

Great question! I'm eager to hear the answers to this!

[Mohamed242]

Yes! I've alway wondered lool

[Sarah977]

@Mohamed242 Dealing with Airbnb customer service, Airbnb's constant changes to the platform without warning, notification or input, their lack of support for small time hosts, them taking away more and more of the safeguards we use to vet guests, and their condescending attitude.

i have no problem with my guests or the way I run my business.

[Mohamed242]

Ohh okok I see, for some reason I always thought it was getting bookings since i see so many residences in the bookings section and thought that major competition would be a factor in standing out. Thank you for clearing things out!

[Sarah977]

@Mohamed242   Yes, that is also a problem for many hosts since Airbnb started allowing and actively encouraging property managers with tons of listings and even hotels to list. That's what I mean about not supporting small-time hosts. All those listings do make it hard to compete unless you have something really unique to offer. We would like Airbnb to separate small time, hands-on hosts on the platform, so guests can choose that if they prefer without having to scroll through so many listings. But Airbnb pays us no attention.

[Daniel1598]

@Mohamed242 I respectfully disagree. In my experience I've found customer support to be efficient, understanding, objective, and overall very pleasant to work with. If you're ever in need of hosting support make sure to state your case/issue with great detail and help them to solve issues on your behalf.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

---

@Sarah977 wrote:

---

Go Sarah! My sentiments exactly! Although some gusts do push the boundaries.

[Mark116]

Managing how the algorhym shows the listing, e.g.  how high your property shows.  I guess that is the same as getting bookings, but not exactly, since where you show in the listing is the one thing that is not in your control.  You can have great ratings and great reviews and great photos, but your listing can still become virtually invisible and you will never know how or why this happened.

[Mohamed242]

Ah I see, have you guys ever tried maybe marketing outside this platform? If yes was it more helpful? Thanks for the reply by the way 🙂

[Sandra126]

@Mohamed242The challenges will depend on what type of listing you have (room, apartment, large house or whatever) and the location. Depends on if it is a tourism location, out of the way, unpopular spot, scenic or ugly or whatever. Then is the host living nearby, on premises or 200 miles away? Different challenges.

So in short: Challenges depends on what you are offering, how you are offering it and where.

But the Airbnb support and site potential issues applies to everyone equally (actually faster help for Superhosts, but otherwise equal). I have only good experience myself with that, but that's not universal.

[Mohamed242]

Ah I see! Would you personally consider getting bookings as a challenge on this platform? Especially since so many residences are posted daily. By the way, thank you for your reply 🙂

[Sandra126]

no challenge. If I wasn't getting enough booking,s I would list elsewhere as well. But I am booked all the time so not an issue for me. Lots of listings though, so very many new in my area. We'll see how it goes as time goes on. If the guest numbers climb at the same rate it is no issue!

[Daniel1598]

@Mohamed242 My greatest challenge is fielding the variety of stay lengths. Some are as short as a few weeks, while others are a few months. I approve many requests, yet sometimes I can't help but to gently deny requests because I'm just not sure what my calendar will allow come the requested dates. Dealing with the variation in stay lengths may be a challenge for you. However, you can prevent some of this by customizing your stay requirements (min/max days, blocked/open dates, etc.). Hope this helps!

Daniel

[Mohamed242]

Ahh yess thats a challenge a friend of mine spoke to me about! By the way, thanks for the input!