Where do we go from here!

[Robin4]

I have been away for the best part of a month so my knowledge of current events is somewhat lacking but, I have been puzzled during my time away that my listing views have dropped from  30-50 per day to less than 10, some days just 2 or 3! On doing some checking I have come across a thing called 'Summer 2022 release search filters' which seems to answer my observations. The programming geniuses have tampered with the search page yet again.

For the life of me I will never understand why Airbnb go out of their way to upset their long term experienced, profitable hosts. Every time they tinker with the program they lose sight of the fact that we hosts have to adapt what we do and say to accommodate their changes and work with them. They don't reward us, they punish us for putting in the time and effort to make it work and be successful.

Because I don't automatically fit one of their tidy little nebulous search boxes, my listing has dropped from  page 1 down to page 5 in a search of our area.

A guest used to be able to search for a listing they liked the look of and could afford, now they can only search by its availability. Not every guest wants to stay in a listing for one week which now appears to be the default criteria.......80% of mine only want to stay for one or two nights! Listings with less than a handful of reviews are given preferential search placement specifically because of some quirky feature. I believe after reading the new TOS Airbnb have actually revived that old chestnut where hosts could buy their search placement as per this, direct from the current TOS......

Whereas, with my previously full monthly booking calendar, my 6 years of loyalty and 500+ Airbnb reviews sees me in a situation where my bookings are drying up. The search page no longer says how many reviews I have, it doesn't mention I am a Superhost, it removes all the hard work I have put into making a desirable Airbnb listing for guests to book. For goodness sake what **[Inappropriate content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines] keep coming up with these ideas.....Airbnb are actively trying to destroy my business and the good rapport I have built up with Airbnb in this local community of mine!!'

I don't know where I go from here........I am sick and tired of trying to re-invent the wheel every time Airbnb let their programmers loose on some aspect of the platform. I don't want to but, I am going to have to look for other hosting options.....Airbnb, I have been good to you but, you have worn me down! 

Cheers........Rob

[Stephanie365]

@Huma0  @Robin4  My listing is also reflecting significantly fewer views in the past 30 days. 😠

[Huma0]

@Stephanie365 

That is significant but at least it's not too extreme and it looks like your views have gone up the last few days and are actually at their highest in the past months so that's good news!

Meanwhile, mine are looking really dire. They appear to be at their lowest in who knows how long, but certainly within the last month 😞

[Leanne99]

Have you got any dates open at the moment because when I did a quick check on availability (ie no dates selected) in a couple of your listings, it all looked greyed out for the coming few months at least.

[Michelle53]

@Robin4   I would say that over 90% of my bookings are from folks who decide to come to town for a reason, such as a concert, sporting event, family or friend's wedding, work relocation (apartment hunting) or job interview,  etc etc.

There is only the occasional person who has said they have always wanted to visit Chicago, and decided to come, and pretty much nobody that would come to my place for any of the categories listed.

No glistening pool, no spectacular views, no designer architecture, no "omg" factor such as a yellow submarine, tree house or giant potato. 

Just a regular home in a regular neighborhood, offering a clean and comfortable place to sleep while folks are in town doing whatever the thing is they came to do. 

Since I offer a guest suite, I'm not able to list on the alternative sites. Maybe, after this latest debacle, they will see the opportunity and open up to guest suites.

I have taken exactly two bookings in the last 30 days, and those were before the rollout. Not a whisper since then. 

https://giphy.com/gifs/crickets-uLy4Bo680hZxm

[Emiel1]

@Robin4 

- Guests can still search for specific dates (or without any dates selected, not being a "flexible" search)

- Guests can still filter on pricelevel (although it is now "hidden" under "filters")

- Search result still show "superhost" and review-rating.

The major issues are IMHO:

- The search page is set by default to "flexible, 1 week".

Which should be an option on the "classic" screen (as it was before)

- The new "catagories" interface should be optional too.

It is cluttering up the screen and also unreliable (catagories are set by Airbnb AI)

- Previousy Airbnb showed first 300 listings per search on the default zoom level, now much more are shown , also as a result of a lower default zoom level (=larger area)

And last but not least: the are some bugs....

[Z-2]

I only have one reservation since May 5 (the summer release). That's a reservation I feel strange also since my minimum is 3 days, but it gave me a two days reservation. Anyway, seems everyone is get lower booking. Where is the booking go?

[Annie1372]

@Z-2 

I have the same question as you …

Where is the booking go???

[Jennifer2670]

This is somewhat disheartening because I really with the "pay to play" on Etsy. I did decent, decided to use them for better advertisement (which worked) but the moment I stopped my sales were 1/4 of what they were before I bought their advertising model. It essentially made me feel I had to continue paying. 

[Ted307]

@Robin4

Right about now a lot of us are ready to pay a higher fee to get some bookings. I know that we are!

[Annie1372]

Thanks @Robin4  for this finding

no thank you @Airbnb for charging us again more fees and leading the guest to the host that are paying extra charges instead of promoting the best host … I guest the SuperHost badge has nos list all of its value

[Ted307]

@Annie1372  -- It is the guest who will end up having to pay more to rent a place. We hosts will pass along the higher ABnB fee to our guests.

Chris

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ted307  think about it, it is predictable how it will go.... it will work at first... until the majority of hosts pay for better placement... and in the end, everyone whose listings are in a highly competitive area will pay, and then what? All of them can't be on the first page at once.

VRBO had subscriptions, silver, gold, platinum... it was for the service fee but also for search ranking. I've seen discussions about it on forums and hosts were mad because not even a platinum subscription didn't give them a good placement. The whole system is abandoned a few years ago

[Ted307]

I would think it could ed up the same as Google Ads. The payment for placement at the top of the search page just keeps going up. At least Google has a faint disclaimer that it is a paid ad!

I think Air might be trying to be more like the Marriott, a more expensive, more standardized experience for the guest. Not great for a funky little place like ours. Check out this video:

https://youtu.be/-IdQ0sXCbxE

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Ted307Airbnb and hotels are totally different.

"Standardized experience" and Airbnb doesn't go together because Airbnb doesn't sell its own product.

[Ted307]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 The hotels are almost all franchisees -- who pay a fee to be part of the brand and be booked by the brand's website. I believe that the push for things like instant book, fast wifi with dedicated workspace, etc, could be an effort at standardization. We may all look different, but you can count on these certain things or your money back. Air BnB wants those huge profit margins! (Or any profits at this point)!

Chris