Lower priced bookings

[AZ-Housing0]

Any idea why this is happening? I started to get lower than it is supposed to be bookings...This is a third one this week. Airbnb shows that price per month should be 6000 and I get booked for 4k... Any thoughts?

[Hello6]

Check that you don't have:

- approximately 20% monthly, one-time promotion discount set or multiple discounts adding up because the guest has asked for a length of stay that is longer then normal;

Airbnb takes approximately 15% so there is approximately -900 from the gross rate of €6000 . 

If you have a(many) promotions set this could result in the additional 20% hit. 

This can also happen if your new guest had made an Inquiry vs a direct booking.  If they made an Inquiry and you accept.  For example they find a way to maximise all available promotions:

  It has happened to us:

- they book super early (5%);

- they book longer then 31 nights and shorter then 39 nights (monthly discount 15% + additional weekly discount 10%);

- one-time promotion on (10%);

- use early bird or last minute promotion that may be set

Also note: all discounts are taken from the full gross price for the original nightly rate.

A savy prospective guest can make an inquiry about staying longer and get an almost 55% + discount just by extending their booking stay from 31 nights to 38 nights. 

We even had a guest one time book 38 nights and only stay a week as it was cheaper then booking for the 7 nights. 

This guest did ask us to amend their booking to let them checkout early.  Sorry for them that there asking to leave early recalculates the percentage discounts and the guest faced a large bill to leave early. 

They had wanted a booking change as they wanted to make an Airbnb booking at their next planned destination but couldn't as they had an active booking at the same time with us.

Also, check that you have not pressed or set any "opportunities" across multiple listings or on your single listing.

Sometimes you can press or add discounts through the "opportunities" portal. 

If the guest booked it automatically and you can't eat the loss you are allowed to contact the guest and inform them that a glitch has occured and you are sorry but the actual price is "X" instead of "y". 

You can send the guest an amendment price for them to accept. 

If the guest chooses not to accept the price change you can then elevate your request direct to Airbnb Support. 

Depending on the length of time between the guests scheduled arrival and your request for a price increase you may receive assistance to change or cancel the booking or you may just have to eat the loss. 

Good luck. 

We have recently removed all discounts from our listings and are currently using solely the promotions (20% off + for specific blocks of time) to better control surprise prices.  

This may effect however how your listing is displayed on any initial map of places to stay generated by Airbnb for prospective guests.   The more your listing bends to options the more it is heavily displayed on generated maps. 

Less offers, less visability. 

[Hello6]

Also, if you allow co-hosts access to your calendar or you yourself have managed the calendar you can sometimes accidentally change the nightly price for specific blocks of calendar time.

For example you are changing Christmas prices across multiple listings and accidentally select April instead of May. 

This can happen more easily when amending the calendar on mobile devices as the screens smaller and chances for highlighting wrong areas can occur. 

Good luck.  Let us know what you find out. 

[Joelle43]

Hello @AZ-Housing0 

That little right hand screen shot that shows your possible earnings for a months stay is based on the base rate that you have configured for your listing.   Airbnb calculate your  base rate x 30 days or however many days = what you can earn for a months stay with the discount you have set in place.  

The problem with that is, if your pricing fluctuates or you have lowered your prices to go under your base rate because it's low season for example, the calculation for the host is done by using that base rate as a rule of thumb so may not be accurate at all if you're prices are different to this rate.

If you click on the little arrow under where it says "Guest price before taxes " you'll see the price breakdown and then divide the number of days to see the daily rate that has been applied and it should equal the base rate that you've set.  

So is $297 your base rate or is it higher?  If we calculate $297 x 30 nights = $8910 - 47% = $41877 (excluding Airbnb fees).  Is this what you're seeing your end ?

[Paula]

Hello @AZ-Housing0,  I just wanted to check if you've had a chance to read Joelle's and Hello's comments?

Please keep us updated

[AZ-Housing0]

Yes I did, well, conclusion I came to is that it is a bug.

[Ward1098]

I had similar issue by clicking Smart Pricing and not understanding that it could lower my asking price so much.