Accommodating large groups--what are the advantages?

[Laura2592]

I often wonder why hosts would advertise that they can accommodate large groups. Can anyone tell me the advantage? Are they more profitable? Easier to deal with? Is it because your property is very spacious/has a lot of parking so it makes sense to use the whole thing? 

Our cottage could easily sleep 6 but we limited it to 4 to prevent wear and tear/discourage parties. We mostly get couple bookings and are fine with that. Are we missing something by not allowing larger groups? 

[Pat271]

The only advantage for me is strictly for increased bookings.  I have 2 bedrooms and a queen sofa bed in the living room.  Allowing 3 couples makes it less expensive per couple, so they may be more inclined to book with me.

However, I am almost to the point where I may try reducing my max to 4.  It may not make a difference, and I won’t know unless I try.  Having 6 humans in the house for an extended period of time does have its disadvantages; more work for my housecleaner, more likely for damage to occur, more likely for 1 or more person to be dissatisfied with some random aspect of the place, more towels and linens that need to be provided,  etc. 

[Laura2592]

@Pat271 our place is pretty cheap so part of me doesn't want to create the impression that its a "throw away" by making it even less expensive for a group. I guess it depends on the market. We aren't in much of a tourist market, so we don't have a lot of competition and we are booked pretty solid. Our primary goal, beyond giving guests a nice stay, is protecting our little cottage from damage. We recently lad a girls weekend with 4 young ladies who made a huge mess-- it reinforced that "less is more" in terms of guests if four people can reduce my cleaner to swearing under her breath...

[Lisa723]

@Laura2592 I expect it depends on your market. If there is a demand for places that accommodate more people and limited supply then if you meet this need you can charge more. When we get larger groups it is usually inter-generational family vacations/reunions where they want everyone to be able to stay at the same place. Our extra-person fees kick in when the guest count will require use of sofa beds.

But it definitely does up the turnover cost significantly.

[Laura2592]

@Lisa723  as someone whose idea of hell might be an inter-generational reunion vacation (only because you have to know that any family gathering devolves in a huge, often drunken fights among various family members) I perhaps discount the appeal of that option. But in some markets that is the going concern 🙂

[Emilia42]

I'm with you @Laura2592. I can understand if the place has 5 bedrooms and bunk beds. But I've never understood the whole 2 bedrooms, 2 beds, 1 bath but room for 4 air mattresses in the living room, can sleep 12 guests!

I see A LOT of those. I know this is how Airbnb originally started but still . . . I don't get it.

[Laura2592]

@Emilia42  yeah I had a friend send me a listing of a place in a nearby town that had roughly the same square footage as our place but through a combination of bunk beds, sleeper sofas, and air mattresses was able to fit 10. All I could think is "why?" There were still only two bathrooms so you have to think that there has got to be a line for them in the morning. Who wants to vacation like that??

[Lisa723]

@Laura2592 @Emilia42 Who wants to vacation like that? Large families (lots of kids and/or grandparents) on a budget. We allow up to 11 with three queen bedrooms, two twin beds in a loft, two sleeper-sofas, two bathrooms. Our usual group size is probably four to six. But every season we get a few families who want to push it to the limit. We've had to add a special rule that our 11-person max includes infants.

[Laura2592]

@Lisa723we would make $0 cleaning up after 10 people at our current rate.  We could triple our rate and then alienate the couples which book us now. It just doesn't make sense. Even going from 4 guest max to 6 would cost us more for turnover.  If there are hosts out there who can make a go of a big group looking for a bargain accommodation that is great. But if your space is not huge, I wonder if its more profitable to limit the guests rather than increase them?

And bathrooms. More guests need more bathrooms. Packing people in like sardines cannot be good for the plumbing. 

[Lisa723]

@Laura2592 Our cleaning fee is $200 and above 8 people our extra guest fee is $25/person. So we make it worthwhile for us while still manageable for families who would otherwise have to book multiple homes. I'm not arguing that you or anyone else should do it, just answering the question.

[Laura2592]

@Lisa723 I get it and appreciate your perspective. We charge very little for cleaning (and for a nightly fee for that matter) so I think we would have to really change our cost structure to consider it. But I am glad it is working for you. Because our cottage is first and foremost our weekend place, we tend to be pretty careful about wear and tear so that's always a big concern with more people at once. 

[Lisa723]

@Laura2592 yes, of course that's important. We hope to remodel the place and retire there someday, and we do use it ourselves to vacation, but for the time being it is set up and furnished to share and we expect wear and tear. (Our tiny two-person cabin is actually much easier to keep occupied, and probably more profitable from a ROI point of view. If I were going to set up a new place that's what I would do.)

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Laura2592 

advantage of hosting larger groups is strictly financial.

A disadvantage is.,. well... anything over 4 guests is chaotic. Group of 5+ young guests is a party even if they don't invite someone else to the property.

We have one big apartment divided into two separate units: Studio for 2 guests + 2 bdr apartment for up to 6 guests so we can host a group of max 8 guests at the time.

The best seller is our 2 bdr apartment with an average of 4 guests at the time.

Second is our studio with an average of 2 guests at the time.

On the third place by the number of bookings is our 3 bdr apartment (both apartments booked by the same group) and the average number of guests was 6.

In 3,5 years we had only one group of 8 guests which is our max capacity.

While it can vary from one destination to another it may give you some perspective.

[Marie82]

@Laura2592  when i 1st start hosting i used to welcome 6 guests after few months into to hosting all flats who could cater for 6 downgrade them 4, remove sofa bed, extra linen etc...

on Airbnb, I don't cater anymore for 6 guests, as many guests will book for 2 and end up being 6, or booked for 6 and are 10, the purpose at the beginning was to make more money but at the end, it becomes a nightmare as always group booking or staying with endless issues about number of guests.

It is not worth to host more than 4 guests with AIRBNB unless u live across the road and always available to intervene, which take out all the pleasure of hosting.

[Jp8]

Do large groups ever book long-term?