My Airbnb is not booking

Annette737
Level 2
Canyon Lake, TX

My Airbnb is not booking

My Airbnb did very well during the summer and fall months.   Now that it’s winter it’s not booking.  Should I lower the price and if so by how much percentage?   Any other tips?  Thank you. 

Annette G. 

5 Replies 5

@Annette737  You're off to a great start - you've only gotten fantastic reviews since you started hosting in summer. But even if it weren't for the unpredictable shadow that the pandemic casts over tourism, it usually takes a year or two to figure out how seasonality impacts your listing. For more info on your area's yearly patterns, you can check AirDNA - it's an AI app that scrubs the web for data on local occupancy patterns, although in any long-term reading 2020-2021 is likely to break from the pattern.

 

Your pricing is maybe a little higher than I would have guessed from the property type, but I don't know what the dynamics of your area are. There's no harm in putting out a discounted rate for a few days and seeing if anyone catches the bait, but you'll have to look at local search results from a guest's perspective to figure out what price point would be competitive with similar listings in your area. There's not a magic percentage that transcends locality. It's not unusual for even a very successful Airbnb to have a dead season, but that's also a great chance to add some upgrades and amenities that up the value when tourists come back.

 

One particular thing for your area of Texas: if you haven't done so already, use the Multiple Languages function to add a German text version of your listing. It will show up in top search position for any users browsing from the .de, .ch, or .at domains, which could be a big advantage whenever native German speakers feel inclined to visit Texas again. Now isn't the moment for that, but I can't begin to tell you how many Germans I've met who are obsessed with making road trips across the US and stopping in the little Teutonic enclaves scattered around the middle bit.

Ann72
Level 10
New York, NY

@Annette737  Following @Anonymous's advice about offering discounts, do it through Airbnb, who will then send out emails to guests searching your area.  Go to your calendar and look for "Promotions" on the right.  Then set one up there.

 

Also think about why the guests you've had came to the area.  Are there a lot of activities or events on offer in the winter as there are in the summer and fall?  If not, maybe you'll have a slower season and things will pick up in the spring.

@Anonymous Thank you I’ll look into that!

Mike-And-Jane0
Level 10
England, United Kingdom

@Annette737 we have cheaper rates in winter but not massively so. For us costs are way higher in winter and also there are just not too many people travelling. As such if you drop the price too far you will just get someone who would have booked at a higher price anyway.

@Mike-And-Jane0 @Thank you, I appreciate your response.