Are you hosts stooping to lowering your prices during this COVID-19 shutdown?

[Pete69]

Are you hosts stooping to lowering your prices during this COVID-19 shutdown? I sure aren't. I see some dropping their prices 25% to 40%. By doing that, I think you're increasing your risk of attracting some very undesirable guests.

[Pat271]

I agree with you.  I have reduced my prices 20%, but only for first responders.  I have no guests, but no headaches either. 🙂

[Anonymous]

@Pete69   Guests both desirable and undesirable come in every price bracket. There are far more effective ways to screen your guests than making assumptions based on their budget. 

Most people whose livelihoods depend on hosting can't afford to simply close their eyes and ignore major shifts in the market, or pretend the law of supply and demand doesn't apply to them. 

[Pete69]

I never said that ALL undesirable guests come in the low price bracket. I just think that you're far more likely to get a squatter, a crackhead, a thief, someone destructive, etc in the lower price range.

This coronavirus supply and demand situation is soooo bad that I would rather close down than lower my price to $80 or even $100 a night. Not worth my time.

[Mark116]

@Anonymous  That is absolutely true, and there is  certainly a 'type' of guest who pays for an expensive place and then feels entitled to disrespect it because he paid a lot for it.  However, given the many, many barriers that airbnb has set up to prevent hosts from screening guests in any reasonable way, keeping the price above a certain level is one of the easiest ways to attempt to weed out bad guests at the low end, who in my experience when we have dropped the price, we get a higher percentage of worse than normal guests. 

[Anonymous]

@Mark116  In this regard, I find the best filter is just being able to glean insight from the guest's initial correspondence (obviously this depends largely on not using Instant Book). I look for indications that someone has read the listing, understands the nature of the offering, and shows genuine appreciation and enthusiasm for it.  If something is off in the communication, I'll ask follow-up questions. I'll decline if it sets off alarm bells. 

I happen to like the budget-conscious travelers who can appreciate good value. If I were catering to the snob market I would be obliged to keep the price artificially high, but I deal with those people enough in my regular jobs.

[Mark116]

@Anonymous   Sure, but the problem is when the algorithm punishes you, like it did us, where we dropped to the bottom of search results, despite at the time having a 100% response rate, a 4.9 rating, no claims against airbnb or any guests,  and a 97% acceptance rate.  Still at the bottom.

So, this then created a situation where we were saying yes to anyone unless they set off huge alarm bells, and as we knew would happen.....we got progressively worse and worse guests, worse review stats, and then when we finally in desperation turned on Instant Book, of the two who completed their res. before the pandemic hit, 2 of the worst guests we have had.   

Airbnb makes it very difficult to succeed and stay successful, I still have no idea how or why we dropped to the end of the search results even after having opened a ticket w/airbnb and getting of course the typical wrong/BS answers that made no sense.  

[Suzanne302]

@Anonymous Wise words, as usual! I have also found that some of my guests who have paid my "low" rate have been extremely respectful and kind. I myself am one of those budget travelers who can't afford luxury accommodations so I appreciate a clean, comfortable, and budget-friendly listing. So there are "poor" people out there who are still good guests! 🙂

During my high season (in normal times May-September) I start with my lowest rate, then as the month books up, I raise the rate by $5/night after each booking and it has worked beautifully. This year, not sure what will happen though...

[Lawrene0]

During the COVID-19 shutdown, @Pete69 ? Hosts who can, I understand, are dropping their prices for first-responders, and that's fine. Anyone else travelling for leisure during the shutdown is an undesirable guest at any price, aren't they?

[Juan63]

@Lawrene0 Not at all. I don't get the black and white thinking of some hosts. Full house rentals can host very safely. We are getting couples.

[Lawrene0]

Do you clean your listings yourself, @Juan63 ? 

Anyway, doesn't matter in my case. Easy to be black and white. Leisure trips booked after Apr 4 are banned by my province, and I'm cool with that. Relieved in fact.  I don't want anyone coming who is cavalier about bringing a virus from their city to my village.

I like the people of my village.

If you and/or your cleaners are safe, and San Antonio has no restrictions on leisure travel, I don't think you are wrong. Forgive me, though, for thinking those travelling couples (if they are not essential workers staying for work) are undesirable guests, because I do think that.

[Juan63]

@Lawrene0 Yup, my wife and I clean it ourselves. I find it quite sad that people are so cavalier about handing over their basic human rights over to their government and claim it's because they care or as you say "like the people in their village." I also think it's a terrible assumption that if you allow guests to stay, they are wittingly/unwittingly putting your village in danger. From discussions I have had with my guests, they have stayed at the house only leaving for take out. 

[Sarah977]

@Juan63  It isn't a basic human right to put others in danger. Govt. restrictions on free movement during a pandemic are necessary precisely because so many people fail to grasp this.

[Juan63]

@Sarah977  you have no scientific based facts that a particular person is putting anyone in danger. Zip...none. It is a basic human right to walk freely without obstruction, at least in America. And luckily we have people here that are growing very tired of the blatant attack on civil liberties. If it’s safe enough to go to the grocery store it’s safe enough to go to most other businesses. 

[Sarah977]

@Juan63 And you have no scientific based facts that a particular person isn't putting others in danger. Therefore it's best to err on the side of caution, considering that this is a matter of life and death. This attitude you put forth is why the US has the greatest number of COVID cases and deaths to date. Like children saying "I don't want to and you can't make me".