Bookings suddenly stopped!!

[Marta-Maria1]

Hei there, anyone experiencing anything similar? I am a host in Oslo Norway, my listing used to be super popular and I was a super host.

I haven't received a single enquiry in over two weeks. I had never experienced anything like this since I started hosting almost two years ago. 

About a week ago I lowered the price quite a lot, uploaded better pictures, added amenities, but nothing.

It is so strange according to Airbnb's own statistics people are searching for private rooms in my area 42% more that they did last year ay exactly this time of the year. We have also searched and analyzed other listings in the same area: there are not many more, mine has a very high standard and is among the three cheapest. So it is extremely strange. 

I wonder if Airbnb is wanting to "let me go"! There have been two things: 1. For the first time I had to dispute a retaliatory review (the only bad review I have gotten among many). Finally the review was removed. 2. I had to take a break from hosting  for two months in order to fix a problem with the windows of my apartment. Because of these two things... or both? I lost my super host status. 

When the repairs were finished and the apartment was sparkling and ready to host again,  I reopened my calendar to receive zero bookings. I am quite dependent on this income and have considered to erase my listing completely in case there is something wrong with it. That'd be a shame because I do have a lot of good reviews. But maybe I should do that and open a new one, or start just renting out in a different way?

I'd like to hear your experiences. Thanks in advance. 

Marta-Maria. 

[Marta-Maria1]

One thing I forgot to mention: while upgrading my listing to see if I could attract any new bookings I discovered that both the address of my listing AND the address of my personal info were wrong! 

The address of my listing says that the listing is in a city that doesn't exist (the name of the neighborhood) and that the state is Oslo (the actual city). In spite of this I think that my listing is visible at least for me. I tried to correct it but it says that you cannot change the address of a listing. 

The address in my personal information is just empty except for the country. It says I am in the United States. Very strange. I also try to correct it but it keeps going back to United States. 

Maybe this has something to do with the sudden lack of bookings?

[Mike-And-Jane0]

@Marta-Maria1 You can change the address of a listing but to do so you have to ring/contact customer support. They will then contact all your guests 'warning' them that the address has changed. You should certainly change your personal address as people may be concerned about absentee landlords!

[Pat271 · Accepted solution]

@Marta-Maria1  A couple of items for thought -

1) I notice your first review was in 2021. 2021 and the first half of 2022 were stupendous times for anyone with an STR. The last half of 2022 and 2023 have proven to be completely different in many markets, for a few reasons (an Airbnb release that expanded what is shown and eliminated the display of many properties that were previously always shown, a huge increase in inventory in most towns, higher interest rates, poor stock market results, etc.)

2) I notice your availability is very limited, like only 1 month into the future. Has your listing always been set up this way?

3) Even though you say you are competitive with other nearby properties, I’m seeing a lot of “whole-unit” listings at very reasonable prices. Perhaps people are opting for those properties, since it isn’t much more money than a single room.

You might want to try looking at the whole-unit listings around you, and see how they are booking up. If they are similarly low in occupancy, then it is just a supply/demand issue, coupled with the summer release display issues. 

In 2021, you could pretty much toss a property out into the market and it would be booked solid without much effort. Now, you may have to distinguish yourself more - maybe by getting professional photos taken and/or highlighting some unusual aspect of your property that will catch a guest’s eye. I’ve noticed the search results for your area have similar-looking photos of the living rooms, one after another.  Maybe a more unique photo would make you stand out.

It’s also possible that your area is becoming more seasonal, and bookings will pick up as springtime approaches.

Also, check your views and conversion rates under Insights for particular dates in the future and in the past. It will give you an idea of how many people are finding you on the first page of the search results, clicking on your listing once they find it, etc.

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head - perhaps other hosts will chime in with additional ideas.

[Alexandra199]

Hi Marta

Pat271's reply is excellent and I totally agree with everything they say. I also had a look at your listing and noted a few things. Whilst you place looks lovely your pictures don't do it justice, sorry but you really need professional photographs in this market. I know its an outlay but I think it will pay you back to do this.

Secondly,I also noted that you only have availability for a month ahead. You are missing out on a lot of prospective guests but having this locked down. 

Finally you have a 4 night minimum stay. This is just too much especially for a room only house share. One night minimum is the starting point and if you can t manage that then two but no more. 

[Cathy953]

Hi Marta-Maria1

I have not looked at your listing.  I can say our cabin 1.5 hours north of LA, Southern Cal has definitely slowed down: 1. Gas prices 2. Inflation 3. Glut on the Market 4. I was in active on airbnb for a while.  

It is very seasonal right now, picking up during winter.

How is your listing doing now?

Best,

C