How long does it take to get your first booking?

[Christine2088]

Hello all, just wondering how long it took to get your first booking? 

I have tested different prices, tried lowering and raising etc and it doesn’t seem to make a difference. 

I have gotten two inquiries that did not turn into bookings. 

If you could review my listing that would be much appreciated. 

Thanks

[Alexandra316]

@Christine2088I had my first booking very quickly, within a few hours of going live, but your mileage may vary based on your market. How long has your listing been up? If you look at competitors' calendars, does it look like they're booked? If you look at your Performance tab and look at occupancy rates, does it look like other places are booked? Maybe no one is visiting Wichita right now. 

Interesting regarding pricing not making a difference. Based on the comparables I was shown at the bottom of your listing, I would say maybe drop it a bit until you get some reviews under your belt. 

Your listing looks very nice - no specific red flags regarding the space. It looks cute and clean, and your home looks modern and pretty. However, you don't have any reviews as a guest or personal information at all, nor do you have many verifications. If I was staying in a shared place, I would want to know more about the people I was staying with. I would fill out your profile and say a bit more about who the spaces are shared with. Do you have kids? A partner? I would want to know that before booking.   

Maybe add some more photos to your listing? 20+ is optimal. I would show the kitchen, since you've listed that as an amenity. A picture of the bath or shower would also be nice, as would a pic of the walk-in closet, since that's an amenity. Neighbourhood pics are also good, like maybe a picture of the golf course nearby that you mention, or some cute neighbourhood shops and restaurants. People are more likely to look at pics than read, so it doesn't hurt to have pics of all of the amenities you offer. 

I hope things pick up for you soon!

[Christine2088]

Thank you for the feedback. I fixed my profile and will work on getting more pictures. It looks like Wichita has a 30-50% booking rate!

[Mike-And-Jane0]

We got bookings fairly quickly - As we were new and had no reviews we gave a discount of 30% (ouch) to the first 3 people to book. This worked well and Gott us 2 quick reviews (the third person sadly booked months in advance!)

Listing looks good but I am confused by the shared space. 

Also do a search on your area and check out the competition to keep prices keen and see how others market your home.

[Allison2]

Your listing looks good, nice clear pictures and write-up. I'm not seeing any red flags.

When I listed in early spring for my first summer of hosting the bookings came quickly (within an hour). I'll bet you're not getting bookings because you're starting just as the travel season is shutting down.

At least in my neck of the midwest, we go from insanely busy in the summer (85% + occupancy) to just weekend bookings for leaf peepers around now...by November bookings are so slow we just close for the winter. If Wichita gets similar travel patterns, it might just be the quiet market as you enter winter.

It's also hard starting up when there's a lot of competition and you're not in the main tourist zone. I bet you'll have better luck in the spring.

Until then, do you live near hospitals, universities, or major employers? If it's an option, I'd post my room on one of the travel nurse extended stay sites to keep booked until summer.

[Anonymous]

@Christine2088  Your listing looks nice - good photos, lots of amenities, and a clear easy-to-read description. I think it has real appeal.

It can be difficult for shared-home hosts to attract bookings in many locations that aren't in dense urban centers or major tourist/event attractions. Quieter neighborhoods like yours are more popular with people seeking entire-home listings. @Allison2  has some great suggestions there - it helps to consider what things (jobs, school, etc) are bringing people to your area in need of furnished and affordable short-term housing, when there isn't so much tourism nearby. 

Even so, though, your local board of tourism is a really underrated resource, and they tend to be far more generous with reliable data and qualified analysis than a global website is generating with its algorithms.