Being at the bottom of the list

Susan21
Level 5
Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile

Being at the bottom of the list

I have been an airbnb hostess since 2011. One would think that due to my reviews I would be at the top of the list. Not so. Only newcomers are on the top.

 

At first I used Airbnb income to pay upkeep. Now it barely pays enough to wash the sheets.

 

I think that totally unfair. I think Airbnb should promote its long time hosts and hostess with records like mine before all other potential hosts.

119 Replies 119
Jono0
Level 2
Kanchanaburi, Thailand

It's definitely a factor. We are the only listing in our district and if we don't update we don't get seen. We have very few bookings through AirBnB and get nasty messages about how poorly we are performing. 

Jono....I am sorry to hear that.  If Aibnb wants you to perform better, someone should step in and help.

Periena0
Level 2
Dunedin, New Zealand

I know what you are saying as Air BnB have sent us such a msg. as well.  I feel that when you are in a smaller town & you are unindated with tourists, what are you to do?? Pull people off the street & say, stay with me? I don't think so.  People have a choice of where they want to stay. I feel that it is most definitely price driven.  We used to live in Queenstown, Central Otago, New Zealand, we were a superhost and there you could charge ridiculous prices .  It is the mega tourist hub of the South Island. We were very busy & had the odd guest from Booking.com. Now that we have relocated to Dunedin, Otago away from the maddening tourist crowds we get very little enquiries from Air BnB but we are always full up from Booking.com.  Why is this? Air BnB are always asking us to lower our prices. I cannot make any money after giving Air BnB their slice, supplying a continental breakfast, clean sheets, toiletries, robes, slippers etc. This all take time and money.  You are then always hoping for a great review!  Air BnB shouldn't be sending out negative msgs. you can only do the best you can with what you have & they should be happy with that.  Like us, we are very busy but not thru AirBnB but I would like to be, what is the answer?

Hi Pereina,  Sorry to hear you're having a difficult time.  It could be worth having a look at your site and making a few changes, especially to your calendar.   I was finding that things had slowed down and it was recommended by a number of guests that I play around with my calendar.  Now I go in most days, make a change, save it, and a few mins later go in to remove it if it's not a real booking.   I imagine that you mark off your rooms on the calendar when Booking.com brings you guests?  Try it, and also it's good now and then to add a few photos of the area/room etc. etc. as the Airbnb system seems to pick up on movement which brings you higher up the list of available places to stay.   I think we all get messages to drop our prices. We are extremely busy, and yet I still receive invitations to lower my price. I don't do it.   We all need to make an honest penny, and if you cut the price, you could end up giving your guests a little less value and attention as you are trying to conserve your cash.   I hope things get better.   Hang on in there!!   

Hi Patricia. Good advice & thank you for your thoughts. I will do those things & see if it does nake a difference. I just need people to see us again as we seem to be hidden away. Tks again.

Susan21
Level 5
Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile

Whooh! You just explained my situation. Airbnb tells me to reduce my price but they do not offer to wash my sheets! I asked my last guests about my price and they were delighted with it. I charge about $50 and the hotel next door is at least $100 per night. 

Can we ask Airbnb to provide us with a shrink?

I really need one when told to reduce my price to charity.

I have always been near the top and now I do not even find my listing. I have a 30 day guest and there have been no views so I am wondering if that has anything to do with it. I have begun today to update my listing's photos and settings, as well as some minor change in the listing. Do you have any idea when I should see a change in listing placement please? Also, if possible could you review my lisitng? Thanks, Sharon

Blindsided reviews is my major problem as being a new host, people who don't read your description and people who seems to be nice in the beginning will put bad reviews and complaining about not having this and that, which clearly states on your description.

You then realize at the end of there stay ,they put all those bad comments . Airbnb needs to change this review format. Clearly hosts are treated unfairly.

Melanie37
Level 2
Richmond, United Kingdom

I have found exactly the same!!

 

So how do we sort this?

 

Jono0
Level 2
Kanchanaburi, Thailand

AirBnB is growing. They compete in a market that is changing and growing all the time. It is inevitable. The same applies to us as hosts. We cannot rely on AirBnB alone. We are usining the internet and we need to ask ourselves what we can do to drive that change.

 

I have been looking for and cannot find a discussion forum that caters to hosts and service providers in the travel industry. There are plenty targeting travellers looking for information, soliciting their reviews and advice. But nothing for service providers. Why no site where we get to review guests and offer added value to frequent travellers?  

This community is rather new. Originally we had Groups hosted by hosts. Community is now run by employees of Airbnb so I'm not sure how to find what you are looking for. In old Groups there were so many topics and there was one like you want so I would think they would have something like it on this platform.

 

 

Jono0
Level 2
Kanchanaburi, Thailand

@Judalon0 not really. AirBnB offer this as a way for their hosts to interact. But it would be improper to use it to promote other resources. However there is a gap in the market, for sites that promote the industry from the service providers perspective. All it would require is three or four motivated individuals from each different area and we could make it happen. A resource that feeds into sites like AirBnB, one that adds value to the dynamic industry we are a part of. Air BnB is growing. it is losing puppy fat and it needs to improvise. We are the community. And we should be taking the initiative rather than expecting it all to be done for us.  

 

For example I spent more time than was necessary finding out how to get onto Garmin and Tom Tom without a GPS. How many others have already been down that road? How many haven't even got there yet? 

@Jono0I was part of the original groups as a group moderator and there was ... meaning in the past & in that forum ... that helped host connect with resources and service providers for all sorts of things from hotel sheets at wholesale prices to cleaning services, then Airbnb stopped Groups and started this new venue Community which I have not spent much time exploring so I made the statement based on what Airbnb said about the change. They said that everything we covered in Groups would be available in Community so I assumed if they looked they should find something, but if you know this platform better then I defer to you on that. I think to do it on our own we have to step outside Airbnb and use say FaceBook.

Jono0
Level 2
Kanchanaburi, Thailand

One has to look at the internet as a whole. AirBnB is growing. It is changing all the time. It has to, to stay relevant. We need to do the same. I work with Booking.com, Agoda and Tripadvisor as well. They all have their pros and cons but it would be inappropriate to start airing issues on this forum that have nothing to do with AirBnB.

 

So yes we need to step out of AirBnB.

 

What I am saying is that as service providers we should be doing more to promote ourselves as well as the resources that work for us. There are only so many places at the top of the list. How does a business like AirBnB ensure everyone gets a fair share of the traffic that powers the bookings? More to the point how does AirBnB grow that traffic, grow the bookings and ensure they do not lose the edge that makes them what they started out as?