Complete frustration with airbnb calendar pricing!

[Ann10]

We have a lot of people who only want to stay for 1 night. It's not worth it for me for $50-70 for one night so I tried to use the rule sets for times when we are not heavily booked with people who want to stay 2 nights or more. In order to use the rule set option it seems you have to turn of the pricing tool which I do not have a problem with if I set my own minimum price. The minimum price is higher in January than what I want to set for only one night now so if I turn off the pricing engine, then I have to go and set each price for nights after January.

I was thinking that the people who only want to stay for 1 night could just pay for 2, however they may be able to find a better place with this or it may not show up in their search.

Does anyone know of an independent pricing engine that will price in Golden Shores AZ or Mohave County. I'm so frustrated with the airbnb pricing options. I don't know maybe I'm just really dumb.

[Emiel1]

@Ann10 

I think you refer to "Smart Pricing" as the "pricing engine".

Smart Pricing can be turned of only for the nights the ruleset applies to

(the increase/decrease percentage in a ruleset does not work with Smart Pricing)

For the specific 1 night you can set in the calender any price you want.

Please note you can also set discounts for 2,3 4, etc nights, which will reduce a rather high initial nightly price set. Also a cleaning fee is a rather substantial part of a stay for 1 night.

[M199]

@Ann10 

Smart pricing works very well.  But to qualify, hosts need to also set minimum and maximum rates to be effective, either by individual day, week, weekend, etc.  I do not use rule sets

For example, my minimum is $110, but smart pricing "recommends" $86. 

Ultimately, hosts need to know their their local market and use smart pricing as a guideline.

[Ann10]

@M199- Thanks for your advice. How do you go about knowing your market? Do you mean looking at the other listings in the area? I had some potential good bookings as far as money is concerned, but they would not answer me regarding our terms, so I declined the requests. A lot of it has to do with preemptively  trying to avoid getting a bad review. I do not want to lose my SH status.  Sometimes, I think it's crazy to turn down good money for these reasons, but I really hate it when I'm trying to screen someone and they refuse to answer. It happened a couple times in a row.

How is it possible to see another hosts listings? Other hosts here have told me that they looked at mine, but I can't seem to figure it out.

[Colleen253]

@Ann10 It's called being mindful of red flags, re your declines. And it's the smart thing to do. You are not 'turning down good money' because that type of guest will drain your payout, some way or another and or cause mayhem and grief.

To see others listings, click on the host profile picture.

[Ann10]

@Colleen253- You are right. Thank you for your view point and support. If someone can't answer simple questions, then they are probably going to be a problem. In my experience, most of the bad reviews come from people who will not communicate.  I do not need the grief before the booking even starts. I guess I thought someone else would come along before the airbnb pricing plummeted.

Figured it out and your places are wonderful. Love the photography too!

[Helen427]

Hello @Ann10 Lack of communication can and does happen for all manner of reasons, including people leading busy lives, or not able to access the internet to respond instantly.

Not everyone is glued to their phones to reply immediately so be kind and understanding to them, they could end up being your best Guests and become friends.

All the best

[M199]

@Ann10 

Sorry for the delay😞.

I watch the local market area, we are a summer season tourist spot, especially the past 2 years.  I keep an eye on local hotels, motels, Airbnb's, etc and gauge my pricing that way.  We are generally lower priced, but have a max of 4 guests.  If guests search the area, there are a couple of very close by motels.  They start at $99 Cdn for a room with absolutely no amenities and are located on the highway.  For about 25% more, we are off the highway, very private and have over 50 amenities.  From a guests perspective,  we look very reasonable.

I'm new since Sep 2020, I have, maybe once declined and once cancelled a guest (guest wanted to bring 6 after the booking for 4, when I said no, guest gave me attitude.  No thank you, cancelled, good riddance). And I will likely lose my SH status, October 1, 2021,  but I'm not worried about it.

I don't worry about bad reviews,  they get buried over time.

More importantly is to know your market, your target guests, vet well, and stick to your gut instincts.

Hope this helps😁

[Ann10]

@M199-I saw your place. It's really nice and yes worth the extra amount which IMO is very reasonable. Your view point and ideas are very helpful. I should include hotels, motels and inns in my search.