Bookings slowing...Season???

[Deb75]

Hello everyone,

Am  a new and very happy host on Airbnb. Opened April 28th this year and have been flooded with bookings for my Little Mountain Cabin from the third day. I only had a few nights open in May, June, and July. Everyone has been wonderful and it seems the most of the bookings were within a week or two of the expected arrival. Now, here it is nearly the end of July and I only have two bookings for August. I have wracked my brain trying to figure out why the slowdown, perhaps the hot weather? I'm in Middle Tennessee but many parts of the country are hot now. Is it because school starts in many areas in August?

I have not changed the wording in my summaries, and have added additional excellent quality photos. I started with about 30, as my property is quite unique and the view/locale is the major selling point, as the mountain activities that are so close by as well as on my property. I now have about 40 high quality photos, mostly of the view and surroundings. 

So am I just a newbie getting nervous  after an amazing spring/early summer response to my property? 

I have about 18 reviews, all 5 star and am a Superhost now. 

Any suggestions or words of comfort so I can stop worrying????

Thanks!

Deb

[Jann3]

Words of comfort:

1. "comfort"
2. "solace"
3. "hugs"

In general the more you worry the more you change things too quickly to see if they made a difference. You have a vacation spot and at the beginning of August many people's minds change to "Back to School," etc. I wouldn't worry until a couple more weeks and you see what a normal summer ends like. You are new and don't know if more people begin their vacations early and end them early in your location. Here we have things in the area that push tourist season into the fall. (The "Crush" - september - when vineyards begin their harvest, or example)

Good luck! Keep us up to date on how it goes.

[Deb75]

Jan, thank you so much for the reply. I had a feeling I was 'overreacting' because of the initial flush of bookings. And you're right,  changing things is unlikely to make a difference.

Our area has a big big fall season because of the fall colors and mountains I am in. So I'm thinking that August is just the 'dog days' of summer, it's very hot and humid usually so that could be a factor as well.

Good advice, I'll get busy thinking about how good fall will be! 

I really love my 'new job'!

Oh, if anyone wants to see and critique I am always happy to get constructive advice. here's the link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17636617?checkin=&checkout=&guests=1&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&loca...

[Amanda222]

Beautiful photo's and excellent listing details! Adding your cabin to our wish list!!!! 

[Todd-and-Reese0]

We had a rush of summer bookings, 95% capacity June/July, but it slowed down for late August and beyond. I remember this from last year. These will pick up soon as folks start planning for their fall adventures. I'm just now seeing some Back-to-School ads. Once the weather starts changing, you'll fill up.

[Deb75]

Hi Reese,

Thanks for the encouraging words. And you're right, I just got a September booking, my first. And one more for August so I'm relaxing now. Being in uncharted waters, you never know for sure if you've accidently done something 'different' somehow. 

I really love doing this and I'm learning something new every day.

Hope we all have a good fall season!

Deb

[Aida13]

Hi All,

I am a host in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and I can absolutely relate to your anxiety @Deb75 that was me a few months ago as I am also a relatively new host, joined in April 2016. So far it has been fairly OK but there are periods no bookings are coming in and panic sets in. I have noticed also that I get a good percentage of last minute bookings, so I have learned not to panic too soon :-). I wonder though if there was an option to set up a bidding or auction option for those niggling last minute days that wont sell for a discounted price ofcourse but worthwhile. This way at least you earn something rather than nothing at all. Does this idea make any practical /financial sense to anyone ?

Regards.

Aida

[Deb75]

Interesting thought. But as it turns out, my bookings jumped all of a sudden in the last 7 days, so that my month is now 'normal' again!

For whatever reason, there was that two week silence.  So I am learning patience and confidence!

Maybe some others will chime in on your idea!

[Florencia0]

Yes, it happens to me frequently. I have no bookings/inquiries for 2 weeks and in just one day I might receive 3. 

I believe this might be due to the random change of the exposure that the site assigns you, though, I should say, I'm not very comfortable dealing with the 2-weeks-nothing thing. It doesn't encourage hosts to keep investing on their listings if you live with the feeling that you will run out of business all the time. Too much stress!

[Josette13]

 Hi , 

 I am josette , i have a Villa in Mauritius and since 3 months i am not receiving any bookings, 

 It  is Villa Acassis in Black River Mauritius.

 Could you advise , may be i am doing  something wrong ?

 Thank for your help ,

Looking forward for an answer .

 Regards,

Josette 

[Deb75]

Hi, without seeing your listing it would be hard to assess...And I'm pretty new so really not qualified to answer well. I suspect price may be a factor.

[Steve143]

Hello @Deb75,

Glad bookings have picked up.

One thing that's handy when checking out questions here is how you can view the questioner's profile and listings.

Hover the mouse on their profile photo. Then click on "View profile". If you want to keep the question page open you can right click and choose "open in a new tab" and then switch to that tab. I find that handy as there's then one tab for the question and one for the profile.

Now click on "View Airbnb profile". The host's profile and their listings will now appear. If the person not a host, or is a co-host without listings of their own, no listing will be visible.

Steve.

[Deb75]

Hey thanks Steve!!  I am soooo not techy...Appreciate the tips!

Business is booming...it's a wonderful 'job'!

[Steve143]

Hello @Josette13,

I searched for accommmodation for the 22nd to the 25th of October and had to zoom in quite close to find your listing.

It doesn't show in the first map below but did when I zoomed in one step more as shown in the second screenshot.

That could be one reason why bookings have slowed.

Some things that affect search placement are mentioned here What factors determine how my listing appears in search results?

One thing I noticed is that other listings in the area don't have an extra person charge. Admittedly your price is lower than some.

Does the area get mostly couples or larger groups? if larger groups, could it be that people think again when they see a price increase once they say "4 guests"? Just a thought.

The listing is "Entire home/apt" and you say "Josette resides on the property."

If you live in a separate building removed from the listing I'd suggest emphasising that by saying something like "Josette resides in a building nearby". That'd reassure guests that they have the whole building in the photo to themselves.

If you live in the photo building then it's not an "Entire home/apt".

Hope bookings pick up for you soon.

Steve.

[Linda108]

@Deb75  Congrats on your Super Host status!  You have a wonderful listing and your pictures do reflect a beautiful setting.  I also achieved Super Host status early on and felt more secure about my listing...then I began to learn.  Now is the time for you to reflect on what you are offering to travelers; seek as much criticism as possible (especially from experienced travelers); track the seasonality of your listing; understand who might be interested in your area and educate yourself about this platform.

I am glad you came to this host forum as there is much to learn just reading the discussion thread even if the topic doesn't seem to relate to your situation.  Trust me.  Someday you will need to deal with a difficult or distructive guest, negative review, cancellation, etc.  You will also become educated about what it is like to be a host in other parts of the world...better than TV!

Also, I hope you will take advantage of as many hosting articles in the Help Center as you can.  If you have never been a guest using Air BNB, try it.  You will find places that meet or exceed your expectations and those that disappoint but you will see your place from the eyes of a guest and be motivated to always improve.

Now, you asked for feedback and I have a couple of thoughts for your consideration.

1.  Move the pictures of the interior of the house to the beginning of the pictures.  First of all, they are lovely and second, the booking is for the house amenities and travelers need to know about the bed, etc.

2.  Edit your copy about the space.  Most travelers are looking at several listings and you want to catch their attention.  Long descriptions are not usually read or remembered.

I hope my comments are helpful and wish you all the best in your new business.

PS @Steve143  Thanks for the tip about right clicking the profile 😄