How to increase occupancy

[Vineet44]

I am new host i am facing issue regarding low occupancy

Rental unit in New Delhi · ★New · 1 bedroom · 1 bed · 1.5 baths

[Alex]

Hello @Vineet44, 👋

I'm sorry to read that you are having low occupancy at the moment. But don't worry, you are in the perfect place to change this situation since there are a lot of members willing to help people like you with their experience. I'm going to tag a few of them if that's okay with everyone: @Karen4131, @Paras45 and @Rose422. 

Thank you everyone in advance, 🤗

Alex

[Rose422]

Hi @Vineet44, 

Congratulations on getting started with airbnb. 

I would suggest to do market research. Go to airbnb.com and search for similar 1b1b listings and see how you can stand out from the crowd. There are too many factors that come to play. Carefully study listing descriptions, pay attention to picture quality, their occupancy rate based on reviews and calendar availability, as well as price fluctuations. Airbnb has smart pricing, but I suggest to manually go through similar listings and see how you can improve on. Take pictures in better light, make minor design changes, custom your listing description, create house manuals and guidebooks for recommended places to visit online. 

I remember when I first got started, I did not worry much about the occupancy, but more about quality memorable stay for the guests. There are many minor adjustments you can also do to make sure your first few reviews will boost your listing performance later. You can provide welcome drinks, fresh flowers, handwritten notes, cafe vouchers, deliver fresh cookies, personally welcome guests etc. I remember when I first started hosting, I cooked dinner for my first military guests that didn't make it home for thanksgiving. We shared a big Thanksgiving meal. They were very happy.

Overall I would say do a lot of research and worry more about providing quality, than occupancy rate at the moment. Put yourself in the guests' shoes, if there are other listings with dozens of 5 star reviews and your listing has no reviews, would you risk to stay there? 

If possible, and this may not be recommended by airbnb, but if you could get someone stay in your place in exchange of detailed private feedback and a review, that could be a good way to start. I would say make sure to personally stay in your own place for a couple of nights to make all necessary changes that you may have overlooked otherwise. After a month of hosting, I used my guest room for a night and realized a towel hook was missing, I was also wearing a bathrobe and had no place to hang it as the towel dryer was too far from the bathtub. 

Hope this helps. 

Rose. 

[Marie8425]

@Vineet44 

Cute condo.

Suggestions take family out of you ad description,  Talk to who your market is and what 1 or 2 people might thing important/

Price jump from 1q guest to 2 guests is not reasonable since not a second bedroom.  Review your pricing.

First guest was very happy congratulations.

[Paras45]

Hey there @Vineet44 !

I noticed you mentioned concerns about low occupancy, and I’d like to help. As others have mentioned, one possible reason could be your pricing settings. Sometimes, Airbnb's system may double the price when additional guests are added, even if it's just two guests. I'd recommend checking your pricing settings under the "Extra Guest Fee" section to ensure it's configured correctly.

Additionally, here are some tips that have worked well for me to boost occupancy as a new host:

✅ Competitive Pricing Strategy: Start with an introductory offer to attract your first few guests. A slight discount in the initial phase can help you gain reviews and build momentum.

✅ Attractive Listing Photos: High-quality, well-lit photos showcasing cozy corners, amenities, and unique selling points can make a huge difference.

✅ Detailed & Friendly Description: Highlight what makes your space special—be it a peaceful ambiance, prime location, or thoughtful touches.

✅ Flexible Cancellation Policy: Offering a flexible cancellation policy can encourage hesitant travelers to book.

✅ Fast & Friendly Communication: Responding quickly with helpful information builds trust and improves your chances of securing bookings.

✅ Special Offers or Discounts: Consider weekend deals, extended stay discounts, or last-minute offers to encourage bookings.

Best of luck with your hosting journey!