Even though I only host long term guests I noticed my listing is barely getting any hits. When I first listed I had all of my rooms booked back to back for long term guests. Now that I have hit Superhost status (que the balloon drop and confetti cannons) I dont see much activity over the past month. I checked out the Airbnb site and noticed the vast amount of options that aren't house listings on Airbnb. My goodness they have turned into a one stop shop of confusing expensive travel options: airbnb plus, experiences, restaurants and even entire boutique HOTELS are now being listed. Airbnb is clearly looking out for themselves and as hosts we should be doing the same.
Ive since cross listed my property on more direct booking sites tied to industries such as flight crews, traveling nurses, student exchange programs and people trying to get out of their lease. There are so many other sites out there besides Airbnb that can bring me better qualified tenants. Yes, Airbnb is great but the horror stories I keep reading make me want a better clientle staying in my place and a better company to vet this clientele. Has anyone tried Flip Lease yet? Its only for those looking for a month or longer guest and my goodness what a breath of fresh air! They actually do a real background check, credit check and actually hold a REAL security deposit in escrow. I was surprised to find Im the only one in my entire city on the website. The whole process is a bit more involved, but I already found someone looking to book my space.