Getting More Bookings

[Raffaele119]

We opened our home earlier this year (May) to Airbnb and almost instantly had six bookings for June, July and August  Up until a week ago, we had no new bookings, even with more competitive pricing.  We recently initiated a special to help obtain Superhost status, and received two bookings but, since then, we have received no further bookings.  

We also list on HA and other sites and have had similar experiences.  We have 4.5 stars on Airbnb: the first guest complained about pricing only, which prompted a refund of erroneously double charged taxes, leading to a four star review; the second guest gave five stars.  And we have 5 stars on HA, with seventeen reviews.

I look at other listings and I see listings with 60+ reviews.  How are people able to get that many bookings?  And how are people able to keep their unites booked during the slow months?

Frustrated Host

[Sarah977]

@Raffaele119  Just because someone has scores of reviews doesn't mean those bookings aren't spread out over a long period of time. And some hosts get more individual bookings because they accept one night bookings, whereas many hosts don't. 

I don't think your bookings falling off have anything to do with your listing or your rating, it's just a seasonal thing. Summer is a popular time for holidaying, in August people are in "back to school, back to work" mentality.

Many hosts have a definite booking season and slow season. For me, I rarely get bookings from mid-May through mid-October. I just use that slow time to take a holiday myself, do renos and repairs around my place and rejuvenate. 

Hosts who live in big urban centers, or close an airport, or in a year-round tourist destination may get pretty consistent bookings year-round, but not everyone does.

Also be aware that new hosts are given a leg up in their search rankings for awhile. So you likely are lower down the page now than you were when you started.

[Raffaele119]

Thank you for your insightful comments. They are truly helpful. 

The Loring Beach House is in a year round tourist destination, but a little far removed from the center of activity, so does see less activity. I think August us the doldrums and September will see some renewed activity, once people are back into their routines. 

[Heather133]

@Raffaele119 , @Sarah977 has some great points. You may also consider using one OTA (online travel agency) rather than multiple ones. I think guests like to book listings that appear to be popular. By splitting between HA and Airbnb, potential guests may think you are doing half the business you are actually doing. 

There are other things you can do to help. Update/tweak your description frequently. How are your photos? Ask friends to save your listings to their Airbnb wishlists. Consider changing title to: The Loring Beach House ~ hot tub, fireplace, 3 blks from beach

I'd re-order photos if I were you. Bear in mind, horizontal photos are always better than vertical. The photo of the beach sign shouldn't be in your first five. Nor should the one that shows the road to the beach. It just reads as a photo of a road. The place looks very nice, but if you want to break out from the pack, you're going to want to make it look a little more like a well appointed home rather than someone's investment property, decorated in an afternoon via Home Goods. 

One of the bathroom photos has a bar of soap by the sink. Many guests find that gross. I suggest liquid hand soap instead. Consider putting out placemats and dishes, wine glasses for a photo of the dining area and kitchen island.

I found the "Help us become Superhosts" line a little off-putting. You want to focus on the guest and their wonderful stay instead. 

The description is really well-written and the highlights section is excellent.

Your place has a lot of potential. Good luck!

[Raffaele119]

Thank you for the tough, but helpful review. We are making changes and will retain a professional photographer as you suggest. You also pegged our purchasing of the decorations. I spent a lot of time finding the furniture because I wanted quality but at a used price. After spending so much time finding the furniture, I just wanted to get it listed so we went to Home Goods and similar stores to set it up, but with the intention of making more personal purchases over time. (Un)fortunately, we were almost immediately completely booked starting in February and the few weekends it has been open have been filled with more immediate requirements, like deck staining, water heater replacement, laundry replacement, etc. Anyway, we will make it look a lot less like a Home Goods store as soon as we are able. 

The constant bookings at the beginning are why the current slump is now so irritating. 

[Heather133]

@Raffaele119 I am familiar with that problem. It's hard to get in and make improvements when the place is active.

Thanks for taking my rather frank feedback so well. I think with some tweaks you're going to be in great shape.

Some low cost ideas... perhaps you can enlarge some vintage postcards of the area? I buy relevant coffee table books used on Amazon for guests to flip through. In my case, Vermont themed, skiing themed, hiking themed...  Mirrors with good lighting in every room. A full length mirror somewhere in the condo.

I look forward to checking back to see your progress!

[Kaylee18]

@Raffaele119   First of all I love your "About me- I am an attorney looking to retire someday before I am dead." !!!  I hope that for myself as well! lol 

Have you tried searching for your listing on Airbnb (make sure you are not logged into your profile) and see if your listing comes up, and how far down the list it is compared to others in the area. I know some people have issues not being able to find their listing due to a glitch or other reasoning. 

Since you are fairly new, you can also play around with pricing. When I first started I lowered my price to get the first few reviews and within 6 months slowly continued to increase the price.  

When people are looking to book they want to see places with a lot of reviews. To get a lot of reviews and guests, sometimes in the beginning you need to lower your price to get their attention. I don't mean undervalue your place, but rather try to be the first option someone will choose when it comes to pricing. And one the guests and reviews start coming in, up your prices 🙂 

[Raffaele119]

Thank you for your advice. When I started on HA, I did exactly as you suggested with pricing.  When I joined Airbnb, I kept my prices at the market levels I had brought them up to on HA and I immediately had five bookings. That is why the lack of bookings now is so bothersome. 

Our home is in a tourist area, but a bit removed from the center of activity, which has been a draw for families and the older crowd we prefer. Perhaps it’s just the season and things will pick up again after people are back into their school-year routines?

[Emilia42]

@Raffaele119, my bet is that you had constant bookings at the beginning because it was summertime! Millions and billions of people are able and willing to travel and vacation in the summertime. When back-to-school hits that number greatly diminishes. You have a 3 night minimum set. The number of people that can travel to the beach for 3 nights in September, October, etc. is much smaller. Once you host for a full year you will get a better idea of the swings and the seasons and you may find you have to market to different crowds during different times of the year.

[Heather133]

I suspect @Emilia42 is spot on about the 3 night minimum. If you look at the panel to the right of the calendar, you should be able to set minimums for specific time periods...