I want to know if anyone else new to Air B and B is finding their website difficult to navigate?

[Paul453]

I am having some trouble working the Air B and B website.

[Lawrene0]

Are you working from a laptop/tablet or from your phone, @Paul453? Is it something specific you would like help with, or do you just generally want to know whether others find it hard to use? If it is the latter, you are absolutely not alone. Many questions here are about navigating the site. But usually you can find answers to specifics in Help, and if not there, by asking here. 

Once you get used to it, it is not so bad. It does change fairly frequently, so there's that. Don't despair. Do take a look around the Help Centre, and do ask if you need anything. Someone can usually help.

[Paul453]

Thanks Lawrene, I thought it was just me being dim...

On my first pass through the lengthy signing-up process, I read a few of the questions

out of context, or got them plain wrong. For example - The section on animals I thought

was a reference to guests turning up with their pets, not the animals in or around my residence.

Anyway, Sod`s Law being what it is, my second ever Air B and B guest has a cat allergy and had

to leave in a real hurry-and for some reason, phoned me when I was asleep! It was a compounding

of errors, which if I had found the initial registration process much simpler-say idiot proof- I could

have avoided all that bother. I am glad I am not alone and do hope it gets easier. Cheers- Paul.

[Lawrene0]

It does take careful reading, @Paul453. And you will find in future that even though you have mentioned cat ownership, some guests will miss that. You might mention the cat again in the long description. 

Best trick is to spend some time in the Help Centre, spend some time reading this forum, and spend some time just going through the various sections of your listing now and again. You will find some features you might have missed, and you will see the odd thing that needs tweaking. That is good for your rankings as well - changing some wording, pictures, etc., to keep your listing fresh. 

You are doing well already. Lovely listing. 

All the best! 

[Paul453]

Hi Lawrene,

That is sound advice. There is such a lot too this site that I should do this kind of foray.

I do appreciate your helpful tone and hope to get to grips with navigating the Air B and B

website. I am not naturally computer literate and struggle sometimes with the complexity

and user-unfriendliness of some sites. Air B and B is not what I would call "intuitive".

Still, I well study the Help Centre and see what transpires.

Many thanks - Paul.

[Tom205]

Can you give me an example of a house manual?

[Paul453]

Hello Tom,

Here is my first pass at a House Manual. I guess it will be changed in time as I get slicker at this business, but this is it for now.

I have to add that I am not finding navigating this website easy at all, very much the reverse. Still, it is a good idea.

"Grianal" - House Manual.

"Due to house insurance requirements, only I can light the living room stove and the bedroom fire. When I am not around, safe and simple electric heaters are available-just remember to turn them off when you leave. Hot water comes either from the main stove, or if I am not around, a rapid immersion heater-again-this must be turned off after an hour. If folks have been out walking, please take off boots and wear shoes/slippers around the house. I only provide breakfast, which is self-help. A basic selection of cereals, oatcakes and fruit is laid out in the living room, extra milk and fresh orange juice is in the kitchen fridge. A kettle is also in the living room for tea/coffee/hot drinks and a toaster for bread. I do not provide evening meals and do not want folks using my kitchen facilities for cooking, sorry, the house insurance thing again. There are plenty cafes and restaurants in easy walking distance in the village. Wet gear can be hung in a drying room, or in the living room above the stove when I am around. If I am away, I will make provision for keys to be available either with a neighbour or in a key-safe-details to follow when communicating/messaging. The washing machine is only available for folks staying more than one night. I have to charge a £10 cash charge per lost key. It is expensive getting them cut on Skye."

[Davis4]

I find the airbnb site extremely difficult to manage. I've ended up just bookmarking the pages I use most often, instead of trying to use the on-page navigation. Both the browser version and the mobile app are very cumbersome to use.

[Paul453]

Hello Davis,

I am new to Air B and B also. Yes, I found the site very user-unfriendly.

With the exception of the calendar and the guest messaging tools, the

rest of the site is a pain. I also bookmark, in order to find my way back

to site features and functions. Advice? Persist.

[Amanda291]

I'm finding it extremely difficult and am constantly having to ask the host questions.  I even had great difficulty finding out

how to contact the host and then realised, after much searching, that you need to complete your profile details.

I've been tempted to give up but am sticking in there for the moment,........ (I'm not surprised there is a forum for this issue - I hope airbnb know.)