AIRBNB requests to lower pricing

[Sion2]

I am new as of Sept in a high volume area San Francisco. I work really hard even ironing sheets, I do thier laundry,  all amemites, heated marble floor in bathroom, even snacks and beverages and I have a 100% 5 star rating and told to expect  super host status in Jan.  I am under vauled according to several guests. YET and I really need AIRBNB to hear this:

Stop sending me emails to lower my prices...the last one wanted me to go from 99 down to 70...all because  4  folks looked at my lisitng  and booked cheaper. Right now when fully booked I exceed the rental value of the rooms which is super high in SF. If I follow these endless requests to lower my prices I cannot continue to host. I will get a roomate whose laundry I do not have to do;)

Its so dishearting to be doing everything right but the only communciation  I get from AIRBNB is me  being told to make less money, like my efforts are not vauled and your algorithm  is not noticing my reviews or booking rate. There is balancing point in marketing and lowering my price is a race to the bottom. Not going to do it...I will raise it, but not lower it. Dec is slow and I am not getting what I could make if I rented the room ( and I offered discounts)  to a housemate. Jan is almost booked so I know it just seasonal. You want to send me helpful emails ...tell me how to self promote and what else I can sell to guests ( like meals etc) ...do not make me work for free. 

[Jude9]

I don't get those emails. It's just a matter of opting out of the notifications. You have the power to do that yourself. Probably some people want those emails, otherwise Airbnb would probably not create them 😃

[Eileen100]

Hi everyone, I am new here.  Can someone tell me how to connect with Airbnb directly.  Is there an email or phone.    I am in Australia and it is summer holiday time here.  My calander clearly states the price and yet Airbnb seem to have reduced it on my behalf.  I have no idea what is happening.  So I would appreciate any help, thanks in advance.  Eileen

[Linda108]

@Eileen100  You can find a guide for contacting Air BNB on this community site.  Look under discuss then help.

[Renzo4]

@Sion2  I riceive many suggestions to riduce the price , even 30%, I do not accept them. I am superhost for over 2 years with about 120 reviews, 97% 5 stars. If Airbnb really wants to increase the reservations because it do  not reduce its rates by 30%?? This refusal penalizes me , I found a collapse in the visualizations ....thanks algorithm!!

[Sara494]

Although it is frustrating, Air Bnb is just trying to help based on those same algorithms that told them 4 customers went to your listing and did not book. 

Price what you feel you’re worth; that’s the most important part. 

If you ever need help self promoting, feel free to look me up 🙂 

[Amber45]

Don’t take it to heart- it’s the big machine of Airbnb trying to sell more bed nights regardless of any valuable comparison. On that note when a guest tries to bargain I politely tell them that the house has additional extras that others do not eg a spa 

[Mukrawee0]

https://abnb.me/EVmg/VfFCBRlLKI

[David64]

I decided to try lowering prices this winter as it is the slow season here in Maine. The result has been no more bookings than pasts winters just lower income. Instead it has been more work during the booking process, the apartments treated with disrespect and filthy trashed kitchens. The cherry on top has been either no reviews or lower rated reviews. My take away is lower prices equals lower quality guests. From now on it’s full price all the time.

[Fred13]

   David, I was talking to a fellow guest last night on just this 'phenomenon', by lowering the price he started to get more bookings which looked more impressing and at first felt better, but the guests that started coming quickly took all the fun out of the whole scenario.

   Here is also funny one, another 'tired' host friend a few months tried an 'outrageous' price (to him at least) and immediately got only 50% of the bookings, but way less than 50% of the hassles and is '200%' happier.

   You never know what will happen untill at least one tries a different approach.

[Sarah1293]

All of this has been very helpful. I have been hosting for five years, now, in two cities. It has been an essential part of my income; I am self employed and barely scrape by with my jewelry business alone. 

For the first three years I was here in Louisville, my rates were between $50 and $65/night. Then the market doubled, maybe even tripled, and as it stands, I am lucky to get $45/night and that's only if they book in advance, with the way that the algorithms are working. There are many hosts here who are listing at $27/night and this is all creating a severe dent in my finances. I am booked almost 100% of the time, and making half the money. The biggest hindrance to creating a "better" environment for guests is that my boyfriend and I have four cats. Most of our guests are here *because* of them, but of course, the ones who book because they see a cheap rate seem to completely bypass the information that's written eight different ways on my listing, and think it's just fine for them to write a review or private "feedback" that the cats are just "too much." It's so rude and defeating. We clean for 1-2 hours before every guest. Everything is dusted weekly. Our home is old and a rental and the landlord doesn't fix anything. My hands are tied unless other hosts here STOP dropping their rates so low.

And the last straw has been that my place hasn't booked at all for the KY Derby. The market is completely saturated. I made $880 over this weekend last year. My boyfriend and I literally have not paid rent for April yet, we were relying on this income.

I don't know what to do.

[Rebecca112]

I notice, AirBnB never reduces the percentage that it charges.