Help! I have no bookings

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

Please help my listing is getting zero views and my calendar is wide open for the entire summer! I have never in my two years of hosting had such an empty calendar and nobody even looking. I have checked other listings in my area and comparable to mine and my price does not seem out of line with the other listings. In my two years of hosting it has never been this dead. No enquiries, no bookings and no views for about the last month. Where have I gone wrong? Any input and insights would be greatly appreciated.

[Emiel1]

Hello @Mary-And-Kelly0 ,

Your listing is nr 16 on page 4 (18 results per page) when searching without flltering for "Leavenworth, WA". So out of 191 results, you are presented on nr 70. That's rather average. If there are no views, then most likely there is less demand for accomodation.

best regards, Emiel

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Emiel1 Thank you for responding so quickly I really appreciate it. While I do believe that some of the slowdown is less demand for accommodations there are several properties around me that are booked consistently throughout the summer and I still have zero enquiries or bookings. There are two ways to search for Leavenworth, one is just Leavenworth, WA and searching this way (not logged in) I come up as #4 on page 5 out of 11 pages. The other way is Leavenworth, WA 98826 and searching this way I come up as #18 on page 9 out of 17 pages. Both were searched with no filters but I come up different than what comes up for you I don't understand how that can be. I am confused.  Last summer I was booked consistently and had the same listing, same photos and same description. I have been at 91 views for the last month so not only are people not booking they aren't even looking at my listing. Could it possibly be my placement in search? I feel like by the time they would even get to my listing they have already chosen a place on the many pages before I even come up. So people aren't seeing it at all. Who is going to go through that many pages of listings before making a choice? Even in the collections my listing shows up about middle of the pack and it seems that no matter what I do I cannot get moved up in search results. Have tried, changing description, changing title, changing price, changing pictures, changing cover photo, taking out the cleaning  fee and putting the cleaning fee back in. In the search for Leavenworth 98826 I bounce between page 14 and page 9 but can't get it beyond that (except for one time a week ago when I was on page 6 for about 5 minutes). Sorry for the long post just wanted to clarify a few things. Any addtional input is always welcome. Just trying to understand how this whole thing works (or doesn't). It appears that Airbnb don't want us to understand how search rankings work,  just the same spiel over and over that does nothing to help. Thanks for your time I appreciate it, Mary

[Lisa723]

@Mary-And-Kelly0 I think the market is getting more and more competitive with more hosts entering it. One aspect of this is the bar is rising for photos, and guests are caring more about interior design. I looked at your listing and the text and reviews make it very attractive but to be brutally frank with you the photos do not. The spaces look small, dark, cluttered and dated. I'd suggest removing a lot of the personal decoration (e.g. knick-knacks and fake flowers) and modernizing where possible. Replace all those florals with light neutral colors with spots of color. Slipcovers are an easy update for sofas. Then I would get some professional photos. Just my two cents, FWIW!

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Lisa723, Thank you for taking the time to look at my listing I really do appreciate it. However I just don't think pictures are the problem. I have had these same pictures up for quite a while and have gotten many bookings. Could they be better? Absolutely! And once I get some more bookings maybe I can afford that professional photographer. The problem is zero views so they are not even seeing the photographs. Thanks for your time and input, Mary

[Lisa723]

@Mary-And-Kelly0 my point was just that with competition heating up the same decor and photos that attracted bookings in previous years may not cut it now. Also, I didn't even realize until the second time I looked at your listing that it is river-front! I would definitely play that up, put it in your title and show it (more prominently) in your cover photo. Everybody has a big smart TV, not everybody offers outdoor seating on a beautiful river bank.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

@Lisa723 Good point did not think of it like that. I have racked my brain how to play up that waterfront. However the problem is that it is not a river it is an irrigation canal so only seasonal waterfront. But the river for tubing is less than half a mile away and we do provide river tubes and drop off and pickup.

[Nancy115]

Hi Mary & Kelly,

I have to agree with changing your photos & description to highlight the chalet style home and the river front. Those are top selling features and they aren't easily found in your listing. I also think you need to remove the florals. I had a dated bathroom with a stained floor and tub that kept getting me poor 'cleanliness' reviews even though it was clean. I remodeled it this winter in neutrals and now my guests don't have any problems with it. 

The number of Airbnb accommodations has grown significantly in my area over the past year. I have found that I am no longer booked consistently and mainly get last minute guests. 

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

 Thank you for taking the time to look at my listing. It is a chalet style home however that is hardly unique here almost every house is chalet style. That is not a river it is an irrigation canal and only full in the summer. I was going for the country cottage look. I have never had a less than five star rating on cleanliness. My decor is often mentioned in reviews in a favorable way so I am not sure that is the issue. 

[Rebecca181]

@Mary-And-Kelly0 I agree with those who suggest you do a bit of redecorating. More listings are being added by the day and competition will only be increasing as more and more multi-property owners / professional property managers list on Airbnb (they are being courted heavily by Airbnb - 22 property managed listings were posted on Airbnb in my area just this month alone, and I live in a very small coastal town). You have a wonderful place, but if you want to appeal to the most number of people then you would be wise to go with a more neutral, modern, stylish decor, as others here have suggested. 

Also: Are you showing up when different filters are applied, such as 'Work' and 'Family' Collection? Do you offer Instant Booking? It seems odd you have zero views; is this something that Airbnb's tech team needs to look into on your behalf? 

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

 I show up in every collection and yes I do offer instant booking.

[Elena87]

@Mary-And-Kelly0

Rather than taking advise to turn your place into an IKEA showroom, try first just something more simple and instant - change your main picture. I like picture 27 - the one of the house nestled with all the trees in the background.

It looks like a beautiful and wonderful setting where you home is, so show this off first and foremost.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

, Thank you for your input. I did have picture #27 as my cover photo but changed it for the summer. I thought the firepit with the canal in the background was more enticing for summer. Guess I was wrong!

[Lisa723]

I know that "views" data usually lags for a few days at least; I always see "zero" views for the most recent few days. Clearly your listing has had some views in the past 24 hours so as an experiment you could see whether/when they show up in your stats... re. the canal front, what's wrong with displaying some nicely staged photos of your lovely outdoor seating area with the canal prominently featured, and clearly captioned to indicate in what season(s) it is full? (You could easily turn it into an even more enticing space with some twinkly solar-powered lights for evening.) Mentioning that you provide tubes and shuttle service and playing up the water recreation opportunity nearby would also be good. You have some unique amenities but you're hiding them instead of highlighting them to make your listing stand out from the crowd. I stand by my position on the knick-knacks and florals. 🙂 No need to run to Ikea, this is more a question of removing clutter and adding a couple of slip-covers/bedspreads so the space doesn't look like a time capsule from 1983.

[Mary-And-Kelly0]

 Thank you for taking the time to look at my listing. The look I was aiming for was more country cottage than 1983. Guess I missed that mark! You have some good ideas with playing up the canal and I will definitely see what I can accomplish in that regard. I absolutely do talk about the tubes and the shuttle service in my listing already. I do appreciate the insights.