New to the Community Center? Introduce yourself here ‌👇

[Bhumika]

Hello everyone! 😊

Welcome to the Community Center! 👋  I'm @Bhumika , one of the Community Managers for our English Community Center along with my lovely team members @Quincy @Paula @Rebecca  and @Elisa  and we are thrilled to have you join us.

Let's kickstart this thread with a little about us Community Managers:

@Quincy : I'm from the Netherlands 🇳🇱 I have been on the Community Center for 6+ years, and have been an Airbnb Host myself. I love cycling🚲, playing football⚽, and travelling🌏 . I love how dynamic and diverse the Community Center is as we meet Hosts from all around the globe. 

@Bhumika :  🌍 I was born in Gujarat, India 🇮🇳 , and shifted to Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 last year! 📷 I recently realized my love for photography and aesthetics. I love to capture mundane life and candid pictures. 🌆 When I'm not working, you'll find me binge-watching thriller movies or exploring history.

@Paula : I am from Colombia 🇨🇴 and currently living in British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦. I have a passion for Latin American culture (I love to dance 💃) . I've had the opportunity to visit around 20 countries 🌎 and plan to visit many more. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor activities, especially mountain biking 🚲 and hiking 🏔.

@Rebecca : I'm from Cardiff in Wales originally but being a military child and a veterans spouse, I've travelled and lived in a lot of different places in the UK and Europe. I'm an environmentalist 🌿 and like to minimise my impact on the planet 🌎 as well as volunteering in my local community.  I love sea swimming 🌊 yoga on the beach 🧘‍ and I'm a children's yoga instructor too! 🙌 

@Elisa : I was born in Italy 🇮🇹 and as a lover of unique experiences—from exploring the streets of Rome🇮🇹 , Paris 🇫🇷, and Toronto 🇨🇦 to appreciating timeless art and cuisine—I'm here to blend the old with the new. 

Now it's your turn! Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? And is there something special about the location of your accommodation that you'd like to share?

Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Warm regards,

Bhumika

[Karlis3]

@Lashawn12 For example, the photos are perfect professional photos but you can see that they are print-screens and that is not good from a guest's POW.
Also, you might consider changing the Hero photo to something that is more special and specific about your place. Even if it is a hotel, you might want to set the Hero photo to something more attractive.
Remember, people come on airbnb to look for something special. If they would want a hotel, they would go to other booking sites. So your job is to show that your place is special. And you have to put it in the first photo.
Another thing that is contradicting to getting bookings is your cleaning fee. It feels way too large. Now, I am not saying it is inappropriate and that it should not be so big. No.
What I mean with it is that it is very big comparatively to your nightly rate. I want to stay for 1 night (around 150 bucks) and the cleaning fee is close to 200% than the nightly rate... For a guest that is too much - the guest wants to pay for the place but not for the cleaning.  And if the cleaning is so large, then he/she most probably will bounce and find another place to stay. 

This is what I mean by "don't get in your own way" or "in the way of the algorithm".

Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Karlis

[Elisa]

Hi @Lashawn12 

Welcome to the community! 😊

I'm happy you found this Host @Karlis3, he really gave you good advice! 😍

I wanted to share that you can also discuss it privately in a chat by sending a direct message through "Send message" button in each other's profile.

I hope this tip helps you both to communicate further easily.

Warm regards🌻,

[Monika]

Hi @Lashawn12 ,

If you have any questions or or need advise from other hosts, so please feel free to start a ⭐ New conversation here ⭐!

[Michael9255]

Hello Elisa and the CC Team,

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! I’m excited to be part of the Community Center and to connect with others on their Airbnb journeys.

My name is Michael Atnafu, and I’m from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I joined Airbnb because of my passion for meeting new people from around the world and also as a small business.

I’m looking forward to learning from others, sharing my own experiences, and being part of this vibrant community.

Looking forward to engaging with everyone!

Best regards,
Michael A.

[Elisa]

Hi @Michael9255 

Welcome to the community! 😊

We’re happy to have people from Africa.

Would you like to share some experiences with other Hosts?

I recommend creating a post by clicking here:  Start a new conversation. 

Warm regards🌻,

[Percy48]

Good day, I am Percy that live in South Africa and travel to Europe and the UK each year since 2014 (except for the Covid period). My wife is French, and we have a house with direct beach access in Southbroom, KwaZulu- Natal hosted by Elize.

The past 10 years the house always attracted responses, but strangely this year, there seems to be no interest. It is as if the South African Air BnB market has disappeared.

We are hopeful that next year will return to the usual occupancy.

[Elisa]

Hi @Percy48 

Welcome to the community! 😍

What an amazing mix of cultures! Were you born and raised in South Africa?

I’m sorry to hear that. What do you think are the reasons the market is disappearing?

Warm regards🌻

[Pao4344]

Hello everyone!

My name is Paola (Pao to my friends) and I'm relatively new in Airbnb, I'm from Mexico City but I live in North Carolina USA. I love to spend time with my family, and visit new places, make friends and enjoy good food. I'm a plastic painter so be a Host in Airbnb is a great way to do a different job and connect with others.  

[Bhumika]

Hi @Pao4344 , Welcome to the Community Center 🌻 

Being a Host is indeed an amazing way to connect with people from all over the world 😍

What are your favorite holiday destinations so far? Would you like to share more about your artworks? 

[Dwight62]

My wife and I live in the US , but travel to Jamaica often. This is the reason we have decided to start this AirBnb journey. We now have a space in Jamaica we can use when we are there and host when we are away. We are  happy to be part of this community.

[Monika]

Hi @Dwight62 ,

Welcome to our community and thank you for this lovely introduction 😍

As a new Host, you might have some questions or comments, so please feel free to start a ⭐ New conversation here ⭐,  asking any questions you have. I am sure our lovely Hosts will be more than happy to share their opinions.

What are you proud of about your accommodation?

Warm regards,

Monika

[Zequille0]

Hello, Hello. I am Zequille from Dallas, TX and I'm new to hosting on this platform. My hubs and I have hosted other families in our home for about 10 years. I am excited about meeting new people and learning from this experience. So any tips, tricks or tools, please share.

[Monika]

Hi @Zequille0 ,

We are happy to have you here in our platform and in our lovely community!

Do you have any memorable hosting stories from the last 10 years which you would like to share with other hosts?

Warm regards,

Monika

[Brittany740]

Hi there! Im Brittany, I live in Arizona but am often out traveling North America in my camper with my 3 pups. We love hiking, paddling, and really almost anything outdoors. This will be my first time hosting a short term rental and am looking forward to learning from everyone here! 

[Monika]

@Brittany740 ,

Welcome to our host community and and thank you so much for sharing your introduction 😊 !

Are there any possibilities for special activities for the guests in your area?

I wish you happy hosting!

Monika