As a property owner/host, do you think there is any service/app that can increase your booking numbers?

[Carolina2300]

Hello, everyone!

Let me introduce myself: I’m Carolina Arango, a passionate traveler with 12 years of experience in the tourism industry, working with hotels, vacation homes, and restaurants. My profession and love for exploring different cultures have allowed me to immerse myself in this amazing world of hospitality and lodging.

Currently, I work as a Social Media Manager specializing in vacation homes. What better way to combine my two passions—travel and work—than by diving deeper into the connection between this sector and digital marketing?

I’m conducting a small study to better understand how vacation rental owners perceive the role of someone like me in their business strategy. There’s plenty of information online, but what could be more insightful than hearing directly from you, the experts in the field?

• What are your thoughts on social media management for promoting your properties?
• Do you think having a professional handle your online strategy is essential for increasing bookings?
• Or do you feel that the tools and systems you already use are sufficient?
• Is there something you’d love to have that could make your life as a host easier?

My questions are purely academic—I’m here to learn directly from your experiences and perspectives. Thank you in advance for sharing your insights!

Best regards,
Carolina

[Helen3]

If you want to offer social media services to hosts use your social media skills to target hosts you've identified as your target market .

Some will use social media in addition to promoting their listings through channels like Airbnb @Carolina2300 

[Alex]

Hi @Carolina2300! 

Thank you for posting this in the Community Center! I think it's a great topic for discussion. I'm going to tag some experienced members so they can share their opinions on this: @Bronwyn100 , @Cheri354 and @Mary1523. 😊

Kind regards,

Alex

[Mary1523 · Accepted solution]

Hi there, applaud your enthusiasm for trying to help hosts. I'm guessing you want to try and make a living out of it?

Can't really comment for others because I'm a long time host and doing marketing for a living so I'm probably not your target market. Plus I'm in Australia....

I'm guessing you are not a host?  Honestly, I don't think many of the experienced hosts would be your target market for such services because we don't approach it for 'increasing bookings'. This is not about maximising profit and whilst we like the extra income, there's a whole bunch of work that goes into 'executing' that might be personally rewarding, but not financially. This is just my opinion though.........

People who do this just for the buck don't tend to have great ratings and better off on booking.com etc. Getting bookings is the least of our problems, more social media exposure is the least of our problems! Making sure things work as expected, maintenance, managing guest expectations etc. And by the way getting more bookings means going off airbnb and that means you lose ranking status etc. And I've discovered getting 'more' bookings can end up sacrificing quality ie lesser quality guests and all the problems that come. It's a saturated market in most tourism based areas these days, mostly so you are just competing against others and hotels/motels in your area. Guests make decisions on airbnb vs hotels/motels, social media strategies aren't going to help with that.

Hope this gives you some insight,

Best MK

[Carolina2300]

@Mary1523 Thank you so much for your honest opinion!

I really appreciate it! I've been an Airbnb host for a long time, but I wanted to get a fresh perspective on how the market has evolved and, most importantly, what truly matters to hosts today.

Your response confirmed what I’ve always believed: being an Airbnb Superhost is all about prioritizing quality over quantity. That’s exactly why so many of us love Airbnb as clients—it offers guarantees and trust that other platforms often lack.

I’m also here because I’m working with a client who owns an amazing beach house.

We’re focusing on improving her social media presence because her Airbnb exposure hasn’t been enough to generate the bookings she’s looking for. Of course, results can vary depending on location, season, and the overall market. Since her property isn’t in a highly touristic area, I truly believe that combining a strong social media strategy with a well-optimized Airbnb profile (ideally with Superhost status) will help her stand out, attract quality bookings, and maximize her potential.

What are your thoughts on balancing Airbnb exposure with social media strategies for less touristic properties?