No bookings at all!!

[Elizabeth24]

I have been in this platform for 10 years, 9 of those years I have been 80-100% booked at top dollar. Since last year I have maybe been 0-20% booked at the lowest prices since I started 10 years ago. My listing isn’t showing up under my city as a general search, only with filters. Under a general search for my city, listings that are not even in my city and that are 20,30 even 40 miles away start to show up and mine still hasn’t. This system is broken and I’m not sure what’s happened this past year, but I’m going on vrbo tonight to list my property. I’ve called several times and the agent says my listing looks good and there should be no reason for this. But it’s clear the algorithm has changed and seems like it’s not benefiting many listings. If anyone has experienced this and found a solution please share. Thank you and good luck to everyone on this platform! 🙃

[Rebecca]

Hey @Elizabeth24, 

Well isn't your listing just beautiful and it's definitely showing up my end. We have had some other members experiencing a slower booking rate than normal. I'm tagging in @Joan2709 as she had some great ideas on this thread and has just an amazing way of breaking things down. 

Fingers crossed some of the ideas can help. 🤞

[Joan2709 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Elizabeth24 

As, @Rebecca mentions, lots of discussion about super slow bookings right now. Luv your place and excellent reviews! Tough times right now for many Hosts. Oversaturated markets and not enough demand (economy) resulting in much lower occupancy rates for many Hosts. Time to "get out the big guns" so to speak to combat the slow bookings.  I took a quick look at your listing and some suggestions:

Guest Search

I did an incognito flexible search (any week; no filters) for Dana Point, CA and your listing showed on page 1 in the 11th position (that’s great!). If you search by check-in, check-out dates, be sure you are searching 2 night stays since you have a 2 night minimum.

Cover Photo

Your cover photo is key to getting prospective guests to stop scrolling and click your listing. Then your next 4 photos (and the rest of your photos) are very important. Your top 5 photos should be your top 5 amenities or what makes your listing standout. I believe one of the great things about your listing is your location and the views from the property. Research shows that any cover photo that shows a spectacular view and/or water (pool, hot tub, lake, river) do very well on Airbnb. Right now, your cover photo is of the Kitchen. It’s a beautiful kitchen to be sure, but I would change your cover photo to one of the below for a month or two and see if you get an uptick in bookings. Be sure you indicate on your caption that the spa/patio area is a shared space with other guests of the condo complex. This will prevent guests from thinking this is a private space just for them.

Quality of Photos

Good quality photos are key to the success of any listing (especially now with saturated markets and stiff competition). I would get professional photos done or re-shoot your photos. Many of your current photos are blurry and really don’t highlight what a fantastic place you have. It will pay for itself quickly in the additional bookings you would get. You can also deduct the cost of professional photos as a business expense.

Price

I did a quick search for similar listings to yours and I do believe you are priced a bit high in comparison. Check out your competition and adjust your price as you need to do in order to remain competitive. Only you know what seasonality effects occur in your area, but most parts of the country will experience seasonal slow-downs. The search algorithm does reward listings according to price, and your price does seem a bit too high.

Cleaning Fee

Cleaning fees have received a lot of bad media attention on Airbnb. You might consider lowering your cleaning fee (it seems a bit high in comparison to similar or larger listings). Also, consider using the short stay cleaning fee option. You can just lower the short stay fee by $1-$5 and it shows as “short stay cleaning fee” when guests click reserve when booking. Guests booking 1-2 nights get the short stay cleaning fee. Guests 3+ nights get your long stay fee.

Custom Promotions & Discounts

I would try using discounts and custom promotions. However, another Host has complained the custom promotions are causing her listing to disappear from search results ....you can't win sometimes. You might try length of stay discounts (3/4/5 nights), or offer a discount to a booked guest for an open day before or after their reservation to help fill your calendar. Mention your discounts in your short description so guests can see it if they click into your listing.

I hope things pick up for you. Just seems like it's very sloooowww right now for sure.  Let us know how it goes. 😊

[Darran6]

Hi Elizabeth,

Many hosts are in the same boat as you, so (whilst not immediately helpful unfortunately) it is not down to an issue with your listing, pricing etc. I have a long response for you and for a few others that have started similar topics, but am holding it back for now. Briefly though, it's entirely down to changes in how searches are presenting results. I, and many friends, are also in a situation where we are no longer welcome if you think properties a 30 minute drive away are more relevant than a 5* rated property, guest favourite, Superhost, in the exact search location. You're definitely not alone.