Getting bookings. PLEASE HELP!!

[Tiffany77]

Hey there, my name is Tiffany and I'm new to hosting on airbnb.  I'm in desperate need of some help and was wondering if anyone would be willing to check out my listings and look to see if you see and red flags on why i am not getting any bookings.  I've read several pointers on what to do to improve your listings and i've tried everything I can think of.  When I first signed up a few months ago, I got 8 new bookings within 3 days of having my listings posted.  Ever since those first 3 days I've recieved nothing not even any inquiries.  I would like to think that maybe it's the time of year but here in Charleston, SC there really isn't a slow season.  I also have a couple of friends that have a few properties listed and they are booked solid for the month of sept. and I have 4 places listed and only have 1 booking for the whole month.  I'm starting to get really nervous and just want to get any opinions on why I might not be getting any bookings anymore.  Thanks in advance.

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19913310?preview_for_ml

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19912796?preview_for_ml

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20650946?preview_for_ml

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/18460911?preview_for_ml

Tiffany

[Brendan53]

Tiffany,

I'm new to this as well and we experienced the same things, three bookings within the first two weeks then it's all gone quiet.

Our place is in a seaside town in England and it's the end of the summer school holidays so maybe it is just the market.

I had a quick look through your profile and with my limted experience I would say that your 'cover photo' is not as good as it could be.

For some reason it has been zoomed in; it looks very grainy and only shows a small portion of the original photo.  On one listing it only shows a couple of cusions and a bit of sofa....

Good luck,

Brendan

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Tiffany77  look at the prices of your competitors in your area and see if you should lower yours.

Get proffessional photos. Try to list your properties on other booking sites as well. 

[Ben205]

@Tiffany77

Hi. I sympathise. But I'm going to be blunt - your photos are not nice! I don't live in the US, so don't know about rates. But a quick look at what's available in Charleston (there's plenty), and I can see better presented property for less money.

Sorry if this sounds harsh, but that first photo is so important.

Now I've been down on yours, please take a look at my place and fire away!

[Nancy61]

@Tiffany77 Hire a professional protographer to shoot your listings -- you'll be amazed at the increased repsonse. Well worth the cost and you can write it off as a business expense. If you decide not to hire a professional photorapher, retake the photos yourself during daylight hours with all the lights on -- your results will be much more inviting. If using your phone to take photos, download a wide angle lens app -- highly recommended to use when photographing small rooms, especially bathrooms.

Good luck!

[Linda108]

Hi @Tiffany77 and welcome to Air BNB.  I reviewed all your listings.  You have four entire house listings and 7 reviews.  All your listings show that travelers have saved them to a wish list.  This indicates that there is a favorable response to what you offer, but you want is for interest to translate into booking.  I think there are a few things you can do to help market.

1.  Respond to all reviews, thanking the guests for choosing and enjoying your place.  Demonstrates to others that you are a responsive and involved host.

2.  If a review mentions something was lacking, your response should thank the guest for bringing it to your attention and advise what steps you have taken to remedy the issue.

3. Details count, so have a system of reviewing a listing to ensure there is nothing missing as one guest mentioned there was no shampoo.

4.  You don''t need more than 15-20 good quality pictures for each listing that allow at least one view of each element of the space and key amenities.  More external pictures would add a great deal of interest as well.  If there is a local place you would enjoy, include that. Air BNB really promotes the local experience.

5.  Have a system of checking in early with the guests in case there is some issue you can address quickly.

6.  I don't have pricing information either, but you do have a huge difference of cost between your weekday and weekend rates.  You might want to consider lowering your nightly rate for up to 4 guests and then adding an extra person charge.  You will have more bookings and thus reviews, which is what you want when you are startig.

Good grief!  I have droned on 😛  Hope you find some of it helpful.

[David1424]

I hope you didn't just buy four lofts and think you were going to make a living doing it after going to a seminar or hearing a podcast/webinar. I've been seeing a lot of these lately. Especially the one claiming $4k per month. Short term rentals are not a passive rental income, it is a hospitality income that requires active management.

A couple generic notes. People don't want to feel at home when they are out of town. Keep the colors light. The hotel industry spends a lot of money perfecting the look in rooms. You can buy all hotel rooms from those hotels directly (the chair, desk, lamp, etc), including their mattresses that are designed for high turn over. Bedroom size doesn't matter, bed size does. Add queen pullout sofa if you can. Common spaces should be open since this is where people will be socializing while visiting the area. I provide wifi, cable, TV's, blu-ray players with netflix in each room. This is important for families with kids. Have a Pack-N-Play/Crib, high chair and stroller available (one set should be enough to share amongst all lofts, buy these at garage sales or on facebook groups used, no need to get new!).

Your listings look alright. Your pics are a little on the dark side, so that could be something to hire out or take with an added portable overhead soft light. I had most of my photos taken professionally, get some realtor referrals. Consider having them make a virtual tour/video at the same time. 

Airbnb listing is not a guarantee to get bookings. I would suggest you get on vrbo (priority) and flipkey. Make sure you sync the calendars. This will take some time with four listings sync'd on three sites each. I suggest you copy and paste each calendar link into a word or text document so you can keep track of them. In addition to that, I keep a google calendar with each rental site listing linked for quick reference for open periods, color coded similarly for the matching listing sites. You can not do this with outlook/hotmail/microsoft calenders, don't waste your time trying.

I have been on airbnb for three years. In 2015, my first year I got two bookings total for two condos. In 2016, I got four bookings. So far for 2017, I have/had nine bookings with two cancellations. VRBO gets about 80% of my bookings and flipkey got two bookings for 2017.

There are certain markets that airbnb does well in (atlanta) and there are others that do better. I suspect that your demographic will be more apt to use vrbo.

As far as pricing goes I request what I want. I don't recommend that flex/automated pricing. I have read that they list at a lower rate on your screen, then book it at a higher rate, keep the spread and pay you what you think they are booking it for. I don't discount because booking sites have their own fee. Remember with lower rates, you get higher turn overs which are more wear and tear. A higher price brings a better, more responsible tenant. I don't discount for long term rentals. Why this is even an option is absurd. You are discounting 15% and 20%, I suggest you delete that. Plenty of people will ask for discounts as it is. I am already priced below hotels and you get a kitchen, washer/dryer, etc. I don't discount, they already know why they aren't looking to book a hotel room. On my condo that sleeps 6, anything over 2 people there is a fee of $10 per night/per person. On my condo that sleeps 8, anything over 4 people there is a $10 per night/pp fee as well.

Make sure they can instant book. Nothing better than not having to communicate to a tenant.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Tiffany77 A few things jump out at me right away. 1. The pictures are bad. 2. That price is really high for just a"loft". The decor is very "yard sale" and doesn't seem to command a price of $400 a night. 

I think you are overpriced in a saturated market, your product is not "top shelf" as indicated by the pics your decor looks "dated" and that's a bad combination. Try lowering your rates substantially and get some "action", that will lead to more bookings and reviews. You need more reviews, point blank and period. Feel free to critique my listing, I welcome the feedback. 

[Tiffy0]

You have already had advice on the photography. Of course, you have to be competitive on pricing. My comment: I feel if I am paying for a room or an apartment, I should not be charged for cleaning on top. Your cancellation policy is also quite strict.  Good luck, Allein  

[Barbara672]

The place is darling. Maybe price? Ther is no reason you arent gettig bookings. Ask Airbnb to put you higher on the page listing. 

[Burt-Blackarach0]

Are these 4 units in one building? People are a bit distrusting of Hosts that don't actually live at any of the properties...and have several they manage. Part of the thrill of Airbnb is getting to know the area through a real hosts' home. There are many guests who don't want to stay at a "managed" unit. They feel as they they will slip through the cracks as will the upkeep of the property. 

With that said...

1. There is so much competition on Airbnb now, cell phone images just don't cut it. Borrow a real camera from a friend or hire a photographer. 

2. There isn't enough personality in the photos/furnishings. Very generic. Some guests choose Airbnb over a hotel/motel as they want an "experience". They want to stay at a property that feels alive. The furnishings/decor take no advantage over the fact that you are in Charleston. These properties could be anywhere and that's not a good thing. *One of the units DOES have personality (the one with the vintage furnishings...) Where did those pics come from? If they all had that look, you would be booked constantly. 

3. You should have a quicker response rate. Make sure to answer everyone back asap. 

4. Reply back to guests when they leave a review. It's a nice way to end things! 

5. "On Fridays and Saturdays the minimum stay is 3 nights." - you are missing out on guests because of this. 

6. Watch your reviews...you shouldn't have unhappy guests starting off. This is when your property is at its prime!