Hello all.

[Zara91]

Hi my name is Zara,  I live in Wrexham north Wales, I have been a landlord for 11 years and recently decided go turn over one of my houses to serviced accomodation.

Really is bad timing, I've been listed for 2 weeks and no bookings. Tried most things. What are you all experiencing  at the moment and have you brain stormed any ideas that may help.

Thanks Z x

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

@Zara91 I think "bad timing" is your main issue here. The restrictions on travel in Wales severely limit the number of people looking to visit your area in the short term, and the uncertainty of the near future has curtailed most long range travel planning in general. It's not ideal to debut a new listing in these circumstances, as you totally squander the temporary search bump because hardly anyone is searching in the first place. Also, it's much harder for an unreviewed listing to stand out when all the more established competitors are available.

There are several Wales based contributors here that may chime in with some localized advice. But my suggestion would be to use this fallow time to fine tune your property and get your listing ready for prime time. The photos show the mattress still in a plastic bag with a ssad single pillow, making the bed look like a corpse on a gurney. The home has solid bones but it could use some more decoration and color to feel like a warm and inviting place to escape to and not just some vacant real estate. And the lead photoe should be one that best showcases the flavor of the environment and pops out on the search page - not a shot of the front door.

These little details can be fixed without much expense and may really boost the listing's appeal whenever the market rises to meet it. 

[Charles224]

@Zara91 I think @Anonymous has given some good suggestions.

The timing is all bad. I suggest you look at the similar listings and follow their lead - as soon as business picks up you will all be busy.

Good luck!

Cheers, Charles

[Helen3]

As you know @Zara91  much of Wales is in lockdown so it won’t be a surprise to you that you aren’t attracting bookings and this is likely to continue for some time.

in your situation I would follow @Anonymous @advice and finish off decorating and preparing your place.  I would then put it on the market for a six month let until the STR market opens up again. 

[Aziz4]

Hello we are in morocco same problem you can't believe no bookings since last March ,🐪😅

[Helen575]

It's been very quiet as majority of guests who happen to be locals opt for non shared accommodation. I guess this is due to the pandemic. I have not lost hope and will not but wondering at this time of covid-19 virus, what is likely to attract guests to a shared listing? I am already trying to improve the property to have self contained rooms what do my fellow hosts  suggest?